Protect your market share by keeping close to customers.

• Author: Turner, Jim
• Position: Direct Mail Essentials

In several previous columns, I discussed the use of direct mail to solidify the relationship with your customer. That relationship is continually becoming less personal through new delivery channels such as the Internet and direct deposit, which are making customers' visits to the bank less frequent.

So how do you maintain a close relationship with a customer you rarely see?

While direct marl is not as effective as a human contact, it's much less expensive and can reach thousands, or millions, of customers regularly. Here are some suggestions for reconnecting with your customer based on different target markets or products.

Deposit products

Promoting deposit products by mail is usually easier "than wiling loans because these products are less time-sensitive. Consumers only want loans when they are ready to borrow money, and this group represents a small percentage of the market at any given time.

However, most of your customers have liquid deposits that can be moved to your bank from another depository institution. By careful targeting, either through your own means or vendors' programs, you can identify those most likely to respond.

For example, don't simply mail to customers without a certificate of deposit or money market account with you. Instead, try mailing to those who already have a certificate or other savings balance. Most savers use more than one institutions, so your chances of securing additional money from an existing certificate holder are usually better than from a customer who does not have a certificate at your bank.

Seasonality can be a factor with deposits. Check your own maturities and examine which months have the highest number of certificates coming due, then target your mailings in the weeks...