Starting 2015 off on the right foot
Today’s banking environment is more challenging and competitive than ever before, making it critical for credit unions to implement a solid public relations program that effectively promotes and ultimately builds awareness among prospective members. But for your program to be
By David Jones, Account Supervisor at William Mills Agency
While many people love to complain about the work politicians do once they’re in office, elections provide a great testing ground for communication strategies. The public nature of election cycles means that successful politicians must hone their communication strategies and consistently
By Jerry Goldstein, Senior Vice President
The recently published research report B2B Content Marketing 2015: Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America written by Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs has a number of interesting data points and paints a picture of the current state of the union for CM.
What role should public relations play?
by Megan Fort
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
The prevalence of widespread, nonrelated data breaches in the last year continues to spawn conversations about proper cybersecurity technology defenses, risk mitigation tactics and compliance mandates
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc examine Visa's keynote, the future of data and security and the impact of technology on customer experience at Money 20/20.
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc discuss the big topics of the day including Bitcoin and big data at Money 20/20.
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc discuss the first few impressions of the day at Money 20/20 2014.
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc discuss their expectations for Money 20/20 2014.
William Mills Agency, a provider of financial public relations and marketing services, announces that it has been selected as agency of record for FinTech Forward 2014, a new initiative from American Banker and BAI that identifies significant trends in the financial services industry and ranks the top vendors in banking.
Consider content, cost and frequency
by Chuck Meyers and Debbie Harris
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month
Credit unions excel at connecting with members by maintaining excellent relationships with members, offering more personalized services and cultivating a sense of community
Steven Ramirez speaks with Jim Breune, one of the founders of Finovate to get his thoughts on themes from this year's show as well as his vision of Finovate from the beginning.
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc review the standouts of FinovateFall Day 2 including Kabbage, Yodlee and CrowdFlower.
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc discuss the strangest presenters at FinovateFall 2014 as well as the most memorable companies of Day 1.
William Mills Agency and Beyond the Arc will be live blogging at FinovateFall. Check back for new updates throughout the day. If you missed our commentary yesterday, you can catch up on Day 1 of Finovate.
Steven Ramirez speaks with Jonathan Rowe, CMO of nCino, to discover his thoughts on his first FinovateFall experience.
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency and Steven Ramirez, CEO of Beyond the Arc discuss how FinovateFall 2014 has changed over the years and what makes this Finovate different from those in the past.
William Mills Agency and Beyond the Arc will be live blogging at FinovateFall 2014. Check back for new updates throughout the day.
Your company’s website is essential for increasing brand awareness and for lead generation: the ultimate goal of your marketing activities. Your website acts as your storefront digital. Just as potential customers walk by and evaluate a business on its physical storefront, today’s customers often base their first impression of your
Four lessons learned for effective crisis communication that can apply to FinTech companies
A few weeks ago, the Huffington Post’s co-founder, Kenneth Lerer, posted an article titled “The End of SeaWorld,” outlining the reasons why the company is “finished,” as he put it. SeaWorld’s stock took a
Is your credit union following these three news release best practices?
by Jamie Garvin
Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month
The book bags are packed and the buses are rolling; Kids across the U.S. are headed back to school. They’ll spend
By Heather Sugg, Account Supervisor and Regional Manager
FinovateFall 2014 begins next month. Are you ready? This show marks the event’s eighth year, and it continues to debut the industry’s best new ideas. The convenience of New York tends to bring a stronger media presence, in addition to the analysts, investors, vendors and
What the financial industry can learn from ALS’ big marketing “splash”
If you haven’t heard of the ALS Association’s “Ice Bucket Challenge,” then you’re likely living under a rock. Between the more than 1.2 million videos shared on Facebook, the 2.2 million Tweets, segments on national
Our agency recently participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. We believe increasing awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is an important cause. We dedicate this to our founder, Bill Mills, who passed away in 2012 due to ALS.
Seventeen of our team members participated, including CEO William Mills and President Scott Mills. In addition to getting drenched, we made a donation to the ALS Association to support ongoing research.
By Scott Mills, President and Principal of William Mills Agency
In the mid-1970s, there were hundreds of companies offering core banking platforms, in fact, Association for Financial Technology or AFT started as an association to serve those companies. Since then, most of those companies have faded away, many through consolidation.
In today’s social world, your brand may be pulled into highly sensitive debates
In the world of finance, perception is reality. Managing a public reputation can provide challenges, particularly when a corporation is comprised of many employees and has close relationships with partnering companies. These
by Lauren Schuster
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
The summer season is generally considered as “downtime” for both businesses and members, so business matters are often pushed aside and re-addressed in the fall. Vacations or
According to the Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing: Digital Trends for 2014 a study based on a global survey of more than 2,500 marketers and internet professionals, content marketing is the single most exciting opportunity for B2B marketers. For companies marketing to financial organizations, creating stimulating content which engages and educates
WMA Corner Office Interview with Churchill Mortgage Corporation CEO, Mike Hardwick
Recently, William Mills Agency had an insightful conversation with Mike Hardwick, CEO of Churchill Mortgage, in which he shared his views about public relations in today’s mortgage industry and why PR is critical to an organization’s success.
1. The housing
Scott Mills, President of William Mills Agency, provides a definition of content marketing and how public relations and content marketing work together. The video below further explains how content marketing helps prospects find your company online while also engaging your audience in the financial industry.
For more information, download our
William Mills, CEO of William Mills Agency, discusses how marketing has changed in the past 10 years and what the future of marketing looks like in the financial industry. 20th century marketing process are out of date in today's market because buyers are in control of the buying process.
For
The Association for Financial Technology’s Fall Summit will be raising its registration price soon. The registration price will leap from $1495 to $1595 for AFT members and from $2120 to $2220 for non-members, after July 14th.
The summit, on the theme, “Where Your Roadmap to Success Begins,” will be held
The financial industry can learn valuable PR lessons from Target
By David Jones
In early July, the company invited controversy when they requested that gun owners not bring their guns into stores, even in states where the open carrying of firearms is legal. In a statement released July 2, Target
Scott Mills sits down with Sean Banks, Partner at TTV Capital, one of the few venture firms focused exclusively on investing in technology-enabled financial services companies. Sean explains TTV's interest in the financial technology and payments markets and what makes a company an attractive investment. Watch the video below for the full interview.
by Anna Stanley
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
Building long-term relationships with members is one of the fundamental values driving the credit union movement. Consistent member communication is crucial to building
Content marketing and public relations may seem like two different animals, but in reality, these two teams are made for each other. Content marketing consists of many activities, including overseeing marketing automation software, building landing pages, creating blogs, developing white papers, publishing emails and pursuing a prominent social media presence,
Recently, Bevin Wallace had an interesting conversation with Tom Shen, CEO of Malauzai. See below for his insightful responses on public relations.
PR has played a pivotal role in the
by Ann Bates
Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
The reality of today’s media environment is that everyone is competing for the same audience.Consumers are bombarded with a 24-hour news cycle and endless exposure
By Jerry Goldstein,
Recently our agency had the pleasure of hosting Serena Ehrlich, director, Social & Evolving Media at Business Wire, at our offices for an update on “All Things Social.” We have made distribution of the news via social media a priority since the emergence of the channel more
By Jerry Goldstein, SVP Marketing Services
The financial services market is ever-changing, not unlike other markets in today’s digital age. The way financial institutions are evaluating products and services has evolved with the increased use of the Internet and easy access to information. Buyers research products and services long before engaging providers, and most of that research is conducted online.
Stay up-to-date with host of social, mobile and Google changes impacting search
Driving a large number of visitors to your company’s website and converting them to leads requires a high page rank for targeted keywords being used by prospective customers in their search for financial products and services. Staying on top of search engine optimization (SEO) best practices can be daunting due to continuous revisions in search engine algorithms by Google and the impact of social media and mobile devices.
Public relations takes your message and bring it to the public. It helps you influence prospects, customers and investors. What you need to know is that every PR firm is different. If you are deciding to choose a new partner for PR, there are 7 key elements to take into consideration to discover which company fits bestwith your organization.
In many cases, yes; however if you choose the right meeting and execute the appropriate strategy, they can be an enlightening and engaging environment.
By Kelly Williams
Trade shows are expensive: booth creation, exhibit fees, shipping, travel, employee time, promotion, entertainment and more make your participation in a conference an
By Blair Logan, Senior Vice President
I had the opportunity to catch the new Fannie Mae Board Chairman, Egbert Perry’s appearance as the guest speaker at a recent Atlanta Press Club Newsmakers Luncheon. If you are local to Atlanta, Paula Hovater and her team do a great job of coordinating
by Michael Graul
Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
As the hype of the NCAA basketball tournament has come to an end, it is a perfect time for credit unions everywhere to re-examine
Finovate Spring 2014 was a huge success this week. William Mills and Steven Ramirez live blogged both days. To view the blogs visit Finovate Spring 2014 Live Blog Day 1 and Finovate Spring Live Blog Day 2.
Below is a video of Steven Ramierez of Beyond the Arc and his
William Mills Agency and Beyond the Arc will be live blogging at Finovate Spring. Check back for new updates throughout the day. If you missed our commentary yesterday, you can catch up on Day 1 of Finovate.
William Mills Agency and Beyond the Arc will be live blogging at Finovate Spring. Check back for new updates throughout the day.
The financial services industry is a unique market and requires a strategy for creating a leadership position if you are to be successful in selling to banks and credit unions. Marketing to financial institutions is not a one size fits all approach. Today’s landscape consists of large financial institutions, regional and community banks and credit unions. There are different tactics for selling into these markets, but there are also common best practices.
By Scott Mills, President and Principal of William Mills Agency
Well maybe it’s not exactly Yale’s Skull & Bones society, but AFT does represent a small and influential group of companies that control most of North America’s banking and payments technology…and it has a surprisingly low profile. Established in 1972
Understanding what it is, what it can do, and why you need it
by Michael Touchton
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
Marketing continues to be a primary challenge for credit union managers. In fact, a recent report found that for
Use them as foundation for your strategic public relations plan
by Kathryn Farmer
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
Developing and maintaining member loyalty is typically a primary focus of a credit union’s strategic plan. Moving into 2014, it is important
By Mary York Cox, Account Supervisor at William Mills Agency
At last week’s Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo 2014, more than 1,200 industry leaders gathered in Orlando to discuss the road ahead for the servicing market. With servicing in a state of transition – largely due to a substantial increase in regulations and procedures – attendees were on the hunt for solutions and best practices to equip them for the future and adhere to new servicing rules.
While recently scouring through financial industry trade show directories, we noticed an unsettling trend: About 20 percent of financial technology and service companies have NO REAL CONTACT INFORMATION on their websites! These companies have opted to use either a “Contact Our Sales Team” page approach or “Fill Out Your Contact Information” page approach. These companies provide no management team information. Sometimes no physical address is listed. If this is your company’s strategy, you may want to rethink your approach.
Make it your roadmap for the year
By: Ron Anderson
CUES’ Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
A well-constructed public relations plan – or roadmap – can help your credit union drive growth, establish and maintain credibility, and educate key audiences on
Public relations programs vary widely depending on the type of organization and industry. Large multi-product organizations have a different perception of PR from smaller start ups. Large corporations demand a process-driven approach to project management, execution and reporting.
Public Relations programs come in all shapes and sizes. Most programs are tailored to the organization, and industry. Typically, startup companies have unique needs for PR as opposed to larger, multi-product organizations.
Key steps to reaching your internal business goals with a new communication strategy
By: Stephen Sprayberry
Credit Union Management’s online-only “PR Insight” column runs the first Thursday of every month.
Throughout the past decade, the introduction and adoption of social media have consistently increased year after year, expanding far beyond
