AI-powered search engines—like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Bing Chat—are changing how people search the internet and get answers.

That’s where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) comes in.

But is GEO relevant to credit unions? Is it something credit union marketers should even care about?

Yes and no. Read on to learn more.

The Stakes

Mere weeks after we wrote this article, Google’s stock plummeted 10% in a day.

The reason:

Traditional search is down. Gartner predicts a 25% overall drop in Google search traffic in 2026. Apple execs also suggested AI was impacting search, and they’re responding by including AI summaries in their of browser, Safari.

This means click-through rates, paid ads, web traffic, will all go down as more people rely on AI summaries instead of clicking on links and hoping they’ll find an answer.

What does this mean for credit unions?

Tough to say, for now. But the pace of this change is fast (it is AI-related, after all). So, take everything you read in here with a big ol’ grain of salt. At the very least, GEO is something you should be thinking about, if not acting on.

The Basic Differences Between SEO and GEO

SEO is about getting clicks on your site. With optimization, your website (and pages) rank higher in traditional search engine results. Google sends people your way… and you hope they convert.

To succeed with SEO, you research keywords, tweak your headers, polish your meta descriptions, and build backlinks. You write compelling, useful material that informs, but also remains easy to skim. You try to increase visitor time on page.

There is some overlap between SEO and GEO. A lot, in fact—especially the part about informative content.

But GEO works differently. Instead of providing a list of links, AI-powered search generates answers, pulling bits and pieces from across the web to give users what they want, right there on the search page.

With GEO, Google doesn’t send people your way. Rather, it presents you as an expert and keeps you in the conversation. If you’re not part of that AI-generated answer, you’re not the expert. You’re invisible.

TL:DR? SEO helps you get traffic. GEO keeps you in the conversation.

How Do You “Do” GEO?

Good news: If you’ve been writing content that’s helpful and clear, you’re already halfway there.

But GEO does ask for a bit more. AI tools need content that feels trustworthy, specific, and well-organized. They look for answers rather than headlines with keywords or clever SEO tricks.

For credit union marketers, this means leaning into the educational content you probably already create. Think detailed breakdowns of loan products, straightforward guides on financial wellness, or updates on industry trends. That’s the stuff your members search for… and the stuff AI engines want to share.

Structure matters, too. AI engines pull from headers, subheads, and cleanly written sections. Schema markup can help here, but the bigger thing is clarity. Make your content easy to read and easy to parse. And keep it fresh. AI tools want up-to-date info, so don’t let your best-performing content get stale.

Why GEO Matters for Credit Unions

Let’s be real. Most credit union marketers are already stretched thin. SEO takes time. Social media takes time. GEO probably feels like another thing on the pile. But here’s the thing—AI-powered search isn’t going away. And members (especially younger ones) are getting used to asking a question and getting an instant answer without clicking a single link.

If your credit union’s content isn’t in those answers, someone else’s will be.

And GEO isn’t just about search visibility. It’s about setting up your AI-powered tools—chatbots, virtual assistants, voice agents—with good, reliable content. The same stuff you optimize for AI search engines can also help train your own internal AI. Better data in, better results out.

So yes, GEO helps your credit union stay helpful, visible, and relevant even when members don’t land on your website.

But also…

GEO prepares your website to serve as a source of knowledge for members and staff alike. If your content is comprehensive and GEO-optimized, you can set up your own chatbot, voice assistant, AI agent, etc. trained directly from your website data.

Senso has a quick summary of what’s at stake here: https://senso.ai/blog/why-geo-matters-for-the-survival-of-credit-unions

Can Your Credit Union Ignore GEO?

The short answer is… maybe. But we don’t recommend it.

If your goal is website visits and conversions, GEO doesn’t matter much. It might help to drive local traffic and leads through recommendations. And sure, you might get brand visibility by showing up in a GEO search result, but will that lead to increased loans? Deposits? Non-interest income?

Probably not.

However, ignoring GEO is a bad idea for two reasons:

1. GEO is growing quickly in popularity. The technology is in its infancy now. With the pace of AI advancement, you can expect GEO to matter a lot more for lead gen—likely within the next year.
2. GEO isn’t just for search engines. We’ll be shocked—shocked—if you don’t have an AI agent in the next 5 years. That agent will be trained on both your internal documents and your website. And if your website content isn’t GEO-ready, your agent won’t be nearly as helpful as you’d like.

So yes, you can ignore GEO… for now. But can you ignore it a month from now? Six months? A year?

Again, probably not.

SEO and GEO Together

Here’s the good news: This isn’t a “choose one” situation. SEO still works for traditional search. GEO works for AI-generated search. If you’re already putting effort into SEO, adding GEO is the next logical step.

More good news: Optimizing for GEO is just as easy as optimizing for SEO.

Both SEO and GEO help your credit union show up where members are looking. SEO brings people to your site. GEO puts your credit union’s name in the AI-generated answers they see first… which is especially important for AI agents acting on your credit union’s behalf.

The best strategy is to do both.

You don’t have to overhaul a thing. In fact, you barely need to tweak your content approach at all. So yes, search is changing, but it’s really easy to prepare for.

How to Get Started with GEO

Not to be glib, but you’ve already started! Just learning about what it is and how credit unions can use it is a great first step.

The best first step is to get your GEO score from Senso. It shows how well you’re doing with GEO already (and compares you with peers).

If you’re looking for more first steps—second steps, if you will—we’d be happy to help.

Join our Fintech Call Program, where we help with tech scouting on solutions that meet your goals.

The post SEO vs. GEO: What Credit Union Marketers Should Know appeared first on CU 2.0.

Digital marketing brings in traffic, but getting that traffic to convert—whether it’s opening an account, applying for a loan, or signing up for a new service—can be challenging. Many credit unions still rely on broad, one-size-fits-all marketing strategies that might not speak to what members actually need.

Marketing automation helps solve this problem. Instead of manually tracking engagement and sending out mass promotions, marketing automation platforms allow credit unions to create personalized, behavior-driven outreach.

This approach ensures members get relevant information when they need it—without overwhelming marketing teams with extra work. Read on to learn more about what marketing automation is, how it works, and what it can do for your credit union.

The Role of Marketing Automation in Digital Marketing

Credit unions use multiple channels to reach members, from social media and email to digital ads and content marketing.

But simply having these channels isn’t enough.

Most website visitors leave without taking action, and many promotional emails get ignored. In fact, the average website conversion rate is just 2.5–3%. Without a follow-up strategy, most of those visitors won’t come back.

Marketing automation changes that by keeping the conversation going.

When a visitor browses auto loan rates but doesn’t apply, marketing automation can send them helpful content about car buying or a reminder to check current loan offers. If a member clicks on a credit card promotion but doesn’t complete the application, the system can follow up with additional details or a special incentive.

This automated engagement helps members get the right information at the right time—without requiring marketing teams to manually track every interaction.

Moreover, you can manage all that (and see how leads respond) from a single dashboard.

What Marketing Automation Can Do That Manual Outreach Can’t

Traditional marketing efforts often rely on broad messaging. A credit union might send the same auto loan offer to every member, even those who aren’t looking for a car. Imagine sending a HELOC offer to someone who rents, or a premium credit card offer to a member with a 500 FICO…

This approach wastes resources and risks frustrating members with irrelevant messaging.

Marketing automation refines this process by using behavioral data to determine what each member is actually interested in. If a member consistently reads mortgage-related articles, the system can prioritize home loan offers for them. If someone engages with small business banking content, they can receive targeted outreach about business accounts or lending solutions.

Automation also makes it possible to create drip campaigns, where a series of emails or messages guide members through a decision-making process. For example, a new member might receive a welcome email introducing the credit union’s mobile banking app, followed by tips on setting up direct deposit, and then a personalized offer for a savings account.

By tracking how members interact with emails, websites, and digital ads, marketing automation ensures that the next message they receive is always relevant to their interests.

Lead Scoring and Behavior-Based Outreach

Another key advantage of marketing automation is lead scoring. Lead scoring is a system that assigns points based on how engaged a member is.

Members who open emails, click on offers, or visit specific pages gain higher scores, signaling that they may be ready for outreach.

For example, if a member searches for “best credit union car loans” and visits an auto loan page, their lead score increases. If they later check out a blog about car buying tips, their score goes up again. If they click through on an email offer, their score rises once more. At a certain threshold, they might receive a personalized email about current auto loan promotions or even a direct follow-up from a loan officer.

This approach helps credit unions focus their efforts on the members most likely to act, rather than sending the same messages to everyone.

Who Benefits from Marketing Automation?

Both credit unions and their members see benefits from marketing automation. Here’s how:

Members receive personalized, helpful information instead of generic promotions, making their experience more relevant and engaging. They get support in their financial journey without feeling like they’re being constantly sold to.

For credit unions, automation makes marketing more efficient and cost-effective. Instead of sending out generic offers, credit unions can rely on data-driven insights. The result is better conversion rates, stronger member relationships, and a more streamlined approach to outreach.

Consolidating Marketing Tools for Efficiency

When it comes to digital marketing, credit unions suffer the same issue facing many other organizations.

Namely, there are too many tools and platforms to deal with.

You might be juggling any number of these things:

• Email marketing platform
• Social media management and scheduling tool
• Credit union CRM
• Google Analytics or other website traffic and behavior tracking
• SMS communications platform
• Chatbot
• Form builder

In many cases, marketing automation brings these functions together into a single platform, reducing complexity and improving efficiency. Instead of juggling multiple systems, marketing teams can see all member interactions in one place, making it easier to build effective campaigns.

Is Marketing Automation Right for Your Credit Union?

Adopting marketing automation requires an upfront investment in technology and strategy, but the long-term benefits are tremendous.

Credit unions that implement automation see improved engagement, higher conversion rates, and more effective marketing overall. We’ve also seen firsthand how marketing automation can improve new member onboarding and reduce churn and dormancy rates through the first year.

Traditional marketing still has its place, but automation ensures that credit unions are delivering the right messages to the right members at the right time. It’s a smarter, more efficient way to market—and it’s quickly becoming a necessity in an increasingly digital world.

For credit unions looking to modernize their marketing efforts, automation is a valuable tool that can make member engagement more effective and meaningful.

Our favorite provider of marketing automation services for credit unions is Total Expert. We’ve partnered with them for years. You can learn more about them here:

The post What Credit Union Marketing Automation Is and Why It Matters appeared first on CU 2.0.

The goal of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is to improve and manage interactions with members. CRMs help credit unions manage member information, track interactions, and facilitate communication.

This includes capturing member details, tracking leads, recording transactions, and segmenting members based on their preferences or behaviors. CRMs help credit unions organize and manage their member data in a centralized system, making it easier to deliver personalized service and targeted marketing campaigns.

In many ways, you can think of a CRM as a basic “single source of truth” for any given member. There may be better tools to accomplish this—or better tools to encourage credit unions to take the next step, whether marketing, sales, or communication—but CRMs are classic sales and marketing platforms for a reason.

If you’re looking to improve your credit union’s sales and marketing capabilities, a CRM is potentially a great tool. It can help you build and maintain strong, lasting relationships with members while also helping you grow.

Download this guide here:

CRM Trends and Statistics

1. A complete view of each member.

In a world of digital-first banking, the relationship between credit union and member has changed. Now, “knowing” your member doesn’t mean greeting them by name when they enter the branch—it means having a complete view of the member’s data.

CRMs provide a better understanding of each member. They’ll show member history and engagement. They’ll also show what products each member has, which they’re eligible for, and what they might need next. Finally, they’ll show you how to help the members along in their financial journeys.

These technologies are critical in understanding members, individually.

2. Increased marketing and sales support.

Most members use other financial services. They might use Venmo for P2P payments, Robinhood for investments, and American Express for a credit card.

You may have competing products, but your members may not know. If you want to compete against other financial institutions and fintechs, you need to give your marketing and sales a shot in the arm. CRMs improve sales by helping you identify and act on opportunities. At their core, CRMs will help you understand each member’s financial system and product mix, allowing you to see what else they may need. Ultimately, if used well, they’ll boost your revenue and bottom line.

3. Tying together a fractured product landscape.

CRMs help credit unions bring all your products and services together under one roof. If you want to help a member with a vehicle refinance—and then help them with GAP insurance—a CRM will ensure that the member will be aware of everything you can offer them.

And if that member starts on your website, then moves to your app, and maybe explores other products along the way, then a CXM will ensure that the whole experience is seamless and branded. (As credit unions rely more and more on fintechs and CUSOs to provide products and services, CXMs become increasingly attractive.)

Download other credit union vendor guides here!

Evaluation Strategies

There are a lot of CRMs out there, and it might be hard to find the right one for your credit union. If you’re deciding between a few options, these questions and considerations may help you narrow down the field to find the best fit.

Security and Compliance

Does the CRM meet or exceed your security and compliance standards? Is it well positioned to meet emerging ones as well?

Industry-Specific Features

Does the product come with functions tailored to community financial institutions? More importantly, does it come with functions tailored to credit unions?

Customized Workflows

Does the solution come with prebuilt and/or customizable workflows? Is it suited to work with loan origination and processing, account opening and closing, and financial product management?

Integrations

Will the solution integrate with your tech stack? Will it play nice with your core, your loan origination platforms, etc.? Is the CRM already connected to other products in your ecosystem, or will it require manual integrations?

Reporting and Analytics

Some CRMs are incredibly basic, while others have a suite of customized report, analytics, and visualization tools that assist with marketing, member engagement, and more. What do you need? And what will the CRM provide?

Support and Training

Does the provider offer training? How much? Can you be sure that your credit union will get the most out of the solution or will you be left on your own?

Ease of Use

One of the main reasons why CRMs don’t work or get abandoned is because teams don’t use them. Is the CRM easy to use?

Download this and other Credit Union Guides here.

Fintech Categorizations

Most fintechs fit into 3 categories:

1. Those that want to steal your lunch. These are generally direct competitors or short-time partners that reduce your share of the member’s wallet.
2. Those that want to sell you lunch. These fintechs will provide you and your members a service, and they’ll charge you the same whether it’s successful or not.
3. Those that want to share lunch with you. Some fintech financial success is contingent on their product success, so they’re uniquely incentivized to ensure good outcomes for partnered credit unions.

Generally, CU 2.0 recommends looking into fintechs that want to share lunch (and avoiding those that want to steal your lunch), but there are good partners across the spectrum.

Credit union CRMs don’t fall into the typical Steal, Sell, and Share categories. Accordingly, we’ve omitted this section of the guide in favor of including more information about the vendors’ focus on credit unions.

CRM and CXM Fintech Ratings

Rating Methodology

CU 2.0’s rating methodology attempts to score fintechs based on the 4 most important factors for credit unions:

• Income statement: (1) Non-interest income and/or deposits, (2) interest income, (3) both
• Balance sheet: (1) Deposits, (2) loans, (3) both
• Member impact: By members affected: (1) 1–33%, (2) 33 – 66%, (3) 66–100% and/or memberization
• Employee impact: (1) Improves workflows, (2) automates some, (3) automates a lot

We score each category above on a scale of 1 to 3 according to the scale above, with scores of 0 indicating that the solution has no known impact. Additionally, in some guides, providers will have very similar scores.

Our ratings don’t necessarily correlate to quality, nor do they suggest which solution is best for you.

Fintechs with higher scores aren’t automatically better, or a better fit, for your credit union and members. Additionally, please note that these ratings are estimations based on our understanding of the product or service.

The following development first are listed alphabetically. Trusted solutions are highlighted with an asterisk—these are fintechs that CU 2.0 has vetted personally.

Please note that these ratings may be updated as we include more data and more complex variables. The ratings are estimates—your credit union could see a different level of impact than listed in this guide.

Did we miss a fintech? Please let us know at info@cu-2.com

Recommendations

Choosing the right fintech partners is never as easy of a decision as we’d like. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions. However, we’ve worked closely with Datava for several years to ensure that their CRM is not just CU-ready, but CU-optimized. Their CRM also fits well in their range of other CU-specific products.

Consequently, we recommend including Datava in your shortlist, especially if you have interest in other Datava products or services.

Similarly, Nook is a CUSO that partners with our favorite generic CRM, Hubspot (which does have a CU-specific product), to ensure that credit unions get optimal benefit and ROI, as well as guidance, optimization, and deals.

Accordingly, we also recommend including Nook in your shortlist, especially if you’re interested in using Hubspot or prefer a standalone CRM option.

At CU 2.0, we discover, research, and work with fintechs all day, every day. Often, we’ll have unique insights about a company’s product, team, or operations that won’t show up on a sales sheet.

So, although we can’t give blanket recommendations through a downloadable guide, we can do something even better. Book a 30-minute consultation with us at no cost here:

Join our fintech call program

Each quarter, we’ll review and discuss fintechs you’re looking at. We’ll also introduce other fintechs that may be of interest!

Download this guide here:

The post Credit Union CRM and CXM Guide appeared first on CU 2.0.

In credit unions, this is especially true. Should you start with developing an indirect dealer network? What about creating a product as a rate leader? Should you start by putting your name up on a stadium or running a certificate promotion?

What should credit union executives focused on growth do first?

That’s easy: understand their members.

Buckle up, because we’re about to shed some light on how data can power credit union member engagement. And that’s without having to hire new analysts or data scientists.

We’ll also highlight how Vertice AI, a fast-growing fintech, is using their turnkey member engagement platform to deliver data-driven, personalized targeting to members. Their platform increases member wallet share and enterprise-wide reporting, allowing their credit union partners to understand members’ needs and direct engagement efforts better than ever before.

Level-Set on Credit Union Member Engagement and Marketing

Most of the time when people hear “marketing,” they think social media, emails, flashy commercials, and big budgets.

However, marketing, at its core, is about nudging people to make decisions that help an organization or community reach its goals.

And marketing accomplishes its goals (and achieves positive ROI) by delivering:

• The right message
• To the right person
• At the right time

And, yes, that might mean TikTok, or SEO optimization, or a billboard on the side of a highway… eventually. But the first step is understanding both who’s in the market for your product and the size of this audience. From this, you can determine budget and tactics.

Similarly, “marketing” is a large umbrella that also includes credit union member engagement. If you can engage your members, you can market to them. If you can’t… you can’t.

So, to turn credit union data into marketing, you need a member engagement platform.

And that’s where Vertice AI comes in.

Introducing Vertice AI

Vertice AI falls into several of the categories of fintechs that we keep an eye on: cloud-based, AI-powered, and credit union-focused.

The goal of Vertice AI is to help credit unions know which products and services each member needs and when. In other words, they help credit unions tend to each member and help them grow throughout their financial journey. Right product at the right time.

In short, Vertice AI helps credit unions evolve their marketing member engagement strategies. Instead of best guesses, Vertice AI accesses member data to provide precision answers.

Their strategy for marketing to members is simple:

1. Know. Vertice AI uses the data credit unions already have, to understand where each member is today and quantify their member potential for growth.
2. Grow. Then, they use AI to predict the ideal member product journey and recommend the best-fit products, channel of engagement and tactic for product adoption along the way. (Because AI is helping to steer this ship, the “ideal journey” will be updated constantly with new data.)
3. Measure. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Vertice AI ensures that every action of member growth is evaluated for effectiveness—and that future efforts achieve similar or better results.

As of this writing, Vertice AI is working with close to a dozen credit unions and quickly growing. Their fast success shows just how important data-driven credit union member engagement is today.

Vertice AI helps credit unions grow their member relationships—and relationship value—reliably.

Want to see what it looks like in action? Here’s a little teaser:

Additional Resources

Like what you’ve seen so far? Sign up for our Fintech Call Program and get a personalized, 30-minute call each quarter. We’ll discuss the latest technologies and solutions, make key introductions, and offer early access to events, giveaways, and more!

And of course, please subscribe to our blog (if you haven’t already)!

The post Vertice AI’s Data-Driven Credit Union Member Engagement Platform appeared first on CU 2.0.

If you’re on the first page for a given query—or in the top 3 results—you’re doing well. If you’re not, you effectively don’t exist.

But today, you compete with other credit unions, banks, and fintechs. Most or all of them put a lot of effort into marketing…

Especially content marketing.

What Is SEO for Credit Unions?

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the strategy of improving the quantity and quality of visitors to your website. There are several ways to do this, including:

• Speeding up your website,
• Making things easier to find, and
• Posting useful information.

The last one is the most important for SEO. People need a reason to visit your website. Maybe it’s financial advice, or maybe it’s a financial calculator.

Whatever content you post, it must be valuable to current or prospective members. It must be worth reading for them.

Moreover, that content must be optimized for search engines as well as for people. SEO content for credit unions is characterized by some of the following:

• Minimum length (usually ~350 words);
• Repeated inclusion of keywords (such as “mortgage rates” or “used car loans”); and
• Calls to action (i.e. links to additional information, links to loan applications, etc.)

Your credit union may have the best rates around. Yet, if you’re stuck on the second page of search engine results, nobody will know it. Using content marketing and SEO optimization will help you get seen.

SEO Optimization Has Changed

The world of content marketing changes quickly. Back in the “old days,” SEO was easy. You could stuff a bunch of keywords into a short article and watch it land on the first page of Google. Now, there are hundreds of factors that affect visibility.

Some people will tell you that they know the perfect trick to inbound marketing and SEO. They might tell you it’s having the right keywords or a longer article. Sure, those help. They might also tell you it’s all about backlinks, or about including enough images or other media. Or maybe it’s about website performance. Or it’s about page and site traffic.

It’s all of the above.

And it’s enough to make almost anyone tear their hair out trying to learn what to do. Credit union SEO and content marketing isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.

The Four Cs of Credit Union Content Marketing

Some things haven’t changed, and content is still king. But that’s not to say that any content is good—it’s not. It has to be relevant, useful, informative content.

And it has to use the right keywords.

All other credit union SEO tips aren’t worth a thing if without good keywords. Sure, you might rank for something. But will you rank for the right thing? Unlikely.

Fortunately, our four Cs of content will help you create better SEO keywords.

1.    Competition

Fintechs, banks, and other credit unions offer the same products. So, they’ll use the same basic product keywords that you do. If you’re not sure which keywords those are, start here.

For example, if you’re marketing your new low home loan rates, you might consider developing content for “mortgage” or “mortgages.”

Don’t stop there, though. Your members might not use the term “mortgages.” Use common synonyms such as “home loan” to increase your visibility further.

2.    Customer

“Short tail” keywords like “mortgage” are broad and will compete with dictionaries, national providers, and Wikipedia. Adding a longer “tail” to your keyword will help you show up to your target audience.

Think about who the customer is and what they want. In this case, “customer” means “member.” Sorry.

Are they time-home buyers? Are they low income? Upsizing? Are they retirement age, or are they Millennials?

Instead of writing about “mortgages,” you might try “first time mortgages.”

3.    Customization

Think about what your credit union can provide that others can’t. Can you approve mortgages faster than anyone else? Are your rates lower? Sometimes, even a generic adjective like “best” will do the trick if it uses common search terminology.

Continue differentiating your content through this kind of customization. “Best first time mortgages” ensures you won’t have to compete against dictionaries and encyclopedias.

4.    Convenience

Another financial institution might have better mortgage rates than you, but that won’t help your member if they’re halfway across the country. Your location is a key differentiator.

Your members will get their mortgage wherever it’s most convenient, and often, that means locally. Add in language that indicates your city, region, state, or community. For example, “best first time mortgages in Oregon” will get noticed by better qualified prospective home buyers nearby.

As a bonus, if you add your location, Google understands that when people add “near me” to the end of their searches!

Creating Good Content for Marketing

The four Cs of credit union content marketing are a great first step toward SEO for credit unions. But that’s just the beginning. Following the four Cs will help you target eligible prospects by turning “short tail” keywords into “long tail” keywords.

But you still have to create the content. And your content has to deliver on its promise. If your readers want to see the “best first time mortgages in Oregon,” then you need to feature exactly that.

There’s a lot to keep track of in SEO optimization:

• Backlinks
• Additional media
• Page and site views
• Article length
• Site speed and safety

And those are just the big ones. There’s a staggering amount to keep track of. Just remember:

Your content should be high quality. It should answer any pertinent questions. It should be honest, trustworthy, and transparent. It should assist your target audience with their needs.

Your content should not deceive them. If your content is misleading, people will catch on fast, and they’ll be angry about it. You don’t want that kind of publicity about a product or service that you’re trying to market.

Additional Resources for Credit Union Content Marketing

Content marketing works. It works well. But if you’re just starting out, it can be daunting. Content strategies are complicated, living things.

Sharing content daily can ensure high visibility and engagement. However, creating consistent, useful content is a big job. Here are a few good options for producing content:

• Put someone in charge of content;
• Have them use blogs, video, infographics, and interactive tools;
• Be patient!

Content can take months to be fully effective, but it can remain effective for years. (We first wrote this blog 4 years ago. This is our third edit of it.)

Remember to distribute your content across as many channels as possible: email, social media, your banking app… Part of SEO optimization is making sure your content gets seen!

Finally:

SEO optimization for credit unions will provide value to your credit union, but more importantly, it’ll provide value to your members. You’re writing for them, not just for yourself.

Additional Resources

Like what you’ve seen so far? Sign up for our Fintech Call Program and get a personalized, 30-minute call each quarter. We’ll discuss the latest technologies and solutions, make key introductions, and offer early access to events, giveaways, and more!

And of course, please subscribe to our blog (if you haven’t already)!

The post Credit Union SEO Optimization Tips for Content Marketing appeared first on CU 2.0.

For some reason, most institutions have failed to unlock the secrets of marketing to Millennials and Gen Z. Credit unions especially have a hard time with younger groups—their average member age is 47.

Fintechs and, to a lesser extent, CUSOs, have fared better with younger demographics. Yet not all are completely in the clear. This recap should provide some insight—and some directive.

Join the next Brainstorm Event here: https://cu2.wpenginepowered.com/brainstorm-event/

1.  Generations Are Not About Age

One common misconception is that generations don’t “level up” in any way. As Gen Z gets older, they won’t turn into what Millennials are today. And as Millennials age, they won’t become Gen Xers.

Generations are about formative culture, context, and period. Millennials will always be known for their quirks, like not driving manual cars or killing mediocre national chains. Gen Z will be known for TikTok dances and wearing the clothes that Millennials discarded in the year 2000.

If you want to market to these demographics, you have to understand them. You can’t think about what you were like at their age—that won’t work. They’re different. They grew up in a different time with different technology and different media.

2.  Millennials Are Older Than You Think

And we’re not just saying that because Millennials are turning 40. They played outside. They grew up before cell phones were a thing, let alone smartphones. They’re raising families now. Many are the parents of teenagers.

It’s not just Millennials who are starting families. Older Gen Zers are in their mid-20s now.

Remember that you’re marketing to adults now—and adults have adult problems and require adult solutions.

3.  Digital Isn’t Everything

Yes, younger Millennials grew up with smartphones and Gen Z are digital natives. But both groups still value human interaction sometimes.

In some cases, they even prefer it. According to Gartner, 34% of teenagers prefer going to a branch instead of doing everything online or mobile.

So yes, you must consider a digital-first approach. And yes, all generations are using online and mobile banking more and more. But nearly a third of people aren’t quite ready to go fully branchless yet—there’s still something that humans bring to the table that digital can’t.

Remember that Millennials and Gen Z aren’t unilaterally in favor of a tech-forward approach… they still like connection, and they value convenience.

4.  Convenience Is Paramount

If you look at what younger generations are drawn to, it’s things like peer-to-peer (P2P) payments, cryptocurrency, and easy-to-use apps. They want what they want, and they don’t want to wait to get it.

To attract younger generations, focus on simplicity. Make your products as easy to understand as possible. Keep your website and/or app easy to navigate. Everything must be accessible… almost 24/7.

Regarding your digital (and in-person) experiences:

Don’t expect people to explore the app/website/product you’ve built… expect to guide people through it.

5.  Practical. Authentic. Secure.

These are words the panel used to describe younger generations. Specifically, Millennials grew up through two major economic disasters. And both Millennials and Gen Z are dealing with stagnating wages, higher housing and education costs, climate change, and civil unrest.

Their parents, grandparents, and often bosses are falling for obvious email and phone scams.

Millennials and Gen Z don’t want toys… they want practical solution to real problems. They want authentic interactions and honesty (read: no bullshit, no aggressive sales pitches). They want security, financial, digital, and otherwise.

They know the world is dangerous and chaotic. They want you to make it less so.

Don’t show off your neat features—show off your practicality.

6.  Target Parents

Many Millennials and most Gen Z folks don’t know what a credit union is or does. In addition to marketing directly to them, consider targeting a non-generational group:

Parents.

A kid’s first banking experience is usually with their parents’ organization. If you can serve parents, you can virtually guarantee that you’ll onboard their kids soon enough.

Try working with fintechs like UNest to bring in and cater to parents—and start accounts for their children.

7.  Know the Platforms

Gen Z are digital natives, but their relationship to social media is still largely social. Millennials have a healthy distrust of advertising.

When you think about where to reach these generations, don’t just think “social media.” Think about which specific platforms they use—and on which platforms they’ll listen to you.

For example, explainer videos on YouTube are great for advertising. Instagram is okay, but don’t try to do too much. Steer clear of TikTok—nobody wants to interact with brand accounts on there.

8.  Be Ready for Competition

The truth is that credit unions need Millennial and Gen Z members if they want to survive the next 20 years. And credit unions must be okay knowing that younger generations are less loyal about their financial institutions.

They’ll put their money in Acorns, Robinhood, Coinbase, a large national bank, Venmo, PayPal, and a credit union.

Credit unions will need to be okay with this, to some extent. Differentiate the credit union somehow, or as Kirk Kordeleski says: win at something.

And when you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That is, if you lack a feature, product, or ability, find a fintech, CUSO, or other vendor and get it.

9.  Understand Expectations

Younger generations grew up with already-sophisticated digital experiences. They expect credit card or loan applications to be fast and digital. They don’t want to go to the branch to open an account. If your site or app goes down, they’ll let you know.

But expectations go farther than that. Millennials and Gen Z expect more out of people, too. They skew liberal. They prioritize socially conscious, environmentally safe options. They will cut ties with organizations that merely pay lip service to or (actively work against) their values.

Some call it “cancel culture,” but they call it “accountability culture.”

When marketing to Millennials and Gen Z, be honest. If they feel that you don’t have their best interests at heart, you will lose them for life.

More About Marketing to Millennials and Gen Z

There’s so much to keep track of when marketing to these generations that we won’t try to cover it all. But the general themes are these:

• Have their best interests at heart—they can smell a self-serving sales pitch a mile away.
• Make things fast and convenient—they don’t want to waste time.
• Don’t condescend—they’re adults with families, not spoiled kids.
• They’re not a monolith—they may prefer digital, but many still value human connection.

But the bottom line is this: If you really want to know how to market to Millennials and Gen Z, ask them!

Run focus groups. Constantly. Things will change. And we’re not all the same.

The post Marketing to Millennials and Gen Z appeared first on CU 2.0.

Fortunately, things are starting to open back up again. In some places, the world looks eerily normal. And marketing now is less about keeping the ship afloat and more about picking up more passengers again. It’s time to get in front of your members once more.

So, how do we market in a post-Covid world? Here are a few ideas.

1.    Create a Credit Union Facebook Group

Groups and pages are very different beasts. Facebook pages are designed to help businesses build audiences, create advertising campaigns, and track ROI. In short, they’re all about selling to people—and they cost a lot of money.

On the other hand, groups are about building community. You can’t advertise in groups, and you can’t track the ROI of your activity there. However, you can rest assured knowing that your posts get a lot more organize reach—and people feel more invited to participate in discussions.

Don’t think of groups as a place to sell. Rather, think of them as a place to establish and strengthen relationships with members and your community. That is worth something.

2.    Go Back to College

If they qualify for membership, consider tabling at the local community college or university at the beginning of each new term. It’s a fantastic place to build awareness—and with a desirable member segment, too.

College students just entering campus are young adults in need of financial guidance. They may be new to the area, and they’ll probably be around for at least 4 years. Not only do you get new, younger members, but you provide them a sense of belonging in their new locale… and all the other benefits that credit unions offer.

When you’re tabling, remember that people love free swag. Don’t just tell people you’re around! Give them a free canvas shopping bag, pens for the semester, or something else useful that they can remember you by.

Credit union marketing strategies frequently leave out younger demographics. Don’t make that mistake!

3.    Gamification and Rewards

Be honest: how much is a member worth to you if they have only a checking account? More importantly, how much is that account worth the member?

Gamifying membership doesn’t have to be difficult. Is an account complete with just a checking account? Or a savings account? Adding a credit card, opting into eStatements, and setting up overdraft protection might also be on the roadmap. A little progress bar toward “account completion” is one heck of a motivator.

And as for rewards? Reward members as they complete their accounts. Plus, a little kickback from a local grocery store, a few cents back per gallon at the pump, or other little ways to incentivize using your credit union’s card will go a long way. Members will appreciate your looking out for them.

4.    Marketing Automation

Here’s the truth of the matter:

You’re going to schedule social media posts. You might even pay for social advertising. You’re going to send marketing emails. You’re going to track member behavior online. You might create landing pages, make video calls, or add a chatbot to your site.

Marketing automation can handle all of that. Plus, if your credit union is serious about sales, you’ll get a full CRM, too.

Marketing automation allows you to handle all of the above (and more) in less time, with fewer people, and with a single tool.

5.    Host Challenges

If social media has taught us anything, it’s that everyone loves a good challenge. The ice bucket challenge, lip dubs, Harlem Shake videos, TikTok dances…

People don’t need a reason to enjoy a challenge—they’ll happily join on their own. And you may just completely boost your member engagement.

But if you do want to provide a reason, think about what kind of challenge you’d want to host. Who can make the best credit union meme? Who can create the best credit union TikTok? Who can donate the most cans of food to the food bank? All of these challenges offer member engagement, content or action for the credit union, and awareness for the community.

Then, think about prizes that fit. The prizes should benefit the member, the credit union, and the community at large, if possible.

Further Reading

Credit union marketing is going to be very different in the near future as we all continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. Compassion and empathy are paramount. Sales and profit should come second to ensuring people are happy, healthy, and comfortable.

But we all have jobs to do. And marketing is one of those jobs.

Some of these marketing tips can be used immediately. Others might have to wait until the world reopens for business as usual. In the meantime, we hope you stay safe and stay healthy.

Subscribe to our blog for more fun ideas. Or see if marketing automation makes sense for you here.

Credit Union Marketing in the Digital Age

What Does Marketing Automation for Credit Unions Cost?

The post Credit Union Marketing Tips for 2021 and Beyond appeared first on CU 2.0.

Do you ever wonder if your credit union members are using Yelp? We can answer that for you:

Yes. They are.

Here’s why you should pay attention… and why you should use it, too.

Why Credit Unions Should Use Yelp

It doesn’t matter if your credit union doesn’t want to be on Yelp. It’s on there. And anyone with an experience or an opinion about your credit union will be more than happy to take to their keyboards to share about it. At the very least, they’ll rate you (1-5 stars, Yelp style).

Getting listed on a social media page without your go-ahead might be annoying. Yelp is basically a “Ranker” or “Hot or Not” for local businesses. Unfortunately, your credit union will be visible there no matter what you want.

With that in mind, it’s best to work with it, not against it. And in so doing, you very well may do your credit union some favors. What kind of favors, you ask?

• Gain critical member feedback. It’s no member survey, but you can learn a lot about how your credit union’s member experience from its Yelp reviews. Credit union Yelp comments won’t always be useful, but there can be some helpful stuff in there. And just think of your star review as an easy-to-understand NPS score.
• Use it for marketing. There’s a very good chance that every prospective member who walks through your door or visits your website will check your credit union out on Yelp. Working with Yelp instead of ignoring it can really help your digital marketing efforts.
• Connect with your community. Yelp offers you the chance to speak with dissatisfied or attriting members, giving you the opportunity to turn things around. It also lets you thank or respond to good reviews and happy members. Or, if you see misinformation listed about your credit union, Yelp will let you dispute it. Either way, interacting with your community is a great way to reinforce your brand on social media.

And while member engagement is very important, it’s nowhere near as important as what it does for advertising. If you want to grow your credit union, Yelp will help people make decisions for which institution to join, or which branch to visit.

How to Get Started with Yelp

Most of us are probably used to using Yelp to make sure a restaurant will be worth it. My wife, for instance, will read every Yelp review before choosing a place. On the other hand, I’m happy to try anything, and if it’s a lousy experience, lesson learned. But she isn’t quite as willing to put herself through that. And she’s not alone; many prospective members are the same way about their next institution. (Probably because the “steaks” are higher. Ha ha!)

Yelp is a huge part of your credit union’s digital marketing presence. In the restaurant industry, each additional star increases sales by 5-10%. That’s a huge impact on those organizations. The same exact numbers may not be true for credit unions, but the concept is the same. People looking to join a financial institution want to make the right choice about who they’ll trust with their money. And they’ll probably trust strangers’ experience on Yelp more than ads from your marketing department…

So, how do you set up Yelp?

1. Claim your Yelp page

First, claim your Yelp page. If your credit union has only one branch, you’ll need to claim only one location. If you have several branches, you’ll need to claim them all. When you do claim a business on Yelp, you’re telling Yelp you’re in charge, you’re going to respond to feedback, etc. Claiming each branch individually gives you better insight about how each branch is performing… and it ensures that any low-ranking branches or negative feedback apply only to that branch, rather than to your entire credit union. (You can still highlight positive feedback into social media and other marketing channels.)

The challenge with claiming each branch is that each location requires a unique phone number and address. You can validate that you’re the owner by phone, but a lot of times we don’t know which phone is going to answer at that branch, so plan it out and make sure your branch managers are ready to validate.

If you don’t want to use the phone, Yelp will send postcards to each branch. This is just as difficult, but it’s an option.

2. Add your influencers

Once you’ve gotten your branches set up on Yelp, it’s time to add influencers. Influencers can be anybody who is familiar with your brand. These people might be basic employees, board members, or some of your favorite members. Ask them to write a quick review about one of your branches.

Of course, Yelp’s algorithms are pretty good at filtering out fake reviews, so don’t go full-on shill. And certainly don’t spam! But it’s helpful and perfectly okay to have a few people on your team exert their presence. They can be as bold as to say, “I’m a branch member or board member. I use this branch all the time and here are my three favorite things about it.”

There’s a chance it could get filtered out, but your members may still see it.

3. Engage your members

Encourage your members to engage. Put up Yelp stickers in the branch. Hold a contest: “Write your best Yelp review! We’ll give a special prize.” Promote it on social media. At the end of the day, the more reviews you get, the better off you are. Even the number of reviews your credit union gets on Yelp make you look good.

Once you have those reviews, keep trying to get more stars. See if your Yelp rating across branches gives you any major insight. Do higher-rated branches get more inbound members? Are the members at lower-rated branches less profitable? Just remember that Yelp reviews and performance may be correlative, but they’re probably not causative.

4. Reinforce the decision through other channels

Use your Yelp reviews to educate prospective members about your value. Yelp is an amazing marketing tool, and you’re represented on there already. You might as well own it, try to improve your ratings, and use your reviews in marketing content, social media, your newsletter, and so on.

Use your members’ reviews as testimonials. Let members tell the story of how great you’ve done. People are more likely to trust other members than they are a marketing team. And as you do that, you start to create a positive validation loop.

Recap and Additional Reading

Here are the main takeaways:

• Your credit union’s social media efforts need to include Yelp
• Each branch location should have its own identity on Yelp
• Monitor reviews and communicate with members (especially when it’s negative)
• Tie your validation back into your social media an your content to create digitally memorable experiences for your members

Not only is Yelp great for marketing, but it also makes it easy for Google and your members to find your locations, hours, and contact info. In conclusion, Yelp is definitely worth your time.

Want to hear more about credit union marketing and social media? Subscribe to our blog!

Or, see how we help credit unions leverage content and social media to create stronger brand experiences with marketing automation.

The post Your Credit Union Should Use Yelp appeared first on CU 2.0.

Marketing automation is the obvious next step for credit union marketing departments. It helps to reduce member churn, engage members, and identify member needs and behavior.

You might be asking yourself, “Is that something my credit union can afford?”

The answer is almost certainly “yes.” Let’s look at the cost of marketing automation for credit unions.

Marketing Automation Costs for Credit Unions

In addition to the monthly software subscription and support, the base cost of marketing automation covers setup and a few basic goodies to get you started:

• Email setup
• Social media management setup
• Lead scoring
• List imports
• Persona development
• First campaign setup and deployment

The cost of marketing automation for credit unions increases depending on what else is needed. Here’s what might affect the price of CU 2.0’s solution:

• Monthly email design and delivery
• Monthly tune-up of lead scores
• Quarterly product or service campaign design and delivery
• List management
• Nurture campaign development and optimization
• Content creation and revision
• Landing page design
• Form automation

Marketing automation can also replace existing software and tools. For example, our platform can consolidate your email marketing platform, your social media management app, and your CRM to offer cost savings.

But knowing what affects the cost isn’t the same as knowing the cost…

The Actual Cost of Marketing Automation

We can’t speak for other vendors (although we’ve seen some very high prices for very minimal services. I mean, seriously, thousands of dollars per month for… just the platform. Because of email list sizes or something). From CU 2.0, you can expect three basic tiers of service.

1.    Silver

The Silver tier of automation ensures that your organization is set up and ready to hit the ground running. We work with your marketing department to make sure you know the ins and outs of the platform. Plus, we’ll get you started with a basic campaign right off the bat.

One-time setup: $3,000

Monthly fee: $600

2.    Gold

The Gold tier of automation provides much more ongoing support. This tier is for busy departments that need a little extra help to develop new campaigns—and consistently optimize old ones. At this level, you can expect a lot more hands-on support.

One-time setup: $5,000

Monthly fee: $2,500

3.    Platinum

The Platinum tier of automation is like a whole inbound marketing team in a box. This option includes custom content creation, complex automation sequences, and our secret recipe to the whole enchilada. (Enchiladas not included, but other perks are.)

One-time setup: $10,000

Monthly fee: $5,000

There is always room for a bespoke solution that fits your particular needs. Pricing will depend on what it is your credit union needs.

While most marketing automation platforms offer outstanding training and support, it can still sound overwhelming. Considering the implications on time and productivity during adoption and conversion, one might ask, why switch at all?

Staying Relevant

Things move quickly in the world of technology and finance. Disruption is the new normal. Credit union marketing departments need every edge they can get to stay in touch with their members.

Being able to reach the right people with the right offers at the right time is critical. Marketing automation ensures that your members—both prospective and current—don’t slip through the cracks. Staying in front of members and continuing to provide value gets easier with automation. Formerly tedious projects become background functions.

Plus, having one person do the work of several sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

Further Reading

Marketing automation for credit unions is—and will continue to be—the new standard for member engagement strategies. Plus, the cost of moving to automated marketing is minimal. In some cases, it may even save your credit union money while expanding its capabilities.

Subscribe to our blog to learn more about content marketing, social media strategy, and marketing automation for credit unions.

You can also learn more about marketing automation here.

The post What Does Marketing Automation for Credit Unions Cost? appeared first on CU 2.0.

Too many credit unions focus on member acquisition at the expense of attrition. Once they find a new member, they stop thinking about that member as a new lead. They miss opportunities to drive deeper engagement in new and existing members. There should be a seamless transition from acquisition-oriented marketing to upselling and cross-selling account types, credit cards, and other products and services.

Instead, those new members receive the same marketing treatment as members who’ve been around for years. The new member may want a credit card or help with retirement planning. Yet, if they’re not introduced to these services, they may not find them—or they might find a competitor’s offerings. That means they’ve already got one foot out the door…

Why Credit Union Member Attrition Matters

It costs most credit unions over $400 to acquire a new member. Those members generate between $100–200 each in revenue per year. But with 25% member churn in the first year—and with an average attrition rate of 11%—more than 40% of new accounts will leave before they become profitable.

You can’t grow your credit union if members leave as quickly as they come in. Any credit union growth strategy that doesn’t address member attrition will be anticlimactic. Your growth campaign should also take special care to accommodate new members and guide them to relevant services. Getting early engagement and buy-in will decrease the likelihood of early member churn.

To better illustrate this principle, let’s look at how balancing acquisition and attrition is a little like a romantic relationship. The idea is to build something meaningful and important. And, to do so, you have to commit effort across all stages of courtship. Here’s how:

Credit Union Member Acquisition Strategy

Credit unions targeting growth must reach new members. It’s the most important aspect of growth. If you don’t acquire new members, you don’t grow. Simple as that.

For credit union growth, you have to make yourself look like the best option out there to prospective members. During these early stages of a relationship, your efforts are about looking good, trustworthy, and helpful. More importantly, you have to put yourself out there and make yourself noticeable.

Such marketing strategies must be about visibility. Show the world how great you are. And, most importantly, show prospective members that you’re ready for love a strong, mutually beneficial financial relationship. Fortunately, you’re probably already working on this. This is your marketing team’s bread and butter. You bring them in with your great rates, community involvement, and low fees. All it takes is getting the message out.

Credit Union Member Retention Strategy

So, once you’ve bewitched a prospective member into joining your credit union, what do you do? If you answered, “find another prospective member and get them to join, too!” Then congratulations! You’ve just become the equivalent of a financial Tinder fling. (Love ‘em and leave ‘em, for those who aren’t familiar with Tinder.)

Relationships don’t end after the courtship phase. If you stop paying attention to new members after they join, they’ll leave. Especially in the early stages, continue inviting them into your world. We have a couple suggestions about how to do so a little further down.

You can’t stop being your best self after the early stages of courtship. You must continue to nurture and support that relationship. Remind them why the joined with you in the first place. Help them grow and become better versions of themselves. Show them what you can offer and how you can support them through their life’s journey.

Ways to Reduce Credit Union Member Attrition

The best way to keep the flame alive is to continue giving your full effort to the relationship. When we say, “remind them why they joined with you in the first place,” we mean almost exactly that.

Especially in the first year or two after joining, you should present or recommend relevant services to your new members. There are a few ways of doing this.

#1. We use marketing automation. With marketing automation, you can steer your members through the onboarding process over any given period of time. For example, after they join, an automation platform might instruct new members to:

1. 1. Get a debit card
   2. Sign up for eStatements
   3. Open a savings account
   4. Apply for a credit card

This encourages early member engagement, which improves your relationship and makes it harder for them to leave later on. Plus, it allows for new marketing sequences and offers down the line, after they’ve become established, loyal members.

#2. You could also leverage data analytics. Vendors in the credit union space who specialize in analytics can use data to figure out which members may be about to leave so that your credit union can find a way to keep them around. Check out our data analytics providers guide to see which vendor might work for you.

#3. Try an onboarding partner or platform. Many vendors offer onboarding support to help new members. For example, Digital Onboarding provides a full onboarding experience. Other vendors, such as CU Rise, offer onboarding optimization along with their data analytics services.

As your members journey through life, you can be there to support them. Did someone just graduate from college? Let them know about your student loan consolidation program. Did a family just have a second child? Congratulate them and offer an auto loan to finance the SUV they’ll need for soccer practice. Did they have a third? Remind them you can help with a home improvement loan to add a new room or baby-proof the old deck. Keep in touch!

Member retention is just as important as member acquisition for credit unions. After all, you can’t grow your credit union if your member attrition rate is as high as (or higher than) your member acquisition rate. Remember, it’s not enough just to have members: you need engaged members.

None of the solutions listed above are mutually-exclusive. Marketing automation, analytics, and onboarding can actually complement each other.

Final Suggestions

Sometimes, marketing is as much about nurturing your existing members as it is about attracting new ones. If you want to build strong, lifelong relationships, you have to continue to show care and support… even after they’ve joined. In fact, nurturing your existing members will ensure that they stick around for the long haul.

To reduce member attrition, we like marketing automation for a couple reasons. First, it increases engagement in new members. Second, it increases engagement for existing members as well. Third, it gives marketing teams a lot more power (and a lot less work).

You can read more about marketing automation (or request a demo) here.

The post Should Credit Unions Focus on Member Acquisition or Attrition? appeared first on CU 2.0.