FAIRFAX, Va. — Before measuring the effectiveness of any marketing program, the credit union should first determine if a campaign has the building blocks for success.
Paul Lucas, a national branding and marketing consultant, contends that only coordinated marketing programs can be effective, and therefore should be the only ones that are measured.
It's simply not worth evaluating an effort when it's done either sporadically or on a limited basis, explained Lucas, who stressed, "You have to have frequency and depth of message. You have to get your message in front of your target audience regularly to make it work. If you are using direct mail, for example, send out about one direct mail piece a month to your targets."
Messages should be integrated across "multiple touch points"-such as signage, e-blasts, on-hold messages, and statement inserts. A little more than three months is the right amount of time for a campaign to have an impact, according to Lucas.
It's not just messaging that needs coordination-so do the efforts of employees. "Staff need to know what the marketing effort is all about and its goals, what the credit union is going to do during the campaign, and-this is very important-what is their exact job in supporting the marketing," emphasized Lucas.
Staff also need to know they will be accountable for results. "Everyone has to understand what their goals are. If we are going to bring in 100 checking accounts per month per branch, everyone needs to know every week, if not every day, where we are at. You have to keep everyone on their game."
