F I D I S E RV ICES THE CHANGING FACE OF COMMUNICATION POST-COVID As movers re-evaluate their marketing and communications strategies to reflect the changes brought about to their businesses by the pandemic, FIDI has begun a conversation with Aliates about how it can support them A The visual, bite-sized nature of social media allows moving companies to broaden the focus of their marketing way beyond the boxes and trucks image that some perceive as dull 58 FF300 DecJan21 pp58-59 Marcomms.indd 58 s a part of its ongoing eorts to improve its service to Aliates, FIDI has been exploring ways in which it can support its membership in promoting their businesses to the marketplace. This is particularly relevant in the context of the changes that have been brought about by COVID-19, which have heightened the need for well-executed online activities, especially with small to mediumsized business. To this end, FIDI has begun conversations with several marketing-savvy Aliates to get their perspectives on this vital issue, looking at their approach and discussing what kind of assistance it can give them, and how they can leverage their membership of the organisation to improve communications. The insights of these initial discussions highlighted a marked dierence between the mobility industrys large players, for whom having a dedicated marketing department comes as standard, and those smaller firms for whom it does not. More traditional movers are often not particularly marketing driven, although management of these companies is generally supportive of marketing initiatives. We are continually learning about what works and what does not usually on an ad hoc basis, said one Aliate, and some businesses could certainly benefit from educational initiatives that keep them up to date with current methods and measurement. The importance of marketing, particularly digital marketing, and social media, has been brought to the forefront during the pandemic. While streamlining businesses, stripping out cost and increasing eciency, is one of the key pillars of the new commercial environment for everyone, so too is stepping up the focus on welltargeted marketing activity. As Bill Brill, President of FIDI USA, says on pages 64-65, Aliates can no longer aord to take a service centre approach where they wait for the business to come to them; but must instead take themselves into the (mainly digital) marketplace to ensure they are visible, and tailor their messages to promote the right services, to the right audiences, using the right channels. While a clear B2B social media strategy, especially on LinkedIn, can deliver great returns by stimulating conversations and strengthening a movers supply chain network, the question of why a B2C strategy on Facebook and/ Social media provides a window into a moving business for prospective clients and employees or Instagram can help, too, has become more pertinent. According to the Chairman of Mobilitas Group, Alain Taeb, in FIDIs recent webinar on the industry response to COVID-19, health and safety is now the paramount concern for customers and sta: The agenda has completely changed, he said. Accordingly, companies must be able to demonstrate how seriously they are taking this heightened level of anxiety, and it can become a clear dierentiator in promotional activity, too. With social media activity there is an excellent shop window through which a mover can show a potential transferee or other prospects exactly how they are going about their business day to day, said one Aliate, including how they are focusing on their duty of care to the people they work with and for. The visual, bite-sized nature of social media allows moving companies to broaden the focus of their marketing way beyond the boxes and trucks image that some perceive as dull, to showcase human elements, including the people who are carrying out the move, and the lives of their transferee families. Movers such as Italys Bliss Corporation or Hilldrup in the USA are among the Aliates to embrace this approach, and WWW. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 24/11/2020 11:29