Expand your reach with a new tactic: surround marketing.

• Author: Hatch, Cary
• Position: Communications Q&A

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Q: A new competitor, from outside our market, has opened several branches and launched an aggressive TV and radio campaign. What suggestions do you have to extend our current campaign--focused on TV, radio and newspaper--to fight back?

A: Today's marketing world constantly offers new ways to pursue prospective customers. As long as a campaign has strong creative at its core, there is a seemingly limitless range of additional tactics. By moving beyond the usual suspects of TV, kid radio and print your bank can surround prospective customers with its message.

The idea behind surround marketing is simple: Use a range of media and outlets to leverage the strength and benefits of each. Surround programs often take the approach of driving awareness while pushing prospects toward less expensive communications channels, such as the Web or existing in-branch marketing systems, to learn more about products and services.

Of course, it's important to start with the obvious--research. For a surround program to be effective it is essential to understand where your customers go and what they do throughout the day. Because some surround tactics are considered nontraditional, they can be seen as taking a trial and error approach; however, research ensures the tactics are well-grounded and deliver the right ROI.

The tactical possibilities of surround marketing are limited only by your imagination and budget. Here are a few ideas to kick-start your brainstorming: (1) Give away free food and drink to draw prospects into branches and help convert existing customers into referral sources. Don't forget to make sure those cups and napkins carry your logo and URL. (2) Deploy mobile billboards--many trucks now rent the space on their sides and taxi cabs often rent space on top. (3) Consider...