Insights

1. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
2. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
3. “One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” – Paulo Coelho
4. “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” – Henry Ford
5. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill
6. “Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” – Steve Jobs
7. “There is no such thing as a new idea. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope.” – Mark Twain
8. “The world doesn’t care how many times you fall down, as long as it’s one fewer than the number of times you get back up.” – Aaron Sorkin
9. “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.” – Arthur Schopenhaur
10. “Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus
11. “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” – Pablo Picasso
12. “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
13. “Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use – do the work you want to see done.” – Austin Kleon
14. “It’s through mistakes that you actually grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.” – Paula Scher
15. “But, if you have nothing at all to create, then perhaps you create yourself.” – Carl Jung

Email marketing can be some of the most effective and least expensive options, especially for a small business at holiday time. Check out the creative ideas for your holiday email marketing from our friends over at Constant Contact.

So, get your list shined up, head over to Constant Contact, and get the email blasts ready! Need some help or want a full service solution? Contact us today. We can help you with anything from lists, templates, copy, imagery, custom coding, or a full service mailing.

Read the full article at: blogs.constantcontact.com

In a recent Marketo article, they presented five extremely successful content marketing case studies including the tactics used, results measured, and why it matters to marketers.

1. Increasing Blog Referral Traffic by 58% with Onsite Marketing: In this case study iSpionage describes how they managed to increase traffic by 58.09% in just one month by using an exit intent popup.
2. Infographic Creates Over 11K Additional Website Visits in 2 Weeks: SEOTravel created a very clever piece of content that was extremely shareable and caused an increase 11K+ website visits in as little as two weeks.
3. Quick Wins from Content Built with Publicly Available Data: In this content marketing case study, YesOptimist helped a startup, CollegeRaptor, to get from absolutely no organic traffic to 100K visitors per month in just one year.
4. Find the Right Content Topics for Less Exciting Industries: LawnStarter created content their audience cares about, even though it did not entirely focused on their product or service.
5. Scale Marketing with Content Loved by Search Engines: Fieldwire boosted the most high-potential pages with data-driven optimizations such as what keywords were they ranking for in order to gain higher conversion rates.

Read the original article at marketo.com.  

Marketing involves influencing people’s behavior. Whether you want to drive traffic to your store, increase sales for a specific product, or introduce a new service you want people to buy, visit, and engage with your brand. It is important to keep in mind psychology principles that will help you better reach your target audience.

Principle of Reciprocity

The principle of reciprocity is one of the basic laws of social psychology which states that in most situations we pay back what we received from others. So how can you use this in marketing? Try giveaways, free swag or an exclusive gift. For this to work, give away something free before you ask for something in return. This could be especially helpful when introducing your brand to new customers or introducing a new product.

Scarcity

Scarcity is the principle that people place a higher value on something that is scarce and a lower value on those that are in abundance. This is why statements like ‘this is rare find’ or ‘this is one of a kind’ immediately give us the perception that the item being described is valuable. This tactic operates on the worth people attach to products or services. This also is related to the principle of supply and demand. If you approach this method as if there ‘used’ to be a lot of a product, and now to due to the high demand there’s only a few left, people will be very receptive.

Social Proof

This principle is one many are familiar with, the idea that people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. This why reviews and testimonials from current customers are so effective. We trust others reviews because they have experienced the product or service, unlike ourselves. Additionally, this is why anything that experts use is perceived as being great or better products because the experts are more knowledgeable than us in their specific area. Celebrity endorsement is also another great use of social proof. We will buy and use the products and service used by celebrities because we want to look like them.

Anchoring

Anchoring, or rather the art behind a sale, is the principle that people base decisions on the first piece of information they receive. When an item used to be $100 is now marked down to $55 we’re more apt to purchase. This is also why stores like T.J. Maxx show the ‘retail price’ next to ‘their price’. Displaying the original price is the anchor, and helps the buyer determine whether or not they determine it to be a ‘great deal’ or not.

These are just a few psychology principles that you could incorporate into your marketing. There are many other principles and things to consider when engaging with your target audience. The key is to understand your audience, what motivates them, and what are their driving values.

It is important to create a marketing plan that supports your Credit Union’s overall strategic goals. You might be focusing more on gaining new memberships rather than on new loans. Or you might find you need to take an agile approach to your planning. The key is to have a plan so you know how you are going to achieve your goals with actionable items.

January and February

Mortgages. People start researching home financing well before they purchase. Begin your mortgage campaign in January and continue throughout the home buying decision process.

Checking and Savings. Money goals are often found in the list of popular New Year’s resolutions, typically some form of spending less or saving more. Position your checking and savings account products to reach the consumer while they are looking to increase their savings or searching for that perfect low-fee checking account. General membership promotions for those looking to switch financial institutions might be beneficial during this time too.

March and April

Vacation/Personal Loan  or Credit Cards. Spring is when the weather starts to warm up and when most consumers start planning their summer and fall vacations. This is a great time to offer vacation loans (personal or credit cards) that will help your members pay for their dream vacation, a trip to Disney or more. March and April are very popular wedding months, a loan or credit card could help pay for a honeymoon.

IRAs.  March and April is also tax season. Promoting your IRA products, their benefits, and their tax-deductible contributions will help you generate more accounts or deposits during the busy tax season.

May and June

Auto Loans. Ahhh summer, May and June mark the end of the school and the beginning of long days and warm nights.  Cruising to the beach or your favorite summer spot in a new car is a welcomed thought. Begin your auto loan campaign in the summer to capitalize on increased auto sales. Boat and RV Loans are also popular during this time, tying in these will allow you to reach a diverse audience.

Credit Cards. There is more travel being done in the summer months, having a credit card to travel with is nice to have for transactions, emergencies, rewards and more. Promoting your credit cards, especially if you offer one with rewards or travel perks will be beneficial. Let us help you gain more credit card users. Ask us about creating a credit card campaign that will generate the best results.

July and August

Student Banking. July and August are when the focus turns to prep for the new school year, parents and students alike. Whether your financial institutions have your own student loan product or have a partnership with a major student loan partner this is the best time to begin market this type of products. Also, encouraging the use of other products such as a HELOC (home equity line of credit) or personal loan for school expenses will prove to be beneficial this time of year as well.

Don’t just concentrate on loan products, deposit products tailored for students are also good products to include in your marketing messaging. Getting more members to sign up for student checking before they head off to college will help engage younger demographics and position them to engage with you for years to come.

September and October

Holiday Loans. So much of fall is focused on the holiday season, use this to your benefit and align your messaging. Holiday decorating and advertising seems to happen earlier and earlier each year. Marketing holiday specific loans or personal loans to help your members pay for the holidays or a holiday vacation might prove to provide a good return on investment.

Auto Loans. Auto sales tend to see a small spike during the months of September and October. Typically, during this time, dealers and manufacturers are looking to move the previous year’s models to make way for the new year models. When your members are purchasing during this time, make sure they are financing with you. Need help creating an auto loan campaign that gets real results? Let us know, we’d be happy to help.

November and December

Credit Cards. Holiday shopping is in full swing during the months of November and December. Give shoppers the perfect credit card to buy all their presents. Cash back, rewards, or even low rate or 0% offers will be beneficial in gaining new credit card users.  Don’t forget to encourage usage among your current credit card holders.

Heaters, furnaces, and other home appliances tend to have a way of breaking down at the most inopportune times, like just before all your relatives are due to be in for the holidays. A HELOC might just be just the thing that saves the day and provides the funds needed to make the repairs and replacements.

Whether you want a consultation about an upcoming campaign, need a marketing plan developed, or a great campaign we have a solution for you. Contact us today at connect@epicmc2.com.

As much as we’d like to avoid them, sometimes mother nature and circumstances have different plans when it comes to an emergency, crisis, or natural disaster. As we are prepping and watching many others prep for a potential hurricane impact, we can’t help think about the preparation, marketing, and communication for this and other types of emergencies. Does your business or credit union have a plan? Do you know how to communicate with your members or customers, as well as your staff in the event of a natural disaster or another type of crisis?

Unfortunately, we’ve dealt with many natural disasters and emergencies over the years, both internally for our company Epic and as the marketing firm for many organizations and credit unions. In our experience, we cannot stress enough the importance of being responsive and communicative during a crisis situation. How a company responds and reacts to a situation can be more important than the crisis itself.

During any crisis situation communication is key – every stakeholder needs (and wants) to be in-the-know. This means your marketing and communications team needs to be prepared to handle any situation that could arise. Communicate before (if you have the option), during, and after any situation. Communicate what you are doing to prepare for a natural disaster, how you are going to take care of your employees, how you will be able to still serve your members or customers. If it is a different type of crisis like a PR crisis, communicate how you are working to resolve the situation. The key is to be as open as you can be and to provide your stakeholders with as much information as possible.

Be sure to have a plan and know what to do when disaster hits. After you create the plan, test it – things can change and testing could show gaps in the plan. Do you have backup communication if cell towers are unavailable such as social media, email or other types of message applications? Be prepared and know what your team and your business need in order to stay on top of any situation.

We’ve made sure we can be there to support our operations as well as be there to serve our clients. Whether it is updating websites, posting to social media, or any other types of communication we have the capability to serve during emergency events. Our experience has allowed us to refine our process and change what’s needed to always be available, even when city services aren’t.

Marketers and communications specialists for credit unions and other organization need to be fully prepared to protect credit union, employee and business interests in emergency situations. Create a plan that works for your business or credit union. Having a plan will help you respond to the unexpected better. If you have any questions or need help developing a plan give us a call or email us at connect@epicmc2.com we’d be happy to help.

Image via: https://todaytesting.com/

The landscape and dynamics of marketing have been changing rapidly. With the introduction of digital marketing some years ago now, there has been an increase in the amount of technology and tools that are available. Additionally, the marketing space has become more crowded. A company can no longer just put out some print ads and sit back and wait.

To have optimal results when developing marketing campaigns, it is best to use an integrated approach.

Today we’ve seen a shift in marketing towards more digital mediums. This is not a problem for millennials and younger generations who have been raised in a digital age, but digital marketing may not work as well for other demographics. There is a need for a blended approach as consumers still want variety.

An integrated marketing campaign essentially means to combine communication mediums for a unified and multi-channel approach. Mediums can consist of email, billboards, print, radio, public relations, and digital to name a few – combining traditional with digital marketing. A fully integrated campaign should deliver the same experience and messaging across the different channels.

For example, if you plan on sending a direct mail piece include follow up emails and digital ads to deliver the same message. This will reinforce the messaging and make sure that your content reaches your desired audience. An integrated marketing approach will ensure that all messaging and communication strategies are consistent and centered on the customer.

Need help with your integrated marketing campaign? Let us know, we’d be happy to help.

What are personas or buyer personas? Personas are fictional representations of your customers or members. Personas are key in helping companies better understand their customers. To create effective targeted messages you need to know your audience. Personas help paint a picture of who your audience is, what products they are most likely to use, and how they like to interact with you. This makes it easier for you to tailor your content, messaging, and create products specific to the needs of your target audience.

Personas can be an excellent tool that can be integrated throughout your marketing especially in your digital initiatives. And help lay a foundation for better user experience and personalization. They help create personalization, which enables you to create specific targeted messaging for different segments of your audience. Personas can also help you pair the right product and messaging to the right customer. Additionally, personas can help you create a better marketing plan.

When developing your personas start with 3-5 key groups of your current customer or audience base. Focus on the major needs and expectations of each segment, then define their goals. Knowing what your audience’s goals are will help you align products and services that will help them achieve those goals. Take the time to develop your personas and represent your audience well.

Example Persona

Name: Mike Millennial
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Relationship status: most likely in a relationship or newly married
Goals: Pay down student debt and save for his first house
Pain points: he finds it difficult to save money while paying down debt
Key Products/Interests: debt consolidation, savings tools, convenience services
Preferred Communication: text and email, will research products online before making a decision

Though your persona is a fictional character, it represents real people who share similar traits. By giving a name to a specific persona, you make it much easier for people inside your organization to understand the issues facing the defined personas. You also provide insight on how to potentially solve these issues. All of the defined traits that these personas possess are based on trends and patterns collected by doing research.

By developing personas you will gain knowledge and understanding of target audience. With this knowledge, you will be able to become more audience focused. Your audience goals and needs will become clear allowing them to be a focal point for your efforts. You will also be able to improve the quality and effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Need assistance developing your personas? We’d be happy to help. Contact us at connect@epicmc2.com.