Your members want a relationship experience

by: Jentry Miller

We recently came back from the CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council Conference. And even though everyone knows “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” we decided that didn’t really apply to great marketing insights. Here’s one of our favorite conference takeaways, inspired by a breakout session with marketing professor Leigh Browning of West Texas A&M University.

Your members don’t just want a relationship with you. They want a relationship EXPERIENCE.

Think about the last time you went out to dinner with your spouse or significant other. Did you people watch at all? Of course you did. It’s always kind of fun to look at other couples and try to figure out what stage of their relationship they’re in. That nervous twosome? Totally a blind date. The couple that really ought to get a room? Newlyweds. The table over there with both people checking their phones or otherwise oblivious to their dining companion except when they need something? They’ve been in their relationship for a while. And unfortunately, they’re probably the best proxy for your credit union’s relationship with its members.

So what’s a relationship experience? Putting the phone on silence and putting everything on hold for that other person – your member. It’s about creating moments that are centered on them, not about you.

continue reading »