Today, credit union members and consumers have more ways than ever to pay for goods and services, including Buy Now Pay Later, automated clearing houses, mobile wallets, and peer-to-peer payments. At the same time, payment methods are getting smarter.

According to recent data, almost 60% of consumers in the United States were living paycheck to paycheck in July 2022. Record high inflation is certainly being felt by people everywhere, regardless of where they live or how much money they make.

Whether your credit union member earns $30,000 a year or $300,000 a year, everyone is feeling the crunch from inflation. And this should come as no surprise, considering inflationary pressure is at a 40-year high. Even so, many financial institutions are reluctant to discuss inflation in a real way and offer tangible steps consumers can use to reduce the impact. However, your credit union could be the lighthouse that helps members weather the storm and navigate their way through the fog. Here are four key marketing messages and campaigns credit unions can use to help your members and your bottom line.

In a period of significant global economic instability, the financial services sector is going through a significant period of disruption. This has been especially challenging for credit unions, who need to leverage a variety of methods to keep cash flow as stable as possible. Thankfully, there are ways to use this newfound disruption to optimize revenue streams moving forward. They require organizational leaders to keep a few key things in mind.

In an age of two-day Amazon delivery, instant Google search, and personalized lending offers through Credit Karma, your members are no longer satisfied with a slow back-office lending process that takes days to weeks. Instead, credit unions must modernize their lending with a digital loan origination system and powerful analytics.

The cold, hard truth is lending isn't what it used to be. Everything has changed in recent years, forcing lending institutions to change too. As rates continue to increase and the financial landscape keeps evolving, credit unions must acquire new lending strategies to remain competitive in the industry. So, how should CUs adapt to these rapid changes? One of the most critical things you can do is take advantage of data analytics, which can help identify and target the right individuals based on a number of factors, from behavior and demographics to specific life events. In this article, we'll outline what's currently trending in the market and how your credit union can effectively harness the power of data analytics to benefit your members and bottom line.

As a credit union, the trust of your members and community is second to none. In fact, 63% of consumers polled as part of the Kellogg Trust Index said they trust doing business with credit unions compared to 21% for the overall financial system. While valuable, credit union trust is no longer the end-all, be-all to providing a differentiated member experience—data is.

From the beginning, your credit union has dedicated itself to being a community development financial institution with a sincere focus on serving members with excellence. But did you know that diving deeper into data analytics could help you succeed in that mission? In addition, data analytics can enable you to grow your members and if interested, help you to acquire or maintain your CDFI certification, all while acquiring staff buy-in. Credit unions of all sizes can gain incredible insights from their data and use it to make wiser business decisions. Let's outline how you can use this technology to your advantage to save time, money, and effort.

Today, data is at the core of every company, and it's readily available for use. This influx of data has forced financial institutions, including credit unions (CUs), to recognize data's importance and develop their own data strategies that consider its collection, storage, analysis, and utilization. Although data can impact everything from member experience to recruitment, it can also prompt lucrative lending opportunities. In this article, we'll be outlining how your CU can use data analytics to make wise lending decisions that benefit you and your valued members.

Within the last few years, we've seen many financial institutions rely heavily on traditional data as they've been making various credit decisions. Recent tumultuous times have also caused businesses and consumers to lose valuable revenue. Meanwhile, existing data models that were originally intended for periodic declines (instead of a complete economic standstill) have proven not to be as relevant or foretelling. These dramatic changes in both credit and consumer behavior have caused lenders to seek new data and earlier warning signs. This is where analytics come in.