Make Credit Union Membership An Experience

by Bo McDonald

Whether you’re making a purchase or getting a loan it’s usually a transaction and not an experience. In those cases, you’re looking for the best deal on what you want.  You’re not necessarily concerned with where or whom the transaction takes place.  It doesn’t have to necessarily be that way.

For example, being a Harley-Davidson owner is about more than basic transportation. When someone is on the edge of being a first-time Harley owner and goes on a test drive, they’re missing out on the most important part: the feeling of being part of the Harley “family” and experience. One Harley dealership understood this and tweaked their test-drive process for soon-to-be first-time owners. To help show the feeling of belonging to this elite group of motorcycle owners, one Harley dealership gets dozens of other Harley riders to join their test-drivers mid-trip. Not only are you test-driving the bike to make sure you like it, but you get to experience that feeling of belonging to a passionate group.

So how does this relate to your credit union marketing? One of the best ways to help a new member feel important is to let them experience your community. What is that like? It could be as easy as quarterly “new member” events. That sense of belonging is a great motivator for your members to talk to their friends and family about your credit union. And it gives you inexpensive word of mouth marketing.

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