In an increasingly complicated financial services sector, credit unions face the challenge of maintaining relevance for their members. Digital‑first competitors are setting expectations, social platforms are shaping discovery, and data‑driven personalization is raising the bar for what “good” looks like. Credit unions have a great story to tell! What is actually working? Let’s look at five powerful marketing trends and how credit unions are using them to connect with their members and their communities.
Mobile isn’t “the future”: it’s the front door. An app that’s fast, predictable, and helpful turns casual users into daily ones. The wins we see pair embedded tools with instant actions. SavvyMoney’s in‑app credit engagement is a good example: members check their score and, right there, see relevant options. Bigger credit unions are adding instant virtual card provisioning and in‑app controls, taking a page from digital‑first players like Chime. Instead of being frustrated about losing their credit or debit card, members can be delighted. In Filene’s FiLab testing, we trialed Flow, a fintech nudging more transactions with simple rewards. Members received a push notification and email letting them know about the opportunity. During the month-long playbook, low-transaction members were asked to complete five transactions, and the engagement led to double the transactions for an extra $105 spent.
Security is table stakes. Trust is the movement’s core advantage, and marketing must make that advantage felt in digital channels. Clear fraud alerts, quick disputes, and sane authentication say “we’ve got you” better than any billboard. Having said that, trust comes from connections with the members. Check out Civic Credit Union’s “When Everything Works—It’s Because They Do” campaign. They honor their members (local government workers) through relatable what‑if scenarios (no clean water, no trash pickup), turning security and reliability into an emotional story. The through‑line: trust lands when members see people and consequences.
Members expect their primary financial institution to help them improve their financial health; 86% of them don’t feel like it’s happening. That’s fixable. Citizens Equity First Credit Union went to where Gen Z actually lives: TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, ESPN+ and paired those channels with NIL partnerships, on‑campus education, and advertising near universities.Result: 1,800+ new Gen Z members and a fresher picture of what a credit union can be.
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@cefcu_official At CEFCU, we're here to help you with YOUR finance related questions! If you're interested in learning more about finance, visit our website in the link in our bio! #cefcu #notabankbetter #finance #creditunion #fyp #fintok ♬ original sound - cefcu_official
An example that requires fewer in-house creative resources? Filene’s work with Jean Chatzky’s HerMoney offers quality white-labelled financial content for Filene member credit unions!
Social is discovery. It’s also where you prove you’re real. Credit unions that spotlight employees, members, and community beat product‑only feeds—every time. We tested this with our 2025 Finfluencer discovery program, in cooperation with 11 credit unions and one league. We kept it simple: eight months, two marketing coaches, clear goals (reach, engagement, acquisition), and creator budgets that wouldn’t melt a CFO ($1k–$10k). Teams secured content rights and tracked landing paths; so success wasn’t a vibe, it was a metric. Early lesson: micro‑influencers are a credibility shortcut when you give them a tight brief and a trackable link.
Demographics are blunt instruments. To break through the noise, credit unions should use their data and needs-based segmentation to offer the right product to the right member at the right time with the right message.
At Filene, we’ve developed a data-driven needs-based segmentation called Member Pulse. is built on interviews and surveys with nearly 5,000 credit union members and identifies distinct mindsets such as Solution‑Oriented Shoppers. Michigan State University Federal Credit Union used this lens to email 1,786 Solution‑Oriented Shoppers about a new certificate while sending a demographically targeted message to 1,500 members as a control. After 14 days, the Member Pulse–aligned campaign generated 63% more clicks, 80% more certificates opened, and 55% more other products opened than the control.
Even better, with our partner Vertice AI, we have a generative AI program that creates marketing content that aligns with the key tones, words and phrases that resonate with our five different Member Pulse segments. While I personally have been a skeptic of generative AI, it does have its uses. For example, I used generative AI to help me convert a powerpoint presentation I had presented a couple of weeks ago into this blogpost. I then rewrote this to make sure it reflected my words, thoughts, personality and punctuation preferences. (Remember, AI should only ever be used as a first draft.)
Three Core Strategies to Keep in Mind
- Authenticity over everything. Younger audiences reward brands that feel real; showcasing employees, members, and community partners, rather than stock imagery, signals that your credit union knows and serves real people. If you are using AI, make sure you double-check to use your authentic voice.
- Be a mirror, not a door. Audience growth on social accelerates when people literally see themselves in your presence, so be thoughtful of the imagery and tone you use. Showcase your members’ successes; highlight what matters to your community.
- Foster conversations and co‑creation. The stickiest marketing comes when viewers shape the story. Invite members to share their own CU experiences, resource a quick‑response community management function, and collaborate with micro‑influencers who catalyze participation rather than just impressions.
Five Questions for Your Next Team Discussion
- Who in our community or member base should we feature more prominently, and how will we sustain that visibility over time?
- Are our visuals and voice aligned with the people we want to reach, not just the people we already serve?
- How will we encourage more two‑way conversations with our audience, and do we have a reliable way to hear what they most want from us?
- Which content formats (e.g. short‑form video, stories, posts) are resonating most with our members, based on recent performance, and how will we produce more of what works?
- Are we consistently reflecting the compatibility between our values, mission, and offerings and what our target members want and need?
— CV
