Marketing personalization has evolved far beyond using someone’s name in an email promotion. When credit unions have access to member information and the ability to retrieve data from a CRM, customized campaigns can target an individual’s current situation and reach that person at the time the need is real. A survey by Epsilon reports that 80% of consumers are more likely to engage with a company that personalizes experiences. Achieve higher rates of return by reaching the target audience when they are more likely to engage with an offer. 

Campaigns can be set up to deploy periodically or as an automatically triggered event with a subsequent “drip campaign” that can continue to send resources to qualified leads. And campaigns can be easily converted to direct mail for credit unions to reach groups that respond better to direct mail than digital channels. 

Depending on the access a credit union marketer has to the data, the following ideas could be simple or require a little digging, but the returns are worth the effort of personalized marketing.

1. Incomplete loan application reminders

If your CRM integrates with the LOS, it is easy to see when applications are incomplete and trigger emails to the applicant reminding them to return to the website and complete it. This is an effective tactic to recapture a percentage of dropped applications.

2. Loans approaching the end of average life

3. Retarget digital ads to people who have visited your loan rates or savings rates pages

4. Savings products to members with higher-than-average checking balances

As life gets busy for consumers, maximizing financial resources is often shuffled to the back of the list. Identifying members who maintain an above-average checking balance and promoting savings products that could easily transfer and earn them a higher interest rate would be a welcome suggestion. And for those members that maintain above-average savings account balances, promoting investment services is a natural next step. 

5. Education services to members when the credit card balance is not paid in full each month

Show the total they paid in finance charges in the last 12 months. Credit unions differentiate themselves as more reputable than banks that exploit cardholders’ late payments. While no one wants to be scolded for poor financial habits, when a cardholder racks up finance changes and late payments, it is an excellent opportunity to suggest webinars or other resources that can help them learn the true cost and ways to dodge those fees.

6. Student loans to youth members graduating from high school

Most credit unions have a youth membership to which it can promote student loans as a young person approaches 18. As youth members become adults, it is a perfect time to engage them with the most relevant services and build stronger relationships by making them aware of the financial services their credit union provides. Digital-only and national banks will be targeting this audience so the more they see the value of a credit union the stronger their loyalty will be.

7. Free credit score services when a direct deposit is established for a new job

When a young adult sets up direct deposit, it is likely the beginning of a financial journey that soon will include auto purchases and home loans. But rather than jumping straight into promoting loans, a foundation of trust can be built with them by promoting a free credit score service and sharing ways to build credit in the time leading up to more major purchases.

Credit Union Marketing Automation

As demand for loans has dropped in the U.S., marketers looking to maximize ROI need to use the data at their disposal. An integrated core, CRM, and LOS make data access and analysis easier however it’s still possible to pull data manually (or with IT partners) and set up email campaigns. The value in reaching current members at pivotal points, before they choose a competitor, is a win for that revenue gained but also increases the lifetime loan value of the member.

Contact us if we can assist with data integration to enable more personalized marketing at your credit union.

Additional Resources you may like:

• Credit Union Marketing Automation
• Marketing Plan Ideas
• Direct Mail Integration Case Study (Webinar)
• Credit Union Resources