You've Got Personality!

By Margie Church, copywriter/editor

A majority of our clients are tickling their members' funny bones this year. They're interested in adding some humor to their messages instead of continuing their usual conservative approaches. There's something to be said for having successful, happy looking people in your ads, because after all, your credit union is going to make them happier, more financially successful people.

Tossing your branding strategy out the window isn't something we usually advocate, but we always look for ways to make campaigns stand out in the market. If you're competing against big banks, it's likely they're running hot and heavy on their corporate logo. It's pretty rare to see a pink flamingo on a big bank ad. But your credit union possibly could use flamingos. Changes in the economic climate may finally be giving some CUs the opportunity to break out of the shadow of their competition and go after market share. In a big way.

What's Your Personality?

Marketing innovation balances brand equity with creativity. When a client asks for a fun campaign and we delve into their concept of the word, there is always a broad spectrum of answers. 

For a CU that usually uses iconic images with very straightforward, no-nonsense copy, using images of people having a good time and short, punchy sentences are dramatic, good changes. For others, we have the opportunity to pull out all the stops and use crazy animals, silly looking people, and a host of other concepts that deliver their messages in powerful, unique ways. Clever headlines make the reader smile or laugh out loud.

Talking with us in the planning stages gives insight to a winning personality and a winning campaign. We're keen on incorporating a positive, provocative graphic and headline with key brand elements. Members get a unique promotion that grabs their attention like new tires on asphalt, and still recognize the brand they trust and respect.

Fresh or Canned?

You might be tempted to go to a one-size-fits-all, online vendor and pick something from their canned templates. Doing so accomplishes your goals of fast and cheap, but do you have the ability to personalize the piece so it resonates with your members? Does using the canned approach help you succeed in the biggest goal of all: closing the sale? I'll wager the answer is not a resounding yes.

Fresh approaches don't have to be expensive or take months to develop. We believe the ROI for a fresh approach is going to be better because you made the offer personal, relevant, and timely, not imitation vanilla.

Geek is a Good Thing

What do you think about QR Codes and Microsoft® Tag? Yes, these are the latest electronic crazes using a smartphone. The applications aren't going away. They're being refined and new ways to use them are being identified daily. In fact, according to a recent study done by Mobio Identity Systems, QR scanning
traffic in North America has increased a dramatic 4549% since the first quarter of 2010. It's no wonder a growing number of our clients are alreadyincorporating QR Codes and Tags.

Smartphones enable members of all ages to use mobile banking, QR Codes, and Tags. People aged 25 to 54 comprise 70 percent of smartphone users. Wow. That's likely to be a big chunk of your membership.  We can think of several easy, creative ways to incorporate QR Codes and Tags into your campaigns and strengthen your member relationships. That's bottom line talk. Being an early adapter could give your credit union a real boost in the perception of being on top of the latest changes—keeping ahead of the game. And when it comes to prospecting, that can't hurt at all. Your personality got a little more innovative and a lot more cool.

Freshening up your campaigns and going deeper with cross-channel marketing can help make you the kid everyone wants to be friends with. Then win them over with real value when you get them in the door. 

Click here for more info and let us know how Pinpoint can bring a little more personality to your next campaign.

Another Option for Electronic Marketing

Microsoft® Tag is another bar code option for tying print advertising to your customers' mobile devices. With a click of a smartphone, the Tag provides a direct link to whatever landing page you choose. Like the QR Code, Tag eliminates the need for typing a URL or SMS message.

Choosing to use Tag instead of QR Codes is a personal choice.  Tags perform the same way as QR Codes, but have a few differences.

• Color can be used in the code design, which allows more creativity. Your logo or a photo, for example, could be incorporated in the Tag design.  There are options to create highly-custom Tag; however you must weigh that against the ability to read the code reliably.

•  The free Tag Reader is the only application that can read a Tag. There are a number of applications that will read QR Codes.

• Tag can be printed smaller in size than a QR Code, conserving space.

• Tag scanning is less light-sensitive. The reflective qualities of paper can sometimes make scanning QR Codes fickle.

• Reporting analytics for Tag are gathered at the click, whereas they are gathered at the landing page for a QR Code. Analytics at the click allows advertisers to know geographically, date, and/or time the Tag was scanned.
  
  

Global intelligence leader, the Nielson Company, says 25 to 54 year-olds comprise 70 percent of smartphone users. Many of the people in that age range have stable jobs and have put down community roots. In other words, they fit the profile of your credit union. Being an early adapter of these tools indicates your credit union is savvy about meeting customers on their turf. 

Pinpoint Direct Marketing can generate the free Tag and QR Code for you, but more importantly, we develop the appropriately-formatted landing pages for them. The landing page can be changed without affecting the Tag or QR Code. We also can help you create new promotions around the codes and implement them in existing campaigns.

Which appeals to you more? Tags or QR Codes? We'll help you decide. Contact us.