One of the best ways to fulfill your brand promise is to ask members how well you’re adhering to it, unconventional marketer Scott Stratten says.

Often, you’ll discover a disconnect that impedes your success as an organization.

“The brand's identity is not kept by the company itself—it's kept by your members and by the public,” Stratten tells the CUNA News Podcast. “What they think matters, and what we think really matters a lot less.”

CUNA, leagues, credit unions, and industry partners have been working on the Credit Union Awareness Initiative, which will establish a new, national brand platform for the industry. CUNA will deliver an update on the initiative at the 2018 Governmental Affairs Conference, where Stratten will deliver a keynote address.

To tap into existing members’ insights, Stratten advises organizations to use a tool he calls “stop, start, continue.”

“Ask your members, what could we stop doing, what should we start doing, and what should we continue doing to ensure we are your credit union for the rest of your life?” he says.

Getting these answers is essential, says Stratten. That’s because he believes the best way to get the word out about your brand is to blow the socks off the people you’re serving now.

Stratten urges credit unions to turn “static” members into “ecstatic” members who spread your message to everyone they meet.

This CUNA News Podcast episode is the second in a five-part weekly series with GAC speakers and personalities, including:

• Teacher and motivational speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez (Jan. 25). 
• Digital intelligence specialist Kristen Soltis Anderson (Feb. 1).
• Political analyst Amy Walter (Feb. 15).
• GAC emcee Antonio Neves (Feb. 22).

You can listen and subscribe to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple’s iTunes Store, Google Play, and Stitcher Radio.