'Turning the Corner' wins best customer relationship initiative for Barclays Commercial Bank

Barclays Commercial Bank provides relationship banking to 81,000 business customers in the UK.

Challenge

This year, it wanted to drive wallet share opportunities by promoting its 'Turning the Corner' scheme. Barclays took the approach that businesses like to learn from each other and share ideas with likeminded people, and to this end developed a customer relationship marketing programme with several strands.

Solution

A microsite was designed which tackled a different prevalent business issue every month, including 'how to' guides and insightful articles. Traffic was driven to it via a monthly newsletter to customers. The site also featured interviews with customers sharing their experiences of the featured issue, encouraging customers to learn from their peers.

Five regional 'Connect' events were also held in Sheffield, Reading, Luton, Birmingham and Bristol, offering further opportunities for customers to connect with each other and widen their networks, share tips and do business together. Customers were able to exhibit their services or products for free, as well as attend a choice of three business clinics with speakers from Barclay's  Business Support Team, Cash Management & Trade team and its own partner HR consultancy Croner. There was also a keynote speech from Rene Carayol, a business guru and motivational speaker who talked about his top twelve tips to survive a recession.