In recent years, the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) announced its strategy to provide access to all Federal Reserve Financial Services using web technology. To make this ambitious goal a reality, the FRB developed online access solutions that created the “highway” for financial institutions to access Federal Reserve products.

One of the primary financial service offerings provided through these access solutions is FedACH Information Services. FedACH provides a paperless exchange of debit and credit transactions among business and consumer accounts at financial institutions, establishing an economical and efficient way to process payments.

The FRB was committed to ensuring that all financial institutions realized the full benefits of FedACH Information Services.

To communicate this vital information, the FRB followed the rules of the road for effective multichannel direct marketing communications.

Rule #1: Understand every segment
Identifying actionable segments and associated behaviors and insights is always the starting point. In this instance, the segments were comprised of a wide range of financial institutions.

Financial institutions are remarkably diverse in their size, transaction types and information requirements. They also differ greatly in the way they access Federal Reserve Bank Financial Services and in the products they use.

With this vast differentiation in mind, any communications with these institutions must incorporate highly tailored messaging to be both salient and effective to various segments and key stakeholders within these institutions.