It’s time to go back to school! But not just for the kids…for you too. And you have a new class on your schedule this semester – Marketing 101.
Marketing is an ever-changing animal, and it’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of new trends. So, let’s go back to the basics for a minute. Because you won’t get far without the basics (no matter how much you know about AI or data).
Here are three core areas to look at when returning to your bank or credit union marketing basics.
Copy 101
Consumers are reading less copy these days, but that doesn’t mean you can throw good writing out the window. If anything, effective copywriting is even more important. Crafting shorter, punchier pieces is arguably harder than writing words heaped upon words of text.
One important note: never neglect headlines!
Only 20% of people typically read past the headline. That means the rest of your copy won’t matter if you don’t nail the headline. Spend time mastering this piece of copy, and you might capture more than the usual 20% of deep readers.
What are some other keys to good bank or credit union marketing copy?
- It makes the member or customer the hero (use “you” rather than “we”).
- It has short paragraphs (around three sentences).
- It uses bulleted or numbered lists.
- It’s written at an eighth-grade level.
- It highlights a problem and proposes a solution.
Imagery 101
Your imagery is vital. Just like copy, imagery communicates a message…and your message must be consistent.
One of the biggest problems we see during marketing assessments is inconsistent imagery. The bank or credit union uses stock photos on one piece and illustrations on another associated piece. Their graphics don’t appropriately use their brand colors. Stock images don’t correctly communicate the copy’s message.
Whatever the problem is, you need to fix it if you want consumers’ attention. Some tips for having great bank or credit union marketing imagery are:
- Stick with a style (like lifestyle shots or illustrations).
- Make sure your imagery is branded/uses your brand colors.
- Match tone of the image to tone of the copy (so, copy about a scam should not have a smiling, happy person in the image).
- Have imagery representative of your niche (so, pictures of teachers if you are an educator’s credit union).
Niches 101
Remember, you can’t be all things to all people. You absolutely must drill down into your core niches and tailor marketing to those groups if you want success. As Donald Miller says, “niches lead to riches.”
But how do you begin identifying whether your marketing is overly broad or not? Here are some questions to help your bank or credit union marketing retain a narrow focus:
- Who is this piece speaking to? (The answer can’t be everyone.)
- Does the problem mentioned in our marketing match a problem our niche has?
- Do promotions offer a goal our niche wants to achieve?
Did you learn anything from Marketing 101? Hopefully you did. After all, consumers will be giving you the test.
And if your bank or credit union wants help preparing, book a free consultation about an On The Mark Strategies marketing assessment. You’ll get the guidance you need to start improving your marketing right away.
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