ING Direct boosted its social media outreach this month, launching a Facebook application called the Orange Key Code. Available for members of their new Facebook group, the referral application enables users to receive $13 for every new customer that signs up with the bank as a result. The ‘Save Your Money’ page attracted 1,000 fans within two weeks.
ING Direct CEO Peter Aceto also recently launched a Twitter account. His tweets range from savings advice to his experience in Amsterdam. ‘We don’t do very much business face to face,’ says Aceto, about the reason behind the foray into social media. He also likes the open aspect of the forum. ‘You can’t really hide there. People figure out when you’re telling the truth and when you’re not and they have no qualms about pointing it out to you,’ he tells MiC.
Aceto says the social push will not replace any of ING Direct’s traditional marketing efforts, and that they are not calculating the budget according to costs per account, dollar or customer. ‘We’re not measuring it that way. We’re using it as a place to talk and stimulate conversation,’ he says.
Mark Nicholson, head of online experience, explains that through ComScore data, ING Direct deduced that over 59% of visitors to their website were also on Facebook in the same month. ‘I do foresee this will go in different directions depending on how the financial markets go as well,’ says Nicholson, adding that the media is also a good way to talk to online users about issues in the economy that are affecting them on a daily basis.
