Credit Union Marketing Corner
Marketing can come in all shapes and sizes depending on what your CU is trying to market and to whom. Here, we are going to go over the scoop on marketing tools and the toppings that will make your CU stand out to current and potential members. We will discuss what each tactic brings to the table, and how it can add value to your marketing goals. So, what’s the scoop on marketing trends?
SEO: Search Engine Optimization, offers credibility and trust. SEO is very important to focus on as it has been shown to be where over half of your website traffic comes from. Understanding trending keywords and how to use them is a great skill to have. Organic searching is critical for the research process, especially when it comes to services or products that contain a long sales cycle.
Logo Design: Having a creative and unique logo design is crucial when it comes to marketing your credit union. Logo design goes, hand in hand with branding and the message you want to get out. Having a good well-thought-out design can make a lasting impression, and will ultimately separate your company from others. Think about all the companies and brands you come across daily. What is the first thing you think of after their name? THEIR LOGO!
Blogging: We have dived into the many benefits of blogging in our article, 4 Best Benefits of Blogging, but we want to make sure we reiterate the importance of keeping up with regular blog posting. Blogging may seem like an afterthought when it comes to marketing tools for your CU, but it has been proven to be a very beneficial tactic. Blogging helps with SEO tracking, which, as mentioned, should be top of the list for your CU. Blogging regularly also helps start conversations among other credit unions or members, and can bring a sense of community.
Event Materials: When your CU is holding or attending an event it is important to have the proper event materials to back it up. Events are important for credit unions to express their identity firsthand, and are also the perfect way to share thoughts, and ideas, and establish your voice. We discuss here, the importance of event planning further. Ensuring your CU has the proper materials that fall within budget for whatever the event may be, will guarantee you are ready for “showtime.”
Social Media: We all know how important a strong social media presence, is especially when it comes to building your brand. Making sure your CU is on all social channels and platforms is another key factor to your marketing team’s success. Being on social platforms is not enough to be successful though, you have to ensure you are up to date on the trends and know how to market to the correct audience. If you don’t know the correct channel through which to market the specific message you are trying to get out, you can lose money and time. You can read more about how to create member-based content in our previous article, How to Build a Content Strategy Based on FOM.
Email Layout: Having a good email layout design is critical for your CU. Having a well-thought-out layout makes it easier for your members to read and understand. Having a creative and concise email layout will be how you get your members or whomever you are marketing to, to open and actually read your email, as opposed to hitting “unsubscribe” or sending it straight to the trash bin. You want it to be an easy and enjoyable reading experience. Also, making sure the design aspect is visually pleasing will win you big points with your readers! Keeping it simple and letting the content shine, along with a strong color palette will make it fun and inviting.
Promotional Campaigns: Having a solid promo campaign will ensure you have long-term results and a good ROI. Some of the factors your marketing team should take into account when coming up with a promo campaign fall within these few tips. You want to make sure you can track and measure your campaign efforts after you launch it to be sure it is hitting your goals and reaching the desired demographics. Depending on what your CU is promoting you want to generate awareness and increase revenue, and having a marketing team on your side who knows exactly how to get those results will always be beneficial! You want to most importantly, always make sure you have a CTA (call to action) in ANY campaign you disperse.
E-Newsletters: Having an email newsletter is an effective way to talk about your CU and the products and services offered. The e-newsletter does not come off as a sales tactic and does not pressure your members. It is simply there to be an informative guide to those who are genuinely curious about what it is your CU does, and can potentially offer. It can be looked at as a “softer” form of advertising to your keep your current audience while creating a respectful relationship with past, current, or future members. Having a monthly e-newsletter can also drive traffic to your website when links are added and are also an environmentally friendly marketing device with generally low cost! Helping the planet AND saving you money?! A win in our book.
As you might have picked up, marketing comes in a variety of flavors, and these points are just some of the many maneuvers available for use. Choosing what methods to use depends on what is best for your CU and what falls within your allotted budget. Oak Tree is not currently taking on new marketing clients, but we are still here to be an important part of the Credit Union Movement. When your credit union wants to learn more about credit union marketing check out our blog and when they want the best forms on the market for credit unions check out our credit union forms!
