 Speaking
directly to customers with personalized, targeted messaging through a medium
that they value and pay attention to - it's the Holy Grail of TransPromo and
the driving vision behind many sophisticated statement message management
systems.
A
key element of harnessing this potential, however, is understanding the
different types of messaging, the roles of each, and the effect that these have
on how the messages should be used on a statement.
Gathered
into three broad categories, messages are generally promotional, account- or
information-based or regulatory in nature. Understanding the three core types
of messaging and creating a plan for how to use each effectively in the context
of your particular document is the first step in developing an effective
messaging strategy.
Promotional messages,
the big ROI driver for statements (if they're done right), need to be customized
and driven by a well-thought-out strategy. The proper placement of promotional
messages on the page is a delicate balance between being prominent enough to be
noticed and being so conspicuous as to interfere with the main purpose of the
document (telling people how much their bill is or how their investments are
doing) to the point of annoying readers and turning them off.
The
content should be as personalized to the individual reader as possible,
reflecting their unique situation, activities and interests. This information
can be gleaned from the data elements in your CRM database and by using things
like life-stage analysis. (Don't tell the young person getting their first
mortgage about home equity loans, as they likely have very little equity in
their home. Instead, tell them how they can pay their mortgage down faster or
reduce their monthly payments.)
And
keep in mind that customizable content includes the offers or information
itself, but also the language and imagery, each of which contributes to the
overall sense that a message has truly been customized to my needs and
interests as a customer.
Account or informational messages
are helpful messages about account features, money-saving tips or answers to
commonly asked questions. While they're not directly promotional in nature,
they can go a long way to improving an organization's relationship with their
customers by reducing frustration (in the case of helpful tips and
explanations) and by helping customers get more out of their account with you
(for example, a message suggesting that based on the customer's account
activity, a different plan with lower fees might meet their needs more
effectively).
Unlike
promotional messages, which typically have a distinct spot reserved for them on
a statement, account or informational messages are ideally integrated into the
section of the bill to which they correspond. For example, the lower fees
message might be integrated into the summary section of the bill, where the
fees are first presented and where readers are most likely to notice the
message.
Regulatory messages are
the Brussels sprouts of the messaging world. They need to be there, but nobody
but the legal department likes them, and very few people read them. Given that,
these should be written as clearly as possible and then placed as unobtrusively
as possible. In some situations, it is mandated that certain messages appear in
particular areas of the document. When this is not the case, the end of the
document following the transactional information and other messaging areas is
often appropriate.
By
understanding the different types of messaging and how to use each effectively,
document designers and content managers can develop a strategy that makes the
best use of the limited messaging space that is typically available on
statements and other data-driven documents, maximizing ROI and building loyalty
with their customers.
Scott Watkinson is
a senior communications consultant specializing in the writing and design of customer-focused
business documents. Send your comments to scott.watkinson@primus.ca. | 
