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International Credit Union Day is just around the corner. On October 17, credit unions in Maine and around the globe will celebrate the credit union difference by recognizing the positive impact our network has on members and in the communities we serve.
We hope all Maine credit unions will join us in commemorating this occasion by collecting and sharing member stories in the days leading up to and on International Credit Union Day. Expanding on Maine Credit Unions’ “Own it” campaign, we hope to feature real people who can share their personal stories about how they benefit by being a credit union member, or provide an example of when their credit union had positive impact on their lives. We need your help!
While many credit unions have their own traditions to celebrate International Credit Union Day, we hope you will consider collecting stories to complement what you are already doing. Here’s how:
- Ask your members to provide their stories. Determine if you have members who might be willing to appear in print or video advertisements. We are looking for inspirational stories, so let us know if you have someone in mind.
- Post stories on social media. Capture these stories in photographs and post them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or wherever you have an account. Consider including these hashtags: #mycreditunionstory, #mainecreditunions, #creditunionday, #mymainecustory, #cuownitstory
- Capture your members on video talking about your credit union. Ask them what they like about your credit union and what makes it different. These don’t need, and shouldn’t be, professional quality videos. Use a camera phone to capture the moment!
- Ask your members what one word describes their credit union. This can be done through a photograph, video, or written testimonial.
- Let us know what your credit union is doing in your community. In addition to capturing your member stories, showcase what you have been doing to improve the lives of people within your community. These can be Ending Hunger stories or other examples that reflect the People Helping People philosophy. These stories also may help you generate press coverage from your credit union.
Following International Credit Union Day, Maine Credit Unions would like to use these inspiring real-life stories in print, digital, and video advertising. The ads would highlight your members’ stories but would only show their first names, maybe their city or town, and the number of years they have been a credit union member. Their stories, photos, and videos would replace the stock imagery we have been using to support the “Own it” campaign. Using real people in advertising creates a familiarity and an emotional connection that is hard to achieve with stock imagery.
By working together in this way – highlighting our members and the meaningful impact credit unions have had on their lives – we’ll carry the spirit of International Credit Union Day throughout the weeks and months ahead. Please reach out to Tim Brooks, League Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications, at tbrooks@mainecul.org with questions or if you need additional assistance.