Banks Change to a Customer-Focused Message

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on January 4, 2010 under Communication, Websites | Be the First to Comment

Banks have had a rough year, haven’t they?  Scandal, fear, anger, and a general loss of confidence from consumers have made banking a challenging field.  Marketers for banks understood the concern and changed their primary message to one of safety and soundness but in many cases that has begun to change.

Maggie Kelly, VP of marketing for American Banking Association said “We’re seeing people move back to more product-specific promotions.”

As the confidence increases a wiser, more informed and perhaps cautious consumer is now looking for ways that banks can help them save and be more effective with their hard earned dollars.

In a recent article in Advertising Age entitled Banks Turn Message Back to What Consumers Want, reporter Beth Snyder Bulik spotlights the fact that banks are listening the consumers and changing their message to one that includes the answer to ‘how can you help me manage my finances?”

What I love about this is the fact that MARKETERS ARE LISTENING TO THEIR CONSUMERS.

One of the changes being made effects the bank websites.  They are creating separate pages for each product with a “one-page simple explanation of each specific product…Forget jargon-filled ads and book-like bank documents; the bank of the future needs to cut straight to the point.”

Yes!  Two enthusiastic thumbs up.  We can all learn a lesson from banks by listening to our consumers and providing a marketing message that answers their most prevalent questions.  And then here’s the important part:  making sure the answers are simple and easy to understand and easy to find on our website.

It is a new year.  What new things do your customers want to know?  How are you sharing that information?  Where is it in on your website?  Is it easy to find?  Is it easy to understand?