lame videos may do more damage to your brand than no videos at all

Video is eating the internet (and how to get on the menu)

There are 300 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute. Cisco tells us that by 2019, video will be 80% of all consumer internet traffic, up from 64% in 2014. Video on demand will double by 2019, with over 70% of that HD. Thankfully broadband speeds are supposed to double in that same time…

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Your members are seeing a lot more of your website than your branches.

More Bang for the Buck: Bricks or Clicks?

Brick and mortar branches certainly aren’t going away. You’ll always need face-to-face interaction with members. But in-person service isn’t cheap – in 2014, the average credit union branch cost over $2 million to build and equip. Even buying and refurbishing a closed branch of a competitor won’t save a lot of that cost. Sure, you…

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put down the margarita, roll up your sleeves, and take these next steps to get the most out of your website

A great web site is a process, not a project

Your new, fantabulous, mobile-friendly website is launched, the accolades are pouring in, and your CEO is beaming like a proud parent. Time to relax with a few margaritas, declare victory, and move on to something else, right? Wellllll… sort of. With a brochure or newspaper ad, you know there’s an end point. Once the ink…

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Build your site around real people and what they really do.

CUs: people are searching for you, not your products

Here’s a remarkable little fact about organic search that is specific to credit union websites: Well over 99% of the clicks coming from organic search are simply variations on the credit union’s name. (For example, “ABC Credit Union”, “ABCFCU”, or “ABC CU”.) In other words, people who find credit union web sites via search are very consistently searching specifically…

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Developing and maintaining multilingual marketing materials and websites

Language lessons

In many parts of the US, a significant portion of the people speak another language. Even if these folks are also fluent in English, using a “native” language can be a great way to connect and build trust. Here are a few recommendations for developing and maintaining multilingual marketing materials and websites: Use professional translators,…

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How the latest trends affect credit union websites

The future of credit union website design

Credit union websites are a breed apart. You’re not selling widgets, you’re not providing entertainment or news, and you’re not collecting clicks for cash. Your site is a place busy members go to get things done. So how do the latest trends in website design and technology affect credit union websites? Touch devices make scrolling easier than ever…

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Some projects won't fit the skill set of the people you have in-house.

In-house, or outsource? 3 ways to tell.

Credit unions, like many companies, go through times of tightening budgets and cutting back on outside expenses. Marketing is often the department that feels the biggest pinch. Occasionally some interesting management logic occurs, and more personnel can be added because the HR budget is a different line item than Marketing. (I never have figured that one out.) But…

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Gosh, isn't it sort of mean to make Grandpa buy a new computer? This one's only ten years old...

Take an active role in member security

When we build a credit union web site, we get a lot of security questions related to compatibility with older browsers. Depending on who you ask and what numbers you believe, somewhere between 2% to 8% of the general public is still using very old versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Naturally, credit unions don’t want to leave…

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Having the right team on your side is more important than buzzword bingo

Five things no one will tell you about web site security

Security sells, so there’s no shortage of security advice, products, and scares out there. I’ve noticed that most articles on the topic of web site security seem to leave out a few important points as they clamor for clicks. So here are five things no one will tell you about website security: Having the right team…

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nothing lasts forever – especially not web sites.

Five uncommon reasons to rebuild your web site

It’s sad to say, but nothing lasts forever – especially not web sites. Even if nothing is particularly wrong or broken, changes in technology and usage make it worthwhile to revisit your online “front door” every few years. In our experience, web sites need to be refreshed every three to five years. You can probably think…

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