Deluxe is in the middle of a big brand and strategy shift. It is the world’s largest printer of checks, but it is working to become a brand known for products and services that help small businesses expand.
To demonstrate this shift, Deluxe launched Project REV, a yearlong marketing lab in which nine small-business owners were given $5,000 in Deluxe marketing products and services as well as expert consulting. In his BlogWell presentation, Deluxe’s Nathan Eide walked us through the program and explained how social media played a critical role in its success.
A few of Eide’s big ideas:
- Personal stories create the most compelling content. Eide and his team found that the most interesting content for readers and the media were personal stories, such as the business owner who talked openly about the difficulties of filling out a creative brief for the first time.
- Take advantage of public feedback. Participants in Project REV shared a problem with one of the products, so Deluxe asked for more opinions on its Facebook page. Not only did the company get priceless input on how to make the product better, but it also got many customers engaged in the process.
- Incorporate customer ideas into your business. In wrapping up Project REV, Deluxe asked for ideas on what it could do better for small-business owners, who ultimately came up with four business offerings for the company.
Watch Eide’s case study. Slides are available.