A question that we are asked often is, "How do we get the most out of our It's a Money Thing subscription?" The basic answer is that delivering meaningful financial education takes consistent and long-term effort to get the word out. Here are some proven strategies for getting the most out of your It's a Money Thing subscription.
Share with your staff
Sharing the content with your staff is the foundation to empower staff members to become financial education ambassadors for young adults. Here are four ways to share content with your staff.
- The first way to share your content is in a group setting (in person or online). Sharing your content at a staff meeting brings everyone up-to-date on what you’re providing to members, so that staff won’t be caught off guard if a member refers to, say, a video they watched on your website. In fact, your staff member will even be able to chat knowledgeably about it. Sharing in a group setting is also a great refresher for staff of all ages, especially if anything has changed—like credit score parameters or fraud detection tips.
- Secondly, you can present the content to new staff members one on one. Credit unions often have recruits that are young adults, and your financial education content is a great supplement to the other training you’ll be presenting.
- Also, circulate pieces on your intranet or internal communications with staff. Reminding your team about what you’re doing with the content in the real and digital world will foster a more connected and aware workforce.
- You can also put It's a Money Thing content in a physical location where staff will see it everyday like on a staff room bulletin board.
Sharing your content with your staff gives you a chance to reinforce your credit union’s “why.” A company’s “why” is what inspires people in their jobs. Why does financial education and literacy matter at our credit union? Why is providing financial education to help members and strengthen communities important? Sharing your answers with staff inspires them, because you’re asking staff members to help with a bigger goal than sales targets.
Share it with members
Now that the hearts and minds of your staff are behind you, reach out to members.
- Integrating your It's a Money Thing content into your website is the most impactful thing that you can do to share your content with members and potential members. It is so important that we've dedicated the entire next section of this article to it!
- Give your content regular space in your member newsletter—whether printed or digital.
- Include a print-out of an article or colorful handout in your mailed statements—or even create something that could go on the back of your statement envelopes.
- Decorate your branch with your content on your in-branch digital signage and countertops displays.
- Wherever your members live on social media, share your financial education content there as well. You could blanket every platform with your content, but it can be more effective to ask your members what they use, and then focus sharing on one platform at a time until you’ve mastered it.
- Add an icon within your mobile app and online banking that links to your education page. Apps and online banking are places that your members go regularly—find a way to let your financial education content have a presence there as well.
Integrate the content into your website
Outfitting your credit union’s website with an It’s a Money Thing section is a fantastic way to make full use of of your content. Here are dozens of examples to use as inspiration for your own website.
But don't just build a website section and forget about it. Cross-promote your content throughout your website and online banking. For example, if you have a homepage carousel, regularly highlight fresh topics. If you are a 48 Topics Plan subscriber, you could feature a new topic every month for four years!
Embed as much content on your site as possible. If members and potential members are visiting your website, getting them to stay and learn keeps them “at your credit union” where they can get more familiar with you and your brand.
Share with your partners
Suppliers, vendors and community organizations can all play a role in helping your financial education efforts reach more people. Reach out and offer to share your content and encourage them to use this free resource to teach their staff and customers. Going one step further with your partners, especially if they have a large contingent of young adult employees, you could offer learning sessions, either at their place of business or at a branch. Of course, this depends on the nature of your relationship with your partners, and if it makes sense for both of you.
Share it with schools
One of the biggest wins in terms of improving financial literacy and getting in front of more individuals in your community is to partner with your local schools. Often there’s no consistent government mandate for educational materials, there’s not a standardized curriculum, and, typically, there’s no funding. This is where the opportunity lies for your credit union—your financial education content can bridge those gaps.
We have easy-to-use lesson plans to help your credit union bring financial literacy into the classroom or teach online. Lesson plans combine your favorite It’s a Money Thing materials into engaging 45-minute teaching sessions.
Share it like a campaign
Treat the launch of your financial education program like it is a fully integrated marketing campaign. Think about that—how would you launch a new checking account? Or a mortgage rate campaign? The answer is: strategically and consistently over a period of time. Your financial education program doesn’t have to be a passive strategy. This is a philosophy that has helped many of our It's a Money Thing credit unions achieve some pretty amazing results and it can work for your credit union too.