A missed opportunity
Can you make someone feel good by telling them that your product or service makes them feel good?
Normally it’s not that simple. I bet you’ve noticed the difference when brands let the results speak for themselves instead of over-egging their promises. (Flashback to my “you’ll never believe it’s not dairy!!” vegan baking catastrophe of 2016.)
But what if you’re overlooking a chance to genuinely brighten up someone’s day through the words you use?
This happened in an email I got last week, which took a gem of a message and somehow scuffed up the shine a little. Let’s put it under the microscope.
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I anonymise the sender as a courtesy. Have a hunch? Guess away!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Subject line: “An update on Smart Saver interest rates”
Uh oh. Is the rate on my savings account going down or up? I’d hope the answer is up, in light of the recent rise in the Bank of England base rate… but if that was the case, surely you’d be trumpeting it from the outset?
“Smart Saver interest rates are changing
Everything you need to know”
The sweat on my palms is thickening. (Can sweat thicken?)
“Hi Corissa,
We're getting in touch to let you know that rates for our Smart Saver are changing. Here's what that means for you:
The new rate for your Access pots will be: 3.07% AER* variable (3.02% gross**). This was applied to your account on 27/02/23. The old rate was: 2.86% AER* variable (2.82% gross**).”
Oof my eyes. I’m trying to work out if this email is good news or bad news. First I read 3.07%, but I can’t remember what my old rate was… then the topic jumps to the date on which the new rate was applied (why?)… then I’m told the old rate… and THEN I have to do maths because the email doesn’t explicitly say whether the rate has gone up or down. Okay, it’s not a lot of maths to figure out that 3.07 beats 2.86, but it still involves a split second of thinking when you could have spelled it out.
Also, I’m not being told the reason for the rate going up. I know nobody is forcing you to do this lovely thing, so what’s going on? What led you to make this decision? How come you’re doing it but others aren’t? Sell me the dream, people!
After the latest rise in the base rate was announced a few weeks ago, I’d checked for the best deals with Martin Money Man. I saw that some savings rates had gone up and I made a mental note to change account at some point. “Some point” hadn’t yet rolled around when the email above arrived. I am delighted that I no longer have to faff around switching (I’m cool with a rate bump even if it isn’t top of the market) but cripes on toast I’m having to work hard for that feeling of delight.
---------- End ----------
(Actually there was a bit more to the email but we can leave it there for now.)
The takeaway:
The bank in question had gone above and beyond what many banks are doing. They had automatically boosted the interest rate on my account. This is GREAT… and they could have played it up a smidgen more.
(Note that playing it up would make the message easier to understand here, it’s not just fanfare for the sake of fanfare.)
I understand the twists and turns of getting comms signed off in a regulated industry, so my heart goes out to writers who are squeezed into a corner at times like this. I’m guessing the bank has a template to announce rate changes, and the template has been written for use whether the rate goes up or down. Operationally this makes sense. Emotionally? Not so much.
Rate going up = good news. Rate going down = bad news. The optimal framing of each type of news is different. Both messages gotta be clear. Beyond that, for bad news you’ll likely want to soften the blow, and for good news you’ll likely want to highlight the positives.
If you choose not to make the most of a piece of gold-standard good news, are you missing an opportunity?
Cheerio,
Corissa
P.S. In these teardowns I mix my gut reaction as a customer with my background as a writer and marketer. The goal is to explore how messaging really lands out there in the real world. I’m only a sample size of one, so I’d love to hear your take. Agree? Disagree? Hit reply!
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