Can Your Credit Union Score a ‘W’?
Congratulations, you’ve officially made it to level 8 of Jumanji *cough* I mean August of 2020. In a year full of “L’s”, I think we all deserve a win. Here are 5 simple questions you need to ask yourself to ensure your credit union can create a winning playbook and lock in the “W” in the second half of 2020.
Who are we talking to?
Instead of a basic, impersonal response, knowing what demographic or audience you’re trying to reach will help you craft a message that’s relevant to and resonates with your members in these weird times.
What are we trying to accomplish?
In a year full of unknowns and new normals, it’s important to have a list of manageable goals. Delegating tasks to other team members is a great way to keep your whole team accountable.
By When?
By establishing a timeline and being aware of the priorities of your credit union, your team can keep your projects, goals, and other milestones on track.
Where are we going?
And I’m not talking about a vacation! Having a clear vision and plan for where you see your organization in as little as 5 months or as long as 5 years’ time can help you create a roadmap for success in the present while setting yourself up for future success.
Why are we doing this again?
Did you grow up asking your parents “why?” just to get hit with the infamous “because I said so”? Make 2020 the year you stop doing menial tasks or projects “just because.” When you act with purpose, you may just surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
If you ask me, it’s time we collectively show 2020 who’s boss! Setting aside some time to sit back, reflect, and ask yourself these 5 basic “W” questions, you are able to put your credit union on the right track to score a “W” and finish the year strong.
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T.R.U.S.T – Find out what it means to me.
In any field, no matter what you strive to achieve or create, there is one major component that supersedes all the rest and that is trust. Creating a mutual respect for relationships both within your organization and your clients can help your company run smoothly and efficiently – bringing together a team that can propel major success.
But guess what? Trust takes some time.
By following these guidelines, you can establish trust, which helps build and strengthen the most important relationships. Whether it’s a new client or internal relationships within your team, the need for mutual respect and trust is a key element to long-term success.
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Never question the power of your newsletter.
- Increase recipients, measured in the number of members you send to
- Read the newsletter, measured by the open rate
- Fulfill the desired action (typically a visit to your website), measured by click-through rate
- Make a qualifying move, measured in products and services they sign up for
Web users are regularly bombarded with offers, sales, and promotions. To get your members to open and read an email, the content needs to be genuinely interesting – beyond an attempt to push a product or services. Users are much more likely to open an email targeted to educating or entertaining them, and this is accomplished in the subject line. But with that expectation comes the necessity to actually follow through on the subject’s promise. For instance, inclusion of a community section, which highlights your involvement in areas where your members may be familiar.
Newsletters give your credit union an opportunity to demonstrate authority and expertise on the subject of your products and services. Tell members why your rates are better, your savings yields are higher, or a story about the 5K you sponsored. Also during this recent global crisis, it gives the members a reliable source for compassion and shows them they have someone they can financially depend on to be there. These give readers a reason to trust you and also tell a story that brings more personality to your brand. Your newsletter is a prime candidate to distinguish your brand from the big box bank down the road.
- Creative headlines: Subject lines should entice the reader to open the email and accurately represent its contents.
- Relevant and consistently scheduled: Information should be specific to the members and be published in regular intervals.
- Strong call to action: Every newsletter should have a desired action to be performed by the reader.
- Uncluttered format: If your members are confused or overwhelmed by the formatting, they are more likely to unsubscribe or be disengaged with the newsletter.
- Mobile responsiveness: More people are using mobile devices to check email and shop online. Credit unions just as other online businesses need to make sure their newsletters are optimized for tablets and smartphones for the best results.
- Unsubscribe: You want to keep members as happy as possible, even if that means losing their subscription to a newsletter. Furthermore, opt-in forms must be visible for potential members to sign up.
- Incentives: Rewards, give-aways, bonuses, etc. will not only attract members to opt into newsletter marketing, but to use your products and services.
- Terms and Conditions: Leads will want to know what their personal information is being used for when they sign up for a newsletter. Include a link to your privacy policy so they can be reassured that their data won’t be shared.
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So, Now What?
Here we are. Nearly 6 months into 2020. If you’re like me, you’re probably left looking like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The better part of the last few months have been riddled with grief, fear, uncertainty, and, of course, Murder Hornets. Because OF COURSE there are Murder Hornets.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, groups, businesses, and teams across the United States were forced to serve their customers in ways they had never considered. After weeks of stay-at-home orders, working from home, and self-quarantining as a result of COVID-19, states are slowly starting to reopen. But it’s clear that “normal” is still a ways away, and maybe that’s not a bad thing. While one part of you may be excited about the fact of returning to “normal” another part of you may very well be left dazing into space thinking “so, now what?”
Say “buh-bye” to “that’s how we’ve always done it.”
With nearly one-third of the American workforce working from home as a result of the Coronavirus, it’s easy to understand why employers who were once adamant against remote work for reasons ranging from trust to training were hesitant about the transition. Sure, many of us will be returning to normal office life shortly, but that shouldn’t mean that the lessons learned while apart should fall to the wayside.
2, 4, 6, 8, now it’s time to collaborate!
One of the fears I’ve heard among leaders over the last few months was how to keep their employees happy, connected, and engaged while staying apart. Transitioning from a collaborative office to a makeshift-desk office-of-one can be tough even for the most adaptable workers. Using video and chat tools like Google Hangouts or Slack can help teams and employees stay in touch when they’re not face-to-face to share ideas, brainstorm, have a virtual happy hour party, or just check-in on one another.
Out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind.
Employers who restrict or limit their employees’ time out of the office often do so out of the fear that because they can’t see them, of course, they’re not doing their work. However, data shows that nearly 25% of remote workers are actually more productive than when they were in-office and cite fewer distractions as the reason. However, just because your team is doing their work and keeping customers and clients happy, doesn’t mean that “no news is good news.” The team at Slack, who knows a thing or two about remote communication says “Daily greetings and regular check-ins...are effective ways to acknowledge and communicate with remote employees…”
Are things perfect right now? They’re far from it. But learning how to adapt, communicate, use digital tools and resources, and stay connected while staying apart has helped our team thrive over the past few weeks. So, what really comes next? I guess I’m not too sure, but we’re all going to find out. Because in case you haven’t heard in every advertisement since March, we are living in unprecedented times, and we’re all in this together.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay connected.
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How to Manage Financial Stress During a Crisis
Image and Article Source: https://onlinecounselingprograms.com/blog/manage-financial-stress/
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.org – Now For Profit
UPDATE: On April 30, 2020, ICANN’s Board rejected the sale of the .org domains to the private equity group. Citing a number of concerns including those voiced by private citizens and the California Attorney General’s Office, the organization decided the sale was not in the best interest of the public. Read more about their decision here.
It happened rather quietly just before Thanksgiving. The Public Interest Registry – or PIR – announced a plan to sell the entirety of the top level .org domain to a private equity group, Ethos Capital. The terms of the sale, including price, weren’t released and the sale won’t be finalized until January. Assuming the same does go through, what does it mean for the .org domains which are used almost entirely by non-profits like charities and not-for-profits like credit unions? Potentially some expensive changes.
According to CNN.com, this isn’t the first time that a for-profit company has owned the .org top level domain. Verisign owned it from 1995 to 2003. The difference according to experts is that Ethos has only been in business since May of this year and PIR is one of their first investments. The Internet Society — a non-profit itself that created the PIR in 2002 — says the private firm could increase the price of domains by 10%, a big concern for companies who own hundreds or thousands of domains. Another concern is potential censorship on the .org domains. As of December 4th, over 12,500 people have signed a petition opposing the same. Organizations including the Girl Scouts of America and the YMCA have signed as well. Many experts believe the sale will go through despite the opposition.
There has historically been a cap on the amount a .org domain can be sold for. The theory being that since the buyer isn’t making a profit, the sellers should have limits on their profits as well. When – or if – the Ethos purchase goes through, that cap could be eliminated. That means credit unions, community groups and other users of the .org domains would be wise to extend the purchase on their domains for as long as possible. If you can get a ten-year agreement in place, now may be a very wise time to do so.
Quick Facts
.org domains on the internet currently
Amount of people who have signed the petition opposing sale
The average price of a .org domain
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Out With the Old and in With the New
Have you had your website for 2+ years? Are you getting tired of the same layout? If you’ve been thinking this way, it may be time to reach out to your favorite web development agency and ask for a refresh.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking… a new site costs money and takes so much time to redo. But, wouldn’t it be nice to show that you keep up with the times and want to give your users a fresh, new and exciting experience?
Ready for a refresh?
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Does Your Website Bring You Joy?
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Clean up extra media
When I’m in the throes of developing, it’s easy to upload multiple images to figure out which one works best. I’ll try a few different options, resize them to make sure it fits perfectly or to make sure someone’s head isn’t cut off in the end result. This creates a bunch of extra files that aren’t needed and are just slowing down your site. Start deleting all of those unused photos and see how organizing them is now less overwhelming. -
Keep only relevant blogs
When you write an amazing blog or have this cool promotion you did two years ago, it’s hard to click the delete button, but we must be real with ourselves. The graphics are outdated or the references are no longer relevant. A good rule of thumb is to only keep the last six months of your blogs or promotional pieces. No one wants to search through your site just to come across something that is no longer available to them. -
Use an auditing plugin & analytics
You may be wondering why I’m suggesting adding something to your site in an article about cleaning it up. There is a method to my madness, I swear!
Installing an audit tool that will document everything that you do on your site will help you narrow down what you actually use your site for. Studying your analytics will help you understand how users are using your site. You may find that your users hardly visit a particular feature or page. This could free up your time from having to maintain it and possibly some money if it’s a premium feature.
“Thanks a lot, Kaia. Now I have another thing I have to think about cleaning”. #MyBad.
At uncommn Marketing Partners, we get that “Ahh” feeling when a website is tidied up. I know. We’re those people, but the great news is that we can be your people too. Hit us up below to get started on refreshing or possibly getting a sparkly new website all together today!
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Breaking The Rules In 2020
What comes to mind when you think about the 1920s? For me, it’s all about rebellion, change and glamour. The 1920s had some huge milestones that challenged the traditional way of thinking. Women were able to vote, sultry jazz was becoming mainstream and Mickey Mouse made his first appearance. It was an era that brought old-school class with new world sass.
You can’t be rebellious without being bold. In-your-face, large, thick fonts are coming to the forefront of marketing campaigns, hero images and call-to-actions. Below is a great example of implementing all three of these concepts. It’s definitely hard to miss.
These design trends may not be for everyone or every brand, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s supposed to be challenging and attention grabbing. It’s unapologetic. It’s confident. It’s, dare I say, roaring.
If these trends just don’t seem like something you like, that’s fine. I’m only a little hurt, but use this as a stepping stone to find ways on how you can mix things up with your brand or campaign. In fact, let us help you think outside the box with your next project! We love a good brainstorming session and after all, we’re called uncommn for a reason. Drop us a message below to schedule a creative consultation with us.
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Click Here to Prove You’re Not a Robot
If you have ever created an account online, paid a bill through a website, or have just been on the internet in general, you’ve more than likely had to click on that little captcha box that verifies that you are not a robot. If you’re reading this now, unless something SERIOUSLY crazy has happened from the time I’m writing this to the time you’re reading it, you’re not a robot. I know that. You know that. But does your branding and communication reflect that? I hate to break it to you, but it probably doesn’t.
You’ve probably caught yourself at one point or another saying:
“We have the lowest rates in town! Oh, and we just upgraded our mobile app. Plus, we’ve been around for X number of years and our members love us. So why aren’t people more responsive to what we’re trying to do? What can we do?”
It all comes down to one very scientific, very uncomplicated answer (and the best part is it costs ZERO dollars and ZERO time to put into action):
If you want a human response, do human things!
Quit being so robotic on social media:
Take a look at your credit union’s social media presence and the type of content that you’re sharing. Are you solely blasting out your products, services, and this month’s big promotion? If you are, then you’re missing out on the chance to be personal with your community and your membership. While social media is an easy way to share your credit union’s news and offerings with the masses, don’t miss out on the chance to showcase the individuals in your branches and in your community that are making an impact. It’s a feel-good moment for all involved and shows a little of your brand’s personality. It won’t be a wasted effort.
Don’t just take my word for it, here’s an example:
Recently, one of our newest social media clients recently shared a post of two of their employees who wore matching outfits one day. The post? Cute. The caption? Silly and uncomplicated. The engagement on that post? More than five times the amount of any other post that week.
Quit being so robotic in your branches:
When people walk into your credit union, what is the first thing they see? Do they see smiling faces eager to help, or do they see people darting around and avoiding eye contact and just going through the motions? If they see the latter, it’s time to make a change. Encourage your staff, especially your front line, to take the extra step to talk and engage with each person they interact with. You’ll be surprised at the difference it can make!
Don’t just take my word for it, here’s an example:
A few months ago, a client told us the story about how a man walked into one of their branches thinking it was the pizza shop next door. He walked out with an account because the staff was so welcoming. While I have a lot of questions as to how he confused the credit union with the pizza place, it’s still a true testament to the way an engaging welcome can lead to a great relationship.
The point in all of this is that a little bit of humanity can go a long way in the eyes of your membership. If you want a human reaction, do human things. Great rates are important, but I’ll argue that being personal is more important when it comes to member engagement and retention. If you find yourself or your team going through the motions, remind them that attentive listening and friendly engagements are the simple difference made with personal, human service. You’ll be surprised at the results you get.
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