Take a moment to think about the last marketingcampaign your credit union ran. Who was your target audience?

That answer could potentially be anyone: members withoute-statements, members under the age of 35, members with an autoloan at a local bank, members who frequently shop at Target. But nomatter which groups you have set your sights on, there remains onegroup to focus on before launching a successful campaign. Yourfellow employees.

According to a recent Gallup study, 71% of the American workersare either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” in theirwork.

If a comparable percentage of your employees are not engaged intheir own jobs, it's safe to assume that a majority of them areequally disengaged in your credit union's marketing efforts. Thereare, however, easy steps that credit union marketers and managerscan take to encourage employees to take ownership. Garnering staffbuy-in will ultimately result in a more successful campaign – afterall, an employee's excitement about a promotion will certainlyresonate with members more than no mention at all (or worse, ahalfhearted gloss-over).

When beginning the process of developing credit union employeesas a target audience, staff members should have all necessaryinformation and materials well in advance of the campaign launch.This ensures that they will develop a firm understanding of the insand outs of the promotion and have ample time to get on board.

Managers also play a crucial role in engaging staff in marketingpromotions. The behavior of senior leadership has a direct effecton employee engagement. As the campaign rollout begins internally,managers should actively and frequently discuss with employees thereasons why the campaign is good for members and the credit union.Any internal contests affiliated with the promotion should bechampioned by all members of the credit union senior leadershipteam to excite the rest of the staff.

Another way to engage staff in marketing efforts is to make itreal for them – real facts, real figures, real results. Forexample, if you're launching a fundraising promotion with acharity, go over how many meals you could give to local families inneed. 

Give the campaign value and make it personal for employees. Ifthey are able to comprehend the impact that it could have on themember or the bottom line there is a better chance they will getbehind it and become actively engaged. And of course the best wayto get staff excited about marketing is to gather their ideas andinput from the start.

When it comes to developing staff as advocates of your currentmarketing efforts, there's no room for lack of interest. Taking thenecessary steps to invest in your employees as a target audiencebefore reaching out to members or potential members is a greatstart in rebuilding their engagement level and getting the feedbackyou need for the campaigns you create.

The Cooperative Trust is a grassroots organization composedof several hundred young credit union professionals. Its activitiesinclude meetings, mentorships online collaboration and developmentprojects. Opinions expressed are the personal views of theauthor.

Liz Weger is a marketing specialist at Pathways FinancialCredit Union in Columbus, Ohio.
Contact
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