Timeless Bank & Credit Union Marketing Trends
Social media, blogs, community outreach, advertising, website content, video development, oh my! How can financial marketing teams today manage their time and resources to effectively attract new clients and drive growth? Hint: Less is more. With a few foundational elements in place and smart planning, you can turn your marketing plan into your best one yet!
Whether you’re working with your marketing team to develop a plan or it’s already complete, ensure you are taking adequate time to get all your communications ducks in a row. Is your plan based on business goals? Are you using data to help make decisions on where and how to spend your advertising dollars? Is your website driving conversions?
It doesn’t have to be complicated. With a “less is more” approach, here are the top three timeless community bank and credit union marketing trends to attract new customers/members and drive growth:
Trend #1: Gather and Use Your Data
Every financial institution should be using data to build more effective marketing programs that increase engagement and profits. By marrying internal data (from your core database/customer surveys, etc.) and external data (social media and digital advertising analytics), you can better define the customer or member journey and provide more specific growth strategies to implement throughout the year. The more data you have, the better informed you are about your current and prospective customers/members, therefore the more specific you can be in your marketing efforts.
For example, we manage highly effective digital campaigns for our clients, including SEM (search engine marketing) campaigns. This allows our clients to land among the top three spots in Google search results for the products/services they offer. In turn, this shows us:
- Trends in search behavior (what products/services are in bigger demand)
- The products/services users are interested in (as determined by the top visited web pages on our clients’ websites)
- Where users are located
As a result, this gives us insight into the products and services that could bring new customers/members to our clients and the markets that need those products/services.
With access to more meaningful internal and external data, the more effective you will be in your marketing efforts.
Trend #2: Generate Calls to Action
Based on the data collected, what are your goals? To build brand awareness in a new market? Promote specific products? Develop a new service line to meet the ever-changing needs of customers/members? No matter the business goal, ensure you are using calls to action that:
- Are clear and consistent
- Encourage high-quality clicks (no click bait here)
- Take users to the correct landing page on your website
The more on point you can be with your call to action, the easier it will be to close the deal.
Trend #3: Utilize Video
Do you know that video is now consumed daily by over 3 billion users worldwide? If video is not part of your marketing program, then you’re missing out big time. Not only is video a great way to connect with current and prospective customers/members, as well as the greater communities you aim to serve, but it also allows people to see your face and hear your message in a different, compelling way. This is a fantastic opportunity and invitation for them to interact with your brand. Plus, Facebook and other social media platforms award you for sharing video. This means your video content is likely to be seen on more social media feeds than the static image you have become accustomed to using. If you need more convincing, here’s a great blog that talks in more detail about the value of video.
Want your message to attract more high-quality leads and consistently drive growth? Look at the data, be clear in your calls to action, and make sure you use video. By incorporating these timeless trends into your overall marketing, you are sure to have your best year yet. If you need help developing a marketing plan, including highly targeted digital campaigns or video development, contact us at Chartwell Agency.
