Focus ... MOMENTUM ... Results (Part 2)

Focus … Momentum … Results 

It’s not just our tag line … it’s our business model.

This week, we take the ultimate look behind the MarketMatch curtain.  A glimpse into our innermost workings.  The drivers behind everything that we do for your credit union or community bank.

This is part 2 of a 3 part series this week that will outline the simplest of strategic processes and the true value to how we partner with financial institutions to drive bottom line success.

Focus ... Momentum ... Results

MOMENTUM

A quick physics lesson:

Momentum = Mass X Velocity

A heavy object moving fast has a large momentum—it takes a large and prolonged force to get the object up to speed, and it takes a large and prolonged force to bring it to a stop. If the object were lighter, or moving slower, then it would have less momentum.

It takes momentum to push ahead. That’s why everything we do is to help drive momentum for your bank or credit union.

So, what does all this physics mumbo jumbo have to do with marketing?

MASS: From a marketing perspective, mass is a relevant and differentiated message.  It is consistent communication.  And consistent experience.  It is your brand.

VELOCITY: Velocity is awareness, understanding and word-of-mouth.  It is sales success at the front line.  A success that generates a contagious enthusiasm - for your team and your customers.

It's that simple: The more people who understand and experience your relevant, differentiated brand, the more momentum you have.

External Communication: From sound strategic planning to impactful implementation … every aspect of your marketing should be designed to generate a desired action. You create mass by defining your brand message and value proposition.  You create velocity by getting and demonstrating that message to as many targeted customers and prospects as possible.

Internal Processes: We will push further when we all push together. That is the power of training and internal communication.  Each team member must be able to understand and communicate your brand.  More importantly, they must be able to demonstrate it with every single interaction. 

You can't generate momentum overnight.  It takes a prolonged force to get the momentum up to speed.  But, once rolling, it will also take a prolonged force to stop it.  

Are you looking for justification for your marketing budget?  There it is!

To get the momentum rolling fastest, you need FOCUS.

To know the power of your momentum you have to measure RESULTS. 

If you can benefit from some Focus ... Momentum ... Results, click here.

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With nearly than 160,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog. If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues. Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too. Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker. Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

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MarketMatch is a marketing firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the right story that will generate the greatest  MOMENTUM and prove the best RESULTS with our written ROI Guarantee.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Gagliano's 6 Laws of Marketing

My wife is a high school science teacher.  She should love this blog.

Most of us are familiar with Newton’s laws of motion and Archimedes’ principle.  Well, now here are (drum roll, please) … Gagliano’s Laws of Marketing.

Like the Laws of Science, these will describe, predict or explain why things happen in the marketing world.

1. The Law of Action

Every action should anticipate an appropriate reaction.

As marketers, we’re in the business of influencing people’s behavior.  We are also in the business of driving revenue to our organization.  That said, every dollar you spend should have a specific customer/target response in mind.

2. The Law of Consistency

A customer’s experience is only as good as their last interaction with your company.

Your team must be provide the same serve level at 4:58 on a Friday afternoon as they do any other time.  As soon as they enter your parking lot, they are on stage and the curtain doesn’t drop until they leave the property.

This law also relates to your brick-and-mortar and electronic touch points.  A sloppy building, down server or crashed ATM can play havoc with a relationship.

3. The Law of Differentiation

Customers never change a product or brand without a good reason.

As humans, we are creatures of habit. If we’ve made a product or brand choice, we tend to stick by it until the benefit of a change outweighs our comfort level with our previous verdict.

To motivate a change, you must demonstrate a tangible benefit for a customer to come to you.  And make the switch as easy as possible.

4. The Law of Perception

A customer’s perception out-weighs a company’s reality.

You know you have the better mousetrap.  You know your people are smarter and care more than anyone else in town.  So why don’t you have 100% market share? 

There are unlimited factors that drive a customer’s perception: building/employee image, brand recognition, social media/word-of-mouth, logo design, advertising messages, etc.  You must gauge, analyze and manage your image in the community.

Part two of this law is that ANY perception can be changed – good-to-bad or vice-versa (see Law #2)

The best example I can share has to do with a fence that I had built a few weeks ago.  I wanted a simple, split-rail fence.  Nothing fancy, so my driving decision-criteria was price.  I chose a company called Afford-A-Fence (seriously, I can’t make that up).  In his heart, the owner knew he provided quality work, but with a name like Afford-A-Fence, my perception and expectation level was something different.  In the end, they did a great job and changed my perception completely.

5. The Law of Need

The target’s needs take precedence to the company’s needs.

Your target has a need for a certain product, at a certain price-point, delivered by a certain technology and they want to use you in certain ways.  If you do not meet those needs, someone else will. 

To be successful, you must align your marketing to target individuals who are most aligned with your company’s product offerings, price-point and delivery system … but be ready to adapt with your target’s changing needs.

6. The Law of Measurement

That which is not measured cannot be considered successful.

This law follows closely with Law #1.  As each marketing initiative has a defined objective, we must measure against that objective to determine success or plan future improvement.  Whether you’re assessing unaided awareness or raw ROI, marketing must be measured to demonstrate success.

As “laws” these have each been tested and re-tested … proven over time.  But this is, by no means, a definitive list.  As a group of brilliant marketers, we can add to this.  Please add your own Laws of Marketing in the comment section below.

With an in-depth knowledge of your product, a firm understanding of your target and these laws in-hand, you can plan marketing for anything from financial products to shin guards, custom homebuilders to tortillas, commercial air compressors to water parks (I know, because I’ve been responsible for all of these and more).

Take care,

Eric

With more than 125,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog.  If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues.  Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing.  

We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too.  Contact us to see how.

MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker.  Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.

Here are the conferences where you can find MarketMatch.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MarketMatch is a marketing firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the right story that will generate the greatest  MOMENTUM and prove the best RESULTS with our written ROI Guarantee.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

Be a "Lemon" & "Think Small"

I'm a marketer!  But in my heart, I'm also an ad man.

So it's only right that I just bought a classic Beetle.  This is my new baby... 


So what does a Bug have to do with advertising?


In 1959, Doyle, Dane, Bernbach (DDB) created the ad campaign that would forever change advertising.  It was ranked as the best advertising campaign of the 20th Century by Ad Age and ... most importantly ... it was insanely successful in boosting sales and building a lifetime of brand loyalty.


The Volkswagen ad campaign - featuring the headlines “Lemon” and “Think small” (both used to describe the appearance of the car) - ushered in the era of modern advertising.

In a post-war America where Detroit was focused on big, family-sized or muscle cars and advertising was straight-forward and obvious, VW and DDB broke all the rules.


Why was this campaign so revolutionary and how can these 1959 concepts work for you?

• Differentiation: Certainly the bug was radically different than anything else on the road in '59 (and still is), but the ads stood out too.  In this era, ads were all about the "hero shot," the product being used by happy people.  The ads also filled the page with the rationale of, "We're paying for the page, so we're going to use every last bit."  The Beetle ads still had the product as hero, but focused on black and white photos and white space to drive home the simplicity of the vehicle.  A technique of deliberate understatement.

Pick up most any bank or credit union ad or watch a few on TV.  Let's be honest with ourselves, in most cases, you can swap the logos and the ads are pretty much interchangeable. Make a point of having your ads stand out in the crowd.

• Don't Be Obvious: "Lemon." is a car that breaks down.  "Think small." goes against the grain of what we see as a positive message - especially in '59!  The headlines grabbed the reader's attention in an unexpected way and forced them to engage with the copy - where the true benefits were revealed.  

In 1959, this was revolutionary.  In 2012, in the banking world, it would be too.  So many financial ads today focus on rate and "free" and everything that's important to US.  Few messages focus on real benefits that effect consumer's lives.  Don't be obvious.  Don't write a "bank ad."  Create something that will touch the consumer and get them to take notice.

Even though everything has evolved in the last 53 years, we can still learn a lot from the ad pioneers.  If you're ever stuck in a creative rut, crack open a book of old ads and see what you can bring back.


Take care and have a great week.  Now I need to get outta here and jump in the convertible! 

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MarketMatch is a full-service marketing firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the right story that will generate the greatest  MOMENTUM and prove the best RESULTS with our written ROI Guarantee.

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848

The Great Storyteller Gets the Audience.

What if there was a tiny building in a budding town that valued INTEGRITY over profits?

What if that building assembled all of the community’s brightest and most COMPASSIONATE people?

What if those individuals made a PROMISE to help everyone obtain the treasures they desired … the items they could afford – and better set aside riches for the future? 

What if they offered a PLEDGE to allow you access to your wealth, when and how you wanted, without seizing a ransom to do so?

Wouldn’t that be something?  Wouldn’t that be (Your Institution Name Here)?

  

Or …. You COULD say:

"We care."  "We have great loan rates."  "We offer convenient services."

Which would you rather read?  Which evokes emotion?  Which will stand out from what the other local banks and CUs are saying?

Even in our overly-busy lives, people are drawn into a great story.  We long to sit down and be entertained by the yarn of a gifted bard … to imagine our own lives through the well-scripted prose of another.

Think of your brand as an epic tale ... Your staff and customers are the characters ...  Each ad is one short story from it's chronicles.

Be the great storyteller and you'll get the audience's attention.

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MarketMatch is a full-service marketing firm, dedicated to the credit union and community banking community.  We utilize knowledge-based strategies to help you FOCUS on the right story that will generate the greatest  MOMENTUM and prove the best RESULTS with our written ROI Guarantee.

Want to learn more?  Enroll in the MarketMatch eCollege!  Smart online sessions delivered with CFMP credits, tactical advice and a game plan for success!

See our story here. (click)

Chat with me LIVE! (click)

Or email me directly (click)

937-426-9848