Another email, another offer.

But what if you received a message from your bank, car dealership or retail store saying, “Your continued business allows us to give back to the community and help make the world a better place. Thank you.”?

It’s not asking for a sale or flashing coupons, but it would engage you in a way that makes you feel good about where and how you spend your money.

The idea is brand connections and one of the industries taking it to heart is the financial industry. Both banks and credit unions are supplying their customer and website visitors with blogs, content and information that provides a non-sales message but still has the qualities of digital engagement.

If your company has ties to the community, you can use your sponsorships or charitable contributions to help interact with your customers and keep them engaged. If you can offer advice or “tips,” relevant to their life and the services you provide, you can show that your messaging to your customers is beneficial.

Receiving content from a bank or credit union offering “10 Ways to Save Money in the New Year” isn’t salesy and can drive customers or members to the website while highlighting expertise. Auto dealerships can send out seasonal tips that entice curious readers to learn how to keep their vehicle in shape without overtly telling the customer to “Visit Today!”

Another way to keep your brand out front, especially for charity participation, is to develop a social media strategy. Those who want to stay up-to-date on what your organization will be eager to follow you. Again, if sales, coupons or offers are all you can contribute then your customers will likely become quickly annoyed and stop following you or push your emails into the spam folder.

Local banks and credit unions often get a lot of social media exposure by sponsoring races, outdoor activities, festivals and fairs, school functions and charitable drives – all great for an increasingly community-conscious population.

One of the most memorable commercials appearing during Super Bowl LII was Budweiser and how they shut down their beer production to fill up cans of water to distribute during times of crisis. That’s $5 million for thirty seconds of telling the world, and their customers, that they are a company that cares. Everyone already knew Budweiser sells beer, now they feel good about how they’re spending their money.

Marc Bellanger, Senior Strategy Director at Merkle, Inc., states, “Nonprofit managers ask, ‘How do I communicate my mission in a way that resonates with each individual donor?” Now replace donor with customer, and those are all relevant questions for financial marketers.”

This strategy turns a company into an entity that’s living and breathing, relatable and trustworthy.

When you tell your customers your mission, it’s engagement, not advertising. People like to feel as if they’re a part of something, and a company known for giving back is an organization proving they care about something greater than the bottom line. This builds loyalty and trust, which inadvertently, helps increase the bottom line.