BlueSpire presented this financial trends webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Our subject matter experts focused on the following points (among many) in the webinar: • Content: Auditing your content across multiple channels and engagement that drives growth • Branding and Design: Brand consistency as the “new black” and what’s new in design • Multi-Channel Approaches: Making the shift to digital while still integrating print, responsive design pros and cons, email onboarding/triggering/drip campaigns, and latest recommendations on search and social For more information, visit bluespiremarketing.com/blog.

1. Financial Marketing Trends for 2014:
What You Really Need to Know

2. Welcome
Your Panel
Jen Joly, Marketing & Communications
Director, Financial Marketing Strategist
Beth Miller, EVP/Innovation, Content
Strategy and Client Engagement
Grant Evans, Director of Digital Publishing
Christian Twiste, Vice President/Interactive
Services

3. Agenda: Trends That Should Drive
Your Financial Brand in 2014
Brand and Design
Authenticity, Transparency, Consistency & More
Content
Knowledge, Audits and Engagement
Multi-channel Approach
Integrating Print and the Digital World

4. Before We Dive In …
What’s expected in the economy for 2014?
The U.S. economy is expected to grow roughly 3%
The unemployment rate will fall to roughly 6.6%
Credit union savings balances are expected to
grow 5%
Loan balances are expected to rise more than 6%
for banks and credit unions
Bank business loans are expected to grow by more
than 7%
Bank charge-off rates are expected to drop to 2.2%
SOURCES: Economic Projections of Federal Reserve Board Members and Federal Reserve Bank Presidents, September 2013
CUNA Economic Forecast as of September 2013
Economic Advisory Committee of the American Bankers Association, June 2013

5. Persistent Trend:
Consumer as the Core

6. Brand and Design:
Authenticity, Transparency and Consistency

7. Trend: Authenticity
“I don’t tell my friends about your brand
because I like your brand, rather because I
like my friends.”

8. Know Thy Self
Know who you are:
Aspirational
Unknown
Mature

9. Trend: Authenticity

10. Trend: Transparency
Guilt-free Consumption (GFC)
Source: trendwatching.com

11. Trend: Transparency
“A new kind of consumption: one free
from worry (or at least with less worry)
about its [consumption’s] negative
impact, yet that allows continued
indulgence.”
Source: trendwatching.com

12. Transparency in Action
SELF
SOCIETY
PLANET

13. Emotional Connections in Action

14. Trend: Brand Consistency
Consistency is the new black. Why?
With more and more channels, consistency is
more important than ever
Your audience is inundated every day!

15. Document

16. … and Evangelize
Other Action Items
Internal
Employee goals
New Employee Orientation
Brand Training
Brand Champion Program
Brand Recognition Programs
External Focus
Defined plan to meet business and audience
goals that is measurable

17. Brand Consistency Proof Points
100%
90%
High Performing Banks and Credit
Unions vs. Lower Performing Peers
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Design guidelines, brand
New employees receive brand
standards manual or style guide
orientation/training
Source: Financial Brand/Aite Group survey of 258 financial services executives (2/13)
Ongoing brand training for
employees

18. Consistency in Action

19. Consistency in Action

20. A brand is
The sum of all characteristics and
feelings, both real and perceived, that
create an impression and make
a promise.

21. Trend: Innovation
70
60
50
40
“Banking innovation’s
gonna change more in
the next 12 months than
it has in the previous
two decades.”
- NCR VP Brian Bailey, who
works with banks on branch
transformation
30
20
10
0
“60% of banks today have an innovation
strategy compared to just 37% in 2009,” says
Haragopal Mangipudi, global head, Finacle.
Sources: BAI Banking Strategies, “Innovation Focus on Mobile and Online”
American Public Media, Marketplace, “Your bank teller will live inside an ATM”

22. Trend: Innovation in Action
Pretail (pre-retail)
“A mode of consumption that sees
consumers treat crowdfunding platforms as
the new shopping malls. Why? Because
that’s where current customer demand for
more innovative, exciting and unique
products and services is being served better
than anywhere else, by an army of
entrepreneurs and start-ups.”
Source: trendwatching.com

23. Pretail in Action
Pretail vs. Consumer Controlled Innovations

24. Trend: Flat Design and Grid Systems
Flat design
Minimalistic, simplistic
Vibrant colors
Geometric shapes
Typically limited to two
(2) sans serif fonts
No embellishments: i.e.
no shadows, bevels,
gradients or textures
Grid systems
Single page design
Transparency
Locked headers
Large Photos
Content as visuals
Focus on typography
App style interfaces
Single version (mobile
and desktop)
Retina Ready

25. Flat Design
Then
Now

26. Grid Systems and Info Graphics

27. Scrolling, Headers and More

28. Content 2014 Trends:
Knowledge, Audits and Engagement

29. Trend: Knowing Your Audience
“As the science of data analysis becomes
more cost efficient and sophisticated and
consumers generate more measurable data
than ever, brands will increasingly be able to
predict what a customer needs or wants—
and tailor offers and communications very
precisely.”
Source: JWT Intelligence 10 Trends for 2013

30. Knowledge in Action: Customizing
Your Message by Audience
Message Map created by target audience and specific goal(s).
Content process = Create, Curate and Influence

31. Trend: Shift to Strategic Content
Percentage of B2C Marketers Who
Have a Documented Content Strategy
Content
Marketing Usage
by B2C Marketers
Rose to 90%
(from 86% the
previous year)
60% surveyed expect
their company’s
content marketing
budget to increase in
the next 12 months.
Unsure
9%
Yes
39%
Source: 2014 B2C Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs
No
52%

32. Content Strategy Approach
Content
Audit
Strategy
Workflow
and
Delivery
Govern
Create

33. Conducting an Audit
Identified Goal
Channel
Key Messages
Purpose
(Training, Education, CTA, Promo)
Goal Alignment
Distribution/Reach
Cross Organization
Budget Allocation
Rating
Reporting Your Findings
Summary
Content Audit Factors
Rating System
Findings of Audit
Strengths
Weaknesses
Distinct Gaps
Recommendations
Best Practices
Next Steps

34. Make the Strategy Stick:
Content Tactical Plan
Target Audience
Goal(s) to influence
Content outlined
Tactic
Execution & Reach
Timeline
Budget implication
Measurement
Outline of success

35. How to Measure Content
Primary
Content
Indicators
Secondary Content
Indicators
User Indicators
Source: “The objective approach,” Joe Pulizzi, IABC Communication World, November 2013

36. Trend: Own the Brand Experience
You need to own the customer experience
from start to finish.
Marketing/communications should OWN the
customer experience (at least the
understanding of it).
Why is owning the brand experience
so important?

37. Trend: Designing the CX
The Customer Experience
(CX) looks at every
experience and
interaction across the
customer journey.
CX
UX
Source: http://blogs.forrester.com/kerry_bodine/13-10-04-how_does_service_design_relate_to_cx_and_ux

38. CX Trend Meets Measurable Results
USAA saw a 77% Y-O-Y increase in
site visitors, a 15% increase in
completed auto loans and a 23%
increase in vehicles sold when it
launched a platform for researching,
financing and insuring vehicle
purchases.
Source:: Forrester’s The Business Impact Of Customer Experience, June 10, 2013

39. Multi-channel Approach:
Trends for Integrating Print and
the Digital World

40. Trends: Multi-channel Approach
Does this sound familiar?
We need…more Facebook likes.
We need…more Twitter followers.
We need…more YouTube videos.
We need…to be on Pinterest.
We need…to figure out Google+.
This is in addition to your traditional print
and digital channels!

41. Ask the Initial Questions
Who are you trying to reach?
Start by being “medium agnostic” and
choosing the medium based on where your
targets are
What is the conversation you’re trying to
have?
Multi-channel doesn’t take place of an overall
marketing strategy, good content or consistent
positioning

42. Successful Multi-channel Approach

43. Trend: Make It Easy
Financial marketers continue to move
toward tools that simplify life for their
customers/members …

44. Make it Easy in Action
This section guides
people to web
This section will allow
people to click on
their age group to
view age specific
content
General retirement
planning article or
timely news
This section will guide
people to take action
– anything from
increasing their
contribution to
checking out a blog.
This section will
always contain a poll.
The recipient will be
able to see how
everyone answered
after they make a
selection.

45. Digital Trend: Intelligent Objects
“Everyday objects are evolving into
tech-infused smart devices with
augmented functionality. As more
ordinary items become interactive,
intelligent objects, our interactions with
them will get more interesting,
enjoyable and helpful.”
Source: JWT Intelligence 10 Trends for 2013

46. Intelligent Objects in Action:
GPS & Maps Integration
Mobile sites and
apps can
access device
specific features
such as the
GPS or camera
to provide more
functionality

47. Intelligent Objects in Action:
Responsive Design
BENEFITS
PITFALLS
Consistent user experience
across all platforms
Limited ability to customize
the experience and access
device specific features
Streamlined site management
Slower and less responsive
Reduced maintenance risks
and improved release cycles
Longer initial development
times and higher upfront costs
Can improve analytic visibility Can complicate your ability to
with a single URL structure for segment traffic sources and
all devices
plan upgrades

48. Trend: Re-emergence of Email
91% of consumers reported checking their
email at least once a day.
“Nearly 90% of businesses said email
marketing was 'very important' or
'important', and yet the DMA also reports
that over a third of businesses are unable
to calculate ROI from email marketing.”

49. Trend: Email 3.0
As email marketing has evolved into a mature
advertising medium, campaigns have advanced to
include more targeting and interactive content
PURLs (Personalized URLs) provide each subscriber with
their own unique Web address to offer a more customized
experience and drive access in offline marketing
Triggered campaigns provide additional content and
features based on subscriber interactions with your
standard email campaigns and websites
Drip campaigns allow users to opt-in for a pre-defined
series of emails based on their preferences

50. Email ROI in Action: Planning
Successful Campaigns
Successful campaigns
require a strategy that
balances the interplay
between your marketing
goals, target audiences
and available email lists
Personalization features
should be determined
before creative is developed
to ensure tight integration
between brand, content
needs and the final design
Strategy
Marketing Goals
Target Audiences
Content
Personalization
List Definition
Creative
Execution

51. Email 3.0 in Action: Onboarding
Streamline welcome messaging and
product education
Sync products so customers receive
the right message for the right
products
Email 1
Email 2
Email 3
Email 4
Email 5
Email 6

52. Email 3.0 in Action: Triggering
1 week later
2 weeks later
Trigger #1
Mortgage Offer
Email
Trigger #2
Mortgage Offer
Email
Shared Landing
Page

53. Email 3.0 in Action: Drip Campaigns
Marketing automation
features enable you to
configure campaigns in
advance including the
ability for users to
select which “track”
they wish to receive.
Start Track
Welcome
Switch
Track
Business Track
Email 1
Email 2
Email 3
Email 4
Email 2
Email 3
Email 4
Personal Track
Email 1
In this example, users
select business or
personal, and then
receive a series of 4
emails over time.

54. Trend: Human-centered Search
Google recently introduced a new search algorithm
called Hummingbird that combines 200 separate
services to offer a more conversational and semantic
search
The goal is to better focus on the “meaning” behind the
words
For example, a search for “What’s the closest place to buy
the iPhone 5s to my home?” will recognize that a “place”
signifies a traditional store and that an iPhone 5s is a
particular kind of device
Hummingbird doesn’t replace the traditional PageRank
algorithm and your current search engine tactics do not
need to change

55. Human Search in Action
Hummingbird
works with voice
enabled search to
provide intelligent
answers to spoken
queries such as
“Where is the
nearest ATM?”

56. Human Search in Action
Search can be combined with “retargeting” or
“remarketing” to improve your online lead
conversion
As Beth is fond of saying, “Retargeting is the pair
of shoes that keeps following you around the
web”
Advertisers purchase targeted keywords and
then tag pages on their site
These tags display additional targeted ads
during future web browsing

57. Questions
& Answers

58. About BlueSpire
What we do…
BlueSpire provides strategic
marketing solutions for clients in
health and wealth industries,
focusing on content marketing
that elevates audience
engagement and inspires action.
30 years of experience with
financial institutions
Clients include some of the
largest names in the industry
To request a consultation, visit
www.bluespiremarketing.com.