Banks often take their customers for granted. Hopefully with the recent consolidation in the banking industry things will get better (not worse). Recently I went to one of my bank’s ATMs. They obviously have a database that tells them if the PIN number is correct. Then why can’t they remember a simple thing like what language I speak? They should ask things like: language, default account, etc and then remember it in the future to make my experience better. The customers might not notice these subtle things at first but would start to notice when other banks don’t treat them like a known friend.

Another way that banks could improve their overall experience is to notice which state (or country) the visitor originates from when using their website. Technology (like that used by Google) exists to identify where the requests are coming from. That combined with a commitment to improving the customer experience would cause the bank (or any company for that matter) to make a custom experience for everyone. They could offer the services that are exclusively for an individual market, modify the images to be more reflective of the community, and bypass marketing information when someone is already a customer. Users could always switch to a different area if they happen to be out-of-state at the time.

The status quo appears to be what works best for the bank not the customer. Yet, if they just took some time and thought about the experience from the customers perspective they could actually become very personal even if they’re really big. A little investment in the user experience would likely pay huge dividends. Today it might be something that get’s a company noticed. In the next few years this will become basic business practices.

Recently, a good friend and fellow design colleague of mine turned me on to a new magazine that he discovered while attending the AIGA conference. GOOD magazine is just that, it’s good. Covering topics that range from art and design to politics and culture to social justice and the environment, GOOD leaves no corner of potential inspiration uncovered. It dives deep into the topic of design without being another design magazine. Which means no redundant articles about trends, this seasons hot colors, typefaces, or layout styles. GOOD not only reports on what it’s name implies, it lives up to that name in it’s quality, content and purpose. Oh, and did I forget to mention the best part? To subscribe, just pick one of a handful of note worthy non-profit organizations…make a contribution…and your one year subscript is free (we chose to support Malaria No More). To get GOOD, which we highly recommend, visit them at GOODmagazine.com

In the book All Customers are Not Created Equal, Garth Hallberg proposes a change to traditional marketing strategies. Instead of judging marketing efforts by “how many” and “how frequently” he suggests changing the mindset towards “who” and “how impactfully”. In my opinion, the key to successful brand development is to be relevant. This means having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand. Instead of trying to be all things to all people…it is far better to be a relevant voice speaking to the people who are interested in what you have to say. It is easy to justify a marketing effort by counting the number of impressions. However, it is much more beneficial when efforts are focused on providing your unique brand experience to the people who value what you offer and desire your products or services.

At Elevation we help our clients have a greater impact in their market and in the world. This is accomplished by tailoring communications and overall experience to fit the target market instead of being distracted with trying to clothe the entire market. An impression can quickly fade away but the impact of your strategic and targeted marketing efforts make you much more relevant.

~ Paul