Credit union marketing, like all marketing, should be targeted. And where should the focus be? If we consider generations, the answer is probably millennials for most credit union products. As a generation, they are aged from about 25 up to their early 40s. They’re making a lot of financial moves during these years and likely need both guidance and a way to meet their goals.
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Finding millennials shouldn’t be a problem – those born from 1981 to 1996 made up the largest population group in the U.S. in 2021. Getting them to choose your credit union’s services, however, may take a little more ingenuity. Here are three marketing tactics for credit unions that can help.
Credit Union Marketing Strategy 1: Email
While email marketing has always been hot, it really took off during the lockdowns of the pandemic. HubSpot reports that 78% of marketers saw an increase in email engagement in 2021, and four out of five marketers said they’d rather give up social media than email marketing.
When sending credit union marketing emails, it’s important to employ personalization. You can do this in two primary ways. First, use the recipient’s name. You can automate use of the name in the subject line and email body through a strong CRM like Surefire.
Second, send the appropriate content at the appropriate times. Do you know your recipient’s birthday? Send a greeting on that day – also easy to automate through a CRM. Make it even more personal by recording a generic “happy birthday” message and including it in your birthday emails. Even if you don’t call the recipient by name, seeing your face and hearing your voice will make the recipient feel like you recorded it just for them.
By doing a little database management, you can personalize the timing of other content too. For example, if you last wrote a car loan for a member about four years ago, you might begin sending email campaigns related to your car buying and lending services. Dynamic searches in a CRM will help you devise target lists for marketing various services. You can search for loans written with interest rates over a certain level or with closing dates longer than “x” years ago.
Credit Union Marketing Strategy 2: Social Media
Social media marketing is, of course, important for reaching the millennial cohort. Facebook is perhaps still the king, with 87% of millennials reporting they use the platform at least once a week. It’s important to note that younger generations prefer the image-based content of platforms like Snapchat or Instagram. Those outlets may be better for reaching younger millennials.
All credit union marketing strategies on social media, even on Facebook, will benefit from the use of visuals and video to make users pause in their scrolling. Interactive content can also create the stickiness marketers crave. Imagine someone scrolling through their nightly Facebook feed and encountering a mortgage calculator that keeps them engaged for several minutes before enticing them to complete a response form! A mortgage CRM like Surefire will offer the ability to automate the post while providing the calculator, landing page and form to close the deal.
Credit Union Marketing Strategy 3: Direct Mail
Direct mail may seem to be more appropriate for older generations, but for a group that stays on their phones a lot, millennials like getting something in their mailboxes, too. In fact, 30% consider postal mail to be effective in getting them to take action – compared to only 24% who said the same about email.
Like emails, mailed messaging should be personal and targeted. Birthdays and holidays are great, as are messages appropriate to the recipient’s location or their place in the customer life cycle. For example, a credit union that offers home mortgages might send a postcard to one zip code showing listings or recent sales within the area. Or, using their CRM, they might send postcards introducing Christmas Club accounts, car loans, educational savings accounts or other services to members who recently bought their first home.
Credit Union Marketing Strategy Bonus: Omnichannel Marketing
While each of these credit union marketing strategies will be beneficial on its own, it’s when they are combined into an omnichannel marketing plan that they can have the biggest impact. Credit union members who read about a service on social media then receive both an email and a postcard about it are more likely to remember it, trust it, and take action than if they saw it in only one place.
Surefire CRM is a great way to manage databases and automate omnichannel credit union marketing. Register for a demo today!
As content manager at Top of Mind Networks, Renita develops award-winning marketing materials and strategies for mortgage companies. Throughout her career, Renita has managed public relations and produced both printed and online content for clients in the home building, affordable housing, real estate, mortgage lending, financial planning, and
environmental industries. As a ghostwriter, she has contributed to two books on social media marketing. Her work has also been published in numerous print and online trade publications for industries she supports.
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