I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what our company stands for, our core values, the value proposition and everything that comes with creating a successful brand and corporate culture — But that lead me to question: What about our individual core values — How are each of our unapologetically human brands, our unique traits supposed to align with our corporate values, and how does that affect the corporate culture and ultimately, our brand?

As financial marketers, it’s important to understand the branding process and the value of a strong brand identity. It’s not just choosing a beautiful logo – your brand is your personality and marketing brings it to life!

A brand makes an organization relatable – and established properly, it can communicate a clear story of purpose and values.

Credit unions have access to a wealth of data that, when used well, helps them really know and understand their members.

When consumers feel known and understood, they interact differently with an organization – they invest in more services, are more receptive to new products, and are more likely to recommend the brand to others. This culminates in members who are loyal to your credit union.

Establishing a successful brand for your financial institution can help you stand out from fellow credit unions, allowing you to develop a connection with your audience as well as with your employees.

You only get one go at making a first impression – so, make sure it counts! Create a brand that will stick with people, building authenticity and showcasing who you truly are.

In uncertain times, your members look to you. Your EmpowerFi™ team is here to help you put them at ease.   Let’s face it: no disaster recovery binder or business continuity plan can address the emotional toll “social distancing” is taking on your family, your co-workers, and your members.

Culture and leadership have gained a bit of buzzword status in recent history. As brands become more conscious and millennials infuse more emotional intelligence into their modus operandi when it comes to business, we find ourselves amidst an opportunity to re-imagine how we approach building organizations (groups of people working towards a common goal).

Remember all of those marketing + organizational goals you set for 2019, perhaps around this time in 2018? How are those looking? You’ve got less than 90 days left to make magic happen. Here are some steps to making sure you go out with a bang.

The Audio era is upon us. An estimated 39 million Americans use smart speakers and/or some sort of voice technology. 70% of Americans aged 12+ are now familiar with the word “Podcasting.” 51% of Americans reported having listened to a podcast at least once in their lives. 32% of Americans report having listened to a podcast within the past month. (1) As marketers, we’d be remiss to ignore these statistics and pass up the opportunity to give our clients the ripest and most timely tools to connect their members to their culture. And here at EmpowerFi, no one waving the podcasting flag like our President and Chief Experience Officer – Kelly Hellickson.