Editor’s note: In an ongoing series, INMA is profiling our most engaged members — our super fans. At a time when we have less face-to-face time, we hope this gives members a chance to learn more about each other. Today we profile Hanne Hendrikx, manager customer retention for Mediahuis in Antwerp, Belgium.

“Listening to our readers and including their feedback in our development processes really helped shape our 2022 plans,” said Hanne Hendrikx, manager customer retention for Mediahuis in Antwerp, Belgium. “More and more, we start with small steps, see how customers react, optimise, learn and then evolve. Take one step at a time.”

That has been an important lesson, she said, but not the only one they have learned in the past couple of years: “We learned that projects don’t have to be completely defined before roll-out.”

Thanks to digitalisation, the company has an advantage over those with print-only editions, Hendrikx said: “Due to the richness of data we can work with, nowadays we know so much more about our readers than we used to when we only had a print edition. So our work can be much more customised.”

INMA recently caught up with Hendrikx to learn more about her.

INMA: If you had your career to do over again, what would you want to know in the beginning?

Hendrikx: Not so much. I think discovering your path over the years makes it interesting.

INMA: What makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning?

Hendrikx: The first thing I do in the morning is go outside to feed our animals. That’s my way to start the day fresh and lively. Then I wake up the kids, who are most of the time instantly in a good mood. As for my job, I get excited by the great colleagues I get to work with every day.

INMA: What is the craziest job or project you’ve ever done in media — and what did you learn from it?

Hendrikx: A few years ago, we launched very local editions based on user-generated content to capture those really local news facts deep in the communities. To promote this project and to get people enthusiastic about it, it was important to get close to them. We spent an evening presenting it live — together with our editor — in every city or village in our area, even in the smallest village with only 80 inhabitants.

So for several months, we were on the move three to four evenings a week. Mostly we closed the evening with some locals in their favourite bar. It was really satisfying to get a warm welcome, meet nice people, seeing their contributions to the newspaper.

INMA: What success within your company are you most proud of right now?

Hendrikx: Our retention team getting our customer journey together. We are optimising many flows, using a customer data platform. We built a new onboarding flow, calculate engagement and churn scores on a weekly basis, and improved the renewal process. The work is far from done, but it’s a great journey to be on.

INMA: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Hendrikx: Three things that are really important for me: trust in the people I work with, a positive view on things, and being constructive. If those elements are present, you can make progress.

INMA: What do you do to relax?

Hendrikx: Having fun with my kids. As soon as I see them, I forget about all the rest.

INMA: If you hadn’t gone into news media, what was your back-up plan?

Hendrikx: Something completely different. I thought about being a vet or a dentist.

INMA: What is your favourite thing to read?

Hendrikx: Lately, I don’t read a lot of books. My daughter and I bought a sewing machine, so in our free time we try to get the hang of that. In my car, I listen to podcasts or e-books, so more listening instead of reading.

INMA: What do you find the most challenging/interesting about the news media industry right now?

Hendrikx: Interesting: The expansion Mediahuis did in other countries. We can exchange a lot over the teams. It’s a big benefit and gives an extra dimension to our job. Challenging: People are busy creatures with work, kids, housekeeping, and hobbies. We want to do a lot in a day; we get in touch with so many different brands, struggling for our attention. I hope we can succeed in being as important in people’s lives as news brands always have been.

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