ShareThisIf you're comfortable with online banking, you know that most banks offer a variety of information and gizmos on their Web sites.
The idea behind most of the articles and Q-and-As is to educate you on the need to have retirement savings and the like. The banks are not necessarily being altruistic, as they are hoping you'll eventually turn to them for the IRA, CD or savings plan you've been reading up on.
SunTrust has all of that, but the Atlanta-based bank has gone even further. Last month, it introduced LiveSolid.com , a Web site separate from its online banking site. You may recognize the LiveSolid phrase from the bank's ads; it's their new marketing brand.
The Web site is a little bit personal finance, a little bit life, which regional president John Stallings says fits in with the company's "live solid, bank solid" message. The site grew out of focus group meetings, teams within SunTrust and lessons learned from the bank's Facebook page, where visitors posted comments, linked to articles and made suggestions.
The work on the branding campaign started before the financial meltdown, but the site began taking shape about six months ago, Stallings said. It builds "on the eagerness among people to find out how they can better manage their finances and better manage their lives. ... There was a void of good information."
On the home page, you see small photos and headlines in what could be little TV screens -- the programs on the Live Solid Network. Some offer videos, others an article. The headlines are diverse: "Weighing the benefits of going back to graduate school," "Frugal fun" and "Eating healthy."
There's also a drop-down menu with headers like My Wellbeing, My Money, My Future Plans, My Children. Each of those sections is divided further so you can dig as deep as you want.
The idea that people don't separate their personal wellbeing from their financial wellbeing has been borne out in the way people are using the site in its first month. The most viewed content has been in My Money (setting a budget, getting out of debt, etc.). My Wellbeing (maintaining a healthy life style, managing stress) is a close second, Stallings said.
Under "get out of debt," there are articles such as "10 luxuries to cut back on" and credit scores and calculators to help figure out how to pay off credit cards more quickly.
Banks have gotten a lot of bad press over the past year, and many may question why they should turn to a bank for such advice. But why not? When you want money help, it can't hurt to ask people who have vaults full of the stuff.
(E-mail reporter Mary Cornatzer at mary.cornatzer(at)newsobserver.com. For other stories, go to www.scrippsnews.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C.
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