Why your credit union marketing strategy is failing – or is it?

Oh, the frustration! An increased budget. An innovative strategy. Hopeful execution. And then… nothing. Sometimes, it results in denial, and other times, it results in doubling down on the failing strategy, hoping a little more elbow grease will make an impact.

I see this often with credit union leaders who reach out about their marketing. It’s just not working! And yes, sometimes we even see this with our clients. After 15 years of perspective, I’ve found three common reasons for a failed marketing strategy. Perhaps one or all of these sound familiar to you?

Watching paint and boiling water. “Where are the new members?” “Where are the new loans?” Wait, this thing just launched two days ago! Much like you wouldn’t plant a seed and pull it up every few days to check the roots, you shouldn’t do that with your marketing. You implement an excellent credit union marketing strategy, and in no time, the post-mortems begin. You start tinkering with strategy (pulling up that seed to check the root), and then it becomes a certainty that nothing will grow.

Sometimes, we DO get it wrong and need to fail fast and fail cheaply, but if you’ve done your homework, have a sound strategy, and are starting to see results, leave well enough alone. Wouldn’t you rather “fail” for six weeks and see success over the course of the year?

 

continue reading »