Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Phil is right. Social media is key. Do a little research on the marketing campaigns of Zecco, Mint, and Freshbooks. They've all had successful viral/PR campaigns that worked really well, IMO. You can also check out what Intuit is doing with Quicken, although I'd say they're the latest to the game in terms of non-traditional media.

Agree with Phil and Tracey - having someone with experience in social media is critical to the success of your campaign. ING DIrect in Australia have had a very successful campaign for their high interest account. They kicked off their campaign with a message about opening an ING DIrect account as "being as easy as 1, 2, 3". They offered AU$123 to everyone who opened an account within 48 hours of receiving the email or other notification - they also encouraged people to forward it to their friends. The catch was that you had to make a commitment to have a regular amount paid into it (which could come from your payroll or another savings account. They sent out the necessary paperwork to be completed and returned with an 'action by' date. Their take up rate exceeded expectation (I believe). The cost of lead - conversion is relatively cheap and they have implemented other campaigns to secure additional business from their customers.

I don't work for ING - but am in financial services (retirement savings) so I was interested to watched this campaign roll out. Virgin Money in Australia have run some great campaigns too.

Hope this helps.

L