Even for the largest credit unions, consistent growth is essential. Expanding your base allows you to provide more for your existing members, and to prepare better for the future. When growth slows, you run the risk of starting a downward trend that is very difficult to stop. Stagnation can cause a cascade of negative consequences for the institution, which then go on to affect the remaining members.
Financial institutions have come up with a number of ways to encourage steady growth, but what happens when they need help getting these efforts off the ground, or when campaigns need a tune-up? We thought it would be helpful to delve into a case just like this, and explain how Prisma’s expertise can help financial institutions combat faltering growth.
Meet IDB Global Federal Credit Union
For over 60 years, IDB Global Federal Credit Union has been striving to promote financial literacy and wellness for all its members. Now operating in over 75 countries and boasting a membership base of over 11,000 individuals and deposits of over $700 million, IDB Global FCU has worked hard to grow sustainably and responsibly so that it can continue to serve the global community that has come to rely on it.
Like many other FIs, IDB was struggling to scale up the campaigns and programs that had been so effective in promoting growth when it was a smaller institution. As a single-sponsor credit union, referrals were essential to their operation and a core part of the team’s overall growth strategy. However, the existing referral programs were not built with the FI’s current goals in mind, and were not drawing in the same number of new members as they had been in the past.
Several issues were preventing the referral programs from performing at 100%. The existing programs required manual intervention at several points, forming bottlenecks that IDB’s relatively small marketing team was ill-equipped to handle. Translation into Spanish, IDB’s second-most-common user language, was also slow and prone to error, dramatically decreasing response rates from Spanish-speaking members.
The Solution
IDB chose to trust Prisma to help them get their referral program back on track. With Prisma’s technology and experience, it was possible to address IDB's concerns and revive the program.
The program itself was relatively simple: members would be prompted to refer up to ten of their family members and friends and would receive an incentive if those contacts converted. Prisma assisted IDB by enabling two key features:
Automated Outreach
Through integration with IDB’s existing member database, Prisma could instantly identify which members would be good targets for initial outreach. Automated emails would then be sent to these members, informing them of the new program. By automating the process from beginning to end, Prisma freed IDB’s limited marketing department and allowed them to reallocate their time and resources elsewhere.
Dual-Language System
Prisma's multi-language support technology allowed IDB to craft bilingual communications, ensuring that they were meeting the needs of their primarily Spanish-speaking members without the hassle of inaccurate translation. This change resulted in a significant uptick in engagement statistics amongst Spanish-speaking audience members and a significant decrease in the amount of time and effort spent drafting communications.
Results
The improvement that IDB saw with its referral program was tremendous. After implementing Prisma’s changes and strategizing internally, 40,000 automated messages detailing the program were sent to IDB’s 11,000 members. These messages were grouped into four “blasts,” with the fourth being a retargeting campaign only reaching those who had not interacted with the previous three messages.
The email communications had a 24% open rate, well above the industry average. The new messaging strategy generated 601 new leads, resulting in 102 conversions for new members. Seeing this growth in such a short time is very encouraging for IDB, as each member represents an opportunity to expand the referral program and extend membership even more. Those 102 conversions brought in a balance of $440k and $1.5 million in mortgages. IDB distributed $10k in incentives for a $2 million return.
Marilyn Wagner, the Director of Communications at IDB Global Federal Credit Union, had this to say when asked about their partnership with Prisma: “Thanks to Prisma, our credit union was able to create a referral program that was perfectly tailored to our needs. Prisma enabled our marketing team to manage the program without coding or external assistance. All of this saved us time and increased our efficiency while providing our members with a seamless and fully digital experience. We couldn’t be happier with the results!”
Read the case study to see the complete breakdown of Prisma’s work with IDB Global Federal Credit Union. If your organization could use a partner like Prisma, schedule a demo with us today. Our work helps financial institutions like yours prepare for the future and elevate employee and member experiences.
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