Branding & Marketing for Credit Unions

Today we have guests! Joining us on the show today is Matt Stratton, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Tinker Federal Credit Union, and Chris Weigl, Marketing Manager at Community Federal Credit Union. We’re getting their perspectives on marketing challenges, opportunities, and strategies within the credit union industry.  We’re asking Matt and Chris how they advocate for growing the role and importance of marketing and branding in their credit unions. We discuss how marketing drives results (even when you can’t always measure them) and how to balance trying new things to grow the credit union while still preserving their reputation and remaining loyal to current members. Learn more about Braid Creative at www.braidcreative.com and follow us on Instagram @braidcreative 1:20 meet our guests, Chris Weigl and Matt Stratton3:15 wearing an executive hat and a marketing hat8:35 try out a new idea through a pilot program10:38 measuring "branding results"13:37 measuring interaction, engagement and participation14:35 sharing results when they aren't great19:35 the benefits of honesty within your marketing team21:56 how to decide when to update creative or stay the course27:35 the expansion of credit union membership has made credit union branding more important31:30 what has stayed consistent in the credit union industry the past 30 years?35:21 camaraderie among credit unions39:55 Matt's best advice for credit union marketers 42:43 Chris' best advice for credit union marketers 44:15 let's talk Netflix shows! what’s everyone watching?

We want to talk about media. You don’t have to be on every media platform out there to get your message in front of your audience. You do, however, need a media plan – so you can be ready and flexible in times of change. Plus, we don’t want you to feel like you’re just winging it or making it up from scratch, every time you have a new campaign. And we don’t want you to dilute your message (or your budget) on any deal or bright new shiny media “opportunity” that comes your way! So we’re going to share our media philosophies and advice to help you shape up your media plan and feel more confident about what you’re spending and putting out there.Download the worksheet for this episode at www.braidcreative.com/creditunionpodcast and follow us on Instagram @braidcreative 1:05 media is putting your message in the right place to target the right audience.5:55 media planning vs. media buying10:12 your media plan should not be driven by good sales people14:10 we explain typical ad agency roles using Mad Men as an example 23:50 you know your credit union best – use that knowledge to best plan out your media27:03 brand media vs promotional media31:37 investing in media and leveraging your budget35:00 what’s the difference between reach and frequency?37:36 how to analyze your media plan43:20 sharing your media philosophy within your credit union 

We’re talking about ways to get your team communicating and collaborating better – especially when it comes to planning, and pulling off big projects, promotions, and campaigns.Whether that’s with your marketing team, cross-departmental teams in your credit union, or even with your agency team – we want to give you some tips for:getting everyone on the same pagegetting more voices heard around the tablegetting more of the outcomes you want –and, maybe even having more fun with the people you work with, while you’re at it.This podcast is here to help credit union marketers like you remember how creative you are, how much you love your job (and your credit union!), and get some new creative ideas to try out along the way.Download the worksheet for this episode at www.braidcreative.com/creditunionpodcast and follow us on Instagram @braidcreative 1:05 lead your marketing team like an agency6:52 what do your yearly planning meetings look like?11:10 what do zombies have to do with your team? we chat about The Walking Dead18:15 collaborating with other teams and departments in your credit union20:44 how to create a visual presentation for better collaboration and communication29:36 presenting your creative process along the way – not just the final creative33:03 getting the most out of your agency 

We love video, and more and more credit unions are using the power of video to connect with people. So, why aren’t you doing it more? We’re going to give you some ideas to try, easy, simple, no-pressure ways to baby step into video. Or if you’re already doing video, find out ways you can make it even better.In this episode Tara and Holly of Braid Creative encourage credit unions to reorient how they think about video – not only for brand videos or commercials, but layered into other tactics like social media, how-to videos, celebrations, and events. This podcast is here to help credit union marketers like you remember how creative you are, how much you love your job (and your credit union!), and get some new creative ideas to try out along the way.Download the worksheet for this episode at www.braidcreative.com/creditunionpodcast and follow us on Instagram @braidcreative 1:45 video statistics4:00 YouTube is a new language8:58 Game of Thrones books vs. the HBO show*correction: number of viewers that watched the GOT finale on HBO was 13.6 million people!  11:30 we are Game of Thrones fan girls15:05 video has exploded through technology21:00 consuming more than one screen at a time (sometimes up to three!)23:00 how to make your video production better25:40 how to get the most out of your credit union videos30:00 how to better serve your members with video33:05 the intersection of credit unions and video

Your marketing promotions around specific products, offerings, and even seasons of the year are a great time to get more direct about what you’re selling, and even have more fun with what you’re putting out there.When is the right time to push those promotions? How can you make them stand out? And how out there, is too out there – when you’re stepping out a little from the consistency of your brand?In this episode Tara and Holly of Braid Creative explore these questions and more! This podcast is here to help credit union marketers like you remember how creative you are, how much you love your job (and your credit union!), and get some new creative ideas to try out along the way.Download the worksheet for this episode at www.braidcreative.com/creditunionpodcast and follow us on Instagram @braidcreative 1:00 we dive into the difference between Brand and Promotion6:01 the hierarchy of promotional messaging9:50 what is safe to change creatively in a promotion14:52 a promotion is a chance to be direct16:25 your promotional calendar is your gatekeeper20:22 what does Parks and Recreation have to do with promotions? 26:09 when and how promotions intersect with another department30:22 a proactive vs. reactive marketing department34:01 when you’re tired of talking about auto loans (again…)

This episode is about branding. As a credit union you have a mission that’s still as relevant as it has ever been. But has your brand kept up with you as a growing credit union? Has it evolved alongside you?Is your brand serving you as hard as you’re serving your members?In this episode Tara and Holly of Braid Creative are going to help you think about your brand, talk about some updates you know you need to make, share some ways to get your brand shaped up and feeling worthy of your credit union!This podcast is here to help credit union marketers like you remember how creative you are, how much you love your job (and your credit union!), and get some new creative ideas to try out along the way.Download the worksheet for this episode at www.braidcreative.com/creditunionpodcast and follow us on Instagram @braidcreative 1:10 what is a brand?5:38 the difference between branding, marketing, and advertising8:10 why branding is extra important in the financial industry9:05 reasons to do a brand update14:50 a brand that keeps evolving: Disney 16:30 The Mandalorian as an authentic spin-off brand 22:30 where to start with a brand update26:14 how to get better at using stock photos in your brand30:57 why getting video in your brand is imperative34:48 consistency is key for your brand37:01 who should be involved in a brand update?40:50 how to get the budget to update your brand

Braid Creative is a branding and marketing agency that helps organizations, small businesses, and credit unions (that’s you!) blend more personality into the work you do, position and differentiate yourself, and attract your dream customer.  In this season of our podcast we are speaking directly to credit union marketers about topics like branding, media, promotions, and your teams. Subscribe, listen, and rate this podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Be sure to download the episode worksheets and share with your colleagues. Learn more at www.braidcreative.com