Members are your credit union’s best marketing team

Our number one hidden asset is a loyal and devoted member. A member who sings our praises is worth more than paid advertising. Loyal members who share stories with others can be huge victories for the bottom line!

Members who are not bashful about their relationship with your credit union can bring in their family, friends and co-workers with little to no work on behalf of the credit union. Making the experience easy to share can generate the word of mouth you need.

Give them something to talk about

Make it easy for members to gain knowledge and be well informed about all you have to offer. Routinely highlight your loan products through various channels so members see your message often and are reminded of the diverse options you offer.

Offer an incentive to share feedback and stories.  Use those testimonials in different advertising material to help get your message out to others.

Often we forget to ask members to share with family and friends.  If they have a great experience, ask them to share with others.

Understand their needs

What motivates your member to get up in the morning? What do they like vs. dislike? How are they similar? How are they different? Identify common bonds within the membership to make target offers.

Discover what is most important to your members, and concentrate on making that important to yourself, your staff and the credit union as a whole.  It’s easy to note an account with personal antidotes that enhance the relationship. Sit down with members and ask what’s important to them. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. If you take an interest in them, they will most likely take an interest in you.  When they see you genuinely care about their success, they will want to tell others.

Build your brand around like-minded members and appeal to what motivates them most. This will strengthen the common bond.

Communicate

Once you have developed a deep understanding of your member, make that work to your advantage. Use their jargon. Participate in their events. Create fun programs and promotions that will cause your membership to interact and share on your behalf.  If you know your core better than anyone, you can speak a language with them no one else can replicate.

Encourage your base to use more of your services, to understand your lending process and encourage them to share their thoughts and ideas with not only the credit union, but also with family, friends and co-workers.

Having a clearly defined brand is one of the best ways to relay your overall message to your membership. Keep consistency throughout every touch-point, and be sure your brand and message is clear and simple to understand.

Encourage front-line staff to ask open-ended questions in order to find the right fit for products and services and educate members on what you have to offer.

Share your success

Let’s face it – loyal members love us.  We see them on a regular basis, we know their children’s names, and we see pictures from their summer vacations. These are the members that champion the credit union and want to tell others about us.  It is this deep personal relationship that makes telling others easy. They know that “Jane” on the front line will take care of their brother’s auto loan or their friend’s new home purchase. We have a great opportunity and responsibility in handling the most important moments in our members’ lives.  When members have successful experiences, they are likely to share.

Share your successes. Often times our members don’t realize what we are doing.  They don’t know how much we are giving and volunteering in the community, how much we save members on average or the touching moments we all have in our shops everyday. Document those moments and share them via social media and on your website, and you’ll be surprised the response you get from members. People connect with success stories.

Stand out and be noticed. We are living in a world where consumers are being inundated with messages, and there is a bank or credit union on every corner. The only way to succeed is to be unique. Be a place where others want to bank and where those who bank with you are proud and willing to share your successes.