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This short article has our top 6 best practices every bank or credit union marketer should be implementing now.
1. Measure your brand ROI (even though it’s hard)
Brand ROI is difficult to track, but you can do it if you plan ahead and put proper benchmarks in place. The new year is the perfect time to establish baseline metrics and commit to consistently measuring your progress. Market share, conversion rates, employee advocacy, net promoter score or other key metrics that affect your marketing spend and the bank’s bottom line matter. Monitor, perfect and report. That’s the language of the C-suite.
2. Audit and eliminate brand chaos
Review the past year’s campaigns for consistency in look, feel and brand promise. Are you constantly changing creative direction on marketing and sales promotions to see what sticks or because you’re tired of the look and want to change things up? Lack of consistency confuses customers (and employees). It’s costly and it weakens your brand equity both inside and outside the institution.
The most powerful financial brands gain their strength from the discipline to stay on course.
3. Stop trying to please everyone (it’s impossible anyway)
Draw a line in the brand sand. Stand for something unique and ownable. Trying to appeal to everyone is expensive and impossible. It means you end up saying nothing meaningful because messaging is too general or vague. In an effort to appeal to a faceless mass, marketing becomes like wallpaper that people pass without noticing. Use the new year to get bold and focused.
4. Create a Brand Activation Blueprint
Map out all the actionable ways your brand can come to life across customer experience, hiring, internal culture and marketing. You must activate your brand promise, not just speak it. To make an impact, get cross-departmental input and share the TO DO list to ensure widespread buy-in and authentic brand activation. That's where the magic happens. Marketing is not an island.
5. Align every promotion with your brand purpose
Review every single campaign to ensure it connects to your “why” before it goes into development. Design every communication, sponsorship, social post, job listing or lobby sign—everything—to support your unique promise. Sometimes that means saying no. Disconnected sales promotions camouflage your brand and reinforce commodity positioning. Resolve to fly your flag proudly.
6. Push past your first idea
Don’t fall in love with the first interesting idea that arose in that brainstorm session. If your creative looks like everyone else’s—stock photos, AI-generated illustrations or clichés like superheroes—dig deeper. What seems “safe” or “right” at first glance probably won’t make a distinct impression. Instead, it fades into the background. Brainstorm better (watch our how-to video Brainstorm Bootcamp)! Don’t settle for groupthink or fall back on comfortable old creative habits. The new year demands originality.
This article shares some highlights from Martha Bartlett Piland’s book “Don’t Just Brand There, Do Something,” available in paperback and epub versions. Find it on Amazon and everywhere books are sold.
If you’re ready for help activating a unique, irresistible employer brand and culture for your bank, credit union or advisory firm, book a meeting with Martha Bartlett Piland, CFMP right now.
photo credit: ANIRUDH on Unsplash
