Mom-Friendly Messages

CreditUnions.com 
By Rebecca McClay

Moms play a major role in family financial decisions, so Verity Credit Union designs campaigns to connect with women.

Verity Credit Union ($378M, Seattle, WA) knows its marketing can’t cater to every target demographic, so it has honed its outreach to attract one person that has a significant influence on others: mothers. According to she-conomy.com, a website that analyzes women-focused marketing, women make roughly 89% of the financial decisions in their families. And Verity wants to capture that market. The credit union’s marketing efforts include hiring a “spokesmom” to blog, creating kid-friendly branches, and softening its product language. For Verity, that female-focused marketing pays off.

The Challenge

Like most credit unions, Verity is eager to lower the average age of its member to strengthen its long-term outlook. After the credit union’s executives read Blue Ocean Strategy, a book about creating a market space in which there is no competition, they were inspired to identify a market niche that had similar business potential. Although it targets women, Verity is careful not to alienate its male member base. The changes made as part of its new outreach were either changes that both genders appreciate or that women appreciate and men don’t notice.

“We wanted to capture the hearts and minds of the next generation,” says Verity chief marketing officer Shari Storm. “The best way to do that is by pleasing their moms."

The Strategy

To speak to matriarchs, the credit union reviewed its products and altered names to promote mom-friendly messages. For example, it changed the name of its checking from “Velocity Checking” to “Cartwheel Checking,” language that makes the product standout to women.

To appease kids and make mom’s visit to the credit union more enjoyable, Verity added kidfriendly branches that include a children’s corner, changing tables, stickers, and candy. It sponsors coloring contests and hosts visits from Santa and the Easter Bunny. But the crux of the credit union’s outreach plan was hiring a “spokesmom” to blog about her experiences with the credit unions, says marketing director Shari Storm.

The Launch

Two years ago, Verity sponsored an online contest in which the public got to choose who would become the credit union’s part-time spokesmom. The public chose Rosemary Garner. Garner is a Seattle resident with one daughter, and she blogs about her life, the credit union, and how the two are connected. Her blogs include posts about family outings, such as a parasailing trip, and behind-the-scenes pictures of Verity commercials. On veritymom.com, readers learn that Rosemary’s hometown is San Antonio, TX, she likes sushi and tacos, enjoys tinkering on the guitar, and gets peeved at aggressive drivers. They also learn, thanks to advertising on the site, that Verity offers 100% financing with its 80/20 mortgage program and wants to put $1 million toward loans for homeowners.

“If you’re going to target a niche market, you have to really target it,” Storm says. “We unapologetically say we’re going after moms.”

The credit union initially hired Garner for a one-year stint, but she proved so popular that Verity extended its relationship with her. She’s also posting on Twitter, snagging more than 260 followers under the name @veritymom. A new Verity Mom, Danielle Gahl, took over the part time, $20,000 position in November.

The Results

Since Verity launched its mom-friendly marketing, the average age of its member has indeed dropped by two years, to 37. That statistic, Storm says, is “really hard to get down.” The campaign has also generated more interaction with members, especially young mothers who connect with Rosemary and Danielle.

The spokesmom blog draws ongoing comments on Facebook and Twitter as Cartwheel Checking draws more new members, boosting total membership to 25,754 as of second quarter 2011, Storm says. The credit union noted 2.18% 12-month share growth, according to Callahan & Associates data.

“Our goal is to have mom bring in the whole family,” Storm says. “We feel like it’s been a success.”

+ Original article

Wheeling & Dealing 2 Offbeat Strategies Pay Off For Verity CU

Credit Union Journal | By Michael Bartlett

Credit Union Journal | Monday, December 19, 2011

SEATTLE-Verity Credit Union won't be doing any more cartwheels to raise awareness in 2012, but it is doing cartwheels over two offbeat strategies that worked well earlier this year.

Verity CU rolled out a "Cartwheel For A Cause" video contest earlier this year, which offered members of its community an opportunity to win $1,000 for themselves, plus a $5,000 donation to their favorite cause-all for turning a cartwheel on camera (CU Journal, March 7).

Melina Young, marketing manager for the $378-million CU, said "Cartwheel" and, separately, its "Verity Mom" contests have been a hit. Verity Mom is the title it has given to a member it selected for the post and which pays $20,000 in exchange for the winner blogging about the credit union

"We just wrapped up a Verity Mom contest a few weeks ago," Young reported. "The winner was Danielle Gahl, and she is all over the Verity Mom website. She does videos with crafting tips and we are excited to have her."

This year's Verity Mom contest drew a record number of entries: 70. Young said the first Mom, Rosemary Garner, "was so great we had her stick around for a second year. Danielle has a $20,000 contract for one year, and the goal is to have a new Verity Mom each year."

According to Young, the Verity Mom contest helps the CU let people know it targets mothers. She said the contest has helped bring in new members because it is "so different" from a traditional credit union promotion, such as for a loan offer.

Wildly Creative Mother

"We are looking for a wildly creative mom to talk about herself, which gets people excited. It brings us people who might not be in the market for a credit union or a bank at the moment."

Verity CU does not currently plan to run a second Cartwheel in January 2012, as it did this year, but Young said VCU is "definitely considering doing it again as it was really successful."

This year's Cartwheel contest brought in 60,000 page views for the videos that were submitted, Young reported. "It generated buzz about Verity Credit Union, so we are keeping in on the radar."

Young said other CUs considering offering video contests should know it is important to not rely just on traditional marketing/advertising channels. She said Verity contacted local charities and encouraged them to get people to participate in the Cartwheel contest.

"So in addition to media ads, we hit the ground and let the charities know it was about them and we were supporting them," she said.

For any of the contests, Verity has found working with a partner is beneficial. Young said running a contest "is good and brings in a lot of value to the credit union," but she warned there is a great deal of behind-the-scenes work to do such as checking that the submissions met all the requirements. Verity has worked with Currency Marketing out of Canada, which helps many credit unions run contests.

"The key is to not be afraid to do something different," Young advised. "People respond well if you are willing to go head first. Be prepared to put a lot of effort into it because it doesn't run itself, but it definitely is well worth doing."

Introducing the new Verity Mom Danielle Gahl

Chat with Women

Our new Verity Mom, Danielle Gahl, and Verity CU's Melina Young were guests on the Chat With Women Radio Show with Pam & Rochelle.

You can listen to the whole program, or go to the 32:50 - 53:15 mark.

» Original article

#94: Inside look at the popular VerityMom campaign with Verity CU's Melina Young...

CU Broadcast

Verity Credit Union started its VerityMom campaign last year holding a contest of Seattle area moms belonging to Verity CU to blog, produce videos, tweet, etc. for the credit union targeting moms. 

The campaign was such a huge success, Verity is doing it again for 2012 – recently announcing their latest "Mom". (Congratulations Danielle Gahl!) We invited VerityMom campaign creator/manager, Melina Young, to provide us with reasons why Verity started this campaign, why target just moms, how they auditioned their 2011 "mom", campaign results, and more. It's a fascinating interview showing how today's credit unions can segment powerful portions of their membership to boost exposure as well as business. Melina does a great job giving us the inside scoop. Enjoy the show!

What you'll learn...

1. Tell me about your VerityMoms program. What is it?
2. How did this program start and why moms?
3. How long have you been running this program?
4. How has it benefited your credit union and ultimately your members?
5. What do you think other credit unions can learn from this program?
6. What are you looking for in a mom candidate?
7. When will the new candidate be named and what does she do for Verity?
8. Based on your expertise, what can credit unions in general do to better market themselves to gain members? 

» Original article

Marketing-To-Mothers Strategy Has New Piece

Credit Union Journal Daily Briefing

Credit Union Journal | Monday, October 17, 2011 SEATTLE-Verity CU here is launching the second incarnation of its “Verity Mom” campaign, but the promotion is just one piece of the CU’s larger strategy of marketing to mothers. The $367-million, 25,000-member credit union launched Verity Mom in 2009, hiring member Rosemary Garner for the one-year “Spokes Mom” position after she won the Verity Mom contest. Garner proved so successful that her tenure was extended by a year, but now VCU has brought the contest back for 2011 and is on the hunt for a new mom. The winning mom will earn $20,000 (paid out as part of a one-year contact) and win a new laptop and HD video camera from Canon. She’ll use those tools to blog about the credit union, create videos, and connect with other moms both online and at community events.

One result of the first Verity Mom project was successfully lowering the a average member age by two years to 37 years old. Marketing Manager Melina Young pointed out that the new Verity Mom will likely be more focused on building the CU’s presence through social media, and one of the goals this time around is “to continue increasing the number of moms that are aware of Verity Credit Union and get the word-of-mouth marketing to continue to grow.” The VerityMom.com blog will consist of posts about motherhood and about Verity CU, and Young said that the CU will be monitoring the Verity Mom’s work in social media as a way to help grow business. “It’s a fine line, because we don’t want everyone to feel that if they follow or ‘like’ Verity Mom [on Facebook] that they’re going to be inundated with new stuff from Verity Credit Union,” she said. “Even though Verity Mom is a part of Verity Credit Union, they are considered separate; you can like and follow her without having to be a member.” A Demographic Mom Could Love The funds for Verity Mom come from the CU’s marketing budget, and Young said that the CU has internal tracking methods in place to determine how many Verity Mom followers are active members. She added that CU officials are also working on putting together campaigns to make sure those members are profitable members.

Shari Storm, Verity CU’s SVP and chief marketing officer, said that the mom demographic is a great one for credit unions “because moms make the majority of household buying decisions; they’re also a key influencer of where their children do their banking.” Storm, who authored the book “Motherhood Is the New MBA” and was featured in Redbook magazine and elsewhere in the media, said that Verity’s board made the decision in 2008 to go after the mom market in part because no other CU had made a credible attempt to capture it. As ssuchuch, the Verity Mom contest is part of the larger strategy to focus on moms. The CU has even changed the way its branches are laid out in order to make them more kid-friendly. “I want kids to love coming to Verity Credit Union when they’re 4, 5, 6 and 7 years old, because I want to win their hearts and minds when they’re young,” said Storm. Branches have “kid stations,” tellers have suckers and stickers and other items for kids, the CU hosts coloring contests, Easter egg hunts, visits from Santa and more. That makes it easier for moms, too, added Storm, because “it’s much easier to run an errand if your kids love going to the place you’re running into.” The Mother of All Targets Verity also tailors its advertising toward mothers, and Storm pointed out that listeners are much more likely to catch Verity ads on radio stations that play artists like Madonna than on sports radio. She added that “moms feel really passionate about the causes that they support, so we try to integrate ourselves into those types of things.” For example, in 2010 the credit union sponsored a “Cartwheel for a Cause” contest (named after its Cartwheel checking product) in which members submitted a 60-second video about a cause they felt strongly about and had to incorporate a cartwheel. The winner won $5,000 for their chosen cause and $1,000 for themselves. “We had 37 applicants and the word-of-mouth marketing we got for that was astounding.” One member, noted Storm, even came in and opened a $150,000 equity line just because the CU had supported a local non-profit-and that wasn’t even the winning charity. Storm said that by continuing to craft the CU’s products and marketing message toward the mom demographic, it was meeting the needs of other demographics at the same time. “If bill pay works so well that a mom says ‘I love it,’ it probably works we ll enough for a 23-year-old guy who’s not married or for a 75-year-old guy with no kids,” said Storm. “If you can make a mom happy, it’s a good measurement of if you can make a lot of the rest of your community happy.”

How to run a great blog

MYNorthwest.com | Linda Thomas

The News Chick mentions the Verity Mom contest in her segment over the weekend about blogging.

Dowload the audio file

» Original clip

Work-at-Home Job Competition: Are You the Next Verity Mom?

Work at Home Mom Revolution 

Are you the next Verity Mom? VerityMom.com is having a competition of sorts to choose the next Verity Mom in the Seattle area.  This is a work-at-home opportunity. You set your own schedule of 20 hours per week. You will receive a $20,000 annual salary, a laptop, and video camera.

You will be connecting with other moms through posts and videos, Twitter, Facebook, and the occasional in-person event. To apply for this work-from-home opportunity, you will create and submit a blog post and short 60-second video explaining why you’re the perfect person for this job, then complete the application form.

Three finalists will be announced on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011. Then the public will vote until Wednesday, October 26th.  If interested in learning more about this telecommute position and the contest, please visit Verity Mom.

» Original article

CU looking for 'Verity Mom'

CUNA News Now

Verity CU in Seattle is looking for another "Verity Mom" to blog, to create videos and to connect with other moms as part of the credit union's marketing strategy.

The $367 million asset credit union's first Verity Mom, Rosemary Garner, won the first online competition in 2009 and then returned for a second year in 2010, said a credit union press release.

The credit union is looking for a new voice who will be given a paid part-time blogging position (a $20,000 one-year contract), a laptop computer and a video camera.

Because moms tend to make the most purchasing decisions for a family, they usually have the most influence in determining where their children will go for their financial needs, Shari Storm, Verity chief marketing officer, told the publication.

The credit union considers its "Verity Mom" to be a multi-generational strategy to retain current members and attract new ones, she added.

Verity Mom provides an online place for moms to meet and talk, while also allowing the credit union to ask moms questions to learn more about them, Storm said.

» Original article

Verity CU Auditions For Super Mom Spot

Credit Union Journal Daily Briefing

Verity CU is continuing its popular Verity Mom program by conducting a search for a new Verity Mom to blog, create videos and connect with other moms online. The first Verity Mom, Rosemary Garner, won the opportunity via an online job competition in 2009. The one-year gig turned into two, but the credit union said it is now time for a new voice. The winner of the contest will secure a paid, part-time blogging position ($20,000, one-year contract), a laptop computer and a video camera. “Moms make most of the spending decisions in a family and they hold the most influence over where their children will eventually do their banking. We look at this as a multi-generational strategy,” said Shari Storm, chief marketing officer for Verity. The credit union said Verity Mom provides a platform to build a place where moms meet and talk, while providing Verity a chance to ask more questions and learn more about them, she added.

How the program works:

• Moms will visit veritymom.com, fill out the application, and upload a video and blog post. Deadline to apply is noon on Tuesday, Oct. 11
• Everyone can watch and participate as the applicants are narrowed down to three finalists
• Site visitors vote for the finalists they think should be the winner starting Oct. 19
• The winner will receive a part-time blogging contract worth $20,000 per year, a laptop computer and a Canon HD Video Camera

Verity Credit Union Is Searching For A Wildly Creative, Funny And Talented Seattle-Area Mom

CU Insight

Proving that youths aren’t the only ones connecting and engaging online, Verity Credit Union is continuing its successful Verity Mom program by conducting a search for a new Verity Mom to blog, create videos and connect with other moms online.

The first Verity Mom, Rosemary Garner, won the opportunity via the online job competition in 2009. The one-year gig turned into two, and now it’s time for a new voice. The winner of the contest will secure a paid, part-time blogging position ($20,000, one year contract), a laptop computer, and a video camera.

Shari Storm, Verity Credit Union’s chief marketing officer, states, “Moms make most of the spending decisions in a family and they hold the most influence over where their children will eventually do their banking. We look at this as a multi-generational strategy.”

According to Storm, Verity Mom provides the perfect platform to continue build a place where moms meet and talk, while providing Verity a chance to ask more questions and learn more about them.

“Rosemary created wonderful content on the website and developed a significant following.” Said Storm, “The new Verity Mom will have big shoes to fill, but we recognize that a new Verity Mom will bring her own spin, and we encourage that.”

How the program works: 

• Moms will visit veritymom.com, fill out the application and upload a video and blog post: deadline to apply is noon on Tuesday, October 11, 2011.
• Everyone can watch and participate as the applicants are narrowed down to 3 finalists.
• Site visitors vote for the finalists they think should be the winner starting October 19, 2011.
• The winner will receive a part-time blogging contract worth $20,000 / year, a laptop computer and a
• Canon HD Video Camera.

Prizes will be awarded to the other two finalists as well.

» Original article

Are YOU The Next Verity Mom?

Verity Credit Union is looking for a mom to become an advocate for Seattle’s Moms and represent Verity Credit Union! What does this mean for YOU?!  Well, it’s an opportunity for a Seattle-area mom to be the face of Verity Credit Union and talk about what it’s like to be a mom in Seattle today PLUS participate in Verity Mom blogs, vlogs and spreads the word about Verity – and is compensated with a $20,000 1 year contract, a 13″ Apple MacBook Pro notebook computer PLUS a Flip Mini HD video camera!

THE SEARCH FOR THE VERITY MOM:
•    Applicants enter online HERE
•    Application will consist of:
o    60 second video application edited and uploaded to YouTube
o    One blog essay
o    A completed application form
•    Application deadline: Tuesday, October 11, at noon
•    Public online voting: Wednesday, October 19 – Wednesday, October 26

What are the characteristics of the ideal Verity Mom?
•    Self-motivated and able to talk to anyone, anytime
•    Dynamic, likeable and outgoing personality
•    Strong writing and creative skills
•    Comfortable on camera
•    Computer savvy; able to film, edit and upload video
•    Comfortable with all things “web” and involved in social media

What are the expectations of the Verity Mom?
•    Become a member of Verity Credit Union
•    Work part time for a full year (20 hours per week)
•    Produce and post daily blog entries and weekly video blogs to veritymom.com
•    Attend, speak and interact at events

For FAQ’s about this contest, click HERE.

» Original article

Standout With Innovative Marketing

CreditUnions.com | By Rebecca McClay

Mom-Friendly Messages: Verity Credit Union

Verity Credit Union ($367M, Seattle, WA) is marketing to that demographic by creating kid-friendly branches and using more female-focused language. It changed the name of its checking from “Velocity Checking” to “Cartwheel Checking” and hired part-time spokesmom to blog about her experiences with the credit unions, says marketing director Shari Storm.

“Mothers have a strong online presence,” Storm says. “Our goal is to have mom bring in the whole family. We do feel like it’s been a success.”

Verity ensured that its campaign language made the product standout to women, who on average, make 85 percent of the financial decisions in their families, according to a she-conomy.com, a website that analyzes women-focused marketing.

Since it launched the mom-friendly marketing, Verity has seen the average age of its member drop by two years, a statistic that Storm says is “really hard to get down.”

» Original article

All-out effort by Team Tessa

HeraldNet | By Katya Yefimova

LAKE STEVENS -- Tessa Shevlin's long, blond hair and blue skirt fly in the air as she takes a jump off the living room couch.

She lands with a happy laugh and starts chasing her 4-year-old brother Lochlan.

It looks like the normal day in the life of a 6-year-old, but Tessa couldn't do any of these things just six months ago.

She is being treated for juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease that affects a child's muscles and skin. Tessa's parents, Julie and Justyn Shevlin, are on a mission to raise money and educate other families about the disease. They recently won $6,000 in a contest sponsored by the Verity Credit Union in Seattle. They were awarded $1,000 for themselves and $5,000 to go to Cure JM Foundation, which provides help for patients' families and supports research into the disease.

The contest was called Cartwheel for a Cause, and participants had to submit a video featuring a cause they wanted to benefit and -- you guessed it -- a cartwheel. It was a piece of cake for Julie, who was a gymnast in college. The video features the family's show of support for their cause.

The Shevlins were invited to the award ceremony in March as one of the three finalists. Being declared winners was a wonderful surprise.

"We didn't think we'd win," Julie said. "Hopefully, this will get researchers' attention."

Little is known about JM or how it affects kids as they grow up. The Shevlins went through numerous doctors before Tessa was diagnosed almost two years ago.

Friends and relatives have been helping the family through Tessa's illness. About 40 of them are training for the Seattle Rock'n'Roll Marathon this summer as part of Team Tessa.

The adults also wanted to get the kids involved and created a "kids marathon," a game where kids need to log their walking and running into a special chart. The goal is 26 miles, and Tessa is almost half-way through. The chart includes stickers to mark each completed mile and rewards along the way, such as watching a new movie and getting to decide dinner.

Before doctors at Seattle Children's Hospital finally put a finger on Tessa's strange skin rashes and inflamed joints, her parents thought their daughter was a shy and quiet child. She didn't like to run around on the playground. She threw a fit sometimes when Julie asked her to go to her room. It later turned out that going up the stairs was painful.

The first few months of Tessa's treatment involved a high dose of steroids. She went from 32 pounds to 50.

"She remembers her 'puffy cheeks.' " Julie said. "She didn't look in the mirror for six months."

She was in pain, but doctors said they had to treat the disease aggressively. Tessa took it all in stride. She is better now and enjoying bike rides and walks to the parks -- simple things she couldn't do when she was younger.

"We are playing catch-up," Justyn said. "But we look at it as a glass half-full."

Help cure juvenile dermatomyositis

To learn more about the disease, go to www.curejm.com.

Read more about Tessa or contribute to Cure JM Foundation at bit.ly/TessaShevlin. Donations for the Team Tessa account are being accepted at any Wells Fargo Bank branch.

Watch Cartwheel for a Cause videos at www.veritymom.com/cartwheel-for-a-cause

» Original article

Former Port Angeles gymnast cartwheels for a cause

Peninsula Daily News | By Paige Dickerson

When Julie Shevlin was on the Port Angeles High School gymnastics team, she didn’t know that any of the skills she learned — namely a cartwheel — would later win $6,000 for a cause she cared about.

Shevlin — a Seattle resident who was Julie Urfer when she lived in Port Angeles — competed in the Verity Mom Cartwheel for a Cause online challenge that ended this month.

Her 60-second video of her cartwheel for a cause was announced Wednesday as the winner of the contest, sponsored by Verity Credit Union of Seattle.

She selected as recipient of her winnings the Cure JM Foundation, which conducts research on juvenile myositis, the disease afflicting her 6-year-old daughter.

Tessa — who also is the granddaughter of Jan and Dennis Urfer of Port Angeles — was diagnosed at the age of 4 with the potentially fatal disease, in which an overactive immune system attacks the muscles.

Tessa’s mother knew something was wrong long before the diagnosis was made.

“Tessa as a toddler or a baby just wasn’t very active,” Shevlin said.

“She was normal and healthy, but she liked to sit a lot and liked to be carried all the time.

“Then, she had a series of very high fevers, and following exposure to the sun, she would break out in a rash that looked like a sunburn — but it wasn’t.

“It just didn’t go away, so even in the winter, she looked like she had a sunburn.”

Those elements, combined with Tessa’s tiredness, led the doctor to diagnose juvenile dermatomyositis, a form of juvenile myositis.

Currently there is no cure. Tessa undergoes nearly daily shots and frequent treatments.

She is also part of a study of the disease through the Cure JM Foundation, Shevlin said.

“It is a fairly rare disease, so there just isn’t a lot of study about it out there,” Shevlin said.

“So the treatments are very general. We don’t know if there is maybe a better way to treat these kids.”

Tessa has been improving with treatment but is not in remission, Shevlin said.

“We are still waiting for her to go into remission,” she said.

In addition to winning $5,000 through the cartwheel video contest, Shevlin also won $1,000 for herself, which she plans to donate to the foundation.

The contest accepted entries from Jan. 24 to Feb. 21. Online voting was between Feb. 23 and March 2.

“When I heard about the contest, as a former gymnast who had a cause that I care about a lot on a personal level, it just seemed like the perfect fit,” Shevlin said.

In addition to the money already raised for the foundation, Shevlin and her husband, Justyn, are having a series of fundraisers in Seattle.

“We are lucky because we have good insurance, so everything is going to research on this disease,” she said.

Seattle fundraisers are:

• On June 21, the family will hold a Summer Solstice party at the Space Needle in honor of Tessa.
  
  The cocktail party, silent auction and awareness night will cost $50. It includes a trip to the top of the Space Needle.
  
  To purchase tickets, visit www.summersolsticecurejm.eventbrite.com or e-mail jshevlin76@gmail.com.
  
  The family also is accepting silent-auction items.
• “Team Tessa” runners are organizing for the Seattle Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon/Half Marathon on June 25.
  
  The runners will help raise awareness of the issue. Contact the above e-mail for more information.
  
  A kids Team Tessa is also set up for children who will run 26 miles between now and June while raising money for the Cure JM Foundation.
  
  Donations can be made to the foundation through an account set up at any Wells Fargo branch under the name “Team Tessa.”
  
  To view the video of Tessa asking everyone to “Cartwheel for the Cure,” which won the highest number of votes of any entry in the contest, visit http://tinyurl.com/4qontr7.
  
  For more information on the Cartwheel for a Cause contest, visit www.veritymom.com.
  
  To learn more about the Cure JM Foundation — which is based in Encinitas, Calif. — visit www.curejm.com, e-mail info@curejm.com or phone 760-487-1079.

» Original article

Kansas City woman hope to win money for orphanage in Uganda

NBC Action News

A Kansas City woman has entered a contest for non-profits to win a $5,000 prize. Gloria Feinstein’s non-profit organization is “Change the Truth”. She adopted an orphanage of 180 kids in Uganda, a country that has 2 million orphans. You can help her win the prize by voting for her video - #18 under her sister – Bobbie Baker.

+ Original article

+ Good news follow-up story on Gloria's blog

Marketing Credit Unions to Women

Marketing to Women Online | by Holly Buckanan

In your family, who is setting up the checking accounts, balancing the checkbooks, going to the bank to make deposits, balancing the household budget?  

In many families, that person is a woman. Women make 89 percent of the banking decisions for their families. This is  just one of the reasons why credit unions should be actively marketing to women. 

Another reason why credit unions should market to women is to attract women business owners.  Women are starting their own businesses at a record pace.  Women business owners are valuable customers looking for financing options and merchant services. And women-owned businesses are a good financial bet. Women-owned businesses are as financially sound and creditworthy as the typical firm in the U.S. economy, and are more likely to remain in business than the average U.S. firm.

Finally, women want what credit unions have to offer. Women are very community oriented and like the personal touch that credit unions bring to the customer experience.

Credit unions looking for a financial edge should take a closer look at connecting with women. Let's look at specific things you can do to attract and retain women customers, including a real-life example of a credit union doing just that.

How to market your credit union to women

Shari Storm is the Chief Marketing Officer at Verity Credit Union. When Shari came on board, the credit union wanted to focus on families.  Shari made an even more strategic decision to focus on mothers. 

I had a great conversation with Shari Storm about the succesful changes/programs she implemented.  Here's a highlight of her work as well as other tips on how to market credit unions to women.

1. Make her feel smart. Have authentic conversations with your female clients about their financial lives. Don't just talk about goals, talk about what's keeping her up at night. Women are starving for financial education and valuable advice.  How can you help her save money? Do you have strategies for getting out of debt?  How can you help her grow her business?  Women want a trusted financial partner. Provide seminars as well as individual advice. Make her feel smart and she will reward you with her loyalty. 
2. Use female friendly language in your marketing materials. Shari re-named their checking account, changing it from "Velocity" to "Cartwheel Checking."  That was a stretch for the largely male board, but was ultimately well received by the public.  Because the name was so different, it stood out, and women noticed. 
3. Create kid friendly branches. I always say, a great way to make mothers happy is to make their kids happy. Shari was involved in some positive changes in the design of the  branches. She pushed for no drive-up windows (which sounds counter-intuitive), but she did it because she wants people and their kids to come into the branch to have a more personal experience and connection. Kids get stickers and piggy banks and other goodies. The credit union has coloring contest. Tellers call kids by their names (listed on the screen). There's even a kids play area. Bottom line, when moms are running errands, kids are saying, "I want to go to the credit union." This is even more important when you know moms hold the most influence over where their children will eventually do their banking.
4. Let your community do your marketing. A lot of credit unions talk about supporting their community, but don't include the community as a full partner. Shari and her team created the Verity Mom campaign where a local woman was chosen to be the company spokesperson. Women interested in the position submitted videos and the public voted on the three finalists. Verity Mom was chosen and she now blogs and promotes the credit union, talking in an authentic voice to other women about what matters to women. (More on this campaign next)
5. Support her causes. Women have causes they feel passionately about.  Simply slapping a ribbon on your door and saying "we support X cause" isn't enough. Verity Mom is currently promoting a contest, "Cartwheel for a Cause" where women can send in videos of why they should win the $6,000 prize - $5,000 to go to their charity, $1,000 to spend on their family. Help her be a hero to her favorite cause and her family. Be a partner by supporting what she supports.
6. Make focusing on women a company-wide initiative and stick with it. Shari Storm talks about the discipline it takes to keep women front and center in all decisions. Verity Credit Union doesn't just do a one-time campaign. (a big reason why so many marketing to women efforts fail.) As we saw above, they make women feel valuable throughout the entire customer experience.

Will marketing credit unions to women turn off men?

This is a question I get often. With my clients, I've found that men barely even notice the changes, while women notice them big time and love it. 

I asked Shari Storm about the feedback from male customers on the cartwheel checking initiative.  Here's her response:

We did have men complain about our debit plastic that had two kids running on a grassy hillside. We’ve changed that image to our Cartwheel for a Cause image. The plastics launch next week and our front line staff is very happy about it. I guess men don’t mind having a checking account called Cartwheel, but they don’t want to pull out a debit card that has anything but their own kids on it. I can see that.

This brings up a super important point. The debit card is something he will be pulling out constantly, and which others will see. It is a personal reflection of him. So this is a point on which you need to make sure you aren't actively turning off either gender. Here's the Cartwheel for a Cause image:

 
You can see that the image of the two kids has been replaced by this artistic rendering which I imagine would be more palatable to some guys. 

Bottom line - any changes you make with fall into three categories

1. Changes both men and women appreciate - the majority of the changes initiated by focusing on moms are appreciated by men as well - more personalized service, supporting his and her causes and community, better communication and transparency, etc.
2. Changes women appreciate and men don't even notice - some of the changes are more subtle, like female friendly verbiage and images in ads, more kid-friendly locations (though dads appreciate this as well), names of products, etc.
3. Changes that women appreciate, but turn off men - you have to know what men care about the  most, and make sure you don't make changes that negatively affect those things, like debit cards which he uses on a daily basis. Debit and credit cards are self-identity markers for men. They can't be out of alignment with his self-identity.

More on the Verity Mom campaign

I love this campaign for so many reasons, but I actually think a guy sums it up best. Here's Ron Shevlin on Verity Mom:

There were three things I took away that I think differentiate the initiative from a lot of other social media/WOM efforts:

1) It’s grounded in strategy. It’s no big secret that women manage the finances in a majority of households in the US. Yet, how many financial institutions have really overhauled their efforts to not just market to women, but design products and customer-facing processes to appeal to women?

Who are moms these days? Most likely they’re in the their late 20s (at the youngest end) to the early 40s (at the upper end). In other words, mostly Gen Xers. Not Gen Yers. Gen Xers who are hitting the prime of their earning years, and the prime of their financial needs. While the rest of the financial world drools over 25 year-olds who don’t have two nickels to rub together, Verity Mom is part of a strategy to attract a segment of customers who represent a good chunk of the demand for financial products.

2) It’s integrated into the core of the business. So many social media efforts that I hear about appear to be one-off experiments that are designed to “test the waters of social media” or let the firm check off the “we’re attempting to innovate” box.

Not at Verity. The Verity Mom initiative has led to the renaming of the CU’s checking account and the redesign of its branches. In addition, Verity Mom blog posts end up on the CU’s home page, not buried somewhere deep in the site, as it often is at other FIs.

3) It oozes with authenticity. Plenty of financial institutions have run ad campaigns over the years that purport to show “real people” who share their “stories” about the bank or CU and how great it is. In the end, I guess we could argue whether or not these attempts are successful at influencing perception, but I’ll tell you right now I’ll be arguing that they don’t. Authenticity is something that takes time to achieve. You can’t do it in a single shot, with a single ad campaign.

Over time, through consistent and persistent blogging and messaging, Verity demonstrates that it’s authentically concerned with meeting the financial needs of moms.

I’ve said this before, I’ll say it over and over: You cannot advertise your way to trust. It has to be experienced. Verity Mom gives moms the opportunity to experience Verity, and that builds trust and authenticity.

"You cannot advertise your way to trust" - well said Ron!  Many studies show women trust women like themselves over all other sources, like the recent iVillage "Women Like Me" study. 

For more great insights, listen to Shair Storm's Blog Talk Radio interview to learn more about the Verity Mom campaign. 

Learn more about selling financial services to women.

+ Original post

Cartwheel for a Cause with Verity Credit Union

King5.com | by New Day Producers

Melina Young from Verity Credit Union introduces us to their "Cartwheel for a Cause" contest.

About Cartwheel for a Cause:
Cartwheel for a Cause is about letting the community tell us (Verity) what causes they think are important, and letting the community vote for whichever cause they feel is the most important. Anyone over the age of 18 can submit a 60-second video explaining about a cause that is important to them – and include a cartwheel or two. Technique and form don’t matter. The public will vote for their favorite cause and video and the first place winner gets $1,000 plus $5,000 donated to the charity highlighted in their video. Second and third place each get $200 and $1,000 for their cause.

Video submission starts today, and people can submit their videos until February 21st. After that, there is a voting period from February 23rd until March 2nd and the winners will be announced by March 6th. Everything is happening on Veritymom.com – so go there for more information and to submit your video.

» Original article

Credit Union Times ON AIR: Marketing to Women

Credit Union Times ON AIR

Listen to internet radio with Sarah Snell Cooke on Blog Talk Radio

Women continue to control more and more money, so how can you get them into your credit union? Jennifer O’Connell of PARTNERS+simons, a Boston-based brand communications firm, has two key strategies that allow for truly identifying with “her.” Shari Storm, senior vice president/chief marketing officer at Verity Credit Union, home of the VerityMom, discussed her CU’s programs to attract women. O'Connell, Storm, Credit Union Times Editor-in-Chief Sarah Snell Cooke and Senior Reporter Myriam DiGiovanni were joined by credit union advocate and marketer Roger Conant.

» Original article

Verity Mom wins MAC Marketing NOW Award

Marketing Association of Credit Unions

Why wait a year to recognize credit unions’ virtual, viral and electronic efforts that are happening now? That single question prompted the Marketing Association of Credit Unions to launch the MAC Marketing NOW awards.

With more credit unions creating and posting their work on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, microsites and developing smartphone apps, the competition is designed to recognize the best work happening right now in the credit union world.

There were 11 categories with hundreds of entries and Verity Credit Union and Verity Mom placed first in the Best Social Media Personality Award category with Rosemary Garner!

+ MAC Marketing Now Awards

Blogger Helps Verity Credit Union Build Street Cred With Local Moms

Credit Union Times | By Myriam DiGiovanni

Verity Credit Union has gotten Seattle moms talking thanks to Verity Mom blogger Rosemary Garner.

Recognizing that it’s not just Gen Y that likes to interact online, the $380 million credit union turned to British Columbia-based marketing agency Currency Marketing last August to help connect with and learn from Seattle-area mothers with its online platform Verity Mom. The microsite veritymom.com was created to serve as a fun, educational resource that helps mothers navigate their lives.

To create buzz and generate interest, the Seattle-based credit union kicked off a search for one creative, funny, talented part-time blogger to be the face and voice of Verity Mom. In October 2009, after the competitors spent weeks campaigning fiercely through videos, blog posts and networking, the public chose Rosemary Garner, a 44-year-old mom who is a video producer for public television.

"I love having this creative outlet and being able to interact with so many people," Garner said. "And it is so satisfying to take something out of the everyday mundane life and turn it into something people identify with that makes them laugh or is occasionally provocative."

She added that the job has been well suited for a working parent with a young child as it easily fits in her busy schedule.

Although blogs have a reputation for being unfiltered, Garner said she thinks before she posts.

"I feel like the blogosphere is just polluted with litter so I didn’t want to add to the virtual landfill," she said. "I try to be conscientious about only posting entries I think have some meat on the bone and that’s been effective."

The Verity Mom blog, which also appears on the credit union’s homepage, has built quite a loyal following with over 400 subscribers, according to Shari Storm, vice president/chief marketing officer at the credit union. The site gets some 31 daily hits from visitors who stay for two minutes on average.

"We now have this group of ambassadors talking about us and turning to us for help," Storm said. "For example, one of the Verity Mom candidates asked if she could have a moms group meeting in our building and of course we said yes. She brought in potential members through our doors. We’re now getting street credibility with the mom blogging market and you’d be hard pressed to find a financial institution getting that kind of word of mouth traction."

The experience has exceeded expectations and Storm said although the position was only supposed to be for a year, Garner has been tapped to continue as the Verity Mom for another year.

"She has introduced Verity to some really well known people and opened a lot of doors for us," said Storm.

» Original article