Roundup — The Best of Banking Marketing
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘banking?’ Corporates in well-ironed suits? Serious faces counting out cash? Long queues? Well, gone are the days where straight-laced financial services reigned supreme. Today, banks are keeping up with the latest trends and nailing digital marketing like never before. They’ve found their groove both online and offline. But who’s pulling out all the stops? This Medium roundup features three brands totally rocking banking marketing.
#1 Avidia Bank @AvidiaBank
Avidia Bank has been at the forefront of social media activity since their #CardlessCash campaign in 2016 which promoted their mobile banking app. Through brand ambassadors known as Avidia Smarties, a team of cross-branch employees selected for their tech and social savviness, the bank managed to double their twitter followers in a few months, increase their Facebook following by 10% and get a positive sentiment rating of 83%. But what did they do?
· Humanised their brand by putting smiley faces at the heart of banking
Top tip: Going behind the scenes can give your brand an authentic twist which can help you to achieve a loyal and interactive fanbase.
· Set up a Twitter and Instagram account for the company’s mascot. A white piggybank called Max McNickel @BankSmartMAX. This account is very much still active today and focuses on current issues and trends that are likely to get people interacting such as the World Series.
Top tip: Make use of hashtags to ensure your posts are easy to find amid trending topics.
· Shared content from self-proclaimed ‘Smartypants’ employees such as CarrieAnne Cormier.
This is significant as according to Hootsuite research, there is 8 x more engagement with content shared in social channels by employees than with typical “brand content” with a corporate voice. Again, the below tweet focusses on a specific calendar event and is enticing with prizes and giveaways.
Top tip: Don’t be afraid to have fun with your banking marketing. Giving your brand a mascot, for instance, is a great way to make your company recognisable. It also gives you another avenue from which to promote your services.
Avidia Bank also takes corporate responsibility very seriously. This focus is amplified on platforms like LinkedIn with branded campaigns that support notable charities.
Top tip: Remember, marketing shouldn’t be all ‘me, me, me.’ Millennials, in particular, hate pushy sales messages and therefore taking a different angle is great for brand image.
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#2 Halifax @AskHalifaxBank
“Love the perm lion.” Yes, that’s right, Halifax used A Wizard of Oz-themed video and the famous slogan “there’s no place like home,” to promote their mortgage services. The brand that ‘gives you extra’ took consumers down the yellow brick road with plenty of shoe clicking to top it off!
The home buying advert has been watched on the official Halifax YouTube channel almost 12,000 times. It also clocked up close to 8,000 views on Facebook and nearly 10,000 on Twitter as the result of an omnichannel marketing effort that brightened up the banking world.
According to Russell Galley, Managing Director at Halifax: “The Wizard of Oz is a real family favourite across generations and a perfect fictional fit with what Halifax is all about in real life. We have been committed to supporting homebuyers and home movers for 160 years, helping millions of people all over the UK discover that ‘there’s no place like home.”
Catherine Kehoe, Managing Director, Brands and Marketing, Halifax, added, “What better place to showcase Halifax’s expertise and heritage in helping the nation’s homebuyers than the Emerald City. The twist this time is that our friendly colleague Greg ‘appears’ alongside Dorothy and her friends in the land of Oz, demonstrating how we give extra to our customers every day.”
Top takeaway: Pursue marketing that’s inline with your brand’s morals, beliefs and goals.
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Halifax is also great at engaging consumers. Check out the below campaign which was rolled out as a photo and question series across social media! This interactive initiative gained great traction with each post receiving hundreds of likes, multiple shares and numerous comments.
Top takeaway: Include a clear call to action on social media posts to encourage people to act! And don’t forget to respond to replies where possible. After all, you’re trying to initiate conversations that increase ROI and improve your consumer following.
#3 The Co-operative Bank UK @CooperativeBank
Financial marketing is hard. There’s a host of things you can and can’t say. But that’s where creativity comes into play. Planning campaigns around significant calendar events is a great idea allowing you to join in the with festivities from a more corporate angle. Keep it relevant though and don’t just post content for the sake of drawing attention to your brand. This year, the Co-operative Bank UK celebrated the Year of the Pig by promoting their Online Saver initiative. Appropriate? Yes, because the pig stands for wealth and prosperity in the Chinese Zodiac.
Top tip: Always link through to the product you’re trying to promote. Or, if you want to explain a tweet or Facebook post further, you can link to an article/blog on your main site. The goal is to take consumers on a journey. Be relevant, useful and keep them engaged with your company. Again, remember those all-important calls to action.
What’s more! Get visual with your campaigns! The above picture is bright, vibrant and communicates key messages. This makes it more difficult for people to simply skim past text on social media.
In marketing, you must give your content purpose. Be bold and communicate the ethics of your brand in a way that’s gripping and interesting. The below example makes consumers aware of a corporate initiative Proud Together while also educating followers about LGBT History Month.
Top Takeaway: Use corporate imagery to humanise your brand and make your campaigns more authentic. Encourage people to find out more so they’ll want to continue their experience with you!
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