What’s Your Credit Union’s Voice?

by Amy Neale 

I’ve been writing copy for credit unions for the past five years and I’m noticing a trend. More and more, credit unions are paying attention to their “voice” and making sure their websites and marketing materials have a distinct personality. Not that credit unions were lacking in personality to begin with, but there’s been a definite shift from formal business writing to informal writing for their content.

In this quest for informal content with a personality, I feel like I’ve been lucky enough to have an advantage. I used to write for television and video – which has a completely different style of writing than postcards and Web pages. Until recently, that is. I applaud credit unions looking to reach their membership on a more one-on-one, personal approach. Especially when you consider how personal your members take their finances! 

If your credit union is hunting for the right voice, I have a few tips for you. Get your marketing team and/or creative-types from your credit union together and ask:

• Who Are You?
  First, personify your credit union. If it was a person, who would it be? Find some good, solid adjectives to describe it.
• Who Are Your Friends?
  What kind of friends would your credit union have if it were a person? What would they like to do together? Basically, what kind of members do you want to attract?
• What Do You Want to Be?
  When you’re a kid, everyone always asks what you want to be when you grow up. Figure out what you want your credit union to be in five or ten years’ time.

While this may seem like a silly exercise, it does encourage you to think creatively about your credit union and what you need to accomplish when creating its voice. When I’d write for specific on-air talent, I’d always think about whom I was writing for and how to make it sound like my words came naturally out of their mouths. Each person had their own way of speaking. Writing for your credit union is essentially the same thing – just without the TV cameras or dressing rooms!

Something for Everyone at Your Credit Union?

by Amy Neale

It turns out that the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for the California Department of Financial Institutions. They slapped the figurative wrists of several California credit unions for taking the “everyone can join” approach in their marketing – which anyone in the credit union knows isn’t true.

I understand the credit unions’ desire to combat the image that a credit union’s field of membership is super select and it’ll be hard to find one to join. But, in my opinion, the selective field of membership required of credit unions is what makes them so unique (among many other great things!). Why open an account at a bank when you can join a credit union that has exclusive membership? It makes you feel special and part of a privileged group. And as we all know, membership does have its privileges!

So, where does this leave credit unions in California and the 49 other states? The challenge to walk a fine line between making anyone feel welcome but letting them know that they need to meet certain requirements before becoming part of your select membership. 

Don't Be Left Behind at Your Credit Union

by Charisse Rockett

Many of the articles I have read recently were on the topic of “relevance.” That word just seemed to keep showing up. I could ignore it no longer!  One article that specifically caught my eye was on the website tlnt.com, written by Ron Thomas, entitled, “Staying Relevant:  Either We Continually Adapt, or We End Up Obsolete.” He made some very interesting observations. He stated, “Skill sets of jobs today are changing at warp speed.  How do you hire for the future? Today’s workers need to be able to work in almost any medium, be comfortable using different technologies, and stay abreast of current and future trends.”

Those three sentences convey a lot of thoughtful information. First of all, credit union industry changes are dictating the skill sets of jobs. Because the industry changes are happening quickly, the skill sets required of jobs performed just a few years ago are no longer relevant. That means that credit union employees today may no longer have the skill set needed to perform their jobs in the near future.

What can be done to counter this change in your credit union's employees’ knowledge and skills? One is to review job descriptions each time an employee leaves and at least annually. This will determine if you have the relevant (that word again!) tasks, duties, responsibilities and functions that make up the job. Review the education, experience, and skills the job requires ensuring they are consistent with the actual needs. Make sure that you look at the job in a prospective manner, to hire for your credit union's current needs and always keeping the future in view. Remember, if you continue to hire employees using your 1999 job description, you will get a 1999 skill set!

Another key to keeping the skills of your workforce applicable to your business is to continue developing your employees. Spend a little time and money now to reap greater benefits and actually see the ROI later by giving them the tools to keep up with the rapidly changing trends. When you show your employees that their knowledge and skills are important to you, enough to invest in them, you are building on your credit union’s future. Don’t get left behind, lead the pack and plan for tomorrow, today!

What’s Your Social Media Personality?

 by Amy Neale

We’ve all become comfortable putting people in various categories: Type A, Gen Y, soccer mom, etc. Each “type” has its own personality and set of expected characteristics. But did you ever think about how your – or your credit union’s – social media habits might have a personality of their own?

Borrowing heavily from the Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator personality test, I’ve put together the four main social media personalities. Do you recognize yourself or your credit union in any of them?

• Performers (SP)
  Performers like to live in the now, use all five senses with all they do and like spontaneity. With social media the more platforms the better. They tend to retweet and repost at the spur of the moment and don’t like to be kept to any social media calendar. If you’re looking for the latest credit union news, a Performer is your best bet.

• Intellectuals (NT)
  Using their intuition and logic whenever possible, Intellectuals are analytical, inquisitive and avoid emotion at all costs. When online, Intellectuals only report the facts – never opinions. They follow only trusted sources like the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times. While they might not be the most interesting of choices to follow, you know their information is reliable.

• Guardians (SJ)
  A Guardian is a perfect fit for the credit union industry. They like security and stability and always follow the rules. Guardians are the ultimate credit union ambassadors online. If there’s positive credit union news out there, they’ll find it and share it. But Guardians can also be rigid and inflexible – so don’t expect them to veer off of their social media strategies or calendars.

• Idealists (NF)
  Everyone knows what an idealist is. As far as a personality, they’re empathetic visionaries who see what others cannot – such as patterns or connections. They also are known to greatly dislike criticism or conflict. In the social media world they, like the Guardians, are great credit union ambassadors. But they might not be the best group to handle any online member complaints. 

Like most personality tests, you might find yourself or your credit union falls under more than one category. The best case scenario is to have a bit of all four in you. The more balanced you are in social media, the more balanced your credit union image will be.

We'd love it if you'd share your - or your credit union's - social media personality on CU Solutions Group's Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn pages! 

Personality Key

Feeling (F)
Intuitive (N)
Judging (J)
Perceiving (P)
Sensing (S)
Thinking (T)

Are There Bullies at Your Credit Union?

by Paul Hendryks and Gene Mandarino

Turn on the news, read your phone, listen to the radio, watch any of the most popular sitcoms or reality shows and you will see a common thread running through all of them, or most of them: people being mean. The news is filled with horrific stories of violence and abuse. The sitcoms cannot do without pranks and practical jokes at someone’s expense and the reality shows are a continuous stream of people arguing, with more bleeped out expletives than actual dialogue. 

With this continuous stream of “mean” in the media it is no wonder workplace bullying is on the rise. And, according to the Associated Press, 10 states are now considering legislation that would allow workers to sue for on-the-job bullying that causes physical or emotional harm. They also cite that 56% of companies surveyed have some type of anti-bullying policy.

As an HR professional we would suggest that every credit union get out in front of this and look at including an anti-bullying policy in their employee handbook. As a person I would suggest that we look at ways to encourage each other to be nicer: to say thank you; to say please; to help out a coworker who is struggling with a problem at home; to buy a coworker a candy bar just because; to give someone a thank you card; to ask “How can I help?”; to recognize someone for a job well done at a staff meeting; to bring in coffee from Starbucks for the office; to help out with mundane tasks i.e., stuffing envelopes, filing, etc.; or to just ask yourself, “What can I do to be a little nicer?” 

Workplace Bullying - The Next Employment Law Nightmare? 

Maybe you thought it was just an oversight that you weren’t included in the lunch outing by others in your department. Then you later learn that one of your coworkers used the lunch outing as an opportunity to criticize you about everything – from the clothes you wear to your work habits. And later in the week, this same coworker takes credit at a staff meeting for a project you recently completed (knowing you don’t have the courage to speak up to dispute his statement).

All of this may remind you of similar antics pulled by bullies in grade school. One would think that the playground bullies would “grow out of it” and not continue this type of behavior in the workplace. Apparently not, as workplace bullying has affected about 35% of workers according to a CareerBuilder survey.

To read more about this developing topic, click here to view the most recent HRN Performance Solutions monthly HR white paper. If you would like to receive more well-researched and concisely written FREE monthly HR topical white papers, simply sign up here and we will add you to our email distribution list.

Product Spotlight: Website Analytics

by Amy Neale

It’s not enough to deliver a fantastic website that gets people clicking– your credit union is expected to deliver measurable results that meet its marketing objectives. That’s where Marketing Solutions comes in.

We can assist you in getting the tools in place to measure the effectiveness of your website by:

• Creating targeted landing pages or microsites
• Setting goals, funnels and reporting in Google Analytics
• Measuring conversion optimization
• Determining website usability
• Improving search engine optimization (SEO)
• Implementing QR codes
• Developing banner ads with event tracking codes
• Applying a URL redirection

Boosting Website ROI

While it’s great to have a dynamic website, if you can’t tie it to solid ROI factors it’s impossible to tell if it’s worth your credit union’s while. Research from digital marketing experts at Econsultancy and Adobe found that only 12 percent of companies could track bottom-line effects on revenues.

Marketing Solutions has the expertise to not only help your credit union uncover its true website ROI with analytics, it can offer recommendations on how to get the most out of your site.

To discover the difference comprehensive reporting can make to your credit union’s ROI, contact your CU Solutions Group business consultant at 800.262.6285 or info@cusolutionsgroup.com, or contact us.

Getting it Right: NuPath Community Credit Union

Name: NuPath Community Credit Union
State: Michigan
Assets: $89,138,038
Members: 13,597
Website: www.nupathcu.com
Twitter: @NuPathCU
 
Wyandotte Federal Credit Union in Michigan knew what it took to gain the competitive advantage in its market. While a change in charter is what initially motivated the credit union to change its name to NuPath Community Credit Union, the CEO, board and staff embraced this change with open arms.

“With our 75th anniversary approaching in 2013, declining gains in membership and the credit union’s current sponsors no longer providing a sufficient number of new or prospective members, our board determined that it was time to change our name and convert our charter,” explains Kathy White, CEO and president of NuPath Community Credit Union.

When it became time to launch its new name, brand, website and campaign, the credit union decided to team up with CU Solutions Group. Everything became official on January 1, 2013 and they haven’t looked back. “As NuPath Community Credit Union, we look forward to continuing the traditions of the past, while continuing to guide our current and future members on a path of financial success.”