Credit Union Niche Marketing Tips

How to reach out to smaller segments of your market

by Stephanie Schwenn Sebring

Segmented marketing compels you to define your membership by buyers or sectors, and gauge the profitability among those sectors. It can also assist with the aligning of products or services to buyer needs. Niche marketing gives you the ability to discern clear differences between your segments and more effectively align your message.

“This is your chance to speak directly to a unique group of members,” says Daniel Thorpe, CEO of Boom Creative, Spokane, Wash. “It’s your opportunity to use thoughtfulness in how you present your message, keeping the personality and commonality of your audience top of mind.”

Ultimately, you want to recapture the feel that made the CU unique when it was first chartered. Thorpe elaborates: “What are those amazing traits? The best target marketing in the world will capitalize on those traits.”

What are your goals? Which products will help you to attain those goals? And, who are the greatest users of those products? By understanding who your audience is, you can begin to look for commonalities, niches and similarities. You can also look at your members geographically–is there momentum in an area from which you could build? Where does it make sense to market for your greatest return on investment?

Thorpe offers the following tips for niche marketing:

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