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Innovative Strategies in Financial Services Marketing

Table of Contents

  • Introduction to Financial Services Marketing
  • The Role of Behavioral and Transactional Analytics
  • Case Studies: Success Stories in Financial Services Marketing
  • Digital Experiences and Customer Loyalty
  • Targeted Marketing Strategies: Reaching the Right Audience
  • Building Trust through Effective Marketing Campaigns
  • The Importance of Quality Data in Marketing Decisions
  • Conclusion: Key Takeaways for Financial Marketing Managers

 

Introduction to Financial Services Marketing

In the fast-paced world of financial services, the landscape of marketing is continually evolving. With the advent of digital transformation, marketing in this sector has transcended traditional boundaries, paving the way for more innovative and effective strategies. Financial institutions are now focusing on leveraging new technologies and data analytics to better understand and meet customer needs. Insight Financial Marketing (IFM) is at the forefront of this revolution, empowering data scientists, product managers, IT, and marketing teams with robust, cost-effective solutions. These solutions enable a deeper understanding of customer behavior, leading to more efficient business growth.

The role of marketing in financial services is multifaceted. It involves not only promoting various financial products but also educating consumers about their benefits. Marketing managers and directors are tasked with developing strategies that are both cost-effective and aligned with the goals of different business lines. This includes navigating the challenges of promoting high-priority products like business loans and treasury management products while also finding innovative ways to market other offerings like digital access products and wealth management services.

The Role of Behavioral and Transactional Analytics

Behavioral and transactional analytics are changing the game in financial services marketing. These analytics provide insights into customer behaviors, preferences, and patterns, which are crucial for tailoring marketing strategies. By analyzing customer transaction data, financial institutions can identify trends, predict customer needs, and create personalized offers that resonate with their target audience. This approach is significantly more effective than traditional marketing techniques, as it allows for a deeper connection with potential and existing customers.

For instance, transactional data can reveal which financial products a customer is most likely to be interested in, based on their spending and payment activity. This data-driven approach not only increases the effectiveness of marketing campaigns but also enhances the overall customer experience, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

 

IDENTIFY LEADS THROUGH TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS

 

Case Studies: Success Stories in Financial Services Marketing

Case studies from leading financial institutions serve as powerful testimonials to the success of innovative marketing strategies. For example, a national bank implemented a targeted marketing campaign using behavioral analytics to identify potential customers for its new credit card product. By analyzing spending patterns and lifestyle preferences, the bank was able to create personalized offers that resulted in a significant increase in credit card applications and customer engagement.

Another success story comes from a regional bank that utilized transactional analytics to promote its home equity loans. By identifying customers who were likely to be in the market for home renovations, the bank tailored its marketing messages to highlight the benefits of its loan products, resulting in increased loan applications and customer satisfaction.

Targeted Marketing Strategies: Reaching the Right Audience

The success of marketing in financial services largely depends on targeting the right audience with the right message. This involves a deep understanding of the market and the specific needs of different customer segments. Financial products vary greatly in their appeal and utility to different customer groups, and as such, require tailored marketing approaches.

For example, marketing campaigns for business checking accounts would differ significantly from those for wealth management services. The former might focus on which consumer clients are conducting business related transactions from their retail or consumer account, while the latter would emphasize the expertise and personalized advice offered by the bank’s wealth management team to clients that have investment relationships with competitors. By segmenting the audience and tailoring the message accordingly, financial services companies can effectively reach and engage with their target customers.

The Importance of Quality Data in Marketing Decisions

In financial services marketing, the quality of data used in decision-making can significantly impact the effectiveness of campaigns. High-quality, accurate data allows for targeting precision, better customer insights, and improved campaign performance. For instance, automated clearing house transactions (ACH) can provide a wealth of insights into customer behavior and preferences.

Despite its potential, ACH data is often underutilized in financial marketing. Many marketing directors may not fully understand how to leverage this data, or they may be under the impression that they already have access to similar information. However, when utilized effectively, ACH data can offer a unique and valuable perspective, helping financial institutions to identify new opportunities for customer engagement and product promotion.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways for Financial Marketing Managers

For marketing managers and directors in the financial services sector, embracing innovative marketing strategies is key to staying competitive. The integration of behavioral and transactional analytics offers a deeper understanding of customer needs and preferences, enabling more personalized and effective marketing campaigns. 

Targeted marketing strategies are essential for deepening engagement with existing customers and maximizing the impact of marketing efforts. Moreover, the importance of quality data in shaping marketing decisions cannot be overstated. Leveraging unique data sources like ACH data an provide invaluable insights, leading to more successful marketing outcomes.

In conclusion, financial services marketing is a dynamic and evolving field. By staying abreast of the latest trends, leveraging technology and data analytics, and focusing on customer-centric strategies, marketing managers and directors can effectively drive growth and success in their institutions. Partners like Insight Financial Marketing (IFM) play a pivotal role in this journey, offering the tools and insights necessary to navigate the complex landscape of financial services marketing.

For more information on how IFM can assist your bank in leveraging customer behavior analysis to its fullest potential, contact us today. Begin the journey to a more insightful customer-focused marketing strategy.

 

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Alternative Data is on the “Rise™”

Credit Bureaus have been a bedrock of the financial services industry for decades.  Their insights on a consumer’s creditworthiness and willingness to repay a loan have proved their value a hundred-fold over the past 50 years. However, their ability to measure the creditworthiness of all persons is limited due to various reasons from the lack of reporting to the bureaus to the rapidly changing ways consumers conduct payments and other financial transactions and the explosion of non-traditional financial organizations.

A combination of innovation, technology, and immigration patterns and processes have changed how many in the United States are employed and receive income.  Over the past few decades, these changes have left many consumers unable to get the crucial capital needed to buy homes and get approved for loans or credit, regardless of their steady income and consistent payment history for lifestyle-related expenses.

Alternative Data For Credit Decisioning

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) held a hearing in 2017 to review the use of alternative data for credit decisioning.  The CFPB recognized the traditional system for reporting consumer credit included lending categories where the credit is provided by banks and financial companies that have mechanisms in place for record-keeping.  By that definition, this excludes rent payment activity, which is a major payment area for millions of consumers across the United States.  Learn more about the outcome of the CFPB hearing here.

The CFPB also recognized that alternative data would help to expand credit opportunities to consumers with little to no credit history.  By leveraging alternative data, FI’s would create a broader financial profile on their customers through the combination of both traditional and non-traditional data sources including ACH, Debit/Credit cards, mobile phones, and the internet resulting in an improvement of creditworthiness reporting and accuracy.

Rise™ Provides Insight Into Non-Traditional Financial Data

Rise™ is an example of a new product by IFM that provides insight to non-traditional categories of financial activities helping FI’s to paint the clearer picture they have been looking for on consumer customers that may otherwise have fallen out of their lending radar.  Rise™ reports on the customer’s various sources of income and the consistency of payments for debt categories including rent, utilities, membership payments, subscription payments, and more.  In essence, Rise™ makes it easier for FI’s to receive intelligence about their customers without having to manage multiple large data sources or the categorization and reporting accuracy of their financial behavior.

To learn more about Rise, a new component of IFM’s Candela™ service, you can communicate with me directly at rreale@infimark.com.

About IFM

For the past 20 years, Insight Financial Marketing, L.L.C., has provided financial institutions with customer insights from the analysis of customer financial transactions such as ACH, debit card, credit card, and wire data.  These insights are typically leveraged to help deepen relationships with consumer and business customers and to strengthen customer insights that are ingested into data environments that are then leveraged throughout their enterprise.  IFM solely analyzes an FI’s data and returns customer insights back to the FI client.  IFM also complies fully with bank customer privacy policies which enable FI’s to develop products and services, using IFM data, that be launched across their customer base.

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Financial Institutions Move to Digital – What’s Next?

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Financial Institutions & Digital Capabilities

Financial Institutions have moved swiftly to enable more digital functionality. This effort has taken on many different paths. For some, the move has been to offer a combination of the following: BaaS, Open Banking, digital loan applications, a stand-alone digital bank, faster payments, access to cryptocurrencies, P2P functionality, electronic signatures, PFM, online and mobile app B2B capabilities. All this has been occurring, while at the same time, Big Tech, FinTech, and DeFi, have been launching new capabilities that target specific needs of consumers and businesses. Many traditional financial institutions have also developed partnerships and strategic alliances with Big Tech and FinTech firms or have invested in them directly.

 

A Quick Guide To Bank Deposit Growth

 

COVID is Driving A Shift In Behavior

The COVID crisis further amplified the need for consumers and businesses to conduct more of their financial lives online and through mobile apps. In many ways, the changes in our industry were a direct result of a shift in consumer and business preferences that have been a long time coming; a need to move money faster and with a delightfully easy experience. While consumers’ lives and business operations have not yet returned to “normal,” we have learned how to adapt to life with a deadly virus around us. This includes being more comfortable with conducting more of our financial lives virtually rather than in person.

What comes next?

From IFM’s view, we see changes in consumer and business behavior daily. As a result of more digital functionality, the amount of data has grown exponentially. Some FI’s have seen their digital transaction volumes grow more than 2x-3x faster than previous years. IFM works with many of the largest banks in the U.S. and smaller FI’s that have a critical role in their communities, and all are impacted by changes in consumer and business behavior.

The movement of money has never been faster and will only become faster still. To be competitive, FI’s must be at the top of their game when utilizing data insights and predicting future customer behavior. IFM has an industry-leading customer intelligence solution to help your FI communicate more efficiently, with direct personalized content, and keep you and your enterprise informed of future behavioral changes.

Contact us today to take advantage of our free, no-obligation evaluation offer to get a first-hand view of your consumer and business customers. To learn more, visit us on our website at www.infimark.com.

 

 

Contact IFM

 

 

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Using Customer Intelligence to Compete More Effectively in the Future of Financial Services

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Like other industries in this new millennium, the financial services industry has been rapidly transformed by new technology.  With the rise of digital money, real-time money movement, and increased competition within the industry, this change is growing at an even faster pace.  But let’s face it, this industry has been one of the slowest to change compared to the Music/Movie Industry, Travel/Transportation, Communications, Engineering/IT/Cyber Security, and Shopping. 

 

How an institution prioritizes the utilization of data and information technology will largely dictate its future success.

 

One reason has been an inability for many traditional FI’s to transform their culture to prioritize data and information technology.  How an institution prioritizes the utilization of data and information technology will largely dictate its future success.  A recent article by Industry advisor Jim Marous, “How to Build a Data Culture that Supports Digital Banking Transformation” (thefinancialbrand.com), mentions the importance of implementing a data-centric strategy across the enterprise.  The article states that “Customer insight platforms and the process of information management can expand to customer service, product development, compliance, privacy governance and other key areas of the organization that need a complete and real-time view of the customer.”  

 

A Quick Guide To Bank Deposit Growth

 

Insight Financial Marketing (IFM) recognizes the importance of customer insights and has supported financial institutions across the country for nearly twenty years.  IFM clients have implemented our customer intelligence service into their enterprise-wide data strategy and have become leaders in the industry.  IFM’s advanced technology provides new capabilities related to detecting changes in customer behavior and the ability to predict customer behavior.  

To learn more about how IFM has helped FI’s transform data to be more easily leveraged throughout an enterprise and to enable your FI to compete more effectively in the future, contact Rob Reale, Associate Partner and National Sales Manager, at rreale@infimark.com or visit our website, www.infimark.com.    

 

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How Personalized Marketing is Disrupting the Banking Industry

As Digital Banking takes off, Personalized Marketing will become more important for the Banking Industry

A recent Bain & Company article mentions that financial institutions should be concerned that “many consumers look outside their primary bank for high-margin products”.   However, the article also contains recent survey results that note “most customers who received direct offers would be willing to buy more from their primary bank if it made a personalized offer”.

The article discusses how the rise of digital banking, in part caused by the global pandemic, has led to the hidden defection of bank customers.   As more consumers turn to digital banking it will be imperative for banks to personalize their messaging to customers to compete more effectively in today’s challenging environment.

What is Personalized Marketing?

The term personalization means reaching consumers with messages, pricing, and offers tailored specifically for them. This form of one-to-one marketing uses sophisticated analytic tools to analyze customer data to determine customer needs.

Banks are moving rapidly to leverage personalized messaging by using machine learning and data science tools to process a vast amount of customer data. Insight Financial Marketing is a leading innovator in this segment of the industry. IFM’s service enables banks to analyze the patterns in their transaction data to anticipate specific customer needs. A customer is more likely to purchase a bank product or service if the right offer is presented to them at the right time. This creates a win-win situation where the customer gets the service or product they need, and the bank generates revenue.

The Future of Bank Marketing

By leveraging IFM’s technology, financial service firms will be able to utilize customer intelligence to structure their products, services, and pricing based on customer needs.

For instance, combining artificial intelligence and machine learning with customer insights via IFM’s service has the potential to be a real game-changer. By leveraging IFM’s technology, financial institutions have greater precision in assessing risks, predicting life events, and lifestyle changes.

Personalization has made it possible for customers to save money by presenting the right products and services that meet their current and future needs, while also allowing financial institutions to prosper by developing deeper relationships with their customers. The future of marketing in the financial services industry is being shaped by a rapid shift to the personalization of communications brought on by modern data analysis tools provided by IFM.

Conclusion

With IFM’s industry-leading customer intelligence solution, financial institutions will have the technology and experience to leverage personalized marketing that will drive revenue growth and enable your firm to compete more effectively in today’s challenging environment. To discover how your firm can engage IFM’s solution please contact me via our website, Infimark.com, or via my LinkedIn page.

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Data Driven Intelligence Will Enable Banks to Compete More Effectively

Cutting edge technology has fostered rapid innovation throughout various industries over the past ten years. This rapid change is impacting the financial services industry with full force, especially during this difficult COVID environment. Consumers and businesses are rapidly searching for solutions to meet their needs. Examples of this change include real-time P2P and contactless payments, investment robo-advisors, free stock trading, and app-based financial technology such as Dave™, Chime™, and Square’s CashApp.  

Additionally, historically low-interest rates, coupled with an uncertain economic environment that has stunted the appetite for lending at many institutions, have put pressure on banks to find ways to generate revenue.

Deepening relationships with existing customers is one avenue financial institutions will travel as they revamp their strategy to generate revenue while also helping customers navigate their financial journey. One challenge with this strategy is the fact that every customer has a unique journey. A one-sized approach to helping consumer and business customers in their time of need is no longer effective. Data-driven intelligence is necessary in today’s world to create personalized solutions for customers that meet their immediate and future financial needs. A powerful way to develop insights that will assist FI’s in deepening relationships is through analysis and evaluation of electronic financial transactions. IFM provides an easy to deploy solution that provides near real-time customer insights.  

Using IFM’s service and capabilities, FI’s can –

  • Utilize powerful customer insights to aid in the development of new and innovative products and services
  • Identify changes in customer behavior and predict future needs in near real-time
  • Have a resource that provides clean data to power AI and machine learning initiatives
  • Know whom to communicate with and when to communicate personalized messages

If you’d like additional information on IFM’s service and capabilities, or would like to learn more about IFM’s free, no-obligation evaluation of ACH and Card data, please contact us via our website, or reach out to me directly via my LinkedIn page or my email address at rreale@infimark.com. I’ll look forward to communicating with you and helping you along your journey toward developing an enhanced data-driven customer intelligence capability.  

Check out my latest vlog where I share more about the challenges customers are facing during the global pandemic.

 

 

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