Sometimes marketing campaigns just aren’t sexy. And that’s OK.
Take banks, for example. There is a whole slew of them who want the public to know that they are safe and solid–in a word, they’re boring. I have personal experience with this message, since I was hired recently by a credit union to two write letters for their annual report. The content of those letters? In part it was that the credit union is safe, solid and growing. And that they never took part in all of those risky lending practices that got the big banks in trouble.
But the marketing message definitely goes beyond one credit union. The New York Times ran an article about banks earlier this month, titled “We’re Dull, Small Banks Say, but Have Profits.” While the title pretty much sums it up, here’s an excerpt:
“community bankers have felt compelled in recent months to mount public relations campaigns to emphasize their fiscal health and in some cases to announce they rejected Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, funds. Some have held cookouts, others have held “reassurance” meetings in their lobbies, hoping to educate customers and prevent panics.”
The point of all of this? Sometimes what sets you apart from your competitors is not something bold and flashy. Sometimes it is your boring old business practices that give you an edge. The important part is that whatever it is that gives you an edge, go ahead and sell it!
