Acquisitive Minds

Another abiding belief at some firms is that 
social media is “not for them.” “What matters,” says Langlois, “is that social media is very much ’for’ the consumer. People want companies to listen to them, and show that they care, and increasingly, their vehicle for this is social media.” Langlois cites Wells Fargo’s social media program as an especially efficient model. “Wells Fargo’s in-house social media team is able to leverage its expertise and ‘ownership’ of social media across the organization to deliver relevant and meaningful content to its different customer segments.”¹⁴

Engaging On Multiple Fronts

Beyond just listening to consumers, delivering content in precisely the right tone and medium is also paramount to the success of any content strategy. “For financial marketers especially,” says Dr. Drew Westen of Emory University, a nationally recognized expert in psychology, “this is a time to consider very carefully the emotions that the content behind their marketing, branding or communications campaigns may elicit.”¹⁵

One firm harmonious in its content strategy is the ING Direct USA unit of global financial services giant ING, via its customized customer-facing
microsites and ing.world 
online publication. Aligned with its “easier” brand promise, the firm’s pioneering microsites also include the popular INGyournumber.com retirement planner and WeTheSavers.com.¹⁶ Supporting video messaging from ING Direct USA chairman and president Arkadi Kuhlmann only enhances the populist appeal, proving that while massive as an organization—based on market capitalization, ING is one of 
the 20th largest financial institutions worldwide, ranked eighth on Fortune’s 2009 Global 500 list—
it can still bond satisfactorily with customers.¹⁷

For more traditionally minded firms reluctant to enter the social domain or with niche audiences not yet in the space, digital media solutions, such as webcasting, offer comparable benefits in terms of uniting large audiences on a common platform.

“With the downturn restricting corporate travel and meetings, our webcasting has increased over 100 percent from 2008,” says the interactive marketing director of a global New York-based financial services firm, preferring to go unnamed in this paper. “Webcasting allows us to reach out to clients and prospects in a timely, cost-effective way, and go to market quickly with new ideas and thought leadership.”