Stellar Strategic
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
Stellar Strategic Group has helped over 1,800 financial institutions integrate effective marketing and communications strategies since its founding in 2000. Company founder Craig Simmers places top priority on forming long-lasting relations with clients and says that Stellar Strategic continually evolves its product line to meet the ever changing market demands its clients face.
Stellar Strategic is dedicated to utilizing its suite of products to help clients grow retail market share at a pace that exceeds that of their competitors. It is not a fully digital marketing agency and combines traditional marketing approaches with the ever-changing digital marketing revolution. It primarily serves the following industries:
- Community banks
- Credit unions
- Financial institutions
Stellar Strategic Group offers its clients services through mainly turn-key solutions in three main business areas:
- Deposit account acquisition
- Overdraft and privacy mailings
- Auto loan recapture program
Within its auto loan recapture program, Stellar Strategic has recently launched SALrefi.com, a free, new online platform that helps educate consumers on how to find the best auto refinance options in their market. The service is intended to generate more auto refinance leads and $110,000 per year in marketing and brand awareness for its lending partners. Stellar Auto Loans offers a turn-key program that maximizes direct loan growth and new household relationships (PFIs) while eliminating all the risk of marketing costs for its lending partners.
By working exclusively with community banks and credit unions, it has developed many marketing-related best practices in that financial vertical. Unique to Stellar Strategic Group is the fact that they offer a pay-for-performance partnership model on some of its programs, an innovative way of doing business.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Specializes in Financial Services Industry
- Solid Client Reviews
- Offers a Turn-Key, Low Risk Marketing Program for Lenders
- Free Market Analysis
Specializes in Financial Services Industry
Stellar Strategic Group has focused its expertise on essentially three marketing aspects within the financial industry, more specifically serving smaller, community banks and financial institutions. With over 20 years of experience serving this industry, potential clients can feel assured of the company's expertise in this field and its dedicated focus to serving the needs of this industry.
Solid Client Reviews
It is always a great sign for customers when a company posts detailed reviews of its work that are directly credited from a client. Stellar Strategic has six testimonials on its website from different, specific financial institutions. Its clients repeatedly mention their satisfaction with the customer service they received from the company, and the excellent return on investment (ROI) they experienced from working with Stellar Strategic. Several also mention that working with Stella Strategic helped them to not only generate loan leads but also helped them to convert those loan clients into PFI relationships with the financial institution.
The group also encourages interested customers to contact them for further references and provides a personal email address, a positive sign of transparency.
Offers a Turn-Key, Low Risk Marketing Program for Lenders
Through its turn-key program Stellar Auto Loans Stellar Strategic offers financial institutions an attractive combination that maximizes direct loan growth and new household relationships (PFIs) while also eliminating upfront marketing costs for its lending partners.
SALrefi.com, is an innovative, consumer-facing web platform that educates consumers on how to find the best auto refinance options in their market as a free online service. Many consumers purchase a car from a dealership based on monthly payments, not interest rates, and may pay too much for their loan.
Stellar Auto Loans uses credit bureau information to identify households in its clients footprint that meet their unique credit criteria profile and that are paying a higher interest rate for their auto loan than they would at their financial institution. The prospect is then mailed a personalized, prequalified offer letter showing the monthly savings for that consumer if they were to refinance with a Stellar Strategic client’s financial institution. The direct mail offer is supported by outbound calling campaigns, a microsite with secure application, after hours inbound call services, and digital marketing. Applications are completed and sent to the relevant Stellar Strategic client lending department for approval and loan closure.
The program’s low-cost and promises of long-term relationship generation for financial institutions makes it an attractive offering. Potential clients should be sure to ask how much Stellar Strategic charges per customer acquired through this program.
Free Market Analysis
Interested customers should take advantage of Stellar Strategic’s offer of a free refi market analysis. The dedicated form encourages financial institutions to include their rate sheet for a more accurate market analysis.
The Bad
- Specializes in One Industry
- Not a Traditional Digital Marketing Agency
- Doesn’t Mention Certifications
Specializes in One Industry
Stellar Strategic has a narrow industry focus solely on smaller, community based financial institutions and in particular credit unions. This is great for those in the industry but potential customers should be aware of this narrow expertise and judge whether it can serve their needs.
Not a Traditional Digital Marketing Agency
While it does provide some specific digital marketing solutions and data analysis, Stellar Strategic does not provide traditional digital marketing or communications services. Most digital marketing agencies will provide clients with a wide array of brand marketing and digital marketing services to amplify its clients’ online presence across multiple channels. Businesses that are looking for full-service marketing and communications digital solutions should consider looking at a full-service firm.
Doesn’t Mention Certifications
Many digital marketing agencies will list their digital certifications; however, Stellar Strategic does not appear to mention any. Standard certifications within the industry can include Google Premier Partner, Google Analytics Technology Partner, Bing Ads Accredited Professional, Shopify Partner, MailChimp Expert, and a Yext Certified Partner. While it may have employees who are certified in these digital technologies and platforms, it does not appear to make it a priority to advertise this, which should give pause to potential clients looking for a company dedicated to remaining on the cutting edge.
The Bottom Line
Stellar Strategic Group employs a suite of products to assist the marketing departments of financial institutions in three specific ways:
- Deposit account acquisition
- Overdraft and privacy mailings
- Auto loan recapture
While it is not a traditional digital marketing agency, it does use analytics and other limited digital strategies to help its clients expand their marketing reach. For financial institutions whose marketing goals align directly with Stellar Strategic’s expertise, it appears from positive customer testimonials that it can be a winning relationship. If your institution is looking for a broader marketing and communications strategy you, may want to consider a full-service digital marketing agency to achieve those goals.
Potential customers will also find its auto loan recapture program, called Stellar Auto Loans, attractive due to its promised results and lack of upfront costs.
