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The US regained a sense of normalcy in 2022, until inflation became the primary concern - causing interest rates to rise and the volume of loans to decline for the financial sector. In the ever-changing economy, it was more important than ever for WebStrategies to conduct the newest edition of our annual survey pinpointing how credit union marketing dollars are being spent and what digital tactics reflect the strongest return on investment. Our survey found marketers are still growing digital marketing efforts into 2023 but as in-person events are returning, marketing dollars are also increasing to offline channels such as events and sponsorships.

According to the World Council of Credit Unions, the average age of credit union members in North America is 53. Since the overall median age of people in the U.S. is 38.5, credit union members are squarely on the older side of the population. To build a member base that will grow over the next several years and decades, attracting members under age 45 is the goal for most credit union marketers.

While credit unions have long been known for their low rates and trust-worthy business practices, younger consumers in this digital-first era have different priorities. In our exclusive, Consumer Banking Preferences & Behavior Report, based on a survey of 1,000 banking consumers, we learned that there is a wide gap between what consumers under 45 value and those that are 45-plus value in a financial institution. It is up to marketers to resonate with consumers on things that matter most to them which may require changing up the message as well as the channels in order to reach a younger audience.

Effective websites attract visitors to your pages over competitors’ but a poorly designed or non maintained website can actually drive away prospects. Your website is the face of your business and if done well, is the primary tool for capturing the attention of prospective customers.

You may recall that we previously discussed Apple's privacy changes, specifically the impact iOS 15 was expected to have on email marketing. At the time, iOS 15, including its privacy update called Mail Privacy Protection, was just rolling out to Apple users. Now, the iPhone update is fully rolled out. Additionally, macOS and iPadOS have introduced Mail Privacy Protection.

\WebStrategies was recently named as one of the 2022 Best Places to Work in Virginia. This is the fifth year in a row that WebStrategies was named with this honor.

One challenge we regularly hear from credit union marketers is how to measure digital marketing performance. In fact, it was the highest-ranked pain point in our credit union marketing survey. Heavy workload, lofty goals, low budgets, small staff, and limited digital experience exacerbate this challenge.

After a tumultuous year, it was more important than ever for WebStrategies to conduct the newest edition of our annual survey pinpointing how credit union marketing dollars are being spent and what digital tactics are showing the strongest return on investment. Our survey found that approaches to digital marketing dramatically changed from 2020 to 2021, and the data we collected is now available to you.

Marketers are still reeling from Apple's recent privacy change, allowing iOS users to opt out of app tracking. Now prepare for the next privacy change that has major implications for email marketing.

No, your phone's microphone isn't spying on you.