Credit Union Redesign: Local Roots, Progressive Technology
Project at a Glance
How does a rural credit union hang onto its small-town roots while remaining competitive with big-bank services? St. Helens Community Credit Union was in the midst of a rebranding effort when PixelSpoke became its digital marketing partner. St. Helens CCU has a long history (it was founded in 1938!) and is committed to keeping up with the times, offering services such as mobile deposits and online banking, but that wasn’t always apparent to potential members. We redesigned the credit union’s website and created an ongoing marketing action plan.
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Client
St. Helens Community Credit Union
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Industry
Credit Union
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Type of Project
Website Redesign and Marketing Action Plan
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Services
Web Design & Development
Copywriting
Marketing & Strategy Consulting
The Challenge
St. Helen’s Community Credit Union needed to integrate its new brand identity into the website and create a digital presence that highlighted its local roots and progressive approach to banking.
The Solution
The website redesign reflected the St. Helens CCU brand and community. Design elements and custom photography created during the redesign were also extended to marketing initiatives beyond the website.
The Results
PixelSpoke combined copywriting and design to create a website that is inviting and feels like home to their members, while serving up technology that can’t be beat—even by big-bank competitors.
Highlight Local Communities
A strong sense of community appealed to St. Helens’ entire membership base, from working moms and local business owners to rural farmers. To highlight the local communities St. Helens CCU serves, we commissioned a photographer to capture local people and landmarks to make the website feel like a digital branch of the credit union.
Comparable Sites
Big banks are now as common in small towns as fast-food chains, and community credit unions and local business owners face similar challenges, when competing with large companies. We found that St. Helens offered the same great services as some of the big banks, but wins hands-down when it comes to serving their community.
Moodboards
It was critical to build a theme which recognized the heritage of the St. Helens community, while acknowledging its modernization. The first direction focused on a warm palette and the deep roots of the community, while the second direction highlighted the bright palette developed in the brand identity redesign, and copy directed toward their younger audience. The results included a photo shoot highlighting local families and business owners, a modern look, and personality-infused copywriting, which differentiated them from big banks.
Branch Page Statistics
To continue highlighting the individuality of each St. Helens CCU branch, we created a page for each branch featuring local information and statistics showing the branch’s community involvement.
Animated Impact Numbers
St. Helens Credit Union is heavily involved in its community, but we couldn’t see that anywhere! We created these animated impact numbers as a fun way for visitors to get a sense of the credit union’s mission and commitment to the community.
ATM Finder
For a small commuter town like St. Helens, an ATM Finder was a necessity – members aren’t always in town during branch hours. By connecting to the credit union co-op network, we made it possible for credit union members to find a fee-free ATM wherever they are.
Promo Login Dropdown
When the credit union added Saturday hours, we made sure members knew about it by adding a dropdown to the online banking login.
When credit union members sign on to look at their accounts, they now see an ad or other important information without being interrupted from their task, with a noticeably higher click rate than traditional ad placements.
Testimonials
The St. Helens Credit Union team is an integral part of the community, so to help them show that to potential members, we went straight to the source – the community itself.
Just a quick note of thanks for your work on our AWESOME new website. We are already getting great feedback from members and our board.
— Brook Van Vleet, President/CEO St. Helens Community Credit Union
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