<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=252792808246260&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Skip to content

    12 Bank and Credit Union Marketing Ideas You Can Use Right Now!

    12 Bank and Credit Union Marketing Ideas You Can Use Right Now!
    icon

    Don't Miss An Episode, Subscribe Now

    Bank and Credit Union Marketing Ideas You Can't Pass Up!

    Credit unions and community banks are especially attractive to the average consumer because they often provide a lower-cost option for many of the same products offered by larger traditional banks. But even if potential customers may realize these local institutions have more to offer, you still need to get them in the door. 

    Here are 12 Bank and Credit Union Marketing Ideas that will help you get the visibility you need - right now!

    1) Website Easter Eggs

    In video game terminology, an Easter egg is a hidden area in a video game. Discovering these Easter eggs is always incredibly fun and intriguing to players, so consider planting a few Easter eggs on your website. For example, you can place a small icon in a well-hidden spot. By clicking on the icon, site visitors could earn a special surprise bonus when opening a new account. 

    Some FIs have also made these kinds of scavenger hunts on their Facebook pages or blogs. Be creative and have some fun themed prizes to encourage participation.

    2) Make Your Receipts Unique

    For most people, ATM receipts are basically worthless paper...and in fact, your credit union probably sees piles of them left behind regularly.  If the back of your ATM receipts are blank, you may be missing a great opportunity. Consider working with local businesses who will offer discounts on the back of the receipts. 

    For example, a local restaurant may offer 10 percent off a meal to anyone who presents a receipt coupon from your ATM. This co-branding could mean that people will consider receipts valuable again - and they'll remember that your financial institution made that discount possible.

    You can also brand your receipts with all of your social media urls to encourage people to follow you online. 

    3) Have an Annual Gatheringcredit union marketing ideas bbq image

    Since a community bank or credit union is typically an institution that is built around the local community, a gathering focused on that community can be a great way to build your presence there. Consider an annual gathering like a barbecue, a fish fry, or a picnic.

    In addition to the great food, arrange for a few fun activities. For example, a jumping castle for the kids and a trivia contest for the adults. Having some branded prizes on hand can make people get involved. After the gathering, they'll be wearing and using items with your credit union's name within the community to build even more community awareness. 

    New call-to-action

    4) Play to the Little Ones

    Busy parents who have their kids in tow when they visit the bank or credit union will be especially grateful if you have kid's treats on hand. Consider having a candy option and a non-candy option such as stickers to please even the fussiest small visitors to your credit union. Don't forget the pets, either: If your drive-up customers have a dog in the car with them, have the tellers offer to send a dog biscuit to their furry friend.

    By having something special for both parents and pet owners, your credit union will endear themselves to a significant portion of the community for only a small financial cost.

    We've also seen branches putting up simple selfie walls inside of branches and encouraging people to take pics and tag the you on social media. Also a great credit union marketing idea to help drive organic reach online. 

    5) Game Show Shenanigans

    Consider trying a few game show shenanigans to grab the interest of the local community. For example, offer cash prizes or gift cards to random people walking through the credit union doors. Perhaps certain ATM transactions could get a bonus prize, or the 100th person to use the drive-through banking option on certain days will win a prize.

    People will be intrigued and excited by these marketing moves, and the financial investment will be more than worth the huge publicity you'll generate. 

    LEARN MORE: 12 Decisive Steps to Grow Your Financial Institution

    6) Freebies For Visitors

    Whenever the word "free" appears, people get interested fast. Your freebies don't even have to be cash. Consider the draw of free food. You could even partner with a local grocery store to offer free bakery cookies all day long one day, or free hot dogs for all visitors one day.

    During the summer, consider a free ice cream or free sno-cone day. The freebies may be what gets them in the door, but your bank's friendliness and great product offerings may just be what gets them to return and open an account. 

    Consider having small tags with Facebook and Instagram account information with any free give-a-ways to help people find you and follow you online.

    7) Scavenger Hunt, Social Media Style

    If your credit union has an active social media presence, why not take advantage of that with a scavenger hunt? Post clues across multiple platforms to send people to various spots on your website. The first person to find everything can be rewarded with a mystery cash prize or some other valuable prize.

    Be sure to make retweets and reposts part of the process for the maximum visibility for your credit union. We also ask fun questions with inspiring images and then reply to every single comment in order to drive more organic reach.

    8) Street Marketing With Style

    Street marketing can be something fairly simple. One thing that tends to get a lot of attention: Hidden cash. Consider placing small plastic Easter eggs in well-concealed spots throughout the community. Add some cash, along with a small flyer that prompts the finder to stash that found money in an account at your credit union. 

    9) Give the Drive Through Something Extra

    The drive through can be a fun place to mount some unique marketing plans. Consider, for example, hiring a dance troupe to do mini performances for the people waiting in line. You could also have someone in the drive through line wash vehicle windows for waiting customers. It makes the wait a lot more bearable and will get people talking about your credit union.

    10) Enroll in a Rewards Programcredit union marketing ideas credit card image

    One of the best ways to pique the interest of both existing and potential clients is to offer a rewards program. If your credit union enrolls in a rewards program, your customers will get rewards just for shopping with their debit or credit card. Even when the reward is a relatively small one - for example a few cents off per gallon of gas - people appreciate it. This is a great marketing strategy because people are always looking for ways to get more for their money, and a rewards program from your credit union gives them exactly that. 

    11) Run a Member Testimonial Contest

    We run social media member testimonial contest annually for most of our Credit Union clients. These are fun ways to promote member engagement online and you get amazing stories and images from members that you can use in future marketing communications. Just make sure you remind members to enter with emails 2-3 times during the contest and require 1-2 short paragraphs and an image in order to enter.

    12) Send an Email with Blog Content Designed to Segment Members For Future Cross-Selling Campaigns

    This one is a bit more involved, but consider emailing your members with three blogs from your website that link to content about 3 very distinct products or services. So, maybe include links to blogs on topics like picking the right car for you, how to save for college, planning for retirement or House DIY projects for every budget. Then depending on what links you members click you can segment them into groups and continue to nurture them with specific emails related to the area of interest they have shown an interest in.

    BONUS TIP: Get Local Small Businesses Involved 

    This is one of our favorites! Collect gift cards from various small businesses in your community and put together a series of 'giveaways' on your Facebook page. Offer one gift card at a time and run each contest for 2-3 days. Or, if you really want to keep things interesting, offer one gift card per day for a week straight.

    The 13 tips above will help you take your credit union to the next level in terms of marketing. Want to get even better results from your credit union marketing plan? FI GROW is here to help. Contact Us Today to get a free consultation that includes SEO tips and tricks, Facebook marketing pointers, and tips on getting the best ROI for your marketing dollar. 

    New call-to-action

    Blog comments