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Making a customer magazine a B2B-oriented webzine
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DHL's customer magazine is designed and prepared by the marketing and communication teams of various departments of DHL France. For several years, it has promoted the brand, brand values, and offers. Here is a report on the project provided by Nathalie Marinic, Signé DHL Coordinator for all Group divisions in France.
"The print version of Signé magazine has existed for several years. Communication issues and budget considerations for the B2B sales development plan led us to reconsider and rethink this tool. We noticed that Signé DHL is a convincing tool for promoting Group values. However, its production, from creating relevant content to mailing it, is very time-consuming. Moreover, the magazine's overall cost compared to the number of contacts reached led us to question its return on investment. Finally, after a few years of existence, it was time to overhaul the magazine to freshen up our readers' interest.
"A tool which would be closer to our readers' centres of interest and at the service of sales development: The idea to transform the print magazine into a business-oriented webzine seemed to be the best solution for several reasons," notes Nathalie Marinic. "First, it was important to change our up-front communication, making it more direct and interactive by using the amazing power of the web.
Finally, our sales teams are our first line for keeping and developing our market share. Launching an on-line business webzine as a relationship marketing aid provides them with a platform for very concrete, very direct discussion with their clients and prospects. In this way, their daily activities are accomplished "with" and even "through" the Signé DHL webzine. They view this new tool as a factor in improving the relationship with their target audiences and can't help but feel more motivated.
Finally, brand values and image, as well as concrete actions such as requesting documentation or taking an appointment, are easier to incorporate in a webzine than a print magazine, where the writing hierarchy must be respected. ! "...a genuine action plan designed to provide assistance and support through to the end of the project..."
« … a genuine action plan designed to provide assistance and support through to the end of the project »
Our experience also showed us that a change of media for our communication targets must be accompanied by a genuine action plan designed to provide assistance and support through to the end of the project. That is why we decided to design, not only the content, and Signé DHL webzine with Quatre Vents, but also the communication action plan for the change, to raise awareness. The solutions used are not groundbreaking, but rigorously designed to constantly improve on an on-going basis. Finally, against a backdrop of necessary budget constraints, we enjoyed real savings in comparison to the previous Signé DHL.
Quatre Vents is a reliable partner for this project, since it completely takes care of content, project management, communication tools, and tracking reports. So, from preparations through to the minutest details of managing implementation, our project is very tidily managed!
