Credit Unions: Who are you?

Answer this question: what do you want your credit union to be?

Typical answers: friendly, service oriented, member-focused, cleanest bathrooms in town.

Those are all fine answers, but do any of those answers set your credit union apart from any other business and especially financial institutions in town? You’re all competing for the same business!

When looking at the social media feeds of many credit unions, there’s so much focus on promoting the latest loan rates and free checking. Just to put it in plain language – there’s nothing about those things that separate your credit union from a bank (at least in the social marketing world). I realize that the “it’s the people that make us different” argument is a good standard phrase…but banks have some of the same nice people running the drive-thru and greeting their customers. My point is, what is it really that you can do, and already are doing, that can appeal to your existing and potentially new members? Here are some (social) thoughts:

Don’t duplicate your website – your website messages about your credit union should stand alone. What you share on social media should mirror your site, but also enhance what people learn about you and your team. Think about adding exclusive content on your social channels that will draw people to your site. Remember, different audience strategies for different platforms. This isn’t a template strategy that should be replicated everywhere.

Differentiation – sit down with your staff and talk about the deeper differences you see between you and other businesses. Is it your community involvement? Your obsessive love of coffee? Or, hey, what about your cooperative principals? This is where the mix of your CU’s talents, believes and personalities come through and true social connections will be made.

Stand for something – this one scares some people because they feel like they’re being painted into a corner and possibly ticking off other organizations. Here’s the thing, you can’t stand for everything. You do that, and you stand for nothing in social media. Finding your niche and promoting that, will give you true connections and, in fact, a lot of social connections from people and other organizations who believe the same thing. Pick an issue and own it!

I’m not saying credit unions aren’t doing a tremendous job connecting with their members. All I’m saying is that credit unions appear to be selling themselves short (not all) when using social media to connect. Use these mobile platforms to not only reinforce your principals, but allow your credit union to grow into new areas besides your geographic boundaries.