4 simple ways your credit union website can create an exceptional member experience
When members come into your branch, you certainly are trying the best you can to give them a pleasant and productive experience. Is that also true for members who engage with your credit union website?
Dig into the engagement metrics on your credit union website. Are your members hanging around or logging in to online banking and bouncing? Are your members and potential members exploring all the information, products, and services you have to offer through your website, or are they rage-clicking away?
If so, your credit union’s website might need a refresh.
You’re not alone. According to Forbes, 43% of small businesses are planning to allocate a portion of their budget to website improvements in 2023. Your website is your virtual branch, a digital employee available 24/7. Leverage this hidden gem! Here’s how:
- Understand your credit union’s brand to provide information that is on point with your members front and center. What does your ideal member look like – beyond someone looking for a car loan? Discover what they’re really looking for from you and how you can solve that problem for them through your website. Perhaps a lot of your members need a car loan from you, but what they’re really looking for is financial freedom. Dig for the benefit of the benefit to your ideal member, and use that in your website copy to draw them in.
- To further extend your brand as a trusted adviser and resource, add elements like a blog or videos featuring the information they’re looking for most. For example, right now in light of the Silicon Valley Bank failure, information about how members can guard their hard-earned savings might be useful for them to feel assured their deposits are safe with you.
Leverage opportunities that align with your brand, like National Financial Literacy Month in April, to reach new audiences and increase your brand awareness. Make a big splash with content that will help your members take action to educate themselves on the complexities of buying a home and help parents find a simple path to educate their kids early with products like Dollar Dog and Kiddie Kredit. - Simplify your credit union website navigation from the members’ perspective, while also meeting your business objectives. Again, thinking about your ideal member, consider how they might approach your website. Skip the jargon and use simple terms like loans, accounts, and services, like the Minnequa Works Credit Union website. Life is busy for everyone; don’t make your members hunt around to discover how to access their account, how to apply for membership or a loan, or what the hours are at a certain location. Ensure your credit union website navigation is crystal clear, so members understand they can rely on your credit union as much online as they do in person.
- Position your credit union as a pillar of the community. Feature photos of real members from your credit union as opposed to stock photos. Highlight how you’re helping them solve a problem. Snap some pictures of landmarks around town to include on your credit union website. This is a hallmark of great storytelling: Show, don’t tell.
Especially now, members want stability, and knowing your credit union is anchored in their community illustrates that you’re invested in them. Your credit union knows their particular struggles and celebrations and invests back into the community – because your team lives there, too!
Given the importance of your website to your credit union’s brand presentation, be sure to find a partner you can trust to deliver a website that reflects your brand – not one that imposes its will on how your credit union should present itself. Choose a partner that will dive into your credit union’s unique story and value proposition rather than pushing out a canned website design that looks identical to other competitors in your market.
Do your due diligence to ensure you select a true business partner that is invested in your credit union’s success.
Please select a valid form
