A critical part of brand strategy is positioning – the unique attribute or identity you want people to associate with your brand at a gut level, in just a few words. Helping clients position and differentiate themselves is what we do at Creative Co-op, and it’s especially important when the only thing separating competing financial products is a tenth of a percentage point.

Positioning for banks and credit unions draws upon some 15 basic themes. If you haven’t updated your positioning in a while or aren’t sure what it is, here are some popular examples.

In traditional print media, a 7” x 10” ad is always a 7” x 10” ad. But social media and other online channels often make it hard to know the “right” message length for optimal effectiveness – especially since each new channel that emerges has its own rules.

Here’s a helpful overview from the content experts at Buffer, covering many of today’s most powerful online marketing tools:

As a brand laboratory, public utilities offer unique and unrelenting challenges. Expectations are high, perceptions are often negative and years of reliability can be forgotten in the wake of one unforeseen storm. So it is vital for utilities to implement more effective brand strategies that work with customers of every demographic and ethnicity.

Here are five best practices to consider, based on our decade serving water and electric utilities.

In 2002, a small community bank called Merrimack County Savings Bank joined our client roster. By 2016, that little mutual bank had grown over 400% to become a powerhouse banking brand in New Hampshire, regularly winning “Best Local Bank” honors in consumer polls from Concord to Nashua.

How did it happen? While other banks grabbed headlines with high-profile mergers, Merrimack County Savings Bank grew on the strength of our smart, consistent branding and communications. Here are five insights that can offer valuable lessons for your own brand.

Your brand is a lot like your health – easy to neglect until you get sick. And it’s easy to spot the symptoms of a brand that’s under the weather. Here are six common signs we have observed at Creative Co-op in the course of serving many clients over the past 15+ years.

At Creative Co-op we enjoy the long-term planning that goes into building great brands. But we also know that the best time to strengthen any brand is now, so check out this baker’s dozen of easily implemented ideas that can boost awareness, reputation and customer engagement.