Explain who can join, answer members' loan and account questions on dedicated pages, publish plain money guides, share member stories with consent, keep each branch's Business Profile correct, and email members who opted in. Carry the NCUA official advertising statement where 740.5 requires it, state rates as annual percentage yield, and call nothing free if a fee can apply.
Your compliance team checks every ad against NCUA's rules before it runs.
Ten credit union marketing ideas
All online, and all built on what makes a credit union different:
The NCUA official advertising statement
NCUA's part 740 requires each federally insured credit union to include the official advertising statement in all its advertisements, including its main internet page. The statement is, in substance, "This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration", "Federally insured by NCUA", "Insured by NCUA", or a reproduction of the official sign. It must be clearly legible and no smaller than the smallest font used elsewhere in the ad to convey information. The rule lists exceptions, including radio and television ads of 30 seconds or less and ads that do not relate to member accounts, such as loan ads. The official sign must also appear on the internet page where the credit union accepts deposits or opens accounts.
Accuracy, rates and the word "free"
The Truth in Savings advertising rule for credit unions, 12 CFR 707.8, and part 740 together set the main content rules for account ads:
- Accuracy: no advertising in any medium that is inaccurate or deceptive or misrepresents the credit union's services, contracts or financial condition (740.2).
- Free: no account may be called "free" or "no cost" if any maintenance or activity fee may be charged (707.8(a)).
- Profit: the word "profit" may not be used for dividends or interest paid on an account (707.8(a)).
- Rates: a stated rate of return must be the "annual percentage yield"; the dividend rate may appear with it but not more prominently (707.8(b)).
- Further disclosures: an ad stating an APY must also state, where they apply, whether the rate can change, how long it is offered, minimum balances, the effect of fees and term-account conditions (707.8(c)).
Local search for every branch
Most members choose a credit union they can reach. Google's Business Profile guidelines call for a precise, accurate address and one profile per location, and Google's local ranking tips name relevance, distance and prominence, with reviews and links counting toward prominence. Give each branch a complete profile with services, hours and photos, and a branch page on your site with directions, services and staff who can help. Keep holiday hours current; wrong hours lose trust faster than anything else on a profile.
Email and social media
Email members who opted in, with content that helps them use the credit union better: the welcome series, a monthly newsletter, and loan or account offers that match their stage. In the USA, the FTC's CAN-SPAM guide requires accurate headers, a postal address and an opt-out honored within 10 business days. On social media, answer one member question per post and share member stories with consent. Our email marketing and social media services run both, with every post and email approved by your compliance team.
How to measure credit union marketing
Count new members, loans and accounts opened by channel, and the cost of each. Track applications started and completed on each product page, calls and direction requests from each branch profile, and email replies and click-throughs to product pages. Count products per member over time too; deepening existing relationships often matters as much as new members.
What we do and do not do
PromotEdge International is an international strategy, technology, marketing and design company, and our delivery team is in India. We plan and build online marketing: pages, content, profiles, email and social campaigns. We do no events and no printing. We give no legal or investment advice, and we state no rates or returns of our own making; your compliance team approves every ad and checks it against NCUA's rules. Our finance marketing service page describes the work. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
Facts we rely on: see our company facts for what we state about ourselves and where each fact comes from.