“A blog is not a stupid sales funnel”
Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 6:52 am
Interview with Rouven Kasten, Head of Digital Communication at a bank
Rouven Kasten, Photo: Tilman Schenk
Question: “Give away what you know to sell what you can”: How can a bank benefit from this type of content marketing?
Rouven Kasten: The special expertise of GLS Bank and its consultants in our core sectors of education, social affairs, food, housing, renewable energy and sustainable economy is knowledge that we can build on. Many customers and borrowers can benefit from this even before receiving advice. In the end, it may no longer be just about the loan, but also about networks and mutual help from the GLS community.
Question: Does content marketing through blogs and social media work? Does it bring in new customers?
Rouven Kasten: Yes, definitely! I recently spoke to someone linkedin data who literally said: "I know your bank through the blog, not the website!" That is a huge compliment for the work that goes into it. Over the years we have been able to make many great contacts that would certainly not have come about through other media. That is why we also attend barcamps in addition to traditional conferences. Here we can come into direct contact with people from the digital world in a completely different way. Many of these contacts and their network have become customers.
About this interview series
"Give away what you know - to sell what you can do !" That is the core message of my book and my method PRINCIPLE FREE . For the practical examples in the new edition, I let a total of twelve well-known knowledge sharers speak for themselves. The interviewees describe what drives them, what works well for them and how they became so successful. They talk about their positioning, personal experiences, and how they deal with competitors and network partners. These interviews will gradually appear here in the PR Doctor.
“The free principle. Give away knowledge – increase attention – win customers”, new edition August 2017, 266 pages, hardcover, ISBN: 978-3-527-50908-9, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim
Rouven Kasten, Photo: Tilman Schenk
Question: “Give away what you know to sell what you can”: How can a bank benefit from this type of content marketing?
Rouven Kasten: The special expertise of GLS Bank and its consultants in our core sectors of education, social affairs, food, housing, renewable energy and sustainable economy is knowledge that we can build on. Many customers and borrowers can benefit from this even before receiving advice. In the end, it may no longer be just about the loan, but also about networks and mutual help from the GLS community.
Question: Does content marketing through blogs and social media work? Does it bring in new customers?
Rouven Kasten: Yes, definitely! I recently spoke to someone linkedin data who literally said: "I know your bank through the blog, not the website!" That is a huge compliment for the work that goes into it. Over the years we have been able to make many great contacts that would certainly not have come about through other media. That is why we also attend barcamps in addition to traditional conferences. Here we can come into direct contact with people from the digital world in a completely different way. Many of these contacts and their network have become customers.
About this interview series
"Give away what you know - to sell what you can do !" That is the core message of my book and my method PRINCIPLE FREE . For the practical examples in the new edition, I let a total of twelve well-known knowledge sharers speak for themselves. The interviewees describe what drives them, what works well for them and how they became so successful. They talk about their positioning, personal experiences, and how they deal with competitors and network partners. These interviews will gradually appear here in the PR Doctor.
“The free principle. Give away knowledge – increase attention – win customers”, new edition August 2017, 266 pages, hardcover, ISBN: 978-3-527-50908-9, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim