While most banks and credit unions offer a Christmas Club savings account, few promote the service to customers, members, or the public. That lapse allowed retailers to make another inroad into what was once a banking-only domain.

In 2009, Sears and Kmart, both owned by Sears Holding Corp., offered a branded Christmas Club card. The system worked like the traditional banking account. Consumers accumulated $5, $10, or whatever amount deposits, and got the club-specific, store-branded gift card in time for holiday shopping.

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Did you read the compliments Consumers Union gave community banks and credit unions in its July issue of Consumer Reports? It’s only a half-page article, but the message is clear.

“When to bail on your bank,” is on page 9. After two introductory paragraphs, the article covers four topics under the subheads “Better credit cards,” “Higher yields on savings,” “Low-rate loans,” and “Bottom line.”

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Online bill pay is a “sticky” relationship that deters accountholders from switching to another financial institution. People dislike the idea of re-entering their bill paying information into a new online service.

To improve retention, it makes sense to promote bill pay service to new accountholders and even help them get started.

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This seems like a good time to show you another way to get the attention of prospects and solve the dilemma some marketers have when it comes to halo copy.

As a quick review, halo copy refers to good deeds your financial institution does in and for the community. You publicize the stories to advertise your actions to consumers so they know you’re more than a brick building or a faceless corporation. I offered plenty of examples in another post you can review in a few minutes.

There are only two arguments I sometimes hear when the topic of halo copy comes up. First, the marketers say, they don’t have any ideas. Second, they have offices in many communities, so they don’t want to single out one event in one community. (Both weak arguments.)

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A financial institution created a new account with a feature calculated to give it the edge in its marketplace. The marketing department asked a general ad agency to prepare a newspaper ad to promote the new product.

I saw a copy of the ad. Big headline focused on the exciting new feature. Clean design. Easy-to-read copy. List of office locations and contact information. Prominent company logo.

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If you’re a salesperson, hold up. I think I hear your phone ringing. Yeah, better stop reading this and answer the phone. Probably a client calling. Don’t read this. Not important anyway. Nothing to see here.

Are they gone? Good. Okay, now for the rest of you non-sales readers here’s a story about sales people I’ll use as an example to make today’s point about marketing.

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The image of all reporters being like Woodward and Bernstein isn’t accurate. For reasons like inexperience, misunderstanding, or plain laziness, the stories you read and hear aren’t always exact or unbiased.

As you know, the July 1 deadline for new account opt-in has passed. Now, all new account holders must choose overdraft protection in order for the financial institution to honor those overdrafts. And as you know, the opt-in deadline for accounts opened prior to July 1 is August 15.

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As we know, every business has outstanding customer service…they tell us so. But how does your staff react when a customer has a problem?

The first step, of course, is to correct the problem. There’s one side of the problem, however, that might leave a lasting impression long after you’ve fixed the dilemma.

Here’s an example of how a large corporation handled a huge customer, image, and confidence problem. McDonald’s Corp., the world’s biggest restaurant chain, discovered the collectible “Shrek” movie character glassware it was selling were tainted with the potentially dangerous chemical cadmium.

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In “Consistency Messaging,” Tuesday’s post, I explained how a rationale I wrote for a client’s executives five years ago focused on reasons why a financial institution’s marketing message must be consistent across all contacts with customers and prospects — and my reasoning is still valid today.

Today’s follow-up post is less about consistent messaging, but gives you key elements you can compare to your own corporate identity and see if your messaging is as effective as it can be. You might see ways you can improve what you’re already using.

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I’m sure you’ve had the experience of searching for something, when suddenly you find something else you’d forgotten you have, or haven’t seen for a long time. That happened to me when I was rummaging through my stored computer files.

I rediscovered a rationale I wrote for a client’s executives and marketers in January 2005. It focused on the consistency of a company’s marketing messages.

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The Federal Trade Commission says there are 400 financial institutions in the U.S. that are not federally insured. The commission spells out how these organizations must disclose this status to the public.

But what message should insured banks and credit unions make?

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Across large parts of the U.S., the housing market is still in turmoil, but in other areas the market is taking off again. If your financial institution is fortunate to be in a rejuvenated market for home sales, are you competing for those mortgage loans?

Apparently, in Nebraska, ACTON Marketing’s home state, interest in buying and selling is up again. Saturday, the local newspaper included a special Parade of Homes section. There were seven bank and credit union mortgage loan ads along with a co-op mortgage ad from five credit unions all in the Parade of Homes section.

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There’s one way to promote your financial institution that fascinates me, yet I rarely see the idea used. Maybe by mentioning it here, it will spark an interest and encourage at least a few readers to act on the idea.

Other companies outside of financial services use this method, so it’s nothing radical. Your company probably has one or more corporate vehicles you use for official business. Maybe you pick up deposits from your business customers. You might have a traveling loan officer who visits customers at their jobs. It could even be a vehicle that shuttles interoffice mail and supplies between your locations.

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