A question I’ve heard frequently from credit union executives with declining membership: Most of our members are remote and don’t visit us at the branch, how do we service and sell to those members?
The simple answer is with the same approach you’ve always used in serving members; just using different technology and tools. If members are not getting the face to face time with tellers as they once did, then they must be connecting with the credit union through drive through traffic, on the phone or online.
What are the demographics of your membership by connection method? Do you find the more senior members still walk in, the middle aged members drive through and use the call centers, and the younger members are all about online banking? Once you find the breakdown of these demographics, you can then approach them in the ways they are connecting with you.
Do the research. List the reasons why each group chooses their point of contact with the credit union. Once you understand their reasons for that method, then you know why it is appealing to them and how to use that to your advantage.
Blogging and YouTube will not be the best approach for some members, yet others may find that their preferred method of getting information. Get to know your members by the products they use and the way they access your credit union.
Bottom line, providing good credit union information to the member, maintaining common courtesies, and speaking to the member about the specifics they are interested in hasn’t changed. It’s only the method and where the information is best placed has changed.
To maximize your marketing efforts, strategically know the proper channels to reach a target audience with a specific initiative. This will guide you in the direction of better returns for your efforts.
-- Russell
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