Branding is Smart Business
Picture this: A member or prospective member sees your logo, your email newsletter, or your ad, and in a split second thinks, "Oh! There's that great credit union again. They have just the loan I need. I'm going see about applying for an auto loan today."

Sounds good, right? It's what every business (and credit unions are no exception) wants: brand recognition. And with a little effort, you can build it for yourself!

Branding your credit union, and then reinforcing that brand in all of your communications, will help members and potential members recognize and choose you over all the competition.

What Is Branding?
Branding is the practice of influencing how people experience your credit union over time. This experience tells potential members who you are and what they can expect from you. It also sets the stage for how they will interact with you going forward.

To create a positive experience and feeling with your brand, you have to know two things:

1) Your target audience – Who is your best member? What appeals to them? What are their pain points in relation to what you offer? For example, your best member might be one that uses many of your products and services. Perhaps they’ve been especially hard hit by the economic downturn. What products and services do you provide that set you apart from your competitors? Do you offer financial planning seminars?

2) Your unique benefit – What is different, and better, about what you offer? Most, if not all, credit unions can tout their high level of member service. But what sets your service apart? CUNA News Now recently featured an article about a credit union in Bronx, N.Y. giving a business loan to a blind mechanic when no one else would.   Does your credit union offer business loans and other financial services to businesses? Helping members who are starting small businesses could be the unique benefit that sets you apart.

The answers to these questions will help you create a brand identity that you can build, grow, and sustain in your marketplace. In this article, we will focus primarily on how to build and represent your unique brand through design elements and the written word (your copy).

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The Visual Identity of Your Brand
A strong brand requires a clear visual identity. From the symbol or logo you create to the color palette you choose, the visual impression you make needs to be unique and convey the character and personality of you and your company. Key design elements of your brand include:

The Tone of Your Copy
In addition to design, the tone of what you write communicates your credit union’s brand. Examples of tone include friendly, casual, formal, forceful, conversational, and inspirational.

For instance, if you are a "friendly" credit union, then use a casual, personal, and conversational tone in all of your communications. If you want to communicate your longevity, then use a more formal tone to communicate thoughtfulness and to convey a sense of responsibility and security. Whatever tone you choose, make sure it is consistent throughout all communications.

Now is a good time to check the tone of your communications. Take a look at your newsletters, statement inserts, and your Web site copy. Is the tone similar in all of them? Is your tone conveying what you want about your credit union?

Tips for Building Your Brand with Email Marketing
There are many marketing channels you can use to build and support your brand. Your goal is to be consistent across all of them. The following tips focus specifically on building your brand with email—and they’re especially easy to implement if you use Speak Up! Email Marketing from Constant Contact. However, you can apply these tips to other marketing channels as well.

Here's a checklist to help you build and create brand consistency with your marketing emails:

You don't want your email communications to always look exactly the same. Here are a few ways to create freshness while still supporting your brand:

By establishing and reinforcing your brand as you create, sustain, and grow your relationships with prospects, members, and other constituent groups, you will find that people recognize you more quickly, retain your messages more easily, and are faster to take action. Branding works, so try it!

Quick Tip: Survey your members and see how recognizable your brand is to them. For an easy-to-build (and use!) survey, try Listen Up! Survey by Constant Contact.

For information about our products and services, contact your CU Village.com business consultant.