New whitepaper explores content marketing for credit unions

Web Publish - Content Marketing imageA whitepaper discussing how credit unions can effectively use content marketing to attract and retain members has been published by the Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools (SRCUS). The paper was authored by a team of third-year students in the SE CUNA Management School program comprised of Ashley Bean (Class Act FCU – Louisville, KY), Candace Fyffe Stanley (Ashland CU – Ashland, KY), Hailie Patterson (Michigan One Community CU – Ionia, MI), and Theresa Wolff (Greater New Orleans FCU – New Orleans, LA). Completion of the written project and an oral presentation of the research report is a prerequisite for graduation from the program. This team of students received recognition at the 2017 SE CUNA Management School graduation ceremonies last month for their exceptional work on both the written paper and their oral presentation.

Businesses send consumers thousands of pieces of marketing every day, most of which is not relevant or valuable to the consumer at that point in time. What makes content marketing so intriguing, especially for credit unions, is that allows your audience to control what type of content they consume and when, which drives customer/member interaction. In the report, “The Not So Secret Ingredient to Marketing Success”, the authors explain that good content marketing makes a consumer stop, read, think and then behave differently. The key to creating that initial interaction is the offering of relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing member behavior. Basically, it’s the art of communicating with the member without selling; instead of pitching your products or services, it’s delivering information that makes the member more intelligent.

In addition to providing a thorough overview of content marketing and how to create content marketing opportunities, the paper discusses the challenges and opportunities created by content marketing, as well as recommendations and solutions for credit unions to consider. The authors posit that, if planned and executed properly, content marketing can help credit unions earn more money and grow membership, define their brand, foster trust, and inspire referrals. But they caution that credit unions considering utilizing content marketing to understand that there is not a “one size fits all” approach to content marketing. Just as strategic plans are different for every credit union, so too, are content marketing strategies. Credit Unions must understand organizational goals and invest some time developing a plan customized to their unique organizational focus to ensure success.

To access a complimentary copy of the white paper, please visit www.srcus.org/management-school/student-white-papers/.

###

About SRCUS: Southeast Regional Credit Union Schools (SRCUS) is a collaboration of eight southeastern credit union leagues, including the Carolinas Credit Union League, Georgia Credit Union Affiliates, Kentucky Credit Union League, League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates, Louisiana Credit Union League, Mississippi Credit Union Association, Tennessee Credit Union League, and Virginia Credit Union League. Through collaboration with CUNA and Affiliates, the first SRCUS Management School was established in 1970. Since the school’s formation it has graduated over 1,100 credit union management professionals from 21 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to the management school, SRCUS also hosts an annual Director’s Conference, which provides a full range of informative educational sessions about critical issues important to today’s ever-changing financial industry for credit union directors and committee members. For more information, visit www.srcus.org.

 

Upcoming Events