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So the big buzz in marketing lately seems to be “Content Marketing”. I’m getting all kinds of emails telling me I need to implement a “content marketing program” or inviting me to attend webinars a about how to be an effective practitioner of this new information trend.

First let me say, I am in total agreement that sharing educational/ informational content about your business is the way to go. When you provide quality information, you have positioned yourself and your business as experts in your field. You prove your worth by giving value to the relationship you have with your clients and in credit union land, your members.

The issue I have is calling this “new”. As a long time credit union marketer, I know that “content marketing” used to be called “your newsletter”. The credit unions that did a good job with their newsletter stayed away from sales pitches. They educated their members on how to manage their finances, how to save for college or a home, or how to manage debt. They promoted new products by explaining why the member’s life was going to be better if they used that service. They held educational or fun events at the credit union and talked about it in the newsletter. This was also called PR.

None of this has gone away. But instead of the newsletter we have brand new distribution channels. There are blogs, and tweets and Facebook, all of which should be used to share information and market what you’re doing.

I think a lot of credit unions get too caught up in worrying about all this “new stuff” that they think isn’t for them. These are just new tools to help us communicate better and reach our members. It used to be that everyone would take the time to read our newsletters. Some still do, but people have a lot of options now. So we need to use the same channels that they use to get information. We need to be where they are in order to reach them.

So don’t be afraid of a blog or Facebook or YouTube, whatever it may be. Credit unions know how to provide information that their members need and want. Content marketing has always been here, we just need to adapt and embrace the new delivery methods.