Transcription:
MFH (Marketing from Home)

Bill Klaproth: So you've got a credit union to market, but where do you go for insight advice and information? Well, how about right here, the EmpowerFi FI marketing podcast with Kelly Hellickson and Hilary Reed from EmpowerFi, Strategy Infused marketing for Financial Institutions. I'm your host Bill Klaproth. So on this episode we'll talk about WFH or working from home. How can we change our thinking to continue marketing while working from home with all of the other potential distractions and duties that come with it, such as homeschooling, children, out of whack routines, dealing with all the technical things. And oh, by the way, fighting a pandemic. Kelly, what do you think all of this means for the future of credit union marketing?

Kelly Hellickson: I think it's a matter of patience. I think that we have to take a look at tolerance and I think that we have to look at tech, right? You know, we have to completely, some of us reconfigure our entire home structure. I know for me, my husband now works from home and he's down the hallway. I like to say the new guy, pretty cute new guy. Started down the hallway last week, but you know, then the kids are in between us. So I mean he'll, how can we change our thinking? Like what should, what type of hat do we need to put on here?

Hilary Reed: Well, I think we've changed our thinking quite a bit and some of our clients, I just, you know, I remember the days of conference calls, right? And it's just telephone conference calls. People tripping over each other on the phone and now it's people tripping over each other on video. But you can see each other. And I think for me, one of the most eye opening pieces of all of this happening right now is that we can now see our clients. Everybody is more adept to using video. They're okay with it. They're okay with sitting in their living room or their bedroom and talking marketing. And before that was kind of taboo, right? Financial institutions, they shouldn't be sitting in their bedroom doing work in marketing and finance from their bedroom. But now it's all okay. And your kid can run by in the background. And we all kind of laugh because I think the key to this is something that you always say Kelly is, you know, we're all in the same boat. Let's not let each other capsize. Like a page at a Cal Bell's book.

Kelly Hellickson: Yeah. So I just feel like there's a lot of stress right now. And so I feel like as we go through this, yes, our clients are going to get more comfortable, but we've been remote and you know, work from home and remote as a company since our inception. And so I think that really did set us up for success. But I also agree with you now that they are seeing our faces and you know, we always used to do zoom call face to face, right? But some clients were shy and they wouldn't get on camera and now they're on camera and their puppies are, Oh, I'm so sorry, hang on, hang on. And then you, you know, you mute yourself. So, I mean, if we get it, you know, we've both got littles at home, but in terms of the future for credit union marketing, I think that this is, we have to positive and positive out and we always have to find hope. You know, at the end of the day we're going to get through this and the future on the other side of this, this could change marketing and the method of operations for marketing, for financial institutions, for life.

Host: Why do you say that? What do you mean it's going to change?

Kelly Hellickson: It's going to change because you know, now we're at home and honestly when you work from home, it's a different beast that you need to wrap your arms around. And that is the major, major switch I think that our clients haven't made yet because they are so used to and having to be necessary, you know, essential oils, they're in office. Well they're going to have to readjust to this whole new life. But then once they get it, they are never going to want to go back. And for those that catch on super quick, they're going to be like, Oh this is amazing. On the flip side of that, the first part of like say the first two, three months that it actually clicks, right? Cause again, it takes a little bit of time. You work more when you work from home, especially when you first start because you want to tell your employer, show your employer, show your employees, I mean I got this and I'm going to outperform you. I'm going to out create out design, out copyright. I mean so that pace, how are we going to keep that pace up?

Hilary Reed: And there's something to be said for efficiency, right? So and I don't remember who I was talking to at the time, but they said if you give me eight hours in a day to go to the office, I'm going to fill eight hours a day. Right? So what you fill that out eight hours a day with could be personal Facebook stuff or it could be work stuff. But when you're at home and you know you have to get X amount of work done, you'll sit down at that desk. I mean, I know from personal experience I can get so much more done in three hours sitting at my desk than if I were forced to go into an office and sit there for eight hours. If I was forced to, I could fill eight hours. But when I'm not forced to and I'm at home and I'm able to take a lunch break and take a walk, I am so much more efficient. And I think for our clients and our friends in the credit union industry, the one thing that people sort of forgot over the year, over the years in the financial industry is that we're all human.

And when Kelly and I talk about that so much about just being human in this that we're faced with has put us all in that same human box, right? So now we're face to face in our living rooms and our bedrooms and we're all human. But most importantly, we're doing what's best to help other humans make sure they still have access to their finances and that we communicate with them the way. So I think the human aspect to answer that question is probably what's going to change the future of marketing from home, working from home, and the financial industry.

Kelly Hellickson: I think that's spot on. And I do also see validity in the fact that, you know, we're going to all try to outperform each other and then that, that madness, right, that rat race, if you will and that pace, is going to have to even out. So we'll have to flatten the curve, so to speak on that pace. But I do think that you're spot on the human aspect and think about all those credit union folks and bank folks that wear suit and tie and now we're seeing them in, you know, their Nike shirts and it just, for me it's cool because I feel like then they're more vulnerable and I think vulnerability plays a huge role. I think it's hard to be vulnerable. Yeah.

Hilary Reed: Yeah, it certainly is. I, I totally agree.

Host: So once we get through flattening the curve, what do you think's going to happen? I mean, we're not all still going to be working from home or do you think we are still?

Kelly Hellickson: There are certain people that are not going to want to go back and there are certain people that are going to say, get me the hell out of this house. I need to get back to work.

Hilary Reed: Well, there are certain people who need structure, right? And other people who don't, and we've talked about that a lot. Especially, you know, with hiring practices. For us, since we're a completely remote company, it takes a level of self discipline to be able to work from home. And those who have it can continue working from home and there'll be the most efficient. And those who don't, as long as they admit that they don't and they need structure, then they can continue going back into the office. But now, just like all the schools. Hopefully all the financial institutions will be equipped for letting a lot of their marketing staff work from home.

Kelly Hellickson: I agree. And I also think that we're not all just going to be running back into the office and figuring out who is efficient at home and who's not. I think they're going to have to take either certain departments or take departments and split them and try bringing people back into the office and in-branch slowly just to kind of feel it out because I think everybody's still going to be really leery and nervous.

Host: Do you think employers are going to want to see people back in the office or will they allow people to still work at home even when we're through this?

Hilary Reed: Well, when you say for years, I'm thinking financial institutions, I think they're from the top down. They're going to want to see people back in the office. It's always been gosh, I, you know, long time ago I was in the auto industry and I'll never forget, you know, you worked 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and you had two days off a week. If you were lucky and you got one week of vacation every year and you couldn't just take a day or two here and there, it was you take your seven days and then you're back in. You're expected to be there at all times. And there's just that sometimes in certain industries, the auto industry being one of them and the financial industry is not an industry that is well known for being able to be remote. And so I think there's that legacy thinking a little bit with some of the executives where they will expect everybody to get back to the office and only those really, really forward thinking organizations are probably going to be the ones to allow work from home going forward. But I don't think all of them.

Kelly Hellickson: I think you're right there, and I think you know, top of my mind, I was going to say it's all going to be dependent upon leadership. Right. And whether you're a leader or whether you're a manager and progression and being a progressive financial institution, but they also have to run a business, right. And they have to make sure that we can serve our members. So the, I think that's going to create a little bit of friction there where the tellers have to be in and the marketing folks don't have to be, so then they're going to have to set a precedence.

Hilary Reed: Yeah. But gone are the days of equal and fair when it comes to positions. I mean, it is what it is and tellers are going to have to be there to serve the members and if back office operations doesn't need to, it's not always going to be fair

Kelly Hellickson: Well, I think that brings up a really good point. Actually. I don't want to get off too far off, but you know, some of the last audits we've done for some of our fantastic clients, we found that maybe their operations walking into the branch were confused in terms of how the members were being met and served and whether they had that that teller versus, you know, helper mentality. And then you had to make an appointment to close a loan, things of that nature.

Host: So if you had to look into your crystal ball a year from now, what do you think happens for the future of CU marketing?

Hilary Reed: Well, I can tell you for one, I'm not going to be working from home with these children running around the hallways like they are. A year from now, I will be back in my office.

Kelly Hellickson: Honestly, I think we're going to have a lot of that and I'm going to sell my dang self and this company as much as we possibly can so that I can get a brick and mortar too, you guys. It's really, really hard right now. And you know, I just think that people are going to want to socialize immediately. And I think that you'll see kind of a split maybe down the middle.

Hilary Reed: I think a year from now we will see a, I'd say a good maybe 20% of the organizations, the credit unions that are letting people work from home now, if 100% are letting people work from home now, I'd say 20% of them will continue that. But the others, you know, it's not just the executive team, it's the board of directors. It's the mentality that their members have. It's the type of membership that they have, who comes into the branch. Maybe if it's a slower branch and they don't use branches and brick and mortar much to begin with, then they can let people work from home more often. But it depends on the type of financial institution. But I'd say about 20% will continue to allow work from home. But that's just my guess.

Kelly Hellickson: Okay. Yeah, no, I agree with that.

Host: Any final thoughts as we wrap up on marketing from home? Anything that each of you have learned that you can pass on.

Kelly Hellickson: Yes. You need to give yourself grace and I need to take my own advice. I am a perfectionist. I'm trying too hard and sometimes trying too hard can make you trip over your own feet. The kids are resilient. They're going to bounce. And if it's not all perfect, it's not all clean. You know, the laundry isn't done. You're working from home. You're 24, seven year with your kids. You've got to give yourself some grace.

Hilary Reed: Yeah. And I agree with that and I'm going to have to, I'm going to say this and, hopefully I won't have to take it back, but along with that, giving yourself grace, don't feel bad if you get all your work done in three hours and then you're done with your eight hour work day. Don't feel bad. Just get your work done and be efficient.

Kelly Hellickson: Oh my gosh. That's amazing. Good call, right.

Host: Great discussion. Thank you.

Kelly Hellickson: Thanks Bill.

Hilary Reed: Thank you.

Host: And to connect with Kelly or Hillary, please visit empowerfi.org, that's empowerfi.org. This is the EmpowerFi FI Marketing Podcast. Thanks for listening.