Email Samples Archives - Page 4 of 7

Chase Bank Invites Business Customers to Join Business Advisory Board

By Jim Bruene Posted on January 19, 2010
Categories: Chase Bank, Email Samples, Small Business, Social Networks

I received an email this morning (see below) from Chase Bank inviting me to participate in a new Business Advisory Board, powered by Lightspeed Research. My colleague also received the same invite for his separate account, so it doesn’t appear to have been a particularly selective emailing. Both accounts were acquired by Chase in the 2008 WaMu debacle.

To sign up, users simply complete a 10-question one-page online form (first part shown below in screenshot 2) which took just under six minutes (note 1).

After completing the registration, I expected to be ushered into some type of special club, but all I received was a 15-word paragraph telling me to confirm my email address (screenshot #3). That’s a bit of a letdown after giving the bank nearly 10 minutes of my day. I surmised the big payoff would come after confirming and logging back in.

I was wrong. After logging in, I was greeted with a short thank-you statement and an invitation to take the “welcome survey,” which turned out to be three questions about the 2010 economic outlook (screenshot #4). And that was it. Nothing more to see or do. No blog. No “online community” (promised in email). No special offers (note 2). They didn’t even have the courtesy to share the results from the survey I just took (note 3). I began to wonder if I’d been scammed.

Analysis: On the surface I love this idea: inviting customers to participate in an online advisory board. Customers like to be noticed and heard, and a chance to win $100 is icing on the cake. But if you intend to ask business customers to take 15 minutes out of their day, it better be for something real. So far, I just feel stupid for signing up and thinking that I was actually going to make a difference at the bank.

Hopefully, they’ll make up for the bad start with interesting opportunities down the road. But the bank will have to work doubly hard to get my attention after this wasted effort.

Email from Chase Business Banking (received 19 Jan. 2010, 1:55 PM Pacific)
Note: Highlighting mine

1. Landing page from email (link, 19 Jan. 2010)

2. Registration page (click to enlarge; link)
Note: Registrants are entered into a sweepstakes to win one of ten $100 prizes.

3. Registration thank-you screen

4. Three-question welcome survey is available after confirming your email address

Notes:
1. Although the site says it’s for business-banking customers of Chase and WaMu, it appears that anyone that finds the website can join.
2. Under the “Rewards” tab, information tantalizes regarding earning “cash, prizes, sweepstakes entries” for survey-respondents. But there are no examples or surveys available, so it’s one more small letdown.
3. Business owners that read through the online FAQs will find out that they may be contacted one or two times per month with “research opportunities,” but Chase shouldn’t bury this key info in the FAQs where only a small percentage of users will find it.
4. See our recent Online Banking Report for more ideas on how to serve small- and micro-businesses through the online and mobile channels.

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Out of the Inbox: ING Direct’s Year-End Pitch for IRAs

By Jim Bruene Posted on December 22, 2009
Categories: Email Marketing, Email Samples, ING Direct, Retirement savings

This is one of the better times of year to market tax-deferred accounts. ING Direct targets consumers plotting New Year resolutions with this intriguing headline:

————————————————
Subject: Is an IRA on your “to do” list?
From: saver@ingdirect.com
Received: 22 Dec 2009, 5:07 PM Pacific
————————————————-

There’s not much to the message. No offer. No graphics. No tease. Just a solid message reiterating the potential tax benefits and emphasizing ING Direct’s no-fee options.

Grade: B+

Email screenshot
Note: This message was sent to an existing customer with a savings account and Sharebuilder account, but no IRA.

Landing page (link)
Note: Landing page URL is <retirement.ingdirect.com>

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Out of the Inbox: Costco Email Gives PayPal’s Bill Me Later Top Billing

By Jim Bruene Posted on December 21, 2009
Categories: Alt Payments, Email Samples, PayPal

I rarely open emails from retailers, especially around the holidays. As someone who has checked the “send me offers” box on registration forms for a decade, I’m inundated. But every once in a while I check out the Costco email to see what outrageous deals they are offering and, more importantly, whether any financial services are being showcased. For example, in March we wrote about the $90 Sharebuilder promo from Costco.

Last Friday, the big-box giant did not disappoint. It had two financial offers above the fold:

Extended-payment option: A surprisingly large and prominent pitch for PayPal’s extended-payment program, Bill Me Later (see inset and upper-right corner in screenshot below). The BML option allows Costco customers to defer payment for an unspecified amount of time interest-free if paid in full by the due date (typically a few months out), or to pay the amount back over time at an 18.99% APR.
Costco cash cards: While it’s no surprise that the retailer is pitching store cards 7 days out from Christmas Day (see landing page below), I was surprised they weren’t merchandising them more aggressively. The problem was that even with rush delivery, the plastic card wasn’t guaranteed to arrive before Christmas, so it wasn’t a great gift option. The retailer could use an online giftcard option for instant delivery.

Costco holiday email (Friday, 18 Dec. 2009)

Bill Me Later landing page (link)

Costco prepaid card landing page (link)

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Holiday Themes: ING Direct Offers Up Anti-Black-Friday Tease

By Jim Bruene Posted on November 25, 2009
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Email Samples, ING Direct, Wells Fargo, Zions Bank

Rarely does ING Direct disappoint when it comes to adding a little holiday pizzazz to its website. And it’s no turkey this year.

The bank’s homepage is given over entirely to a flash animation that starts with its trademark orange ball rising over a cityscape. Then a decked-out turkey joins the scene and its revealed that its a play on tomorrow’s NYC Thanksgiving Day parade balloons.

But the more interesting development is the small orange “Black Friday” sale tag in the upper right corner (see inset). ING Direct has four Black Friday specials that will be revealed at one past midnight this Friday at <ingdirect.com/blackfriday>.

We are sworn to secrecy on two of the deals, but we can tell you that there will be a $683 discount (the average amount American’s spend on holiday gifts) on ING mortgage products (currently 3.75%) and a 20% off ShareBuilder deal.

The Black Friday tease was also emailed to ING Direct customers this morning (see inset).

My take: The Black Friday promotion, which is being pushed out to media outlets in advance of Friday, is brilliant. It plays perfectly into the more-conservative budget mindsight in the country and gives the press something else to write about beside the long lines at Best Buy at 4 AM Friday.

Grade: An A+ and an extra helping of sweet potatoes to ING Direct for both timing and creativity.

In a quick survey today of the 25 largest retail banks, three others had holiday promotions or themes:

Zions Bank had a traditional Thanksgiving message on its homepage (see below)
Wells Fargo has a low-key bill pay message in a holiday theme (see below)
Comerica and Fifth Third Bank had holiday-shopping messages

ING Direct (USA) homepage (23 Nov 6 PM Pacific)

ING Direct black friday landing page (25 Nov 2009)

Zions Bank homepage (23 Nov 7 PM Pacific)
Note: Trusteer promotion on homepage

Wells Fargo homepage (25 Nov 2009, 1 PM Pacific)

Note: For future reference, this post was made on the day before Thanksgiving.

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Off-topic: Seth Godin is a Marketing Genius and Only Accepts PayPal

By Jim Bruene Posted on November 3, 2009
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, Email Samples, PayPal

Seth Godin is a true marketing guru. And unlike some authors, he also practices what he preaches.

Case in point: At 10:49 AM Eastern today, he announced via post on his blog that he was selling a special boxed set of five of his books (here):

Limit one per customer
800 total sets, with no more to be printed ever
Price = $64 + $10 shipping
Payment via PayPal only.

By 1 PM, when I ordered, only 176 remained. By the time I returned from this afternoon’s BAI Retail Delivery program, they were all gone (note 1).

And of course, I received a clever thank-you note from Mr. Godin a few hours later (see below).

Relevance to Netbankers: This doesn’t really have anything to do with financial services other than being one more bit of evidence of PayPal’s ubiquity online. This is just a great example of how to create retail excitement with a combination of clear value, simple check-out process, a nice webpage (see screenshot below), and a blog entry. It’s more challenging to do it in financial services, but it is possible.

Seth Godin’s webpage sold a limited-edition box set for a few hours (link, 3 Nov. 2009)

Thank-you email (three hours after purchase)
Apparently, part one in a series

Note: If you must have it, there’s one up for auction on eBay. Starting price $1.

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Out of the Inbox: Upbeat Customer Email Message from Umpqua Bank

By Jim Bruene Posted on November 2, 2009
Categories: Email Marketing, Email Samples, Public Relations, Small Business, Twitter

I recently opted in to the Umpqua Bank email list. And even though I’m not a customer, I received an upbeat message this morning from bank president Ray Davis (screenshot below).

This email appears to be geared towards businesses (see the closing line below). And that makes sense because I’d recently been looking into its business social network (note 1). But the message is on-target for consumers as well.

The well-written 185-word letter covers three main topics:

A cautiously optimistic message about the overall economy
Some tangible evidence (new banking division, new lending teams, new capital, and 20,000 hours of community service) that the bank is a forward-moving survivor
Reassurances to customers that they were well-capitalized and moving closer to repaying TARP money

The tone was completely soft sell. There is a link to its online switch kit at the bottom and links to its LocalSpace business social network and Twitter feed (note 2) on the right. It’s more “we’re in this together” than sales pitch and closes with this wonderful line:

As we wrap up 2009 and look ahead, I encourage you to commit to the spirit of recovery and take action that positions you for the future.

We recommend that every other well-capitalized bank and credit union send a similar message before the holidays. We are about to move into the annual “year in review” exercise in the media, and this year’s 100+ U.S. bank failures will be high on the list. Remind your customers, members, employees that you are still a vital member of the community. And that for every financial institution that went under, there were a 100 like yourself that did not.

Notes:
1. For more info on the small-business market, see our latest Online Banking Report: Small Business Online & Mobile Banking.
2. Umpqua dreamed up one of the most compelling reasons we’ve seen to follow a bank, or any company for that matter, on Twitter (with the possible exception of the tweeting bakery): updates on its truck handing out free ice cream (Umpqua Twitter page).

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Out of the Inbox: Credit Karma’s Monthly Email is Hard to Ignore

By Jim Bruene Posted on August 14, 2009
Categories: Credit Karma, Credit Reports & ID Theft Protection, Email Marketing, Email Samples, Virgin Money

I get dozens of newsletters and marketing pitches from my various financial accounts every month. While they are interesting to me as an analyst, for the average consumer there’s rarely any actionable information.

However, one financial company consistently drives users to its site month over month with their email missives. And they don’t even have to change the creative.

Free-credit-score provider Credit Karma simply reminds users that it’s been more than two weeks since they last checked their credit score. The company goes on to encourage users to check in every month to to make sure no adverse changes have occurred (see first screenshot below). It’s a simple yet powerful message that drives traffic to the company’s ad-supported site (see second and third screenshots).

I’ve received this message on the 16th of each month this year, except May, when I must have already visited Credit Karma in the two weeks prior. A large yellow button invites the reader to click through to see the latest score (see first screenshot).

And the technique seems to be working. Traffic, measured in unique visitors by Compete, is up six-fold in the past 12 months, to 310,000 visitors in July (see chart below).

Credit Karma email (received 16 July 2009; 10:05 AM Pacific)
Subject: Credit Karma update

Current landing page after clicking “update” button in email (13 Aug 2009)
Note: Virgin Money’s friends-and-family mortgage offering is the lead product placement while The Easy Loan Site has the top banner. Lending Club is also running a banner across the top.

Landing page two months ago (16 June 2009)
Note: Virgin Money’s friends and family was also the lead product placement, while ING Direct’s Sharebuilder had the banner. Virgin Money also has a product offer in the middle of the page.

Note: For more info on the market for credit scores and monitoring see our Online Banking Report on Credit Report Monitoring (published Aug 2007).

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Lending Club Offers New Lenders $50 to Get Started on its Peer-to-Peer Platform

By Jim Bruene Posted on August 4, 2009
Categories: Email Samples, Lending Club, Loans & Credit, P2P Lending

This morning Lending Club emailed its existing lenders encouraging them to refer friends to become lenders on the peer-to-peer lending platform. The peer-to-peer lending pioneer says that is has added 11,000 new lenders this year, an impressive 1,600 monthly pace. Lending Club now has 20,000 registered lenders (note 1).

The pitch: Instead of paying referral fees, the $50 incentive is earmarked entirely for the new lender/investor. Basically they get a free trial of the service. The offer is available for only two weeks, otherwise Lending Club risks being flooded with new accounts that just want to get a hold of the $50.

Analysis: Typically, companies pay a fee to user who made a successful referral. Sometimes with an equal incentive to the new customer. While that may result in a slew of new accounts, converting them to long-term profitable participants can be difficult.

I believe the more-sophisticated investor/lender attracted to Lending Club will be MORE likely to make good referrals if they don’t personally benefit from the referral (note 2). No matter how much users like Lending Club, if they are being paid to spam friends, it just doesn’t feel right. While Lending Club may get fewer referrals this way, the ones they do get should convert better in the long run.

Lending Club is making it incredibly easy to spread the word. Existing customers can use an automated wizard to send messages to friends (see second screenshot) or prospects may simply enter the referring customer’s member name to qualify for the $50. And there appears to be no fine print on the offer other than the Aug. 15 expiration date.

Lending Club email (sent 4 Aug 2009 at 6 AM Pacific)
Subject: Give your friends $50 to try Lending Club

Landing page
Includes tools for automating the process of reaching out to friends

Notes:
1. So far this year, $21 million in loans have been originated at Lending Club, approximately $1,000 per lender.
2. Lending Club does pay $25 to the referral source for new APPROVED borrowers. That’s an affiliate marketing strategy and makes economic sense because it’s only paid for approved loans.

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Pitney Bowes Goes After Remote Deposit Capture Market with Email to Postage-Meter Clients

By Jim Bruene Posted on July 22, 2009
Categories: Email Marketing, Email Samples, Jack Henry, Remote Deposit Capture, Small Business

Pitney Bowes (PB) hit me with a cross-sale message this morning, and surprisingly it was for a banking service, remote deposit capture (see email below). Because we already do ACH transactions through PB to load our postage meter, it’s something I would consider buying from them, especially since our business bank does not offer RDC.

The service called Click Deposit (note 1) works with any bank or credit union checking account and is powered by Jack Henry ProfitStars. The cost runs $39.95 to $149.95 per month, depending on volume. You get up to 150 monthly scans at the lower level and 1,000 at the high end. Buyers must sign a nine-page contract (PitneyBowes_RDC_app.pdf), committing to the service, and leased scanner, for 36 months.

Because I don’t want to lock us in at $500/yr for three years, I think we’ll pass on this deal. Hopefully, we’ll be able to tap a lower-cost iPhone-based service in the near future, such as that offered by WV United FCU (see previous post).

Email from Pitney Bowes (22 July 2009, 9:36 AM Pacific)

Landing page (link)

Note:
1. Although, Jack Henry announced the relationship in May (press release), I found no mention at the main Pitney Bowes site (pb.com) or the services site (pitneyworks.com), so this may be a marketing test.

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Out of the Inbox: ShareBuilder Email Thanks Customers After Second Month of Automated Investments

By Jim Bruene Posted on July 9, 2009
Categories: Alerts & Messaging, Email Marketing, Email Samples, ING Direct, Retirement savings

This is the first time we’ve seen a financial services company reach out and congratulate users for a job well done. In this case, ING Direct’s U.S. retail investments unit, ShareBuilder, sent a congratulatory email message to me after two months of investing through its Automatic Investment Program, which pulls money from outside checking accounts.

The message has several purposes:

To reinforce the investment decision
To encourage customers to use ShareBuilder Research
To incent users to move other brokerage accounts to ShareBuilder with the $100 bonus offer (see landing page, second screenshot)

Analysis
What’s not to like here? It’s timely, relevant, to-the-point (only 75 words in the main body copy) and makes users feel good about themselves. The same thing could be done with loan payments, debt reduction, savings account balance growth, and so on.

Email: ShareBuilder automated savings congratulations
(3 July 2009, 6:41 AM Pacific Time)

Landing page for $100-bonus offer
Note: The offer is co-branded with Wells Fargo, which is where I originally set up the ShareBuilder account eight or nine years ago.

Side note: Online account opening warning box
When looking at the new account application, we encountered this popup when attempting to leave the unfinished app and navigate to the ShareBuilder homepage (see note 1).

Note:
1. For more info on the subject of online apps, see our Online Banking Report: Online Account Opening, published two weeks ago.

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Out of the inbox: Great call-to-action from E*Trade, “Re-Plan your Retirement”

By Jim Bruene Posted on June 12, 2009
Categories: Advertising & Promotion, E*Trade, Email Marketing, Email Samples, Investment Products, Security & Privacy

Over the years, E*Trade has been consistently innovative in both product development and marketing, two areas that provide natural synergies. The company didn’t disappoint with its latest missive to existing customers.

An email arrived yesterday afternoon (Thurs., 11 June 2009) and immediately grabbed my attention with its clever and timely subject line:

Re-plan Your Retirement with E*TRADE and Get Up to $500

Analysis
One thing I’ve heard consistently from my friends, no matter how secure their jobs, is that they will “be working forever” now that the Great Recession has slammed their net worth with the double whammy of a bear market and home-price declines.

So this is a great time to get in front of customers with new efforts to help them re-plan retirement with new investment ideas, asset rebalancing and just a general reboot of their portfolio. And it’s also an excellent time to discuss 401(k) rollovers, as E*Trade did in this message, with an “up to $500” (see note 1) incentive to roll over a retirement account to the company (see landing page, third screenshot below). As Americans change jobs by necessity, there will be millions of retirement accounts in play.

Security features in email
E*Trade also demonstrates another best practice to improve trust in customer emails: personalization. The company includes customer name and last four digits of their account number to help distinguish the message from fraudulent phishing attempts. E*Trade draws attention to the feature with a Security Enhanced icon on the top-right (see first screenshot below).

Clicking on the Learn More link drops readers to the bottom of the email message where product URLs provide direct-navigation alternatives to paranoid readers (see second screenshot below). I hadn’t seen that before, a nice touch.

E*Trade email promoting 401(k) rollovers (received 11 June, 3 PM Pacific)

Security “fine print” at bottom of above message

Landing page for email offer (link)

Note:
1. Detail on the rebate:

$500 for rollovers of $250,000 or more
$250 for $100,000 to $250,000
$100 for $50,000 to $100,000
$50 for $25,000 to $50,000

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