Bank Marketing
Bank Marketing
Bank Marketing
INTRODUCTION.
Marketing touches our daily life’s choice. We wake up with radio and T.V by our side, advertising
a trade fair at a sport complex. Then we brush our teeth with different brands of toothpaste
(Colgate, etc..), drink some café, martinal etc. while driving a car of different marks (Toyota,
Mercedes etc.). Marketing interferes with our daily life and influences our decision especially
when it comes to our choices of brands and products.
1. DEFINITION OF MARKETING.
Marketing can be referred to aa process of planning and executing the concept, pricing, promotion
and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfies the needs and wants
(objectives) of individuals and organizations. This definition encompasses 05 key elements of
marketing:
It is a planning process
It involves the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of something
Its object can be either tangible or intangible.
It works through exchange processes.
TYPES OF MARKETING
A group of potential customers can be considering as a type of market e.g. the financial market,
product market etc…
Different types of markets have different managing styles and philosophies to guide the marketing
management. One of the philosophies that lead to long-term marketing success is the marketing
concepts. It is the basis for decision making and a guide for effectively managing resources.
Therefore, marketing is an organizational philosophy that influences and direct all operations. i.e.
everyone is involved.
1. CUSTOMER ORIENTATION.
Marketing oriented firms believe their financial objectives will be best attained by identifying
their target market and responding to their needs and wants. Good products and quality
services form repeated purchases. They create satisfied customers who eventually becomes faithful
and loyal customers.
2. PROFIT ORIENTATION.
Profit oriented firms maintain a balance between customer satisfaction and profit goals.
A bank marketing development plan is a written document that summarizes the observation of a
market behavior. (before engaging into a market, it is important to know the behavior of the
market. i.e. the needs of the customers, the competitors and the market situation). It is worth noting
here that, a bank marketing plan the financial institution to promote its products and services that
meets the target users. This process requires research, commitment, times and analysis. This
process also helps the bank to focus on its priorities when marketing its product and services.
Hence it is a valuable process that can greatly contribute to the profitability and stability of the
bank.
The basic stages for the elaboration of a bank marketing plan are:
An industry review
A conduct of market research
Definition of market and customer profile.
A conduct of a SWOT analysis
A study of the existing competition
Setting of marketing goals and objectives
An outline of the marketing strategy
Setting of the marketing budget
Continuous update of the marketing plan
Implementation of the marketing plan.
Conducting an evaluation and control on the marketing plan
A SIAN answers the first marketing planning question of where are we now. It is a formal
systematic procedure that helps banks understand their current situation (the weakness and
strength). Hence the critical SIAN function is to help management know what needs to be done.
Essential research must be conducted inn a SIAN. Information is imperative here for setting up
objectives, measuring and evaluating.
SIAN must be objective and thorough in order to compare their banks position with its competitors.
Give employees an understanding of the importance of their cooperation.
1. INTERNAL ANALYSIS
This consist of renewing the banks performance and current situation. In this case, the marketer
should renew the following:
The SIAN should also include a review of current marketing mix strategies, banks market shares
and feedback from market surveys.
2. MACROECONOMIC FACTORS ANALYSIS.
Macroeconomic factors affect the marketing plan and consist of:
The economic environment.
Bank marketers need to know the economic environment in which they operate in order to
understand economic trends and make projections on the future of the economy. Economic
environment analysis should include:
o Employment trends
o Business circles
o Inflation level
o Retail, commercial and construction activities.
Demographic environment
In this case, the bank marketers will need to design the bank population in the market area. There
is an important relationship between the market population and the financial service offered.
Variables such as age groups, education level, income level and geographic distribution of the
population are considered.
Political environment
The political situation of a country greatly affects the banking industry.
Technological factors
Technological advances bring about new technologies for delivering financial services (fintechs)
Market intermediaries.
Bank marketers should have knowledge on location, address, accessibility, timeliness, pricing and
courtesy concerning their intermediaries. E.g. MOMO agents as financial intermediaries.
Opportunities
o Significant growth potentials
o New technologies
o Large customer base
o Young and dynamic personnel
Threats
o Political instability
o Economical changes
o Stagnant savings
o High level of customer indebtedness
o Repayment difficulties
o Poor money laundry screening
o Financial and non-financial laws in the banking system
o New technologies, increasing substitute products into the market.
NB: it is worth noting that, SIAN merely consist of a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities
and Threats) and PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technology, Legal and Environmental)
analysis.
CHAPTER 3: MARKETING STRATEGY.
Marketing strategy is a plan of action for identifying and analyzing a target market in order to
develop a marketing mix to meet the needs of the targeted market. Marketing strategies are
developed from the marketing objectives as derived from the marketing plan (see chapter 2). The
results from the SIAN acts as a basis for the bank to reveal its objectives, strategies and tactics.
Hence it can be said that, marketing objectives are a qualitative measure of what is to be achieved
by the marketing activities. One of the main purpose of designing and implementing a marketing
strategy is to ensure a sustainable competitive advantage for the bank.
A sustainable competitive advantage implies that, your competitive are unable to copy your brand
of product and services.
1. A product: A product is a key element in the marketing mix. This is because, it is the bank’s
reason of existence. All banks are in the industry to satisfy customer’s needs through their
product.
2. Distribution or positioning strategy: This implies making a product available when and
where the market needs it.
3. Pricing strategy: this implies making the product available at a price that is attractive to the
customers and profitable to the seller.
4. Promotion strategy: this communicates to the market the potential benefits of the product
based on the product design and the products attributes.
WHAT IS A PRODUCT?
According to PHILLIP COTLER, “a product is anything that can be offered to the market
for attention, acquisition, use of consumption that might satisfy a need or want. All banking
products and services are considered as products. However, from a marketing point of view, a
product has five attributes:
Core products
Generic products
Expected products
Augmented products
Potential products.
1. Core products: This is a product that has the potential benefits that the customer is buying it
for.
2. Generic product: this is a product with a broad spectrum but provides the benefit needed by
the customer.
3. Expected product: this is a product that has the features customers assume will be part of their
needs.
4. Augmented product: this is a product with specific characteristics and benefits that help
differentiates the bank’s products from that of competitors. Banks products are augmented by
the level and quality of the services provided as well as the reputation of the bank.
5. Potential products: this implies all the modifications the products might undergo in the future.
1. Product expansion: this implies adding new product to an existing product. It deepens the
product line. E.g. the digitalization of consumption credit for amounts less than 100 00frs.
2. Product contraction: this implies shrinking the product line by eliminating products that
contributes little or no profit and concentrating the bank’s resources on products that will
generate high profits.
3. Product modification: this implies improving on the product’s design either redesigning or
repackaging in order to increase the sales of the products. It is important to continually is
important to continually modify a product so as to respond to the changing consumer
preferences.
4. The product life cycle strategy: this shows the pattern of the sales at each stage of the life
cycle of a product. Some product takes off quickly as they enter the market and suddenly
disappear in the market while others revive after the decline stage. Product lifecycle has five
stages namely:
The takeoff/initiation/introduction or incubation stage.
Growth stage
Saturation stage
Decline stage