What was your journey until taking on this role in the company?
I studied public relations in Gorizia and then specialized abroad at the Université Catholique de Louvain with a focus on corporate communication and marketing. Then I returned to Italy to pursue a specialist course in integrated communication for businesses. Later I was lucky enough to work for two large companies at a regional level, first in the interior sector and then in the outdoor sun protection sector. Subsequently I joined MaterMacc, a company specializing in precision seeding which is part of the Austrian group PÖTTINGER Landtechnik Gmbh. Here I met a group of professionals (the beautiful team I deal with every day) who, without fear or any filter, introduced me to the world of agro-mechanics in its various forms. It is an exciting sector, characterized by strong technological innovation. I therefore had to refocus on a sector I was not familiar with, completely reviewing the approach to marketing because in the agro-mechanical sector communication acts differently. I take care of 360° MaterMacc communication both offline and online, coordinating internal events, organizing sector fairs and taking care of the relationship with the press. I work side by side mainly with two people, the product manager and the graphic designer.
What do you think about social media in the B2B market segment?
From a regional point of view I have seen companies' social networks develop a lot in the last period, until a few years ago there wasn't even a need for many companies to have a marketing office or figures who took care of the brand image. Even in our sector, the online presence of companies is growing daily in order to reach the new generations. Presence on traditional media is maintained in order to simultaneously reach dealers and historic customers, less accustomed to the latest digital communication tools. In conclusion I could say that the Italian B2B market woke up late compared to Europe, not to mention the American market which dominates on social media.
Which social network is more suitable for your reality and which is less?
Instagram and YouTube for MaterMacc represent two direct platforms where there is an audience interested in images, videos and quick use of content. Our target audience is very active online, often even during their work activity: for example, agricultural work is shared in real-time and there is a lively discussion between sector professionals in relation to the agricultural tools and techniques used. Agri Influencers are contributing to the creation of communities in our sector which in itself is very loyalty-inducing and leads users to discuss the techniques and tools to use. LinkedIn, on the other hand, is the social network that has the least influence on MaterMacc as it is difficult to meet the target audience. Personally, it is my favorite social network: it allows you to better connect with corporate entities and increase the credibility of the brand also in relation to the territory. Finally there is Pinterest which currently provides excellent access to the site but should be enriched with quality content, so we will certainly start to push more on this platform too.
The data shows that having a low number of followers damages the brand image, what do you think?
Every company would like to have "bigger shoulders" and be accompanied by good numbers, also because it is the first impression that counts but the engagement must correspond to the fan base. We often see company pages with very large fan bases but clearly purchased because the average likes and comments do not match and: this leads many companies to be in difficulty, making this imbalance between the community and its related activity evident to everyone. The increase in the fan base is certainly one of the operations that MaterMacc will begin to implement in its strategy together with various brand awareness actions as soon as the new site is online.
Have you ever collaborated with professionals regarding the social sphere?
Every company should have an external eye and an internal eye in order to balance communication regarding skills and company DNA. An external professional can give the company an expertise that until a few years ago was rare to find in our sector, given the few relationships with agencies. On a social level, MaterMacc has never collaborated with professionals because the management is internal but there is a desire to look at a collaboration capable of improving company performance.
What are the future corporate communication projects?
We will certainly focus on the institutional website from which a renewal of the entire online communication will then start and on the field events that MaterMacc periodically organizes for all its customers. Starting from mid-June there will be days dedicated to Italian and foreign dealers and the press in which we will present the new machines in the field and where we will develop a good part of the content marketing.