Creating Credit Card Welcome Kits That Impress Clients

Credit cards create exciting possibilities. Whether there are rewards or miles attached to your credit card, a credit card opens up a world of opportunities. Because of this, the packaging in which it arrives should be equally exciting and interactive, never bland.

Receiving a brand new credit card is an exciting prospect for many banking customers. It’s the equivalent of the new car smell. A brand new credit card is sleek, shiny, and hasn’t been marred by swipes and scratch marks. It also means that potential trip of a lifetime or the one thing they’ve been coveting for months.

Creating this feeling of opportunity, excitement and exhilaration in credit card customers is key to meeting client expectations, building loyalty and encouraging use of that shiny, new card.

The right welcome kit is critical to delivering on client expectations, building loyal customers and promoting card usage.

Meeting Client Expectations

Meeting (and exceeding) customer expectations should not stop upon approval. If your card is part of an exclusive group or represents an elite status, its packaging should affirm the same. Failure to do this can cause disappointment and dissatisfaction in customers.

High-end welcome kits are critical for:

• luxury credit cards
• high-end hospitality credit card programs
• specialty credit programs

Your welcome kit should remind customers of the reasons they are receiving this credit card in the first place. Whether your card is by invitation only or the result of an achievement or upgrade, your customer needs to feel special when they finally receive their credit card in the mail.

Building Customer Loyalty

Many companies, financial included, often forget that every interaction with a customer is instrumental in building customer loyalty. Receiving a new credit card should be no different.

A personalized, credit card welcome kit creates an opportunity for an engaging experience. A positive interaction that brings a smile to your customer’s face will remind them why they chose you for their financial needs. It also says we know you and appreciate you.

Promoting Card Usage

Promoting card usage is at the core of any credit card company. From MasterCard’s clever “For everything else there is MasterCard” campaign, to special-use rewards programs, credit card companies have to do an excellent job at educating customers about all the details of their new card and get them excited about the prospects of using it.

A welcome kit allows credit card companies to educate customers about the exciting rewards of using their new card in an engaging and creative way. From an interactive kit that walks them through the benefits of their new card, to helping them visualize taking advantage of all their card has to offer, a welcome kit is ideal for creating an experience and a vision for customers.

The Components of the Perfect Welcome Kit

To deliver on expectations, build loyalty, and promote card usage, credit card companies need to be deliberate about their packaging. The messaging, experience, and design are critical for achieving this trifecta.

The Message

As with any marketing tool, your welcome kit needs to clearly communicate card benefits and information. Whether you opt for a booklet or pamphlet style guide to your customer’s new card, it’s important to clearly communicate all information to your client. Including important card information such as rates and perks should also be part of the equation.

The Experience

While most financial institutions are focused on including mandated card or program information, creating a unique experience through a welcome kit can be the difference between an excited client making a conscious decision to use only your card—or—just stuffing your card into the back of their wallets.

How can credit card companies achieve a positive experience with the mere mailing of a welcome kit? It’s easier than you think.

At JohnsByrne, we have helped clients create unique experiences for customers through custom welcome kits. A traditional welcome kit can be turned into an experiential welcome kit through:

• unexpected kit structure – imagine a box that you open like a
• treasure chest or French doors
• specialty compartments – to hold your card and other kit elements
• unconventional program booklets – flip books, media options, and
• more
• gift inclusions – add perks like key chains, luggage tags or money
• clips for an unexpected surprise

Focusing on creating an experience when your customer receives their card is the equivalent of a kid on Christmas Day. A well-designed welcome kit should build your customers’ excitement and anticipation with each turn, flip and new component they experience.

The Design

The overall design of a welcome kit is crucial from all viewpoints. It establishes your brand, delivers on expectations and makes your kit special. Making a kit unique and special can be achieved through high-end press finishes and effects. These include:

• exotic substrates – leather, silk, wood veneer and more
• specialty coatings – velvet-like coatings, metallic sheens and more
• tactile effects – reticulation and other effects for a sensory experience
• press effects – spot-UV coatings, varnishes and glosses
• post-press effects – embossing, foils, die cutting and more

The design of your kit, coupled with its structure and your message, are the perfect way to create a lasting impression on customers.

You don’t have to ask what you’re customers think of your credit card if you’re deliberate about your card’s packaging.

Contact JohnsByrne today to learn more about creating high-end and custom welcome kits for your next credit card.