Chad Mitchell [Posted by Chad Mitchell]

The Wall Street Journal published a great set of money saving tips on December 31st in the Personal Journal.  It reminded me of examples of other content on the Web helping consumers during the recession. 

eBusiness managers are using the Web to build customer advocacy.  My colleague, Bill Doyle, has written extensively on customer advocacy and its impact on companies during the economic crisis.  Bill’s theory is simple and smart: customer advocacy builds trust and leads to improved customer loyalty. 

The Web is the perfect channel to build advocacy, yet many companies appear to hide their most relevant content.  I searched several banking, brokerage and insurance Websites today and was surprised how difficult it was to find helpful content.

Here are two examples of financial services Websites with excellent “money saving” content and challenging placement.

Insurance.com

  • The Good: The comparison sites offers customers a RateWatch tool showing auto insurance price increases by state.  Consumers can click on their state and search for cheaper insurance.
  • The Bad: The RateWatch tool is No. 3 on the home page content scroll.  This is a terrific tool and should be front and center.

Bank of America

  • The Good: BoA offers a helpful section called Facing financial hardships?  It offers a Personal Budget Worksheet and tips for consumers facing foreclosure.
  • The Bad: The section is in small font at the bottom of the page.  This should be more visible.  It helps the customer and BoA by preparing the consumer prior to the call.

eBusiness managers are helping consumers with relevant content and useful tools…it simply needs better placement.  eBusiness managers should make any content, tools or tips front and center for worried consumers.  It will improve the customer experience, build advocacy and improve loyalty.

Do you agree or disagree with this posting?

Happy New Year!