Pro Bowl

Greetings!

Getting ready to watch the NFL's Pro Bowl...and yawning at the same time.

They have moved the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl to try and add some spice and interest in the game.  Need to move on to idea #2!

The All-Star Game in Major League Baseball is exciting...they engage the fan's, interact with them, and its a playful (but serious) game. The Pro Bowl?  Whiny millionaires on vacation.

So, I am up for creating a "Pro Bowl, All-Start, of MVP" of bank and credit unioning marketing.  Any one want to step up and offer a nominee??

Here is my initial list...

• David Kreiman
• Michelle Willis
• Samantha Strickland

Of course....I cannot vote for MarketMatch (but I think we rank really high!)

I am accepting votes and nominees through Friday...and then I will repost the winning list!

Cheers!

Bruce

Credit Card DM Volume Finally Rises

For the first time in three years, credit card-related direct mail volume increased during last year's fourth quarter according to research recently released from Mintel Corporation.

According to the research, while the volume of credit card direct mail in 2009 (less than 2 billion pieces) was 66% less than in 2008 and far less than the annual level of 7 billion a year experienced from 2004-2007, there was an increase of 47% during the fourth quarter of last year, compared to the previous quarter. Contributing to this increase, Chase increased their credit card mailings by the largest amount – 87% over the same period in 2008. In addition, US Bank's credit card mailings were up 64% over the same period of time, according to the study.


Unlike in the past, more than a third of credit card offers sent in 2009 included an annual fee (compared to one-fifth in 2008). While most banks are still working hard to assist customers with credit challenges in the mortgage and home equity areas, this trend in credit card mailings could be reflective of a view by some banks that the economic recovery could be beginning.

Google Analytics Even More Global

Today, Google Analytics is available in 6 more languages: Bulgarian, Catalan, Greek, Lithuanian, Slovak and Vietnamese, bringing the total to 31 languages. It's a large cross-functional effort to localize the product, and we're so proud to welcome these new languages and users!

We also now have over 150 Google Analytics Authorized Consultants (GAACs), from every major region (US, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific) and over 35 countries! Chances are, there's one near you.

GAACs are our partners; each has been vetted by an internal team here at Google. They are experienced Google Analytics experts (and often, also SEM, SEO and testing specialists) who are available for anything from hourly consultations to training to advanced implementation and analysis.

It's been amazing to see the growth in the analytics industry over the past few years, and as usage and the analytics dialogue scales internationally, our product, team and ecosystem are scaling right along with it.

Posted by Dai Pham and Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

Mintel Comperemedia Looks at Financial Service Mega-Trends

In a Mintel Comperemedia presentation recently, Economic Psychologist, Susan Menke, PhD. presented the trends that are expected to have the greatest impact on consumer financial behavior and the banking industry during 2010. Based on tracking of direct marketing programs during the last half of 2009, the following predictions were made:

• The end of Free Checking: Banks such as Fifth Third and BBVA have already eliminated the account while Free Checking leader TCF announced the end of their Free Checking program at their investor meeting this week.
• Explosion of reward banking: The decline in Free Checking will most likely result in an increase in checking programs with rewards, especially in light of the increased importance of direct deposit, online bill payment and debit card interchange.
• Account builder program introductions: Following the trend started by 'Keep the Change', 'Way2Save' and PNC's 'Virtual Wallet', automatic transfers from checking to savings and the linking of credit lines to checking will be two ways to expand relationships beyond a single service.
• More aggressive debit card marketing: The importance of interchange income to the financial viability of many relationships will lead to many more debit card activation and utilization promotions in 2010.
• Cash will continue to be king of offers: The offering of cash incentives for opening new accounts ramped up in the latter part of 2009 after a short hiatus. Chase continues to offer different bounties ranging from $100 to $200 and more with many other large banks following.
• Increased popularity of prepaid cards: While larger banks have not yet focused on prepaid cards, changes brought on by Reg E may change the way banks serve the underserved and unbanked segments.
• Expansion of mobile banking: There are still several large banks that have only rudimentary mobile banking initiatives while others such as Bank of America, Wells, USAA and Chase have created innovative iPhone Apps. The financial incentive to move more expensive transactions to the mobile channel and the rapidly increasing acceptance of smart phones is expected to fuel rapid growth of this channel.
• Proliferation of financial literacy programs: Customer experience research for years has indicated the importance of being more transparent, building trust and educating customers on how to make informed financial decisions. Mintel believes that 2010 will be a watershed year for banks to use customer advocacy as a competitive differentiator.
• Increased use of social media sites: The popularity and growth of social networking sites has made it impossible for financial institutions to sit on the sidelines. One firm is offering a service where customers can receive alerts through social networking sites rather than email while many banks are using these sites for enhancing or reinforcing their brand. Twitter is also used to broadcast changes in rates and to introduce new products.

Unlike 2009, where most banks significantly scaled back marketing efforts and were on the defensive, proactivity seems to be the norm in 2010. Product innovation, changes in pricing models, utilization of new channels and an increased emphasis on the customer experience will definitely put the spotlight on marketing.

Annotations Now Available In All Accounts

In December, we announced the phased roll out of Annotations. It's now available in all accounts! Thanks for your patience and enjoy!

Here's a fantastic video on Annotations. You've asked for it for so long, and we hope you'll use it to great effect to better work in concert in your company, using phrases like, "Add it to annotations," or, "It's in annotations." If anything of note happens, log it there. Go tribal with your knowledge.

Posted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

Go Mobile! Series: Introducing click-to-call phone numbers in local ads on mobile devices

When people search for goods or services using their mobile phones, they often prefer to call a store rather than visit that store's website. Whether they're placing a direct order, making a reservation, or inquiring about services, the ability for prospective customers to easily call your business is a key distinguishing feature of searches made on mobile phones versus computers.

Now you can make it even easier for potential customers to reach you by adding a location-specific business phone number in ads that appear on mobile devices with full internet browsers. Users can click the number to call you just as easily as clicking to visit your website. And, since ads can be served based on user location, a potential customer will see -- and can click to call -- the phone number of your store location that's nearest to them, not one that's across town.

This new feature also makes it easier for you to fully measure the results of your ads by allowing you to track how many calls you actually receive.

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Advertisers who participated in the beta trial have seen improved click-through rates. Plus, many advertisers received more visits to their websites in addition to incremental phone calls.

To show a click-to-call business phone number in ads on mobile devices with full Internet browsers, follow these two steps:

1. Set up location extensions and add your business phone number. Customers will be able to click to call your business location nearest to them.

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2. Check that you've chosen to show your ads on iPhones and other mobile devices with full Internet browsers in your campaign settings.

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That's it. Customers can now click to call you from your ads. If your campaigns are already set up this way, your phone numbers will start showing as click-to-call on mobile devices with full browsers automatically. The cost of a click to call your business will be the same as the cost of a click to visit your website.

To find out how many calls you've received from your ads, go to the Campaign Summary tab in your AdWords account. Click the "Filter and views" dropdown (step 1 in the screenshot below) and select "Segment by", then "Click Type" (steps 2, 3). The report shows how many clicks and how many calls you received (step 4). You can view calls received at the campaign, ad group or keyword level.

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If your campaigns are already set up with phone numbers in location extensions and opted in to mobile devices with full browsers, but you'd prefer to opt-out out of click-to-call, simply remove the phone number from your location extensions in AdWords.

Check out how click-to-call works in our latest Mobile (Ad)itude video below, or visit the AdWords Help Center to learn more.

Posted by Miles Johnson, Inside AdWords crew

Are You Ready for the Super Bowl?

On Monday nights during football season, the network screams "are you ready for some football." Well tens of millions of people around the world are getting ready for the Super Bowl and I am no exception. I spent the majority of my life in Indianapolis and my Colts are in the Super Bowl! They probably are not the sentimental favorite to win (because of Katrina) but Las Vegas doesn't base the odds on sentiment and they have the Colts as 5 1/2 point favorites.

Millions of people will watch the Super Bowl even though they may not have watched another game all year long.

Can you guess why that happens?

You got it! It's for the commercials. The cost of a 30 second or 60 second spot for the Super Bowl commands more money that any other single event in the world. Major brands spend months working with their agencies to create one or two very special advertisements for the Super Bowl. Many probably dedicate 30% or more of their annual advertising budget on this one special day. Some ads are clearly winners and some are clearly losers. Agency relationships are generally lost when the ad is deemed a loser.

As community bankers and credit unions, we don't have the financial resources to buy a spot on the Super Bowl. So let's just sit back and enjoy the game and vote for our favorite commercials!

When Super Bowl Monday comes, we know how to compete with the regional and national banks in our markets. We can't out spend them but we can spend our budgets wisely and pull deposit and loan share by just "staying true to who we are." Neighbors who care about our communities and about our friends and relatives. We have the right products, the right people and the intangibles that make us a force in our communities.

So if you see Chase, Citi, BofA (or even the E-Trade babies) during the Super Bowl, don't let it spoil your day! Enjoy the game, enjoy the commercials, spend time with friends, have some popcorn and on Monday come out and continue to play to your institutions strengths.

Don't bet any money on this, but for what it's worth, my prediction is Colts 27 Saints 17.

Have a great week/weekend!

Mike

PS - I know I'm a week early but the Super Bowl is already on my mind!

Seize the day ... Customers are looking for you!

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but as an alternative to "Big Banks," we need to Seize the Day!

A year ago, consumers were looking for a safe a secure place to put their money in the midsts of bank failures. Today, the interest in changing banks is snowballing. According to a Credit Union Times article published online yesterday:

"Consumers are being driven in higher numbers to credit union Web sites as a result of the media and government focus on big bank practices, according to NAFCU and CUNA.

NAFCU, for one, said this week its “CULookup” locator has recorded “a tripling of volume” since the first favored mention of CUs appeared on New York pundit Arianna Huffington’s “Move Your Money” Web site."

What are you doing to seize the day?

• Is your institution differentiated from other local banks and credit unions?
• Does your product mix align with market needs?
• Does your marketing speak in benefits and not features?
• Is your staff trained to provide the type of service to drive word-of-mouth and make this movement snow-ball further?

If you want to gain market share off of the big bank runoff you simply need to speak the loudest in the clearest voice. The stars are aligning for us ... I can't think of a more opportune time to focus on marketing.

Take care,

Eric

Now's the Time to Build Retirement Dialogue With Your Customers

In yesterday's post, I discussed the significant deposit growth being experienced by major banks and the opportunities and risks that can be associated with an economic environment of uncertainty. An often overlooked opportunity for account acquisition and relationship growth is delivering on consumer's retirement needs.

Now is the best time to reach out to customers and prospects in your market area and position your institution as the safe and secure place to place their retirement assets. And with retirement assets approaching $20 trillion, the opportunity is significant.


According to a 2008 study conducted by BAI Research and Mercatus LLC there were five key ways to be successful in the retirement market: (1) Position your bank as the local retirement specialist, including retirement dialogue in all relationship building conversations and providing a varied and competitive product offering; (2) Provide online information and tools that allow the customer to manage their retirement planning in much the same way as is done by current 401K providers; (3) Demonstrate problem solving capabilities around helping customers diversify and provide the tools for decision making; (4) Deliver a positive branch customer experience that relates to the retirement customer from a knowledge and retirement focus perspective; (5) Provide competitive and transparent pricing which reinforces the trust a customer must feel to transfer retirement funds to your bank. A summary of the most important factors is illustrated on the attached link.

With most consumers still very leary of the equity markets and still in the process of reviewing their current 401K providers, there has never been a better time to build a proactive retirement saving strategy at your institution. Not only should this strategy be implemented in the prime contribution periods from January - April, but throughout the year as consumers continue to move funds to protect their retirement nest egg.

We're raising the bar on Google Analytics IQ

Since the Google Analytics IQ launch, people from all over the world have taken the online course and test. Web analytics is increasingly important to all kinds of organizations. Online retailers, agencies, large consumer brands and non-profits are just a few of the many kinds of organizations that rely on people who are trained in Google Analytics. So, we've decided to raise the bar on what it means to be Google Analytics qualified and increase the minimum passing score from 75% to 80%.

If you're already Google Analytics qualified, but you received a score less than 80%, don't worry. This change doesn't affect your current qualification. But be sure to review the online course when it's time to renew your qualification (18 months after you initially qualified). At that time, you'll be expected to score at least 80%.

For details or to start the course, visit ConversionUniversity.com. There's a FAQ with details and a link to the Google Analytics IQ test. Best of luck to everyone!

Posted by Alden DeSoto, Google Analytics Team

Growth in Deposits Presents Opportunities and Risks

The American Banker today had an article detailing the recent trend of low cost deposit growth experienced by the major banks in the fourth quarter of 2009. According to KBW Inc.'s Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, the top 40 banks experienced a deposit growth rate of 8% in the quarter, with only a couple large banks intentionally allowing higher-cost deposits inherited during acquisitions to run off during the year.

Even though interest rates remain extremely low, consumers were still saving at a rate of 4.7% as a percentage of disposable income in November, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis primarily due to uncertainties in the marketplace and due to the view of banks being the safe harbor for funds accumulated during a time of reduced spending.
While bank revenues will not return to high levels until consumers begin to borrow again, productive deposit gathering should help banks lessen the impact of the Obama administration's proposed "financial crisis responsibility fee," which would subtract government-insured deposits from the covered liabilities on which the 15 basis-point tax would be based.

There is an opportunity and risk associated with this deposit growth however. For banks that have well developed onboarding and cross-sell programs in place, this deposit growth and the resultant increase in new accounts provides a tremendous foundation for developing long term relationships with an enhanced ROI. In addition, with households continually evaluating where to place their funds, firms with aggressive aquisition programs will benefit the most.

Conversely, those organizations who become complacent during this time of deposit growth could risk seeing the deposit growth over the past 15 months evaporate, moving either to other banking organizations or eventually to the equity markets as the economy grows stronger. I am recommending that my clients continue to focus on deposit acquisition programs and reach out to those new households they have recently acquired or households who have expanded their relationship and further secure the relationship through insight gathering, engagement programs and improved retention processes.

Eventually, it is expected that consumers will become more confident and will seek additional investment and savings options. When this occurs, it will be those organizations with the best customer experience and strongest relationships that will lose the least.

Small Business is Big Business

While most banks are spending more time and resources trying to address the needs of small businesses, a large percentage of this segment is still underserved. According to a Javelin Strategy & Research report released last year, about two-thirds of the 26 million small firms don't have business banking accounts.

Smaller companies usually integrate their business and personal relationships or simply open another personal account according to the Javelin report released late last year. That means they may pay lower account fees, but also don't receive cash flow and treasury service attention from a bank's small business sales team, potentially impacting the business' ability to grow.


At a time when banks are looking for ways to acquire new customers and generate additional revenue, marketing to and serving this untapped banking segment is a win-win for banks and small businesses alike. The challenge is to uncover these somewhat hidden relationships. Sometimes, banks are evaluating transactions to determine what customers are using accounts for business purposes while others are using social media to have small businesses indentify themselves.

According to several reports over the past two years by Aite Group, while smaller businesses tend to use banking services similar to consumer banking relationships, their payments habits show tremendous growth opportunity for debit and credit cards as well as online banking services. In fact, according to Aite, only 4% of spending by small businesses currently is done on a small business credit card. Capital One has already responded to this opportunity by allowing small businesses to combine their business rewards with their personal rewards. Other banks are tracking checks and ACH transactions to help find underserved businesses.

Alternatively, firms like Bank of America are leveraging the power of social media to develop the Small Business Online Community which has over 50,000 registered users, while American Express continues to promote their very successful small business OPEN Forum where small businesses can find articles, expert blogs, success stories and advice with limited networking opportunities. Wells Fargo is also the first bank using blogs to stay in touch with small business and retail customers, while VISA teamed up with Facebook to create the VISA Business Network for small businesses to share advice and potentially grow their customer base.

Going forward, bank marketers should take notice of the smaller business market (under $500,000), tieing together personal and business relationships, changing payments behavior and providing better cash flow solutions that can help these business grow.

Upcoming Seminars for Success in Australia

Australia in summer - white sand, warm nights, occasional sun burn and Google Seminars for Success!

For the first time, the Seminars include new Google Website Optimizer days. Learn how to conduct landing page tests to increase visitor engagement and conversions on your website. Also, the Google Analytics Seminars have been updated to include all the latest Google Analytics features; Analytics Intelligence, Custom Alerts, Annotations and much, much more.

Here's a quote from a past attendee - this says it all:

Whilst I've been using GA for years and have also run AdWords campaigns I was becoming increasingly frustrated that there was newer functionality which I didn't have either the knowledge, skill or confidence to leverage in full. Above all, I've left the course hugely inspired, with a range of ideas which I'm keen to implement ASAP. This course has given many of the agencies we've dealt with a 'run for their money' and provided me with the confidence to not only demand, but do a lot more!

- Sumi Triggs Olsen, eMarketing Executive, CPA Australia

Google Analytics - Introduction and User Training
Melbourne, Australia: Thursday, 25 February 2010

or

Sydney, Australia: Thursday, 11 March 2010

This introduction provides a complete overview of Google Analytics and available reports. Learn to identify the best reports for your role and make decisions that deliver results. Topics include:

• Introduction to Web Analytics
• Google Analytics Interface Features
• Sharing and Customizing Reports
• Understanding Visitors, Traffic Sources, Content and Goals
• And Much, Much More...

Google Analytics - Advanced Technical Implementation
Melbourne, Australia: Friday, 26 February 2010

or
Sydney, Australia: Friday, 12 March 2010

The advanced day will show you how to use the full range of advanced features and reports within Google Analytics. Learn how to get the most out of Google Analytics with tips, tricks and technical setup options. Day 2 topics include:

• Best Practices for Setup and Configuration
• Using and Creating Filters
• Setting and Configuring Goals and Funnels
• E-commerce, Site Search, Event Tracking, Custom Reports and Advanced Segments
• And Much, Much More...

Google Website Optimizer - Landing Page Testing
Melbourne, Australia: Monday, 1 March 2010

or
Sydney, Australia: Monday, 15 March 2010

Learn how to conduct landing page testing with Google Website Optimizer to identify, measure and improve key design elements and calls to action on your website to increase engagement and conversions. See how you can continually increase your conversion rates with testing by setting up and running A/B and multivariate tests.

• Introduction to Landing Page Testing
• Best Practices for Increasing Conversions
• How to Run an Experiment
• Understanding the Data and Running Follow-up Experiments
• And Much, Much More...

Seats are limited, so register today!

Register for Sydney Seminars for Success
Register for Melbourne Seminars for Success

Posted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

New Checking Plans Emerge in Response to Reg E

Already experiencing loss of fee income due to lower transactions and lower OD/NSF fees resulting from higher balances, banks are beginning to develop and introduce new checking products that can supplement these lost revenues.

In place of traditional free checking accounts are value-based accounts that allow customers to customize their account for a fee. Features such as identity theft, rewards and even enhanced OD/NSF protection can be selected from a menu of enhancements that allow a bank to replace some of the fee income that already has been lost or will be lost in response to Reg E.

One of the first to build a new array of checking accounts was BBVA Compass which introduced Build to Order Checking more than two years ago.
With a foundation account that features online banking and bill payment, customers can select from a list of additional features for $2 a month. These range from double reward points or cash back on transactions to a free OD waiver, free foreign ATM transactions or interest on the acccount. Customers can even change the features they prefer as their checking behavior changes. According to representatives from the bank, this account represents approximately 80% of the new accounts opened. A few months ago, BBVA Compass expanded their product line to include a small business version of the Build to Order Checking.

Another interesting alternative offered by some banks is an account with a line of credit attached to cover any overdrafts on the account. Not necessarily new to the banking world, some of these accounts with a line of credit are regulated by Reg Z as a credit product as opposed to Reg E, which covers electronic payments.

Finally, there are some banks that are developing a much stronger online checking product with debit transactions and online bill payment requirements while some banks are linking checking accounts with savings accounts to enhance relationship depth and profitability.

It is clear that we are seeing a new wave of product innovation in response to market conditions and the upcoming new transaction regulations. I will continue to share new ideas as they are introduced.

What Banking Needs to Become

In this quarter's Strategy + Business Magazine, Vanessa Wallace and Andrew Herrick discuss the significant changes in the banking industry over the past few years and how bank's business models, capabilities and practices must change as well. In their very good article, they emphasize that the purpose of banking and the needs of the customer have remained relatively consistent with regards to safe havens for savings and consistent access to credit for investment.

The environment has changed, however, with the competitive landscape changing, the regulations increasing and the public trust eroding. In addition, the times of high growth have ended.
They argue that banks will need to revert back to a much more simple value chain, where there are far fewer intermediaries between the customer and the bank. In short, banks will need to get closer to the customer.

From a marketing perspective, they propose that leading banks will need to sharpen their capability for capturing customer information in a timely manner. This means analyzing customers’ product holdings, cash flows, behaviors, and personal circumstances. Depth of relationship will be more important than breadth. It will be more valuable for a bank to have an 80 percent wallet share of 1 million customers than a 10 percent share of 8 million customers. Greater wallet share permits greater insight into buying patterns, credit risk, and loyalty, enabling a stronger, more profitable lifelong customer relationship. For their part, customers will find that scarce credit lines are more accessible when they concentrate their banking activities among fewer providers.

In addition, banks will have to innovate to better serve the needs of their more loyal customer base. This will take the form of better cash flow management tools that utilize multiple channels. In addition, the emphasis on insurance and investment services will most likely increase since the goal will be to serve all of the client's financial service needs.

Consumers will be rewarded for their loyalty with better rates, fewer fees and easier access to scarce credit.

Clicks vs. Visits Revisited

Online advertisers make frequent use of AdWords reporting in Google Analytics to measure the impact of paid visitors to their site and business. The insights and actions based on these reports help search advertisers to optimise their online campaigns and site experience for maximizing conversions. We see a lot of questions, however, on why there is sometimes a discrepancy in the reported number of visits and clicks.

It is not unusual to see a discrepancy in the numbers reported for AdWords clicks and Google Analytics visits from your AdWords campaigns. There are a few reasons as to why this happens even if your Google Analytics implementation is correct. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that the discrepancy is kept to a minimum. Over at the Solutions for Southeast Asia blog, we take a look at some common implementation errors plus any steps we can take to identify campaigns, ad groups, and keywords that are causing us trouble. We also cover best practices to put in place to ensure that we are measuring and reporting to the best of our abilities.

The post provides a 4-step guide to identify which campaigns or keywords are not tagged correctly and how to rectify the situation. The steps are summarised below:

Step 1: Check that you have the basics covered. Check that you have linked the correct AdWords and Google Analytics accounts, applied cost data to the right profiles, and that auto-tagging has been enabled in the AdWords account.

Steps 2 and 3: Identifying the culprits. Look through the AdWords reports to identify campaign and keyword landing pages that are contributing to the discrepancy.

Step 4: Fix the problem. For each of the problematic landing pages check that:

• The correct Google Analytics Tracking Code is implemented
• The Google Analytics Tracking Code is in the right location in your HTML source code
• The auto-tagging parameter is present in the URL of the landing page that the visitor ends up on
• You are not using a combination of auto-tagging and manual campaign tracking parameters
• Paid visits are not being filtered out in your profile

Head over to the Solutions for Southeast Asia blog for a full guide on troubleshooting Google Analytics visits and AdWords clicks discrepancies.

Posted by Prissilia Kho, Google Analytics Specialist and Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, Customer Solutions Engineer, Google Southeast Asia

Are you taking advantage of your opportunities?

We all have a network friends, family members, acquaintances from church, families our children go to school with, etc. etc. I'm guessing we have never really thought about the number of parties, meetings, ball games, etc. that we attend during a calender year. If you stop and think about it, I bet the number is staggering!

Do you view these interactions as social events or as opportunities to help meet the financial needs of all the people you come in contact with on a daily basis?

It's a fact that everyone is so busy that they welcome the opportunity to shop in non-tradional ways and during non-traditional times. The key is the manner in which you conduct the conversations. It's possible that many of the people you interact with socially are not aware that you work for a financial institution. If they are aware, they may be uncomfortable starting the conversation for fear of making you "work after hours."

However, once you start the conversation, you will be surprised at how many really want to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss their financial needs. Obviously, not everyone will be interested so the key is to quickly "back off" at the first sign of resistance.

If at first you feel uncomfortable discussing business in a social setting, remember you aren't selling anything you are merely helping others meet their financial needs! It may be as simple as making an appointment to meet with them at another time or you might actually close some business.

If you handle each individual situation properly, you will strengthen existing relationships, create new relationships, enhance the lives of those you interact with socially and enhance your career at the same time!

If you agree (and I hope you do agree,) encourage your co-workers to participate!

Have a great week!

Mike

Go Mobile! Series: New targeting options for mobile ads

If you've chosen to show ads on iPhones and other mobile devices with full internet browsers, you can now target specific mobile devices or carriers.

This feature makes it easier for you to reach the right users if you have a carrier- or device-specific message. This includes landing pages that have been optimized for a specific device, billing relationships with certain carriers, or mobile apps developed for a specific platform. For example, if you sell iPhone cases, you can use device targeting to ensure that users with Android phones won't see your ads.

Starting today, we're also making sure that ads linking to mobile app downloads will automatically appear only on devices that offer those apps. Plus, the ad will display a 'Download' link instead of a URL. Simply include 'itunes.apple.com/' or 'market.android.com/' followed by the app name in the ad's visible URL, and it will automatically display as 'Download iPhone App' or 'Download Android App.'

We hope these new features will deliver a better, more relevant user experience.

Posted by Katrina Kurnit, Inside AdWords crew

CDs Being Promoted as Alternative to Stock Market

In this period of economic uncertainty and stock market variability, many financial institutions are promoting Certificates of Deposits (CDs) as the safe, predictable alternative. Continuing the theme of 'safety and soundness' that began in late 2008 and early 2009, firms like Citibank, Bank of America, ING and many smaller financial institutions are emphasizing the guaranteed rate of a CD. Taking this product a step further, Ally Bank is promoting a CD with a guaranteed rate but no early withdrawal penalty while Capital One is paying a $100 bonus for deposits to CDs or their High Yield Savings account of $10,000 or more.

I expect the marketing of CDs to escalate in the next couple months as banks try to capture their share of the IRA contribution inflow.

Online Customers Aren't the Only Target for Mobile Banking Services

While attending the 2009 Mobile Financial Services Congress in Miami a little over a month ago, there was a consistent message from almost all of the speakers that a mobile banking customer is less likely to attrite, more likely to use additional engagement services such as bill pay, and less costly to serve.

Interstingly, it was also emphasized that while most banks have promoted the use of mobile banking to their current online banking customers, the real financial benefit is realized when a customer who is not as heavy a user of online banking is converted to the mobile channel. In other words, it makes stronger financial sense to try to segment offline customers and implement a proactive channel migration strategy to convert channel usage.


Some of the presenters at the Mobile Financial Services Congress suggested that offline customers who are quickly purchasing the newest wave of smart phones may actually bypass the online channel in favor of mobile banking services.

M-Com and Fiserv presented the findings from recent research that reinforced this trend. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed reported contacting their financial institution once a week or more through traditional bank channels. Nearly half of survey respondents use their bank's call center or interactive voice response to help manage their finances. These are among the costliest channels for the bank to support, with each call center transaction costing an average of $3.75 and each automated voice response system transactions costing an average of $1.25. Conversion of even a small percentage of these transactions to the mobile channel would bring high returns. The study also found that the offline customer not only is aware of mobile banking (70%), but also have an interest in these services (60%). The primary area of interest is in checking balances (46%), contacting customer service (37%) or locating a nearby ATM or branch (30%).

It is clear there is a tremendous untapped opportunity for converting offline customers to the mobile channel with enhanced targeting, expanded enrollment opportunities (channels other than online) and improved communication of benefits of this channel. The banks that are the most aggressive in reaching out to these households will reap the greatest rewards

The “Twitterization” of Social Media

When did the lines of social media begin to overlap? Isn’t anyone concerned that social media brands will become indistinguishable in terms of target audiences and uses?

Back in November 2009, LinkedIn offered a partnership with Twitter so that Twitter users were able to link their Twitter accounts to LinkedIn and feature their Twitter updates or tweets on top of their LinkedIn pages. I asked this question back in November, since the audiences and uses of LinkedIn and Twitter are different, why would someone want to connect the two? Most LinkedIn users provide a wealth of information to build their personal brands (aka, their professional identity) with the goal of building business contacts: their name, location, photo, expertise, current and previous jobs, job duties, education, contacts, group affiliations, links to portfolios, links to presentations, links to blogs, etc. A LinkedIn user must provide specific details in order to establish an account. By contrast, Twitter users do not need to show their photos, professional backgrounds, telephone numbers, websites, or even use a real name. Twitter exists and succeeds as a micro-blog where users discuss areas of specialty, opinions, news, and initiate and engage in conversations – all in 140-characters or less.

Although Facebook users have had the ability to include their tweets on their Facebook pages, this month, Facebook introduced a re-tweet style function for links. While Facebook users can share information, they can write more than Twitter’s 140-character limit.

So, perhaps, the question is not when did the lines of social media overlap, but instead, what have you been doing while the Twitterization of social media happened – and did you notice?

Time to Reflect...

Greetings!

Today is Martin Luther King day and the moment cause me to stop and reflect.  One of the most stirring speeches that I have ever heard from Dr. King's speech in Washington that is commonly referred to as "O have a Dream"  Knowing how powerful that speech is in recorded versions, I can only imagine the power of hearing it live and being part of the scene that day.

However, if people had only "heard" it and not internalized the message, it would have all been simply words delivered with passion.

I a very passionate about what I do...and believe it comes out in everything that I do.  However, I want to share with you a few "dreams" that I have...some for banking and some personal:

• I have a dream that my daughter will be free of seizures
• I have a dream that my son will continue to fulfill his unending potential
• I have a dream that my family continues to be blessed
• I have a dream that my clients will continue to be successful and internalize our messages
• I have a dream that banking continues to grow in seeing the world from the customer view

These are all words right now...but the focus of my 2010.

My mantra for the year?

From Great Challenge, comes the Challenge to be Great!

I will be great this year....join me on the journey?

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

Banks Beginning to Prepare for New OD Regulations

According to Sherief Meleis, managing director of New York City-based Novantas LLC, the banking industry could lose between $12 billion and $29 billion a year in checking account revenue when new regulations involving overdraft (OD) and nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees take effect. With such an adjustment taking place in the ability to generate fee income, banks are quickly determining how to communicate the upcoming (and still somewhat undefined changes) to their customers, while looking to dramatically restructure their checking portfolio. At last year's BAI Retail Delivery Conference, SunTrust SVP Hugh Gallagher stated, “We’re in an environment where free checking, if not dead, is all but dead.”

What needs to be remembered is that there is still a segment of customers who want access to overdraft services and actually rely on these services when emergencies occur or when debit card transactions are not monitored.
In fact, some of the heaviest overdrafters are aware of their behavior and do not dispute the fees being assessed according to a recent research study by Novantas and Informa Research Services.

As banks prepare to build a communication strategy in response to Reg E, it will be important to segment customers based on behavior, build a new pricing strategy for overdrafts, determine the best contact strategy and communication channels to reach impacted households and most importantly, how to adequately communicate the benefits of either opting in or opting out of the expected changes.

Success in communicating these new regulations could be worth between $10 - $15 billion annually for the banking industry.

Why Focus on Closed Accounts?

Why focus on closed accounts?

Are you customers going out the back door as fast (or faster) than you are bringing them in the front door?

Research tells us that it costs 10 times more to bring in a new customer than it costs to keep an existing customer. We also know that the longer the tenure the customer has with an institution, the profitability of that customer generally goes up. Long term customers are much more likely to become advocates (or unpaid sales people) for your institution. Another way of saying it is that it is much more costly to regain lost market share than it is to protect your market share in the first place.

Over my career, I have conducted numerous closed account surveys. These surveys were primarily closed checking account surveys. Most people identify their primary bank or credit union relationship by where they have their checking account. Percentages vary a little from survey to survey but the results are generally very consistent.

80% of all closed checking accounts are for uncontrollable factors. Customers get divorced, they get married, they move, they die, they simply no longer need the account, etc. etc. Another 10 - 12% cite rates and fees as the reason they close their accounts. The remaining 8 - 10% close their accounts because of customer service issues.

Banks and credit unions need to concentrate on the 18 - 20% of customers who close there accounts for reasons the institution can impact.

First, let's talk about rates and fees. An institution doesn't need to pay the highest rates and charge the lowest fees. But the institution does need to stay competitive!

Remember my earlier statement. IT IS MORE COSTLY TO REGAIN MARKET SHARE THAN IT IS TO PROTECT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!

Now let's talk about customer service. This is an area all institutions can impact immediately. While there are many components to customer service, a immediate positive impact can be made by making sure your frost line staff do the following three things:
1. Use your customers name during the transaction.
2. If staff must leave the teller station, ask for permission and explain why they
need to leave.
3. Thank the customer at the end of the transaction.

You may have to invest in training, you may need to rewrite job descriptions, etc. but the return will be well worth the effort and the cost.

Bottom line - Focus on the 20% of customers that your institution has some control over!

You can reduce attrition!

Have a great week/weekend!

Mike

Using Social Media for Financial Services Marketing

As I travel across the country, more and more banks are dipping their toes in the waters of social media. While the banking industry has been slower than most industries to embrace social networking, the tremendous growth in social networks, the need to better monitor and participate in social network conversations that are taking place, and the value of reaching customers and prospects on popular social networking sites has banks using Twitter, YouTube Facebook and other sites. This almost instantaneous communication comes with new challenges for banks, however, including informality of communication, higher customer service expectations and another venue for customers to voice discontent.

Nate Elliott from Forrester Research has decided to research and write a report on how financial services marketers can most effectively use social media. He is hoping to include data on how different types of financial customers engage with social media and is also hoping to collect more insight from the bank marketers' perspective.

He is looking for financial services marketers willing to walk him through examples of how you've used social media, talk to him about how you manage risk and work with your legal and compliance departments, and share with him some of the lessons you've learned in social media marketing. He can be reached at nelliott@forrester.com.

When did television shows become brands?

The current buzz around Hollywood is the battle between two late-night comedians, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. But the buzz should really surround the question as to why this is a battle at all.

Conan O’Brien, the host of The Tonight Show, a show with less-than-desirable ratings since Jay Leno departed as host in May 2009, was recently quoted as saying that “The Tonight Show brand would be negatively affected if it started after twelve midnight instead of at its 11:35 pm start time.” When did television shows become brands?

There is no question that consumer products, restaurants, and even theme parks can easily be embraced as brands as a result of their consumer experience and customer service. Coca-Cola, Nike, and Disney are recognized throughout the world as top brands, but, television shows? When did we describe the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Dick Van Dyke Show, Bonanza, or even Friends as brands? The experience of watching a television show does not correspond to drinking a soft drink, wearing a pair of tennis shoes, or visiting a theme park, so what is the connection? And what about reality TV? How does the length of Kate Gosselin’s hair create a brand?

While we are talking about TV shows, when did Simon Cowell become the embodiment of the Idol brand? While his comments are not always kind, his picks have not always won the final competition – and due to Ellen DeGeneres’ fans, the future of Idol may survive just fine without Simon. Besides, don’t people watch that show to watch people sing and sometimes make fools of themselves?

With so much content available to television viewers, it would seem that the buzz should be about the quality of that content – which would easily explain why HBO continues to win awards – its emphasis is on a quality consumer experience without constantly talking about its brand.

There's A Movement Afoot

My friends, there's a movement afoot ... figuratively and literally.

On December 29, a new Group was created on Facebook called "Move Your Money." The goal of this "project" is to get consumers to move their money from big "Wall Street" banks to local "Main Street" banks and credit unions. As of today, just 2 weeks later, there are 21,852 fans of this page, I've seen it mentioned on several national broadcast news shows and I've read about it in 2 large article.

With 4 CEOs of some of the nation's largest banks scheduled for a Congress whipping session - the circus is coming to town. Expect this to even trump NBC's late night soap opera.

What is your community bank or credit union doing to take advantage of this?

Seriously, folks this is the biggest gift under the Christmas tree just a few weeks late! If you are not emphasizing marketing now and preparing for the big bank run-off, you WILL miss out - there's just no other way to put it. There will be a short window of opportunity to spend smart money and capture market share from competition whom you've traditionally had a hard time battling due to brand awareness, the sheer number of branches and an enormous marketing budget.

As marketers, I'm sure that your head is buzzing with big ideas on how to capitalize on this - I know mine is ... I'm just waiting for the first community bank or credit union to call and ask for help.

Take care,

Eric

CBA of Georgia to Host Webinar on Onboarding

On February 1, 2010 from 2:00-3:30, I will be conducting a webinar on how to develop or improve your new customer onboarding program. I will be sharing best-in-class examples and findings from close to four years of programs we have implemented with our bank partners. Look for details on the Community Bankers Association of Georgia web site and on this blog.

Policy adjustment for display URLs

The display URL (the URL that appears within the ad itself) shows potential visitors to a site where they'll land when they click on an ad. For sites that sit on shared or hosted domains (such as blogspot.com), we're adjusting our display URL policy to make this more clear.

Beginning this week, all ads leading to sites on hosted domains will need to have display URLs that accurately reflect their destinations.

Let's say I wanted to create an ad linking to this blog: http://adwords.blogspot.com. In the past, blogspot.com would have been an acceptable display URL. Because there are so many independent blogs hosted on http://blogspot.com however, we now require the display URL to reflect the specific blog reached upon clicking the ad– in this case: adwords.blogspot.com.

Incorrect:

Destination URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com
Display URL: blogspot.com

Correct:

Destination URL: http://adwords.blogspot.com
Display URL: adwords.blogspot.com

Going forward, ads that don't include this additional information in their display URLs will be disapproved. A suggested display URL will be provided in the disapproval email notification, but we encourage you to proactively adjust any ads that you think might be affected by this change.

If you'd like to learn about this policy in greater detail, please visit the AdWords Help Center.

Thanks for your understanding, and for helping us to continue to improve the AdWords experience.

Posted by Miles Johnson, Inside AdWords crew

Google Analytics IQ: Make Sure You're Searchable!

If you've passed the Google Analytics Individual Qualification exam, you probably want people to know. One thing you can do is publish a link to your test record. But, you should also make sure that you're searchable from the Google Testing Center.

Here's how to make sure that people can find you. First, log in to the Google Testing Center. (Note: Use the login information you created during your first visit to the Google Testing Center.)

Access your profile on the Google Testing Center.

In the "Google Analytics Individual Qualification" section under "Would you like your name added to the database if you pass this test?", select the Yes option.

Click "Save Changes."

That's all there is to it. Now anyone searching for you on the Testing Center site will find you!

Posted by Helen Huang, Google Analytics Team

Chase Bank Resumes Testing of Checking Offers

Chase Bank is again using direct mail to test checking offers from $125 to $200 across the country for the opening of a new checking account by the end of January 2010. These efforts mirror what was being done across the country during 2007, 2008 and early 2009.

In Case You Missed It

Before you say goodbye to the holidays, take a look at this great holiday list on the official Google blog by our very own Avinash Kaushik, called Top Ten Ways To Get Your Business Ready For The Holidays. By publishing this now in January, we're hoping you'll take these lessons into the whole year, because as Mom used to say, "Christmas should be every day of the year."

Seriously, these tips are applicable moreso now, when the holiday craziness is over and you have a second to optimize your campaigns and analytics, and also to take a look at some other free marketing tools from Google that you should really be using, such as Ad Planner, Insights For Search and Website Optimizer. 2010 will be much better if you take Avinash's advice early on.

For instance, here's numbers 1 and 2 from the list, to whet your appetite:

1. Update your wishlist:
Use the Search-based Keyword Tool to find keywords that you never thought of incorporating into your campaign for the holidays. (Here is a how-to guide for how best to use the tool: Monetize The Long Tail of Search).

2. Know what's hot this season:
Research on Insights for Search to see what the “Rising Searches” are and understand how people are searching for your brand (and your competitors!).

Make sure to read the rest!

Posted by Jeff Gillis, Google Analytics Team

A New Year Deserves a Clean Office!

The holidays are over and if you are like most of us, you probably ate and possibly drank a little too much. You probably "burnt the candle at both ends" trying to get everything "just right" for the holidays and by the time the holidays were over, you were probably exhausted.

Well it's the new year now! A time to get refreshed, get refocused and get things accomplished!

Start by cleaning up your office. No doubt over the previous twelve months you received tons of correspondence from well meaning individuals "just trying to keep you informed." Unless you are more disciplined than most, by year end, your office probably is a mess.

Research confirms that a messy office has a negative impact on attitude thus a negative impact on productivity. Have you ever walked in to your office and thought "where do I start." Are you always spending time looking for something that you need among the clutter. As you know, it gets really frustrating.

I spent almost the entire day yesterday cleaning up my office. Don't just clean up the surface areas that someone can see. Take the time to go through your old files and purge everything that that no longer has value.

I had two large trash bags of old mail, emails, reports, etc. that were no longer needed. Now, not only is my office more conducive to getting things accomplished, but it is a place where I feel relaxed and comfortable.

Treat yourself to a clean office to start the new year!

You deserve it!

Have a great 2010 and let us know how we can help!

Mike

Welcome to our "Go Mobile!" Series

This is an exciting time for mobile. Over the past year, consumers have increasingly turned to their mobile devices to access the internet. They're performing searches, browsing content, watching videos, and interacting with mobile applications. Looking ahead, analysts expect internet usage on mobile devices to continue to ramp up even faster than it did on desktop computers.

Even more exciting, is our new approach to buying a mobile phone. The Nexus One is a convergence point for mobile technology, apps, and the Internet. It's a great example of how users are able to access information wherever they are, and whenever they need it -- all from a device that fits in your pocket.

For the next few months, we'll be devoting a weekly post to mobile advertising. The series will highlight insights, new features, best practices, and tips for how to optimize your mobile ad campaigns.

As you begin to think about how mobile advertising fits into your plans, we hope the Go Mobile! series will be a helpful resource to stay informed and be inspired.

Posted by Dan Friedman, Inside AdWords crew

AdWords system maintenance on January 9th

On Saturday, January 9th, 2010 the AdWords system will be unavailable from approximately 10AM to 2PM PST, for maintenance. While you won't be able to sign in to your accounts during this time, your campaigns will continue to run as usual.

AdWords system maintenance typically occurs on the second Saturday of each month from 10AM to 2PM.

We'll continue to update you via the blog as we always have, but please make note of the January 9th date and of our scheduled maintenance further down the road.

Posted by Emily Williams, Inside AdWords crew

Web Analytics TV with Avinash and Nick

This is the fourth video in our recent Rapid Fire series which we are now calling Web Analytics TV. In this series you share your most burning questions via the Google Analytics Google Moderator site and we answer them.

Here's the list of last week's questions. We enjoy hearing from you, so please keep the questions coming. Like the hosts Click and Clack from a long-standing radio show called CarTalk, who will answer any car question that exists, we'd love to do the same for web analytics. Call us Data and Point? Hm. Click and Clack is catchier. If you can think of a name let us know. But please, ask any question related to web analytics. Tools. HiPPO's. Reporting tips. Challenges. All are fair game, so ask away.

In this episode we discuss:

• Tracking social media referrals in Google Analytics
• Why do I see clicks with 0 visits in Google Analytics keyword reports
• Does sharing data with Google Analytics have an impact on Organic Search rankings?
• How to track Google custom site search engines in Google Analytics
• In keyword reports how to change '+' characters into whitespaces
  
• How advanced profile filters work
• Best practices for reporting user "engagement"
• What insights can you gain from the content drilldown report
• How can one change the cookie duration of visits
• How does one become excellent at web analytics
  

Here are links to resources we discussed in the video:

• Tracking Custom Search Engine with Google Analytics help center article
  
• An article discussing tracking custom search engine by Robbin Steif
  
• Custom Advanced Filters explained by Robbin Steif
  
• How regular expressions work in Google Analytics by Robin Steif
  
• Why engagement is an "excuse" by Avinash Kaushik
  
• Example Engagement API report using the Google Analytics API (check out the Solving Business Problems section)
  
• Tracking methods to change the duration of the visitor, session and campaign cookies in ga.js
  

We'd love to hear your comments or questions in the comments section below, and let us know if you find this helpful.

Also, if you have a question you would like us to answer, please submit a question or vote for your favorite question in our public Google Moderator site. Avinash and I will answer your latest questions in a couple of weeks with yet another entertaining video. Thanks!

Posted by Nick Mihailovski, Google Analytics Team