It's Always Better to Hold Hands Before You Kiss

Relevance and timely communications are critical to the success of a brand's relationship with consumers. Consider these five tips on how to get it right.

The following is based on a true story. The names of the guilty have been changed to protect them from embarrassment.

Like many in Hong Kong, as the property markets continued to escalate through 2009, we took the opportunity to sell our home and look for something more suitable for our growing family. Also like many, we took a profit at what we believed was the peak of the market and were holding out for it to come back down so we could get better value for money. And like many, we were waiting for a long time – and eventually gave up waiting.

So at the end of last year we went headlong back into the market and after putting in an offer on a 30 year-old village house in the deepest darkest New Territories, we started the hunt for the best possible mortgage we could find.

As those who have experienced it know, the process of getting a mortgage in Hong Kong is a stressful one – you find the property of your dreams, get a ‘rough’ valuation (one that never normally comes close to the asking price), and then put your luck in the hands of the gods as the banks will not approve your mortgage until you have signed away your life and given over the non-refundable deposit to the vendor.

EnterBig Bank of Hong Kong (BBOHK).

With the valuation in place, the ensuing application process produced a filing cabinet of documentation that needed completing and copying and chopping before the mortgage application could be submitted; and along with this came the application forms for the bundled credit cards and insurances that all form part of the ‘offer’.

Personal information galore – once all the forms are completed, there is nothing that the banks do not know about you or your family. And what’s more, if like us you have returned to the same bank that mortgaged your last property, they now have some great history to work with, and valuable information to start you along a great customer experience lifecycle that delivers relevant and anticipated communications.

Or at least you would think so.

Two days after the applications went in and weeks before our mortgage, insurances, or credit cards were approved, the messaging (or should I say blasting) began. Phone calls, text messages, and emails from all BBOHK divisions – from general insurance, life insurance, to offers for more credit cards and car loans, and general banking. And it did not stop there either – much to the shock of the vendor, before we had even bought the property we started getting junk mail at the new address, as well as our current address at the time. And what’s more, none of the promotions were in English.

Even more shocking was that we were receiving offers for mortgages – some with better offers than we had applied for. And the ‘we’ is important here too; because it was a joint application, my wife also started getting exactly the same offers delivered through all the same channels, and neither of us with any acknowledgement or update of our mortgage application or its final outcome. It was like being kissed before we had even held hands!

Clearly BBOHK has the systems and a process in place to bring new customers into their marketing ecosystem; however, they most definitely lack a strategic approach to marketing that drives positive and memorable customer experiences. Their approach was and continues to be intrusive, unexpected, irrelevant, annoying, and most importantly impersonal.

Whether through email, SMS, or other channels, true marketing success can only be driven through a relationship with your consumers based on respect for the individual, that delivers anticipated, relevant, and timely communications.

Here are my top five tips for getting it right, whether you are bank, a travel company, a technology manufacturer, or a small shop on the street corner:

1. Listen and learn: Consumers are very willing to share information with brands and service providers if it delivers a more relevant and timely experience. According to our firm’s 2010 survey on Customer Experience Marketing, more than 36 percent of Hong Kong consumers who had purchased insurance would be interested in receiving targeted information tailored to their needs; while 46 percent and 38 percent respectively of Hong Kong consumers who had purchased through an online travel portal or in a retail store would provide such information in return for more targeted communications.

2. Think before you speak: In our experience throughout Asia Pacific and across the globe, a well-planned communication strategy driven by a real-time customer lifecycle and triggered by how, when, and why the consumer is interacting with you always delivers far more relevant communications that can drive greater brand loyalty and ultimately transactions.

3. Speak their language: Literally: in a multi-cultural society like Hong Kong it is important not to assume everyone is fluent in Chinese and can read traditional Chinese. You must also remember that with the number of overseas-educated Chinese returning there are more and more ‘locals’ that can speak Cantonese but not read or write. And also metaphorically: make sure that your communication voice and style, as well as offer and placing are appropriate to those you are trying to communicate with – your understanding of where each customer is in their relationship lifecycle with you is so important.

4. Be channel aware: This is important both in terms of what channels you use to communicate with whom, and what offers go through which channels and to whom. There is nothing more frustrating for a consumer than being presented with a promotion for a product or service that they recently bought through another channel, especially if it was at a higher price. It is paramount to long-tem relationships with customers that your marketing programmes function flawlessly across print, direct, mobile, and email, or whatever channels you are using.

5. Technology is only an enabler: The delivery of your message through any channel is a means to an end. If you are spending more than 5 percent of your time focused on the how, you are doing the what, the why, and the to whom, you send your communication an injustice. Technology is an enabler, and nothing more; any marketing strategy built purely on the technology of a channel or channels is guaranteed to fail. Always put the consumer and the three Ws first.

Building lasting relationships with consumers is not a difficult process; it just requires thorough planning, and a thoughtful approach. So don’t be shy, give it a go. After all, you should always hold hands before you kiss.

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