This case study illustrates the journey of a New Mexico credit union as they achieved 20% year over year growth.

In financial institutions, online reputation is vital, as is correct information on online maps and listings. Prospective members will research their options, then choose the one that they have trust in. Some will choose to visit a local branch to open an account or apply for a loan, but today, much of the account activity takes place on the company website.

When we began working with the credit union, their online reviews for each branch was under a 2 — an issue that we began to resolve with online reputation management and a process to encourage positive reviews. In about a year’s time, the branches all achieved scores of 4 or more, all with real, human reviews and responses.

Simultaneously, we held a focus group, gathering valuable feedback on their members as well as those of other credit unions. We crafted a tagline to define their place in the market and helped them trademark it. Efforts were directed towards optimizing the company’s Google My Business page, updating business information, adding high-quality images, adding promotions, and implementing best practices to improve the local listing’s visibility and credibility.

Our review of the website and the user experience led to changes in many pages’ content. We reduced the steps in the online customer journey, improving the rate of applications.

The credit union’s experience in digital marketing had been limited to packages purchased from local TV stations. Mediocre results and lack of tracking had made the CEO investigate Albuquerque advertising agencies producing real results, which led to a long relationship with Ad House Advertising.

Creating specific campaigns for specific financial products led to consistent gains in market share and new accounts. By crafting Search ads with details such as rates for auto loans, mortgage rates, or interest for money market accounts, we brought qualified users to the site.

Targeted programmatic campaigns directed mortgage ads to area homebuyers as they began their shopping; car loan ads to those shopping for a new vehicle, showing a lower interest rate than the dealerships offered; and money market ads to area adults with funds ready for short-term investment.

All of our Ad House Advertising campaigns significantly outperformed national averages in financial institution marketing. By efficiently using an ad budget much smaller than their key competitors, we drove 20% annual growth during a time when other financial institutions in the area averaged 11-13%.

The implementation of a strategic plan yielded significant results for the local credit union.

Increased Web Traffic: The improvement in online reputation and branding contributed to a substantial increase in organic web traffic. A review of SEO showed many pages had not been optimized. By targeting relevant keywords and improving local visibility, the company attracted more organic visitors to its website, thereby expanding its online reach.

Qualified Leads Generation: The rise in web traffic was accompanied by highly targeted digital campaigns, bringing an influx of qualified leads.

Improved Media Buying: The company experienced a notable improvement in what the local TV ad spend provided. In some station’s programs, we negotiated rates 30-40% lower than the previous ad agency. This greatly expanded the reach of their TV budget.

Overall, the concerted efforts to improve the online presence, drive increased in-market leads, improve the user experience on the website, and maximize the TV budgets ultimately business growth.