EDINA, Minn. - Credit unions should never underestimate thepower of their newsletters. According to Jim Larranaga, presidentof custom publisher Priority Publications, rather than going theway of the dinosaur-the newsletter has adapted, is thriving and canbe one of the most effective communication tools in the creditunion's arsenal. "They've actually evolved quite a bit," saidLarranaga. "What some of the credit unions are doing is tellingtheir story in a format that is more of a coffee table piece thatmembers will hold onto longer." Larranaga adds that on the printside more space is needed to tell these stories so quarterlypublications have grown to eight to 12 pages, which is a departurefrom the typical four-page newsletters of five years ago. With hisfather founding the company in 1973 with a single direct mailflyer, Larranaga says he caught the custom publishing fever earlyand has been at it for over 20 years. His staff of 40 helps itsalmost 200 credit union clients deliver their message while gettingmeasurable results. Services range from completely custom andsemi-custom print and e-newsletters, to Web content, inserts,brochures, market research and white papers on current marketingtrends and emerging issues. According to Larranaga, newsletters canhelp maximize the impact of credit union communications frommotivating readers to open new accounts and generating referralsfrom existing clients to winning member loyalty and improving theeffectiveness of front-line staff. It boils down to good content.Some popular newsletter categories include youth content, generalpersonal finance and money management, small business issues,retirement planning, housing, identity theft, and even healthsavings accounts. To ensure effectiveness he suggests that morethought be put into strategically planning the newsletter's purposearound the target audience. "What used to be one-size-fits all isnow more customized offering a greater variety of content. For somecredit unions a basic educational newsletter is what their memberswant-others are making the most of their newsletters to play totarget niches or SEGs," said Larranaga. "Too many credit unionshave a tendency to just place a bunch of ads pushing products andservices and mistakenly call it a newsletter-not only will thatjust get thrown away but more importantly you've missed anopportunity to connect and motivate members to use your services."He adds that providing provocative, interesting content is a truevalue-add and not only encourages members to hold onto thepublication and share with friends or family, but can also generateinterest and excitement about upcoming issues. The credit union isviewed as a resource and a partner, which builds a foundation oftrust and loyalty. Larranaga also advises credit unions to thinkbeyond exclusively printing newsletters. "Sometimes it's thevehicle that needs to be rethought. Most credit unions have veryfew e-mail addresses so some don't see the need for an onlinenewsletter. Even if out of say 30,000 members you only have 3,000e-mail addresses when possible offer the newsletter both online andin print," said Larranaga. "E-mail newsletters can be the bestblend of both educational content and product/service promotion. Asmembers click on an article through their interaction they canlearn more about the credit union's offerings. For credit unions,every click provides insight into just what topics members are mostinterested in and can help in tracking promotions." The bestcontent can be missed if the graphics fall flat. Even if creditunions are unable to outsource or hire an outside expert firm theyshould do their best to make it as visually appealing as possible-that means move away from the clip art and standard headshots andpull in local flavor through the color palette and incorporateaction or lifestyle images or even original art-anything to attractattention. [email protected]