Your bank and credit union branding is a literal treasure trove. Create a brand consumers love and you become more than a peddler of commodities…you become a trusted partner people want to reward with their business over and over again.
For some organizations, this type of brand is as mythical as riches at the end of the rainbow. But it doesn’t have to be.
Here are some quick tips to help you transform your brand from blah to bright and shimmering:
- Start with culture. Bank and credit union branding is more cultural than collateral. The best visuals in the world won’t disguise a total lack of passion for your institutional identity. And yes, this has real effects on consumers. At one credit union, our mystery shopper noticed how employees raved about their employer and how much they loved working there. At another, employees actually told her to go to another institution. Yikes…you’d probably give your business to the first credit union, right? Craft a brand employees feel excited to live if you want consumers to love the brand.
- Survey the brandscapes. Branding still involves collateral too, and stale visuals make you look outdated. No one wants to join something stale or outdated. Consider generating some new “brandscapes” for your organization. These are creative directions to take with your marketing collateral that freshen up your look without demanding the time and investment of a rebrand. Choose a new one every couple years to keep up with changing consumer demands.
- Obsess over consistency. Be a brand purist. Consistent brands stake out territory in the marketplace and in people’s minds. Everyone should write (and speak) with your brand voice when representing you. Everyone should live the brand values. Your imagery style, logo placement and fonts should be similar across marketing materials. Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most successful brands, retained a similar focus on sharing joy and similar visuals across its history. Successful brands are consistent brands.
- Keep it simple. Consumers have a desire for simplicity. A recent Financial Brand article pointed out that people are consolidating banking apps…which means they are deleting ones with the least amount of perceived value. Don’t let your app (or your institution in general) get deleted. If consumers are going on a brand diet, you better make sure your brand looks healthy and slimming. Ditch your brand bloat – highbrow visions, complex language and busy designs. Make yourself a one-stop shop as much as you can so consumers feel no need to go elsewhere.
- Commit to change. Is your bank and credit union branding outdated? If yes, don’t kick the can down the road! Your brand is too important to put off year after year. The most successful financial organizations don’t fear brand modernization…they embrace it. It involves some work. It involves some investment. But the ROI of a refreshed brand makes the effort worth it.
Your pot o’ gold may not exist with your current brand. Or maybe you can reach the end of the rainbow…if only you had some new brandscapes and creative materials. On The Mark Strategies helps with full bank and credit union branding projects and new creative brand directions so you unlock your treasure trove. Book a free consultation now.
