A tough communications challenge for financial institutions is core system conversion. How do you keep account holders on your side when a new processing system might initially mean inconvenience and service interruption? Here are five keys that must be part of your plan if you hope to evolve and grow, without losing members or customers - or your hard-earned brand equity.   Timing. Our experience creating successful conversion campaigns for both banks and credit unions...

Surprisingly few businesses make customer retention a priority. It’s estimated that nearly half of all companies put most of their effort into acquiring new customers, while only about one-fifth emphasize marketing to current customers. But if you’re a marketing pro trying to get results on a budget, targeting people who already know and like your product makes perfect sense. Consider these statistics: Retaining a customer costs only one-fifth as much as acquiring a new one,...

If your staff followed a strict dress code but spoke to customers in wildly different ways, it wouldn’t be long before management took action to get everyone on the same page. Yet many companies devote volumes to brand standards for logos and graphics without sharing how all employees should live and breathe the brand. Every person in your organization can be a brand advocate, so make sure your internal guidelines include these four essentials. Your...

With digital technology now making it easier than ever to train employees or educate customers using online videos, maybe you’re thinking of doing it too. Follow these seven rules and your training videos will not only be educational, but engaging.   Rule #1: Keep it short. Six to nine minutes is the maximum time an average student can watch educational videos before tuning out or turning off, according to studies cited by Vanderbilt University researcher Cynthia J....

There are many different ways to update your website, but many require serious budget or serious tech skills. If you’re a layperson crunched for time and your site is in danger of going stale, here are eight quick fixes that can refresh your web presence in one hour or less. Quick Fix One: Spruce Up Your Homepage Sites typically get most of their traffic on homepages, so it’s smart to focus your time there. Make sure the...

Over the past year we’ve documented the skyrocketing use of online video by marketers worldwide, including clients of Creative Co-op. But many businesses are hesitant, perhaps because they still think of video in terms of traditional film or tape. If you haven’t considered using video before, it’s time to add this powerful tactic to your toolkit. Let’s start by tackling some old misconceptions: Video isn’t exclusive. It’s no longer limited to big businesses, elite production houses...