With 2019 coming to a close in the very near future, banks and credit unions have an opportunity to get introspective—and prospective. Take a look at what went well this past calendar year and look to the future—are their trends worth tracking with your future marketing dollars? While not all trends are built alike, some will inevitably impact your bottom line.
Here are five finance marketing movements to keep an eye on in 2020.
Short-Form Video
Sure, Vine came and went, and most banks and credit unions weren't phased. But short-form video content is still alive and well thanks to the widespread usage of apps like TikTok. So what does this mean for banking brands? For starters, those who haven't invested in video content strategies should do so immediately—it's a necessity already in 2019 to be taking advantage of the internet's most popular search engine, YouTube. But short-form, digestible content is also going to be all the more important in 2020. From quick tutorial and demo videos on your member portals, apps and more complex products and services, to educational content with quick tips, tricks and catered suggestions on improving one's financial situation—delivering the goods in 60 seconds or less and frequently will be key.
Enhanced Security
Data breaches have almost become mundane by now, but security is still top of mind for most consumers, who are primarily transacted online in 2019. Moving forward into 2020, the expansion of these services is going to be pivotal to financial institutions. Beyond simply adopting EMV and multi-factor authentication, consumers will start to expect banks to be the foremost experts on keeping their money safe. Start thinking about how you might expand your security offerings, whether it be through ongoing educational content or making more services available—even through third-party vendors if need be. Offer services such as social identity monitoring, theft reimbursement and other applicable items to differentiate yourself.
Social Shopping
The expectations built by the e-commerce giants have given way to a must-do set of new rules when it comes to bank and credit union onboarding—including online account-opening. But how this will evolve in 2020 includes the newest avenues in shoppable posts on social platforms—from Instagram to Pinterest. To further invest in retail-izing your banking organizations, taking advantage of these sorts of capabilities will be increasingly important. Imagine selling the trappings of your bank's travel rewards program through high-quality imagery on an Instagram post. Make your products and services more shoppable to continue making your brand retail-friendly on social channels.
Preemptive Social Interaction
Bank and credit union brands have been using social channels as a method by which they can digitally talk with consumers for years—but the next phase of such a communication platform will become even more evident in 2020. Social monitoring will be key to any major banking brand's digital footprint. From tracking mentions and branded hashtags to reputation monitoring, financial institutions will be expected to be more on top of the conversation around their brands before they're asked to join it. This sort of preemptive social interaction will give banking brands a leg up when keeping customers and members happy even prior to them being moved to contact to complain or clarify.
Green Storytelling
Social-consciousness is nothing new—generationally speaking, it's been an important part of a brand's ability to bring in younger consumers for years. But telling this story is mission-critical in 2020 for all banks and credit unions. Corporate brands will find themselves deemed inherently untrustworthy without an ample amount of eco- and socially conscious efforts to prove their viability. Cynicism seeps in quickly when an FI brand neglects to show its commitment to environmental, social-justice and humanitarian efforts. Find nonprofits and initiatives that fit your company culture and your outward-facing brand and tell that story early and often.
