Marketing checking to non-members is like asking to get married on the first date.

Getting married on the first date

Why do credit unions still focus so much on marketing checking accounts to non-members? I mean, I know why — the checking account is still the best indicator of a PFI relationship, and it’s extraordinarily “sticky”. Members with checking are loyal members, or at least they’re stuck with you for a while. I get that.…

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It may be old school, but that doesn't mean it won't work.

Do you have card-carrying members?

I had to have my son’s car towed recently, and I was certainly happy that I carried my AAA card with me to avoid the tow charge. Then I used it the next week to save a few bucks on a hotel room when traveling. That’s when it hit me. I’m a card-carrying member. Now…

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People have more and more ways to disconnect from your marketing

Why rent eyeballs when you can own?

Traditional media is based on buying exposure – how many people will see this newspaper ad, this TV spot, this outdoor board, this trade show booth. As a result, buyers of traditional media calculate what it will cost to rent eyeballs just long enough to get a message across, then pray for a 1% response…

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make sure you're not selling Sea Monkeys

Are You Selling Sea Monkeys?

Remember Sea Monkeys? When I was a kid, colorful ads in all the comic books promised you could send for cute, goldfish-sized magical aqua-pals that would hatch instantly, and then frolic entertainingly. Of course, the reality was that you got a packet of brine shrimp eggs. Brine shrimp basically look like hideous little swimming roaches,…

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once you're carbon neutral (or better), then what?

What’s Beyond Green?

“Green” is just one type of applied ethics that fits right in to the credit union ethos. After all, credit unions don’t consume all that much energy and goods compared to other types of businesses. But once you’re carbon neutral (or better), then what? What’s beyond green? Clear One of the big trends in business is…

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on the similarities between hospitals and credit unions

4:00 am Vampires

I just spent nearly a week in the hospital. I’m fine now, but let’s just say I wouldn’t wish gallstones and pancreatitis on my worst enemy. With an extreme case of boredom setting in, I started musing on the similarities between hospitals and credit unions. Both are large institutions created to make people’s lives better.…

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On the list of emotional minefields, money is right up there with sex and politics

Something To Hold On To

I’ve always been fascinated by the psychology of money. On the list of emotional minefields, money is right up there with sex and politics, and there are all kinds of baffling taboos and odd behaviors. It can be very interesting to look at some of these behaviors and think about what we might learn from…

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