Is your credit union's brand visible? TV ads, print ads, direct mail, blogs; all of these things aim to do one thing, make your brand visible to the people in your community. Whether that community is a small town or a nation, it is all about being visible to the people who might be looking for your service. For most credit unions, we are looking to be visible within our specific field of membership and connect with our members and potential members.
Blogging and other web2.0 efforts have the potential to connect credit unions to their members, but it isn’t for everybody. Whether it’s too new and untested or your membership just doesn’t fall into what I consider “the blogging demographic”, you can still find the world of blogging useful. Not only can credit unions find value in blogs themselves, but they can also take lessons from the blogging world that apply outside the electronic world.
The single best piece of advice I can offer to anybody starting a blog (for any reason) is, participate. The single best way to get a blog noticed is to participate in discussion. Make comments on blogs in your niche. Be a part of the community.
The same goes for getting your credit union noticed in your local community. The best way to get your name out, let people know what you do, and how you are different, is to participate. Get involved with your community.
It’s not even just about raising money for charity or performing community service. There is so much activity going on in most places. Most of it gets overlooked more often than not. That’s a shame.
Softball leagues, school clubs, sports teams looking for sponsorship; they all offer us the opportunity to get involved, participate, and bring our name to the community. There are opportunities all around us in our communities to be a part of those activities. Whether its by actually forming a softball team to compete in a local league or sponsoring a local robotics club at a highschool in your field of membership, there is a constant flow of events begging for participation, why shouldn’t we be there with the people we serve.
What has your credit union done to participate within your local community? I’d love to hear your stories.
3 comments:
Andy, I posted on the Boardcast tonight about just such an effort. Eric Arlt, our UFirst Head Teller and I have made it our mission to join and be active in the Adirondack Young Professionals (ADKYP). For me, this group and their activities represent a new community vision. We're excited!
Ginny, thats awesome. Its always great to see credit unions involved. Especially when its something like ADKYP who's goal is to keep local talent local. Here in Maine we have a pretty serious problem with that. Very few young talented people stay within the state, there just isn't the job market or pay they are looking for.
Andy, I could not agree more! Many of my close friends have left the state or gone south of Portland to find jobs with a pay-scale that will allow them to live and payback student loans. Also like the blog, MSCU has stepped up in a big way for the Waterville community by sponsoring our Mini-golf event!
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