Inject Fun Into Your Credit Union
by: James Robert Lay, Grower of Relationships, PTP NEW MEDIA & CU*SWAG
This week I had the privilege to speak at the Fiserv Forum conference in Las Vegas. One of the things we discussed was how to win the hearts and minds of under 30 consumers. Yes, technology will play a big role in connecting and delivering to this demographic.
However, just as important as technology is, I believe it is also important for credit unions, as well as any other consumer driven organization, to inject fun into all you do.
The world is a very troubled place right now. From the economy, to politics, to global issues, simply turn on the news, or look at your Twitter feed, and something troubling seems to be capitalizing our thoughts and minds. Ironically as I write this article, I saw breaking news on my Twitter feed that the University of Texas was just evacuated making this post even much more relevant to me.
As I have discussed before, we are all emotionally driven human beings. Fun can energize your staff internally which will spill over externally to consumers. Fun can change a negative mood into a positive one. Fun can offer a glimmer of hope. Fun can inspire.
What if your credit union offered an alternative to all the negativity we are inundated with? Could this be a differentiation point not just in financial services, but as community brand recognition as a whole? Can an organization that offers fun, hope and inspiration drive business results?
Simply put, yes. According to survey results published in Forbes, “81% of respondents say they would recommend the company to friends and family. Seventy-eight percent would be loyal to that company, and another 72% would share their experience with others. More than half (55%) reported they would spend more on a company that inspires them.”
Be the organization in your community that offers something fun, hopeful and inspirational. Tie this into everything you do from the internal, culture and operational side of things to all the marketing campaign and messaging you share externally with consumers.
Don’t be the one to say your credit union can’t have any fun. Win the hearts and minds of people first. Then you will win their trust.
In February of 2002, during his sophomore year at San Jacinto College, James Robert founded PTP NEW MEDIA from his bedroom. Since then, PTP NEW MEDIA has helped credit unions build relationships with members with the help of offline, online, internal and external marketing channels. Their work has won many state and national marketing awards. He is also behind the movement to help make credit unions fashionably cool with CU*SWAG and was named the first “CU Times Trailblazer 40 Below” of 2012. James Robert completed his MBA in 2006 and has enjoyed speaking at many different credit union conferences and events. www.ptpnewmedia.com www.cuswag.com
