It’s that time again - 7th Grader, Amanda K., is back to school!

Shift Happens — When Kids Go Back to School!

Is the summer really over? Not according to the heat, but Arizona kids are already back in school. Last week, when my daughter headed back, the shift happened. New routines, earlier alarm clock times and tons of appointments on the calendar. When the kids go back to school, it seems everyone shifts into "busy" mode! How can you help parents that are time pressured and budget strapped? According to our marketing tips, promote convenience, build communication and be prepared.

By the way, seemed we didn’t get as many survey responses as usual, maybe people were on vacation or out of ideas, so last month’s poll about innovative ideas is being extended through August. Please take 3-5 minutes to answer the poll on Innovation and you may be a gift card winner! It’s as easy as clicking here.

Here's to your success,

Nicki
Nicolette Lemmon, President

PS. Don't forget to visit our Credit Union Sustainability video microsite — CU execs talk about the ability to survive and thrive in this economy. Another resource is our blog at MyMarketingInsights.com (link above) to read more on marketing strategy, trends, faves and other good discussions.

Getting Busy — Focus on Convenience

What can you have online for members to make their lives easier, simpler, or better? Consider how you can make banking easier:

• Online Ease – Providing forms online offer convenience 24/7. For example, did your organization have the online sign up for Overdraft Protection?
• Resources – Managing money is easier with tools. Do you have FinanceWorks or other tool for members to use?
• Money Tips – Marketing pieces like newsletters or direct mail, e-news, and online need to be brief, to the point. Does your newsletter or e-news include financial education articles and short "hot" topics that are easy to read?

At a time when your members who are parents are time pressured and budget strapped, add value to your brand by being that resource that shows how you understand them.

Looking for the right strategies, tools and solutions to profile, target, and create marketing that works for your members? Visit us online, email us or call toll free at 1.888.536.6243.

E-MARKETING TIP

Great Communication Tool — If You Have the Addresses

With busy schedules, consumers today are in the habit of reading information from emails for quick news and special offers. There are three things that are important:

• The information is of good quality to build trust in opening your emails.
• The content is actionable or offers ways to save money or make money to build trust in accepting emails from your organization.
• The frequency of the email messages is considerate of not overloading an inbox with too many to be annoying.

Once you've built trust with your email list and have few unsubscribes, it's definitely considered a more frugal option. The key is to have current email addresses for everyone in your membership/customer base.

In a study of ten of our credit union clients scattered throughout the country, the results showed an average of 34% penetration of email addresses in their memberships. The actual percentages ranged from 17% for a credit union with 60,000 plus members, to a remarkable 57% for a credit union with a little more than 21,000 members.

If only considering using e-marketing, a significant percentage of members/customers are missed. As a good communication tool, it's only as good as the quality and quantity of your email address list.

Looking for ways to engage with your customers/members online? Contact LemmonTree's E-Marketing Department for help with online solutions.

PERSONAL MARKETING TIP

Be Prepared: Questions to Ask in an Interview

When opportunity knocks, best to follow the Scout Code of "Be Prepared!" One thing that can really set you apart from the competing candidates is to have questions ready regarding the company and the position. To get you started, here are a few from my book, Almost Famous - How to Market Yourself for Success!

About the Company:

• Tell me about the company, what is the sales volume?
• What are the growth expectations and future plans?
• What are the core values of the organization/company?
• What is highly valued by the team or co-workers and management of this company?

About the Job Position:

• How is performance judged, on what factors and when?
• How is success defined and evaluted?
• Why is the position open now? Was it due to growth or did someone leave?

Excerpt from Almost Famous, How to Market Yourself for Success.

Before the new e-book version of Almost Famous Marketing Yourself 2.0 comes out, there is a special closeout on the Almost Famous workbook! Check out the savings here!