La Poste launches new directing marketing services for SMEs
The French postal group has unveiled new direct marketing mail services for small and medium-sized firms, and launched a new postal services subsidiary, Mediapost Data, to market these services.
La Poste said it aimed to offer a full range of added-value services for direct marketing, which was a vital part of the mail sector. By targeting the SME market, the postal group aimed to grow its business in this sector, comprising 2.5 million enterprises. While French firms invest about 32% of their communications spending on mail, about 93% of French consumers read addressed promotional material, according to market surveys.
One enhanced service is the Maestra product allowing firms to draw up a direct marketing campaign within a few minutes and a few mouse-clicks. It has set up a special call-in service enabling small firms to make all enqueries regarding mail or parcels under a single phone number. There are also two new tele-sales call centres located in Rennes and Lille, giving the group a total of seven such locations across France. About 600 call centre workers are dedicated to handling calls from SMEs. The centres are already taking about 5,000 such calls a day, La Poste noted.
La Poste has also created an online portal with export information to assist companies aiming to increase their international business. The website contains information on foreign markets on an industry basis.