In a now infamous rant, Dennis Green - former coach of the Arizona Cardinals - once said after a game, “They are what we thought they were.” And one of legendary coach Bill Parcells’ most famous quotes is: “You are what you are.”
I was reminded of those lines recently when, after presenting a credit union marketing assessment report to one of our clients, the CEO said, “We’re not as good at service as we think.” He was referencing the mystery shop portion of the audit. The challenge with this particular institution was that its well-designed marketing pieces were saying one thing…but its staff was delivering something else.
As you review your marketing, you must answer the question: “Are we really who we say we are?”
Think about this: Have you ever read your own marketing pieces? What are they promising? And more importantly, are you delivering on those promises?
For example:
• You say you’re about service, but your staff is indifferent
• You say you’re about the community, but you can’t get your employees to volunteer at events
• You say you’re about reaching the underserved, but you are strict when it comes to lending money to C and D paper
• You say you’re about technology, but your mobile app is slow and doesn’t do anything
• You say you’re about getting younger as an institution, but you don’t have any products designed specifically for young people
The above are classic examples of brand gaps. Every credit union or bank — no matter how strong its marketing — has brand gaps. One of the best ways to improve your brand may not be to improve your writing or design. It may be to close the gaps in your brand.
The bottom line: you can’t promise consumers one thing with your brand and then deliver something else.
Several years ago, one financial institution was going to rebrand themselves with the messaging: “We make it easier.” Its marketing material was ready to go. Then, the CEO conducted an all-staff meeting to launch the brand with employees. Someone from the loan department raised his hand during the meeting and said, “When it comes to getting a loan here, it’s really not very easy.” The institution had to stop its entire upcoming brand campaign because it was about to promise something its loan department couldn’t deliver.
Are your marketing and branding messages writing checks the rest of your organization can’t cash? If so, you are not who you say you are.
Three quick ways to close those potential brand gaps are:
• Read your marketing materials with a critical eye (not for grammar or content but for promised results)
• Mystery shop your branches and your competitors’ branches for comparison purposes
• Conduct a comprehensive bank or credit union marketing assessment
You say a lot of things in your marketing. But are you really who you say you are?
For help finding out, book a free consultation with On The Mark Strategies today. We’ll conduct a bank or credit union marketing assessment that helps you identify those brand gaps.
