I was recently reading Inc.com’s article by new columnist Jason Fried of 37Signals, called “Why is Business Writing So Awful?” The main point of the article is to question why so much marketing writing sounds alike from company to company…and why it sounds so darn boring and devoid of meaning.
Although Jason wasn’t writing specifically about bank marketing, credit union branding and the like, he hit on a key issue in our industry as well: well-intentioned but weak branding.
One of my favorite lines in the article was this: ”If you care about your product, you should care just as much about how you describe it.” I think this is particularly appropriate for credit unions and community banks. You guys DO care about your product, your customers, your impact on the community. But the way we’re expressing ourselves does not let that true care shine through.
Above all, the biggest problem with weak credit union marketing and bank branding is that it doesn’t let your company’s unique specialness shine through. Instead, what happens is your uniqueness–what makes you who you are–stays locked up and untapped. And you remain a “best kept secret” instead of being widely recognized for the greatness you probably truly have.
In all fairness, I realize that most banks and credit unions do not realize they sound so similar to each other. I have the unique benefit of getting to travel around the world and see credit unions and banks all over, and because of that broad perspective I see how much sameness there really is.
Jason wraps up the article with an important point: “Of course, words alone won’t do it. Words are two dimensional. Your products and services provide the third dimension ― depth. But when it all comes together, you’ve got a package that’s hard to ignore.”
Or, as we like to call it: prove the story.
Please enjoy the article–it will be worth your time: “Why is Business Writing So Awful?”
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