Social media is misnamed. Media are channels advertisers use to communicate one-way messages to target audiences. The real power of social networks is in the creation of the virtual community and the sharing and messaging it enables. Brands that use social networks simply as a media outlet are missing the point, and will alienate prospects and customers rather than engaging them.
Category Archives: Commercial Banking
Email Re-Engagement Strategy #4: Looking for Answers and the Last Chance
Recent EMI blog posts discussed the growing importance of email engagement and the roles of preferences and pursuing new tactical and multi-channel approaches in re-engaging customers. But even after you deploy all of these tools, some customers will inevitably remain unengaged. Typical engagement best practice advice will tell you that this is the time to pull out the ultimate arrow in the re-engagement quiver: the Last Chance email. But this is a scary step, especially if you are a company that nurtures a relatively small email list. A Last Chance is, after all, the end of the road—a non-response shuts down all email communication.
For this reason, if the number of remaining non-responders is great enough to justify the investment, we recommend conducting primary research among the unengaged to learn:
- Are they chronic non-responders? That is, do they sign up with other companies as well and then not view or click on emails?
- If not, what are the content, messaging, and media elements that drive their response to other companies’ emails?
- What is their actual, current level of interest in your product and their position in the buying process?
If this research indicates that there is little hope that changes to the re-engagement program would deliver a strong return, then the Last Chance is an appropriate next (and final) step. If you do implement this tool, think of the Last Chance as a series of emails rather than a single one. Over the course of two or three emails, introduce the recipients to the idea that you will be ending their email communications and then incrementally increase the pressure on them to respond. With the final email in the series, you close the book on the non-responders and treat them like unsubscribers, secure in the knowledge that you have done everything you could to re-engage them.
Huntington on track to meet small business lending commitment
At the start of 2010, Huntington Bank committed to lend $4 billion over three years to small businesses in its footprint, joining leading banks like Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo in making specific small business lending commitments.
Huntington reported yesterday in a press release that it lent $1.1 billion to small businesses in 2010, with an acceleration in this lending in the second half of the year, which the bank attributed to an improving economy as well as the completion of its hiring of 150 additional business bankers. Huntington claims to be on track to meet its three-year goal.
This press release follows news in recent weeks that Chase and Bank of America both met their 2010 small business lending commitments. Wells Fargo fell short of its target, although it still grew small business lending by 15% in 2010, and reported strong growth in loan demand from small businesses in the second half of the year.
It should be noted that small business loan balances for many large banks continue to decline year-over-year, as charge-offs and paydowns outstrip origination. However, we may be on the cusp of an inflection point , with declining charge-offs and increasing originations leading to overall growth in small business loan portfolios in the coming quarters.
The sales and marketing challenges for banks aiming to capture a share of the small business market include:
- Positioning themselves as a financial partner to small businesses, providing both financial products and advice
- Revisiting the small business product portfolio to ensure that it addresses the changing financial needs of small businesses
- Developing offers and bundles to reflect banks’ renewed focus on relationship optimization
- Ensuring that all service channels (branch, call center, Internet, mobile, social media, etc.) deliver a consistent customer experience
- Recruiting, training and developing support tools for dedicated business bankers
- Implementing programs and process for other branch personnel to sell to small businesses and/or refer them to business bankers