When you're in monster county, bring a guide

Squishing the Monster of Meh

Quick, what’s your biggest Marketing monster? I bet you said something like “Budget and resources! I need more money and power! And a time machine!” You’re not alone. In every survey of CU Marketers I’ve seen, “resources” is the top concern or obstacle. But I think we’ve slightly mislabeled this monster. Or maybe the real…

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Results can be transformative

You’re not allowed to separate digital, branding, and marketing anymore.

It would help if everyone just agreed that digital, branding, and marketing have been merged into one big multi-dimensional entity. I mean, can you really imagine working on one without connecting it to the others? In fact, all the components of digital, branding, and marketing are so tightly woven together that any CEO that tries…

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Disconnects happen when expectations are different.

Oh, how adorable! They don’t know how to use the internet.

Have you ever noticed a disconnect between what one person thinks is normal and what someone else thinks is? My son and his wife (age 31) are expecting our first grandchild. My sister-in-law, co-hosting a baby shower for them, asked where they were registered. My daughter-in-law replied, “Amazon” and sent a link about 50-60 characters long. My…

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Time to Panic? There will certainly be some lunch-nibbling.

Is it time to panic about alternate financial providers?

As Kent mentioned last week in his post-Financial-Brand-Forum recap, there seems to be a certain amount of indecision about whether it’s time to panic, and exactly what we should panic about. Should credit unions panic about Walmart sticking their very large toes into our personal financial services turf? Or Amazon, Apple, or Costco? All the…

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If you haven't stretched for a few years, you're not going to be able to suddenly do ninja backflips.

Stuck at OK? Push for Amazing.

So there you are, doing… OK. Marketing is ticking along like a well-oiled machine, same budget as last year, you’re a little under budget, and you’re on track to pretty much meet your modest growth goals for the year, just like you did last year, and the year before that, with the same old familiar…

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Say one thing. Say it well.

Say just one thing to make your marketing more effective

Say one thing. Say it well. There. That’s most of what you need to know to be an effective credit union marketer. The more focused your message, the better it’s going to work. “Simplicate, and add lightness” – Ed Heinemann, famed Aircraft Designer Of course, like everything that’s simple in theory, adding lightness in real…

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Play nice now, and you may get more playdates in the future.

Before trying “latest and greatest” in marketing tech…

Credit union marketers are being bombarded with so many options for the “latest and greatest” in marketing tech (marketing automation, AI, personalization, big data, chatbots, biometrics and more), that it’s hard to keep up. But we certainly pay attention. After all, the “next big thing” is always fascinating, isn’t it? Especially when it is wrapped in shiny…

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The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

How does anyone expect to be heard, when everyone is talking?

Why does everyone seem to be talking all of the time? And how does anyone expect to be heard, when everyone is talking? Thanks to the web and social media, everyone who wants to share their thoughts with the world can do so, using a constantly changing array of platforms. The lines between creators, media,…

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We need to allow others to learn from our failures.

This isn’t working, and I have no idea why.

Would you ever say “this isn’t working, and I have no idea why” to your boss? Never. To your friends and coworkers? Probably not. After all, most of us are programmed that failure is not an option. Which is crazy. Lots of good ideas with great potential have failed. Even a few of ours: •…

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Most of us are hardwired to complete things that are not finished.

Want someone to remember your marketing? Open a gap

If you really want someone to remember your marketing, open a gap. Don’t believe me? Try singing “Happy Birthday” without singing the last few words. Go ahead. Try it. Hum it to yourself if you are too embarrassed to sing out loud. Did you find it tough not to sing (or hum) those last few…

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