During this power packed, idea filled day we will connect the dots between left brain marketing research and right brain creative strategy. We’ll build the ultimate marketing plan step by step during this hands on, interactive workshop:

In the morning: Cultivate, Connect & Communicate
Cultivate: We’ll look for ways to define target market opportunities, discover market shifts in demographics and maximize efficiencies through cost analysis.

Communicate: Finally, we’ll plant the seeds for growth by building the ultimate marketing plan. We’ll lay the foundation with a schedule, engage key staff and member evangelists, and secure the right metrics to measure outcomes.

In the afternoon: Collaborate & Compete
Collaborate: We’ll take everything we learned from the morning session and build the ultimate marketing plan step by step. You’ll walk away with a plan you can put into action as soon as you return home.

Compete: Do you have what it takes to be the 2011 CUNA Strategizen Marketing Plan Winner? You won’t want to miss the opportunity to put your marketing skills to the test and compete head to head with your peers.

Today’s economy demands more for less: decisions are weightier, time is shorter, and allowance for errors non-existent. Data and research are arguably more crucial than ever to make better decisions and lead effectively, but when, how (with constrained budgets), through what methods, and who should be involved? This workshop, and the 6P© Process, provides the answers.

Learning Objectives:

• The Six “P’s” of research: how to apply them and how they will improve every future research program you ever do.
• Small budget, big returns – techniques to maximize your research dollars, whether in-house or outsourced.
• What research can tell you about your members, potential members, and employees, and how you can translate that into growth.
• How to use research to achieve your organizational goals.
• How behavioral and perceptual research can work together for better focus and streamlined success.

Come to this session prepared to load your tool box with ideas on how to build your networking skills and leverage your contacts. Whether it’s a chance encounter, a community event, or a scheduled meeting, opportunities to grow your business are all around you. Do you know how to make the most of this golden opportunity to share information about your credit union? Join Julie at this informative and interactive session about networking, professional selling, and creating opportunities for growth.

This session presents an overview of basic financial statements and shows how the information is used to produce eleven ratios that provide an overview of credit union performance. Each ratio has a definition, formula, industry standard, and impact factors. The impact factors allow those involved in marketing and business development to see how their actions impact the credit union’s financial position.

It’s more important than ever that your brand cuts through the clutter and captures the mindshare of your members and clients. Because once you’ve got their mindshare – that is, the heads, hearts, trust and loyalty – the market share will follow. In her high-energy, interactive presentation – including her lively audience participation game “Name That Brand” – Libby shares five key strategies for creating a powerful brand.

Explore and discuss how to start a powerful movement for your credit union by engaging your members and community in your social media efforts, and encouraging active participation in your online community.

Innovative Ways to Define and Present Your CU’s “Value Promise” with Clarity and Impact Join Claudine Oriani as she provides the skills and knowledge you’ll need to develop and deliver memorable messages that will help you increase member retention, grow your membership, and ensure that your presentations and marketing messages stand out above the crowd.

Challenging economic times can bring out the best in us and create a huge window of opportunity–taking us far beyond business as usual!!! Discover creative business development strategies that can lead to more growth, more profitable members, and more loans! Explore ways you can penetrate your existing SEGs/community partners as well as market to and recruit new SEGs/community partners. Learn what you can do to strengthen relationships and partnerships and build loyalty for life!

It’s an interesting time to be a credit union marketer. While frustration with banks is at an all time high, consumers are waking back up to the importance of thrift, community and trust. At the same time margins are squeezed, budgets are downsized and marketers are challenged now more than ever to capture the attention of consumers. How can you leverage this opportunity and tap into your most powerful marketing weapon, word of mouth? In this session we’ll discuss innovative strategies to help you inspire loyalty, grow your credit union and get Results with a capital R.

A "Back of the Napkin" approach to remind you, your credit union, and your community why it is you do what you do and why it matters more now than ever. Clean out some of the extra baggage we've added to our mission as credit union marketers and refocus your message to gain a competitive advantage in your marketplace.

Denise Gabel, chief innovation officer at the Filene Research Institute, will share her energy and experience as a change agent. Gabel will inspire you to stretch your budget by practicing innovation on a shoe string. She'll introduce Bernard LaChance, French-Canadian singer, and his inspiring story as a prime example. Since he was a young boy in Quebec, Canada, Bernard knew he was destined for the stage. Without a record deal, manager or agent, Bernard has sold 30,000 CDs, as well as filling theaters in Chicago, Toronto, and Quebec. To attract concertgoers, Bernard even designed t-shirts with seating charts from the venues in which he performed, crossing off the seats each passerby purchased after hearing his music on CDs in the street. When Oprah heard he was selling tickets to his Chicago show this way, she invited him on her show for his U.S. television premier.

On a shoe string budget funded only by his life savings, Bernard employs innovative marketing techniques to sell out performances in North America's most prestigious theaters. During this session, Denise and Bernard will walk you through the simple innovation and marketing techniques that have made him so successful and share ways that you, too, can reach your personal and professional goals through innovation, imagination, and initiative.

This session will help you focus on the big picture look and for ways to best position your credit union for opportunity. It'll be a get-together that includes no holds bared discussion, dialogue and good old fashioned brain storming and idea-sharing.

Pixar is the benchmark of innovative success. With numerous Academy Awards under their belts, they keep breaking the mold on creativity and taking it to the next level. From Toy Story to Up, Pixar never settles for what they’ve done but continues to look forward to the future.

Bill takes you on a tour of the most innovative, creative organization in the world. You’ll learn how to look at the world through a child’s eyes (and why it’s important). You’ll learn how to believe in your team... how to jump in and try something different... how to create your own corporate playground... and more.

Among the Key Points You’ll Learn:

• The Dreamers
  Walt Disney and the Pixarians
• Dream Like a Child
  Where did the creativity go?
• Believe in Your Playmates
  Collaboration in the sandbox
• Dare to Jump in the Water and Make Waves
  Try, Learn, Try Again
• Do Unleash Your Childlike Potential
  Make a Dent in the Universe
• New Beginnings

Most credit unions strive to be good community citizens through charitable and community activities. How can your credit union make the most of its community involvement and programs? What are the benefits of your cause-related activities and how do you measure their success?

Social Media: They say everyone’s doing it! BUT is everyone doing it well? If you are considering adding social media to your marketing mix, or you already have; you won’t want to miss this session to learn about how to be successful AND what to avoid. In the world of social media information moves at the speed of light and can go viral in an instant. Learn from others what can happen when positive AND negative information spins out of control. From adding thousands of “likes” to a Facebook site, to a blog that got immediate national media attention, this session has what you need to create the best Social Media Marketing Plan for 2011 and beyond.

How do you measure your return on your marketing dollar? In order to “get the biggest bang for your marketing buck”, you need to be able to measure what your return is when you spend marketing dollars. Effective marketing requires you to be able to measure the “ROI” or the “return on your marketing investment”. This breakout session is designed to assist in the measurement of your ROI – and keep peace with your CFO... and perhaps he/she will let you have a bigger budget (especially if you can justify it!)

Attracting and developing relationships with new sponsors that generate favorable outcomes in increased income, member satisfaction, and long term growth is a key success factor for many credit unions today. Customizing strategies and targeting the right demographics aligned to your organization’s business model is a critical driver of your success. Learn how Alliant Credit Union has evolved from a single-sponsor credit union, to a national provider of financial benefits and the lessons they have learned along the way.

Mobile usage has become pervasive. The evolution of the mobile device has been dramatic. We need to think outside the box. Mobile is more than “Mobile Banking” it is the new relationship gateway. Learn how to take advantage of the latest mobile trends to keep you ahead of the game.

We’ve all been asked the dreaded question, “What will our credit union get if we spend all this money on Business Development?” We know business development contributes to the bottom line. But how do we change the perception that business development is a just a cost center that drains credit union coffers? Join Andy Reed, Manager of Business Development at American Airlines Federal Credit Union, to learn about the simple metric based business plan that helped his credit union generate over 10,000 net new memberships, open 12,000 new products and increase consumer loans funded through their Ambassador program by 423%. Did we mention they did this in two years?

What are credit unions and banks doing to respond to regulatory reform? How can a credit union grow enough volume and balances to compensate for lower margins? How can Marketing and Business Development help the credit union compensate for reduced fee income and low Net Interest Margins? How can Marketing and Business Development demonstrate their value in an era of expense reduction? What are the best of the best - credit unions and banks - doing to grow members, retain balances and restructure their balance sheet? How are the Marketing and Business Development departments helping? In this interactive breakout session you will learn: