Soft-Sell Your Goods
While online, people are researching loans. Include articles on your Web site about how to get the best mortgage or refinancing basics. Do not sell in the articles; simply cover helpful information consumers should know. However, to help ensure you are not just an information resource, have a strong "call to action" as a sidebar to your article. Entice viewers to click to your online application.
Capture Kids' Attention
Develop an educational interactive Web page for kids. Use simple language to explain financial concepts, and include interactive calculators on the page that enable kids to calculate the length of time needed to save for a car, bike or software game. They can even calculate the savings earned in a typical passbook account as compared to an investment in a certificate of deposit. Consider offering some of your content to reputable Web sites for kids . . . with appropriate credit going to your institution, of course.
Mine the Front Line for FAQs
If you have a Web site, don't let your marketing department or Webmaster work in a vacuum. Instead, get your entire organization involved in content development. For example, Online Banking Report suggests sponsoring a contest for employees to come up with ideas, based on their customer service experiences, for the "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) section posted on your site. Pay $50 for each idea used. This will keep employees tuned in to your Web site and provide valuable feedback to your marketing department.
Invite Nonprofits to Your Web Site
As a community service, designate part of your Internet site as a "Wish List" for nonprofit agencies. Invite agencies to submit "want ads" for volunteers or donations, such as used appliances, clothing, computers, office equipment, and household furnishings. Update it weekly to give people a reason to visit your site regularly. Publicize the service by contacting local media, sending letters to civic groups, and running small ads in weekly "shoppers."
Sow Convenience, Reap Rewards
Cater to the demands of today's Web-savvy
consumers by integrating your value-added checking and small-business
programs into your Web offerings. By providing online benefit fulfillment,
for example, you enable your core depositors to order products and services,
as well as search for local providers of discounts. Such interactive
features not only provide a level of convenience busy customers really
appreciate; they also make it easy for potential customers to explore
the value of your relationship banking programs, which effectively expands
your sales reach beyond the branches.
Magnetize Your Site
If you want customers keep coming back to you Web site, you have to give them a reason to return. One way to draw repeat visits is by creating an Internet portal. A banking portal offers customers a wide-range of Web-based content -- such as news feeds, calendars, horoscopes, stock quotes, and life event planning tools -- in addition to online financial services, including Internet banking, bill-pay services, loans, insurance and brokerage. By offering a plethora of customizable information, you create a valuable Internet on-ramp for your customers. And that could eventually mean a lot more sales for your institution.