A lot can change in a decade.
Ten years ago, in 2015, we were still begging people to “like” our Facebook pages because organic reach actually existed. Instagram was mostly photos of brunch and filters that made everything look vaguely like a Polaroid. TikTok wasn’t even on our radar — Musical.ly was still a thing. Most people still carried plastic debit cards in their wallets without seriously considering that their phone — or even their watch — could do the same job.
Back then, we were arguing about whether mobile banking would really catch on. Today, we know some of our members may never step foot in a branch. We didn’t think twice about printing 10,000 brochures for the teller line. Now, half of that information lives in emails, texts, push notifications, and YouTube shorts.
In 2015, you could still buy "cheap" Google Ads and get results. Facebook boosted posts delivered real reach for a few bucks. Video was “nice to have” — now it’s essential to stand out. The average person hadn’t yet become a walking, talking content creator with a 4K camera and editing studio in their pocket.
Fast forward to 2025. The world didn’t just change — it transformed, accelerated by technology and jolted by a pandemic that rewired how we live, work, shop, and trust. Member expectations didn’t just shift — they skyrocketed. Trust in big banks, big tech, and big anything continues to erode, while trust in peer reviews, authentic brands, and real transparency grows.
Marketing had to evolve or die. The brands that survived — and thrived — didn’t get lucky. They adapted. They learned new platforms. They invested in new skills. They rewrote strategies, tore up old playbooks, and (sometimes painfully) accepted that what used to work just didn’t anymore.
And here’s my question for you — especially for my friends leading and marketing credit unions: How much have you changed in the last 10 years?
If you pulled out your 2015 marketing plan, how different would it look from your 2025 plan?
- Are you still relying on branch traffic to grow membership?
- Are you still printing ads in the local paper because “we’ve always done it that way”?
- Are you still putting all your faith in the same sponsorships, the same community events, the same golf tournament?
- Are you still sending generic emails once a quarter and calling that “digital marketing”?
Meanwhile, your members are being courted by fintechs with apps that work flawlessly and push personalized offers at just the right moment. They’re influenced by people on TikTok explaining why they ditched their big bank — or their local credit union — for something better. They’re scrolling at 11 PM and deciding where to move their money based on a 15-second video, not your 30-year-old billboard.
You can’t serve modern members with outdated strategies. You can’t lead a modern team with a mindset stuck in 2015. I say this with love — because I’ve seen too many good credit unions drift into irrelevance simply because they didn’t adapt.
Here’s the thing: marketing isn’t magic. It’s not just about trends and hashtags. It’s about relevance. It’s about meeting people where they are — with clear, compelling stories, delivered in ways they trust and actually pay attention to.
The good news? It’s not too late. The best time to embrace change was yesterday. The second-best time is today.
So here’s your challenge: pull out your old plan and compare it honestly to your current one. If they look the same, it’s time to start over. Because the next 10 years will change even faster than the last 10.
If you’re ready to rethink, rebuild, and reconnect — we’re ready to help. Because we believe in the mission of credit unions. We believe in your story. And we believe that with the right strategy, your best years aren’t behind you — they’re ahead of you.