There’s no getting away from moms – fortunately we’re here to stay, speak out, lead the way and well, rule. In our homes. In workplaces. In the world of social media.

Read more…

I know way too much about some of my friends’ opinions on politics, sports, and cute kittens – all because of Facebook.

And pretty soon I may not be able to escape their thoughts on any topic.

Read more…

In our experience, many smaller credit unions don’t pay that much attention to Search Engine Marketing (paid search). Their thinking seems to be:

1. members already know what products their CU offers and where to search for information and rates

Read more…

A few months ago, I was talking shop with a relative who works in management at a large public library. She was lamenting the fact that libraries tend to attract the sort of person who would rather follow safe lists of rules than take a chance on interacting with other people. One of her constant challenges is to chase staff out from behind their desks to talk to patrons — the library’s mission is to connect people with the knowledge they need, not to make safe, orderly stacks of old books.

Read more…

The 80/20 rule was actually named the Pareto principle after an Italian economist who noticed in 1906 that 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the people.

Since then, others have certainly noticed similar correlations and added their own takes on the idea: 80% of profit comes from 20% of your products, 80% of complaints come from 20% of customers, 80% of sales come from 20% of the sales staff. There are people that quibble over percentages, but no one disagrees that there seems to be an inverse relationship at work. And you certainly don’t have to be an economist to appreciate the idea that there is a smaller number of things you do in your life that account for the majority of positive results.

Read more…

It’s easy to think about marketing as something in print, online or over the airwaves. But if you stop and think about it, your most effective marketing may very well be accomplished by your front line staff and those who actually talk to your members, either in person, over the phone or through live chat on your web site.

Read more…

What’s your reputation online? Personally, I mean, not as a representative of your credit union. Any idea?

How many of you have Googled yourself? C’mon fess up. I bet most of you have. It’s human nature to be curious how you come across to the rest of the world. I’ll admit I did, and it was a bit surprising how much actually popped up, mostly because of this blog and our other sites. Heck, even NYC Creative Directors do it, as this story tells of a copywriter who used this bit of vanity insight to land an agency job.

Read more…

I admit it. I’m a sucker for quick-to-read motivational books. Especially when they are as delightful as The Accountability Effect by Bassam Tarazi (whose name means “the smiling one” according to the author’s bio at the end.) The book is written in two parts, and at least for awhile you can download the first part for free, courtesy of Seth Godin. Here are a few tastes:

Read more…

The other day, I saw a very interesting phrase as I was skimming a series of random business articles:

“Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.”

My first reaction was “Well, duh.” That’s a pretty obvious thought.

Read more…

Post after post after book have been circulating online these days with one common theme: Steal This. So I stole their headline.

Not that I still don’t have reservations about the whole concept of stealing, well, anything. After all, I was raised as a preacher’s kid, did the whole Eagle Scout thing, and as a father raised two more Eagle Scout sons, so right and wrong have been recurring themes in my life.

Read more…

Speaking of great CU web sites, does your CU have mobile banking and a mobile-friendly web site? I hope so. When I joined my CU I was disappointed to learn they did not have either. I really was surprised because everything else they offered was great. They assured me they were working on it, and now, 6 months later, they have mobile banking, and a mobile site is on the way shortly.

Read more…

Last week, it felt really good to finally let loose a pent-up rant about all the terrible credit union web sites out there. But maybe I should try some positivity — there are a lot of good examples as well.

Read more…

I’m going to be very, very blunt here. Way too many credit unions have terrible web sites, and frankly, I’m tired of it.

I’m not talking about subtle things only geeks care about — I’m talking about some real train wrecks that make the credit unions look like amateur operations.

Read more…

Have you noticed that the more upset some people get, the louder they become?

I was at lunch the other day and someone at the next table started talking about what happened at work, including recounting the conversation she had with her boss. The more she spoke, the more upset and louder she got, until her companion finally had to “shush” her — but not before everyone in the dining area was frowning at either her or their own food. Her bad mood went viral in that restaurant within just a few moments, and it was several more minutes before the conversations around the room returned to a normal buzz.

Read more…

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about receiving a phone call from my credit union. It was a friendly call, just to see if I needed anything, financial-wise that is. Well her phone call got me to thinking and I’ve now gotten a HELOC and am refinancing a car loan.

Read more…