No one knows more about ROI than the financial services industry: they spend billions on digital marketing annually, and that number is steadily increasing. While many financial institutions are taking advantage of email marketing’s ROI, there is a notoriously low adoption of marketing automation throughout the industry.
Why is that? One reason is the multitude of strict regulations that the finance industry faces that often makes customer communications challenging. Another is the generalization the finance industry just isn’t exciting enough to warrant dynamic email marketing automation.
But that hasn’t stopped many finance businesses from taking advantage of the time and resource-saving aspects of marketing automation. Before we jump into examples, let’s answer the question: what is email marketing automation?
Email automation lets you set up campaigns in advance for new and returning customers. Advanced automation, like you’ll see in the examples below, lets you send emails that automatically pull in content from your website based on timing, location and/or customer behaviors. As a result, you can deliver emails that are consistently updated with fresh, new content, saving you a ton of time and resources.
Here’s how smart businesses in the financial services industry are taking advantage of email marketing automation.
Acquire new card members
Applying for a new credit card is highly personal experience – customers want to know that your card is right for them. Email automation lets you personalize a message by automatically pulling in your prospect’s name to personalize the card art in your message. You can even display live APR information, alleviating call center inquiries and ensuring that the information presented in your email is always up-to-date.
Deliver real-time account information
Banking customers need a easy and secure ways to view their account information. The problem? Traditionally, banks have sent “snapshot” emails that contain information that is often outdated by the time it reaches the customer, providing a confusing experience. But with email automation, you can automatically pull in secure, up-to-the-minute account information from your API, allowing customers to view their account balances, points and more in real-time.
Create 1:1 experiences for asset management
Cultivating trust and maintaining communication are top priorities for brokers – and email automation can help with both. You can send emails personalized with broker names, phone numbers and even include a map that updates in real-time and helps your customer find their local office. The result is an email that makes it easy for your customers to get in touch any time they need to.
Automatically send stock information
Stock prices are always fluctuating. Help your investors keep tabs on the stocks they care about the most right in your emails. Email automation lets you provide up-to-the-second stock data related to your investor’s preferences automatically. Every time someone opens your email, the data will update in real-time. It’s like having your own personal stock ticker, right in your inbox.
Reward loyal card members
Want to improve customer retention and reward members of your loyalty program? Send an email that automatically updates with your customer’s latest points and shows them which rewards they’re eligible for. Automated emails ensure their rewards information is always up-to-date, enabling them to take action faster and use their points more frequently.
Email automation is a win for the financial services industry
Trust and security are key for developing customer relationships in the financial services industry. Email automation is the ideal solution for sending highly-personalized, valuable content in a secure way. To learn more about how the finance industry uses email automation, check out The Email Marketing Guide for Financial Services.