Banks are supposed to be safe. They even have a safe in them.
They look after my money, so they better often superior service to my ceramic piggy bank and mattress ’hiding spot’
And when they don’t. Oops!
All of a sudden, banks are scrambling, dealing with tarnished reputations and in some cases going out of business.
For those banks that remain, the quickest reaction they have, has been to reassure and reflect with online reputation management, mostly consisting of a couple of paragraphs of text recounting their strength and history.
Here in Nevada, banks aren’t immune from either the cause, problem and reputation solution.
But is it enough?
My recommendation would be to create a clearing house of information, supported by a regional initiative – a web presence – that puts competition aside and reassures consumers that (in this case) Nevada banks are safe.
Having that kind of niche, with a strong, focused message should ensure that folks looking for information on their local banks’ situation could find exactly that. (Isn’t that what search engine marketing is all about, finding information?)
Add to this a social component with user generated content such as ‘my bank’ ratings and comments on how the bank has been a part of their lives, work, play, support and growth.
Then add to this a future looking product that reinforces a forward facing belief in the strength and longevity of the institution, and suddenly reputation, trust, and (hopefully) business is created.
In the world of bank faux pas, those that actively communicate their strength and vision will be the ones that retain and attract customers – an online effort is key to survival and success.
