Don’t miss out. Click the links below and read the whole series.
- MARKETING TO CREDIT UNIONS 101
- MEANINGFUL MESSAGES: 4 WAYS TO MARKET TO CREDIT UNIONS
- TARGETED STRATEGIES: 6 WAYS TO SUCCESSFULLY SEGMENT
- CHANNEL SURFING: HOW TO REACH CREDIT UNION DECISION-MAKERS
Wouldn’t it be great to have a never-ending marketing budget? Throw some money into this channel; try out some strategies on that one. Mix and match, rinse and repeat until something works.
Unfortunately, that’s not reality. Marketers need to ensure their budgets go toward the channels and campaigns most likely to meet lead generation and branding goals.
There are many channels from which to choose ranging from old-school direct mail to digital pay-per-click ads. The following four channels stand out in their capacity to catch eyes.
When it comes to marketing channels, email is king. According to online marketing expert WordStream, email is the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences behind only colleague recommendations and industry thought leaders. As covered in part two of this series, targeted messages increases email effectiveness even more.
But it’s possible to leverage email without building a large list of credit union contacts from scratch. Sponsored e-blasts from CreditUnions.com allows organizations to send a customized email to more than 12,000 newsletter subscribers. Offer a downloadable piece of content to capture credit union prospect info.
Make eblasts work for you. Click here for more information about sponsored e-blast opportunities on CreditUnions.com.
Website Content
This is a niche industry, and credit union executives have limited resources for best practices, tips, and insights specific to cooperative financial services. Joining the conversation through helpful content is a surefire way to establish authority as an industry thought leader, gain brand exposure, and generate qualified leads.
There are two primary ways to post content. One way is to create a company blog. This is great for search engine optimization but takes time to build momentum. For more instant gratification, try the second way. Reach out to a credit union-specific site to ask about contributing sponsored articles.
Credit Union Print Publications
With all the talk of digital marketing, it’s easy to forget about print advertising. However, it’s still effective in the right medium. They key is to think niche. Placing a full-page ad in a publication dedicated to credit unions won’t get as many impressions as one in a publication dedicated to the broader financial services industry, but the ad can be more targeted and, thus, more effective.
Look for topic-specific credit union publications for more focused marketing opportunities. For example, Callahan publishes yearly guides on the core processor and auditor markets. Readers that pick up those publications have an active interest in what suppliers advertising there offer.
Reach Credit Unions When They’re Most Engaged
Put your solutions in front of a credit union audience actively looking for the answers you offer. See what Callahan & Associates and CreditUnions.com has for you.
Industry Events
Build a stronger presence within the credit union space by attending and sponsoring credit union-specific events. This provides the opportunity to narrowly tailor giveaways, collateral, and even the talking points to the credit union audience. Tradeshows and conferences from industrywide events like the Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, DC, to the CUNA Council Conferences dedicated to areas like finance and marketing take place throughout the year.
These four channels have one common theme: Go niche. Working within the credit union space affords marketers the opportunity to customize messages that strike a chord for those with buying power.
Keep that in mind, and it’ll be easy to earn more from any size marketing budget.