I’m going to give you readers a break today by not ranting on and on about the second housing bubble inflating before our very eyes.
But don’t worry, I’ll return to it soon.
In the meantime, my spouse received a piece of marketing mail the other day that immediately caught my attention in a negative way.
Of course, the copywriter for this mailing is probably cheering that his trick worked on me – and undoubtedly lots of other members of the target audience.
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The success of an integrated marketing campaign depends largely on the occurrence of synergy – synergy being the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Generally, we define an integrated marketing campaign as one which uses several unique marketing channels and ties them together with a common, recognizable message.
Multiple marketing channels are used for at least three purposes: Read more…
Reading Joe’s blog yesterday made me angry. Not only was I disappointed in the shabby service he received from his local car dealer, I was irritated that the marketing people behind the coupon campaign failed to include one of the most critical elements of any marketing effort.
As Joe discovered upon arriving at the dealer, the employees doing the work had zero knowledge about the special coupon offer. As a result, Joe failed to receive what he was promised by the marketing people behind this promotion.
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How often have you heard the thought-provoking comment – all that glitters is not gold? It’s offered as a reminder – or warning – that things aren’t always what they appear to be.
Beware!
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No, my title isn’t a play on words – but it could be.
Most of us are knowledgeable about a lot of things.
We know the best places to eat. We know where to shop for the best food prices. Many of us believe that amazon.com is the best place to shop for books, DVDs, and CDs among other things. We know the best places to go on vacation.
We have very strong opinions about the best brands of cars and trucks to buy and where to buy them.
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Today, I’m showing you a set of print ads that give one financial institution the ability to gain readers — which can increase account openings.
Seeing how these ad techniques work might ignite a brainstorm in your mind and lead to your own improved marketing strategy.
Over the past three months, MembersOwn Credit Union has placed a set of ads in the local newspaper. They’re a similar style and each ad tells a story about the member pictured in the ad. (Click to enlarge.)
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Here’s a bit of irony for you.
It appears that the community banks and credit unions in my area have totally abandoned direct mail in favor of the social media channels. In fact, they appear close to abandoning newspaper ads as well. Newspaper ads in the Sunday edition have become as scarce as hen’s teeth, pocket calculators, and landline phones.
Most likely they are busy throwing all their marketing dollars into trying to make Facebook and other social media channels work for them. I’m still fuzzy about the merits of having hundreds, if not thousands, of people on Facebook “like” your bank or credit union.
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Your postal carrier isn’t going away anytime soon – if ever!
36% of responding U.S. consumers in a recent marketing study said they prefer receiving financial information in their traditional mail box.
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Needless to say I was shocked to learn that America’s third-largest advertiser is dropping all of its paid advertising being done on Facebook.
First reported on Tuesday by the folks at The Wall Street Journal, we’re told that the company’s executives determined their paid ads had little impact on consumers’ purchases of the company’s products.
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I’m not sure when it hit me, but at some point in my long bank marketing career it occurred to me that sometimes the bank president, and most likely other members of the senior management team, are stricken by the cocktail party disease.
This may, or may not, include the senior marketing person.
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I’ve yet to find an answer for a marketing question that’s been nagging me for the past couple of years.
Why would any business, banks and credit unions included, cease using the traditional mail channel that delivers proven results in order to climb aboard the yet-to-be-proven social media bandwagon?
At a minimum, you’d think these marketers would stick with what works as an insurance policy while reallocating fewer dollars to testing social media. Totally abandoning one channel in order to fund a relatively new channel just seems like a bad marketing decision.
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How powerful and effective is direct mail marketing? Consider that the leading name in social media uses direct mail to promote itself.
This miniature postcard, 4.25 x 6 inches, arrived in the ACTON Marketing office on November 30.
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I often wonder how many of the nation’s community banks and credit unions have forgotten the sage advice that “you must spend money to make money.”
It seems a vast majority of them are hoarding scarce marketing dollars when they should be spending them on some aggressive marketing messages.
After all, because of their callous approach to treating customers, the nation’s largest banks have handed credit unions and community banks a once-in-a-lifetime marketing opportunity.
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Frankly, I’m confused.
Is it SkyBlue Checking or SkyBlue Free Checking?
After visiting a couple of media websites, reading the bank’s press release, visiting the bank’s website and its Facebook page, I’m confused about the name of the bank’s new checking account.
Belmont Savings Bank, Belmont, Massachusetts, made the news two weeks ago when it introduced its first free checking account.
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Most of us are familiar with the old cliché: “The more, the merrier.”
While it may apply to people at a party, it doesn’t necessarily apply to marketing channels.
I have a burning question today for marketing people working for banks and credit unions – How do you decide which of the growing number of marketing channels to use and what criteria do you employ for selecting them?
As you may, or may not, know, the proliferation of marketing channels greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll become a victim of the paradox of choice.
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When more than one group of marketers or departments are involved in a promotion, there can be a joust over how the promotional space of a mail piece or print ad is used.
One ACTON Marketing client is running a promotion to get more Facebook followers. A contingent in the company wanted to replace the corporate halo story in the mail promotion with an ad for the institution’s Facebook page.
I thought the answer I wrote as an email response might help you if you have a similar situation with two sides tugging on you for limited ad space. It can apply to all sorts of product promotions, not just the Facebook issue mentioned here.
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Take a marketing element that financial institutions have used for decades and combine it with current technology trends and you get exactly what the title of this post says.
I read in a news report that PepsiCo introduced what it calls a “social vending machine” that lets you buy a soft drink for a friend. Use the machine’s touchscreen to enter your friend’s name, mobile phone number, and a personal message or video. Your friend gets the message with a code and instructions that explain how to redeem the code at any similar Pepsi machine.
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Fans. It’s a problem all marketers would like to have. Consumers who are avid about the product. These fans not only buy the merchandise, they advocate for it. They wear logo apparel and buy logo collectibles and doodads. They follow companies and brands on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
A recent survey shows luxury brands reward this fan loyalty by ignoring their followers. Yet an Adweek article based on the report says the top 100 luxury brands still have an average of 1.5 million online fans compared to popular brand companies that average 365,000.
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One marketing component gets little attention, yet, if used properly, can be meaningful. It can state your entire agenda.
I’m talking about a tagline. I see plenty, including those from financial institutions. Many are vague and unimpressive. It’s almost like the company thought it needed a tagline so it came up with something innocuous so as not to offend anyone and avoid saying anything they might have to live up to later.
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A few days ago, I gave you some tips for social media marketing and told a story about an unfortunate tweet posted by an agency’s staffer to Chrysler’s Twitter account. I recommended you keep control over your social media to avoid embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Saab Cars North America is taking a completely opposite approach and opening a social media experience to everyone.
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