The best way to get the attention of your online banking customers is by dropping a landing page in front of them right after they login. It’s a bit annoying, but if used judiciously it can be extremely effective. PayPal has been using this technique for most of the eight years I’ve had an account there.

U.S. Bank is fairly new to this technique, using it just a few times a year for service-related messages. The latest, a 100-word message that reads like it was crafted by the legal department, was posted on Nov. 29 and warned customers about fake emails (screenshot below). 

It’s a good idea to remind customers about your email policies to help them avoid scams. However, U.S. Bank only warns against low-tech fakes asking for account info or PINs. Few consumers would fall for that any more. The bank fails to address the more common, and far more effective, approach of sending users to a fake website via a disguised link. The bank should explain what a genuine U.S. Bank email looks like and how to tell it apart from the fakes. 

A few other ways to make this message more effective:

• Link to an area on website for more info on security
• Provide an email address and/or phone number to call if there is a question about the validity of a bank message
• Use a professional copywriter to craft a clearer and more concise message
• Use a larger font
• Use a heading or subheading that introduces the specific subject 
• Add a graphic to make the topic standout, for example the security image from U.S. Bank’s homepage (inset above)