Credit Union Marketing
Snap decisions may only be worth the time they take
We’ve all heard that more and more consumers will abandon your website if it takes too long to load. Depending upon who you ask, a one second delay can result in 11% fewer page views, and every second it takes encourages more visitors to bail. Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking“ explores the idea that snap decisions may…
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The Call of the Mild: What introverts can do that extroverts don’t
Let’s say it’s your task to hire someone to lead a team of professionals doing challenging work. All else being equal, are you going to pick the extroverted “people person” or the quiet, thoughtful introvert? Extroverts never seem to be at a loss for words, and always have a story to tell. They’re relaxed and comfortable…
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New Year’s Resolution: Kick Some “BUTS”
You have an amazing idea that gets you feeling so pumped that you have to tell someone else before you explode. Everyone you tell gets so excited they tell others, and suddenly everyone is buzzing, brainstorming, and building on the possibilities until they begin to feel probable. At least until a great big “BUT” pops up. “What if our web site DIDN’T look like…
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Free Shared iDiz Books
Back when we started Shared iDiz in 2007, our concept was simply to chat with those working in credit union marketing. We wanted to provide insights, share expertise, challenge unproductive thinking, celebrate fresh viewpoints, and hopefully keep it interesting and fun to read. It’s apparently a long conversation, since we are headed into our 10th year of Shared…
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When you see a bubble, pop it.
If nothing else, the 2016 election has made one thing very obvious: many of us live in a “information bubble”, where we only pay attention to information that reinforces what we already believe. These bubbles, together with the speed and reach of social media, created an unprecedented opportunity for fake news — just create a…
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The CU vault of horrors
Stuck trying to come up with a costume idea for the credit union office party? Here are a few grisly ghouls you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark and lonely branch hallway. Grumpy Gertie the Zombie Member She’s not a ghost just yet, but she is often seen shuffling through the branch, making horrible…
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If you work in marketing, are you being paid to lie?
I believe in honesty. Not just in my personal life, but in business too. Of course that might be difficult for some people to believe since I work in marketing. After all, it’s a business I’ve heard described as “being paid to lie.” And, I know it’s hard to believe, we’ve had clients who wanted us…
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Are you an Amazonian or a Walmartian?
It’s always interesting to compare credit unions to well-known “disruption” companies to see if there’s anything we can learn from their examples. Walmart and Amazon have massively disrupted retail, along with entire industries and communities. Love them or hate them (or both), their effect on the world has been huge. In addition, they are direct competitors…
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Helping the not-so-ideal credit union marketer
In my last article, I outlined the attributes of the Ideal Credit Union Marketer — an empowered, invaluable, brand-savvy communication dynamo coordinating a turbocharged marketing engine that powers record growth. Let’s face it — that kind of perfection could be kind of annoying. And out here in the real world, the Ideal CU Marketer doesn’t…
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There is an option to The Slow Fade.
Day after day after day, too many credit unions have kept doing the exact same thing they always have, for members they have always had. As a result, too many end up focused on trying to stay afloat with an aging membership and rising overhead costs, spending less and less money and effort on anything that can improve their future…
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