The promise of fintech can be exciting. It can improve both front and back offices. But bankers should use prudence when considering new technology.

Rick Hall, our Managing Director of the Banking and Financial Services practice at BKM Marketing, is a sought after expert for bank leaders who are looking to make investments in this area, particularly when it comes to investments in the area of digital marketing and communications.

Rick was recently published on BAI.org's Banking Strategies blog with some timely guidance to financial services firms about how best to go about making their next big investment in fintech. While every bank will have its own issues and needs, Rick outlines four questions every institution should be asking.

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Bank Marketing, Direct Marketing, Fintech, Marketing For Banks, Financial Marketing, Bank Merger, Bank Communications, Marketing Strategies, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing Agency, Small Business Marketing, Marketing For Financial Services

We are pleased to announce that BKM's very own Bruce McMeekin recently published some guest contributed content that we think our readers will want to hear more about. His post, USPS Is Changing the Way Brands Use Direct Mail — and It's Free was recently published to Target Marketing. As he explains in his article, "Direct mail already powers marketing results that provide a high ROI for savvy brands that use the medium wisely. And with the U.S. Postal Service’s recent launch of Informed Delivery, these results can become dramatically stronger, without adding a penny to direct mail campaign costs." Read more from Bruce's article on Target Marketing and learn how you can start taking advantage of Informed Delivery from the USPS in your own business.

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Bank Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing For Banks, Bank Merger, Marketing Strategies, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing Agency, Small Business Marketing, Marketing For Financial Services, Target Marketing

The path to increasing sales starts with effective customer and prospect engagement.

Here are six steps you can take to help understand and enhance connections with your audience, as recently published in MarTech Advisor by Bruce McMeekin, BKM Marketing’s Founder and CEO.

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6 Steps to Understand and Connect With Your Audience

Understanding how brands can engage consumers is critical to success. Here are six steps marketers can take to help them understand and connect better with their audience, says, Bruce McMeekin, Founder and CEO, BKM Marketing.

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Bank Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing For Banks, Financial Marketing, Bank Communications, Marketing Strategies, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing Agency, Small Business Marketing, Marketing For Financial Services, MarTech Advisor

Federal regulators are becoming more and more receptive to large bank deals — bank merger approvals have sped up under the Trump administration. As the landscape resets to include larger combinations, the financial rationale is dependent upon combining institutions exploring and addressing the needs of all constituents impacted by these mergers.

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Bank Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing For Banks, Financial Marketing, Bank Merger, Bank Communications, Marketing Strategies, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing Agency, Marketing For Financial Services, Bank Merger Marketing, International Banker

Savvy marketers are discovering that direct mail is more powerful than ever, especially when they're microtargeting new customers and building deeper relationships with existing customers. Email, robocalls, social media, and many other techniques have their strengths, but cluttered messaging channels render many such approaches unemotional and ineffective.

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Bank Marketing, Direct Marketing, Marketing For Banks, Financial Marketing, Bank Communications, Marketing Strategies, Strategic Marketing, Digital Marketing Agency, Marketing For Financial Services, Forbes

Best ways to use direct mail in 2016

Marketing blogs and trade journals create endless gigabytes of content about online marketing techniques, yet many marketers continue to rely on direct mail as a primary tactic for generating sales. In fact, several BKM Marketing clients have dramatically increased their mail volumes this year within their marketing mix because it provides them with the best return on investment compared to other less predictable channels. 

Consider these facts:

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing

Everyone can agree that in 2015, if you're a marketer with no digital presence you're out of the game. With round the clock updates and messages from social networks, texts, and emails that we're accessing through a range of mobile devices, we are all constantly connected. To reach prospective customers and clients, your company has to be where those customers are looking for your goods or services.

So, with all of this activity online, does direct mail still matter? 

Without a doubt, YES!! To go even further, direct mail is seeing a resurgence and clear uptick in usage and performance. Between constant mobile notifications and our email inboxes flooded with messages (some helpful and others not so helpful), properly targeted direct mail with information that is relevant to the recipient can be a welcome change! 

More importantly, why is this so important for marketers?

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing

Data is a marketer’s most important asset, and today’s marketing data options are deeper and more complicated than ever before.  Join Bruce and Sam on March 3rd at the Direct Marketing Innovations Symposium in Cambridge, where they lead a session on New Options in B2B and B2C Lists.  They will cover the latest list strategies available to marketers trying to reach business and consumer targets through traditional and digital direct marketing channels.   

Topics will include:

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing

As with any bank merger communication plan, hard copy printed and mailed communications are critical elements to the overall campaign. Not only are hard copy communications necessary for legal reasons, but they are also a great opportunity to develop a relationship and paint a positive image of your institution for your new customers. 

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Bank Marketing

Working with great creative professionals is one of the most exciting parts of my job.  The magic they impart is incredible.  Hand them a creative brief and they come back with cool designs, unique formats, and fantastic use of color and paper stocks.   You may ask why a “printing and production” guy is working so closely with the creative team.  The answer is, as talented as these people are, they still need guidance and direction in order to keep within budget, meet postal specs and ensure their designs reproduce well on whatever medium you have chosen.

Topics: Direct Mail Marketing, Direct Marketing