How Do I Get People to Join Credit Union?
Credit union executives will agree that finding new members is the best thing. It is difficult to find credit union members who aren’t applying for accounts.
Credit unions might offer a member bond, or company tie, that allows them to bring in new members simply by clicking the “Submit an Application” link. It is important to market your credit card union.
I’ve worked with large FHLB banks in the country, as well as local businesses, on search marketing.
Create a page for your city
Searching for a location can be confusing for potential members. It is rare to find a bank with a good Branch Locator even though they are located in a particular area.
Despite it being obvious, financial companies that I have worked with do not place much emphasis on neighborhoods or cities. But it can be worthwhile.
If you want to rank for credit union [city/neighborhood] searches, you must create pages for each branch, with information about the area.
If you have only one branch, you can rank for “credit union in [neighborhood]”, and “credit union near my” searches.
Create Niche Offering Pages
Prospective members often have very specific needs and requirements. You could rank for keywords such as “bank with [offering]”.
Google Suggest is a great tool to help you find ideas. Enter “[city] bank with” in the search box, and hit space to get suggestions.
You can do this with any combination or alphabet of modifiers.
Pages that match search queries are the best way to be found.
This step can be taken to the next level by using tools like SEMrush’s Keyword Explorer. It allows you to bulk-produce phrases matching search terms such as this one for “Atlanta apartments”.
Make Local Data Pages
Create resource guides to help people find and move to your city.
Google Autosuggest will help you to understand the financial terms people are searching for in your local area.
Review and Create Local Citations
You must have a Google My Business Account to be able to appear on Google Maps.
Make your brand stand out by taking it to the next level.
First, you need to create your Google My Business profile. You will need to add photos, posts, and complete listing details.
Second, ensure you verify every local business listing site that you visit to confirm your business name and address.
SEMrush’s local listing management tool can be used for quick audits.
Develop a strategy to get local reviews. Having multiple, unique, and frequent reviews on Google My Business is the best way for you to improve your visibility (aka leasing applications) on Google Maps.
Ideas from big local businesses/competitors
I don’t like brainstorming. It’s more efficient to use ideas that have been tested and proven effective.
No matter your size, you can always look to larger competitors or larger businesses for inspiration.
Credit union marketing allows you to build a list of local businesses that you feel are innovative. This can include companies from different industries.
I use SEMrush to spy on these competitors. For example, enter the URL of a competitor.
This is an example from the local automotive industry.
It may seem like a lot. But you can drill down to sort each link.
Check out local media mentions of national banks. Credit unions should be given the same attention.
You should not copy their ideas. Take the best parts of your competitors’ work and make it your own.
Participate in local blogs
No matter the size of your city, some local publishers and bloggers drive traffic to it.
A popular Curbed blog is located in Atlanta. AJC Real Estate and the Atlanta Business Chronicle are also available. You can also find real estate blogs and smaller newspapers in my area.
You should follow these blogs and soon you’ll be a regular contributor.
These links and more attention will benefit all ideas on the list. Social media users find URLs via hyperlinks.
More links to your neighbor pages, offer pages, and service pages will improve your site’s performance
Create Facebook ads that are hyperlocal
Local businesses have a distinct advantage over national brands that try to do business locally. They live in the area and are familiar with the area.
Facebook permits hyper-local advertising. While it can be tedious to set up, it can prove very efficient.
Learn how to set up hyperlocal targeting based on geography and demographics to find members interested in your area.
You can run small targeted campaigns to target multiple locations at once.
Google Search Ads
Google Search Ads are famously effective and costly. Someone who searches for “credit cooperatives in [neighborhood]”, is the best member.
But, clicking on the search button will cost you a lot.
Google Quality Score will give you an advantage.
Google will reduce your cost per search when you search for “local banks in Atlanta” as compared with Chase and Bank of America. Because your landing page matches the query better than Chase and Bank of America, this is why it’s so important.
It is not as simple to set up as Facebook. But, you can get Google Search traffic to your site if you create a hyperlocal campaign.
Display Ads from Google Hyper-Local
The Google Display Network allows local advertisers to make a positive impact.
Google offers text and banner ads in the most popular spots on the Internet.
Google will show relevant ads with low prices over unrelated ads with high bidding, but again.
These are the Top-Rated Review Sites
There are a lot of financial review websites. This will bring you traffic. It’s expensive and requires extensive research.
It’s important to identify top review sites in your local area and then list them.
Find out which websites are showing up for your brand and get to work
Google Trends, customer interviews, and SEMrush all offer options. To find the most popular people in your area, you can also check out Google Search Results.
Register on NextDoor & Local Forums
NextDoor can be found on a variety of social media websites and forums. Credit union managers have a unique opportunity to use these forums.
These networks can be very useful for financial companies. To advertise locally-owned businesses, you can sign up for an early adopter program.
Advertise in local subreddits
Reddit, a popular website, appeals to many industries. Credit union managers will find local subreddits especially interesting for two reasons.
They also serve as hubs for discussion and recommendations.
These are the best places to get started planning your move and asking local questions
They’re non-commercial and have many rules. You should get to know them before commenting on or posting about a commercial entity.
You can also visit their sidebar wiki for further research.
Contact moderators to learn more about their rules for business posting. Consider running giveaways and ads there.
*Personal aside. This is how it happened I found the local credit union that I use. Many Atlanta subreddit members praised Delta Community Credit Union.
Create a local financial Pinterest Board
People searching for financial advice in their local area will find Pinterest an excellent resource.
Use local photos, websites, and other information to get ideas. You can promote local artists, entrepreneurs, businesses, and events through your customer experience.
Identify Government Resources
Think about how you can leverage your non-profit and credit union status to get more attention. Many financial and government websites provide a link and profile.
These profiles might not bring in much traffic, but they will increase your visibility and rank in search engines and other marketing channels.
Find and Market Local Employers
All your members work somewhere. Your potential member will want to live near their job.
Locate the top employers in your area and possible sources of members. Create resource pages for them.
Offer discounts and bonuses to your members. Get in touch with those employers to talk about ways to work together, even if you aren’t interested.
Identify & Market Local Schools & Amenities
Do the same thing as with local businesses and with local employers.
Pages can be used as information hubs for schools and other neighborhood amenities.
Identify & Market Popular Customer Sources
Take into account past and present members. Consider past and current members.
Learn how to build upon that success.
Promote Local NonProfits
Non-profits have a strong offline network but a weaker online network If you are serious about your online marketing, you can cross-promote them.
Cross-promote Local Businesses
Members often visit local businesses. You can cross-promote with them if you have multiple locations, or are near your target member.
It’s a smart idea to link to your site on other websites. This will make it easier for you to succeed in your online ventures.
Use events to grab social media attention
Credit unions have a reputation for their marketing strategies. These include holiday shows, financial classes, and openings.
You can get more exposure by listing your event on multiple social media platforms
Social media hacking – Use videos that are either industry-focused or local.
The majority of social media users prefer video over text. Watch an interesting video from a local perspective.
The file can be posted directly to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Search for ways to embed the file on your website.
You can use digital referral fees for Word of Mouth
Referral fees are a major influence on credit union marketing. They are less widely distributed than digital referral codes.
To send codes manually, you can use the bit.ly link (i.e. You can use software services or your account numbers to send out codes manually. Referral codes digital are a great way for limited words to be converted to unlimited digital words.
Locate and Sponsor Local Charities
There are a few marketing benefits to sponsoring local charities.
You may be able first to get a backlink to your site. This will help your other efforts.
It is possible to tap into well-connected companies with lots of word-of-mouth potential.
To solicit reviews for your Google My Business campaign, you can also tap into your neighborhood’s goodwill.
Next steps
Credit union executives have many marketing options. You can do just a few.
Find the one that best suits your needs and budget, and give it a try. Learn from your first experience to improve.
