Not too many years ago, the idea of someone using big data to learn our behavior patterns might have conjured up an uneasy vision of a George Orwell-inspired world, with mainframe computers spitting out information about our every move. But today's reality is that most of us appreciate it when travel search engine Kayak.com recommends where to go on vacation or Netflix suggests what to watch on TV. In fact, we expect businesses we frequent to know our likes and dislikes.

“John,” a millennial who just landed his first professional job, thinks you should know he's in the market for a new ride. He expects to receive a text when his credit union has an auto loan sale, but he doesn't want to hear about your mortgage rates. And because “Kathy” is a busy working mom with a third grader and a preteen, she wants you to understand why she prefers mobile banking to a trip to the branch … most of the time. All of your members expect you to use what you know about them to connect in ways that show your credit union is paying attention to their unique interests.

What consumers don't expect from your credit union is a spray and pray approach to marketing. Not only is that so 2010, it isn't very effective. Baker Tilly often partners with MEMBERS Development Company and its credit union owners on initiatives like determining the best ways to use data analytics to reach and engage members. Our most recent research shows 79% of the credit unions we surveyed listed personalization as a moderate to very high priority. Why? Because they know it's what members want and expect.