Common branding mistakes and what to do instead

By Martha Piland, CFMP

There are so many financial institutions with similar names and similar promises that confusion runs rampant. Marketers do not have the luxury of going along with the status quo. They must be strategic and disciplined to differentiate and build equity and value for their bank.

Here are some common branding mistakes — and ways to avoid them.

Trying to please everyone. It can be oh-so-tempting to broaden the language of your promise — or to water it down — in order to jam in as many attributes as possible. In attempting to say everything, you say nothing at all.

It becomes like a dragnet used to herd fish into a corner, after which the fish are removed from the water with catch nets. Desirable fish are caught, sure. But this wide-sweeping effort also brought in too many fish. Fish that are not a good fit: fussy fish, fish that only want free checking, or fish that will flee to a better CD rate next month.

That position does not make anyone happy.

Instead, you need to be bold. Draw a line in the sand. Stand for something. Don’t be afraid to stop chasing some audiences. Let commodity-style “rate shopper only” prospects go.

You will never have enough people, money or other resources to be all things to everyone.

Leading with “great customer service.” Great service is a customer expectation, not a brand differentiator. You are supposed to have great service.

In fact, there are no brands that can get away with bad customer service for very long.

In the television show Seinfeld, the character of the Soup Nazi could abuse customers and even refuse to serve them if they displeased him. His “No soup for you!” epithet was accepted because his soup was so good that people were willing to put up with his abuse. It actually became a badge of honor. Sort of.

The Soup Nazi character was based on a real person and his successful (for a while) restaurant.

Your “soup” probably isn’t that good. So if customers can’t get good service, they can simply move on. Or lazily stay with you and feel stuck. However, they’re the ones who gripe about your institution to everyone who will listen. Either way, the brand gets damaged.

Don’t you dare lead with “great service.”

Flip side: If you’re really going to base your brand on service, it should be astronomically, outrageously good. So good people can’t stop talking about it. Better than the legendary service standards of Nordstorm, where stories are told about an employee who accepted a return of automobile tires. Nordstrom doesn’t sell tires. Most financial institutions won’t — and can’t — go that far.

It’s essential to take the time to decide and understand whom you can serve really well, then excel at that. Do something. If you design and offer products, counsel, delivery systems and — yes, I said it, service — that they need and appreciate, you will be meaningfully different.

Saying something that doesn’t really differentiate. Some banks are guilty of using a benefit or attribute as a substitute for their brand promise. Benefits are extremely important. But they rarely differentiate one institution from another unless they are intrinsically highly unique.

Many community banks are saying they’re “the hometown bank” as if they’re the only ones who are local. While it’s fine to note that you’re a local bank, that is not your brand. Too many others can claim that same position.

Trying to hobble along with a ubiquitous name. While a unique promise and customer experience are huge differentiators, a Generic National Bank name is an enormous hurdle to overcome. Since competition is not just across the street and around the corner—but across the country and beyond—a name that’s easily confused with another spells trouble for your institution and its customers and prospects.

Some institutions attempt to solve this by shortening their name to a series of initials. NWBKS, CNB, and the like. That approach rarely solves the problem. It can be successfully done (like PNC) but from a consumer education and cost standpoint, it’s a significant investment.

Evolving a load of initials that stand for a longer name into a human-sounding name or another word may be a strategic way to solve the acronym or initial dilemma and make the brand feel more accessible. For example, Fannie Mae is the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and Freddie Mac is the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). Fannie and Freddie sound like nice people.

It’s human nature to shorten phrases, ideas and names that are long. We like nicknames. We abbreviate things. Be aware of this if you’re exploring renaming your bank. Don’t just work on ideas for new names. Consider what your current or desired name might be shortened or evolved into. What are the merits of doing that?

In fact, many people have already shortened your name when they’re referring to you. That new name may have already happened. And it might be something you can work with.

Martha Bartlett Piland, CFMP, is president and CEO of BANKTASTIC®, (banktastic.com) a marketing agency that helps financial organizations build love and loyalty, and offers deep branding expertise. She’s a national speaker on branding, marketing, business development and advertising and has served on three bank advisory boards. Martha is a regular source for financial reporters and a frequent contributor to ABA Banking Journal. She has also led sessions at the ABA Banking Marketing Conference, this year set for Sept. 15-17 in New Orleans. Connect with Martha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthabpiland/