Most consumers won’t believe the nice things banks and credit unions say about themselves.  Why should they?  It comes across as bragging and self-serving.

As a consumer, what is your reaction to the three promises appearing on this giant billboard in Sacramento, California?

In case you have trouble reading them, they are:

Better Value

Outstanding Service

Be Outstanding.  We are

I don’t know about you, but I’m bothered by any bank or credit union that feels the need to brag about itself.  It makes me wonder why they feel the need to do so.

Consumers are much more likely to believe the nice things your happy customers say about your bank or credit union.

Why shouldn’t they?  After all, a happy, satisfied customer is merely sharing his or her favorable experiences with others.

Think about your own personal experiences.  Most of us love telling others when we get exceptional service from a company we do business with.  Sadly, today we’ve come to expect mediocre service, at best.  So when we are treated with care and concern, the shock has us telling others about it.

So, how do you get your happy, satisfied customers to share their favorable comments with other consumers living around your branches?

You ask these customers to provide you with a testimonial that you can use in a myriad of ways – on your website, in newspaper ads, on radio spots, in direct mail packages, and on social networking sites.

There are at least two traits that are very important to your bank or credit union – credibility and trust.  You want your customers and prospects to trust you and know that you are credible.

The question is – how do you accomplish this?

You can try and convince people that they should trust you and that you are a credible but why should they believe you?

On the other hand, when others brag about you being trustworthy and having credibility – people will believe them.  They are more objective – they don’t have a vested interest in your business.  They’re being honest.  They want to share this good news with their friends, family, and co-workers.

You can allow them to do so via customer testimonials.

How to develop and manage a customer testimonial program at your bank or credit union is covered in detail in the March issue of our free online newsletter which was posted yesterday here.  In this issue you’ll find examples of several banks and credit unions effectively using customer testimonials to attract new customers.  In fact, two banks have built their entire marketing campaign using only customer testimonials.

Read the free March issue today.