One-of-a-kind CUs are built on more fundamental components.

How to build the credit union you’ve always wanted

Bricks, mortar, steel and glass are okay. They just aren’t the right materials to build the credit union you’ve always wanted.

One-of-a-kind CUs are built on more fundamental components.

Elements that give your credit union the rock-solid foundation it needs. A strong, but flexible space that provides a base for everything you want to do. An eye-catching presence that attracts attention and brings in new members.

To build the credit union you’ve always wanted, you need three critical materials: strong branding, a flexible website, and authentic marketing.

Your branding is the foundation.

Branches are expensive to build. That’s why you’d never build a branch without digging down and pouring a strong foundation first.

When you are trying to build the credit union you’ve always wanted, branding is your foundation.

Branding is the strongest material you have. The bedrock of your identity. It’s the reason why your members join, the bond that comes directly from people helping people. The emotional connection between your staff and your members. It’s what makes your CU unique, and special to your members.

Of course your brand might need a few cracks filled. Might even need to be rebuilt. But your brand – what people think about you – is what makes you truly you.

That differentiation, that reputation you have built, that culture you are building, can provide a rock-solid foundation for something amazing.

Your website is the lobby.

First impressions count when people walk into one of your branches. They can play a big part in their decision whether to do business with you.

When you are trying to build the credit union you’ve always wanted, your website is the lobby that is open all day, every day.

Your website is a strong, flexible space for everything you want to do. It is the central repository for everything your CU offers, everything it does, every event you sponsor, every promotion you run. It provides an inside look at what is going on, and it holds everything you want the world to know about your CU.

You aren’t limited by walls. It’s structure allows you to rethink, reorganize and regroup information in new ways, opening doorways for members to access that information, along with their accounts.

Plus it can be easily updated at any time. When new services and new ideas call for new additions, simply plug them in.

Your marketing is the finishing touch.

Brick with woodgrain and soft carpets. Stainless with frosted glass and high tech displays. It’s the finishes you choose for a branch that grabs attention.

When you are trying to build the credit union you’ve always wanted, your marketing shows the world what you are really like.

Marketing is how you grab attention. It not only tells current members what is new, it also tells potential members how willing you are to try new ideas. Marketing shares your priorities, and hints at your potential. It demonstrates what you think is important, and what isn’t.

Marketing is also how you keep that attention. If it doesn’t fit your audience’s worldview, it doesn’t connect. If it stops feeling authentic, it gets ignored. You need to continually pay attention to the messages you are sending.

Bricks, mortar, steel and glass are okay…

They just aren’t the right materials to build the credit union you’ve always wanted.

Kent Dicken
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