A Flexible Website Equipped For Member Growth
Montana Educators Credit Union (MECU) is a small financial institution based in Missoula that serves 1,800 members and has $29M in assets. It opened in 1996 to serve school employees and residents in the area’s counties.
MECU has steadily grown to serve more members and, in 2023, realized it had outgrown its pre-packaged, inflexible website that didn’t reflect its local membership. That’s when they turned to PRIME.
Services
Leslie Womack
President
MECU
The Challenge
MECU leadership came to us frustrated with its website platform and customer service. They were using a highly-templated website solution with a “one-size-fits-all” approach. It lacked the security and automation tools they were looking for, and any upgrades would cost more than they were worth.
MECU needed a customized solution that would integrate seamlessly with its third-party online banking platform.
In building a fresh website, MECU’s goals were to:
- Target their hyper-local audience through design, language, and search-ability
- Enjoy more flexibility in their website’s design and layout
- Incorporate marketing automation tools that would save their small team time and money
- Partner with a dedicated agency that could provide custom solutions, help with strategic decision-making, and report on ROI
Beyond these shorter-term goals, we wanted to set MECU up for success in all of its future marketing efforts. With a high-converting website, our other marketing services (like organic social and paid advertising) would be even more effective.
The Solution
PRIME led a highly collaborative website development process with MECU. We began with a sitemap, then moved through a low-fidelity and high-fidelity build, with client feedback at every stage.
On the new website design, we prioritized key elements to meet MECU’s goals:
- Colors and graphics that aligned with the credit union’s established brand style guide
- Website copy that spoke to MECU’s target audience of younger, local Montanans
- SEO optimization for localized keyword searches
- Local photography that reflected the area’s lifestyle, landscape, and tight-knit community feel
Our Brand Development + Creative Work
The Results
After two months of collaboration, design, and development, the site successfully went live in February 2024. The result is a cohesive, easy-to-use website that reflects the current state of MECU as a brand.
The new website is a sturdy foundation upon which to build membership, and it came at a reasonable price point – ideal for a small credit union.
Since then, MECU has valued PRIME as a trusted partner to continuously improve and maintain its website with no customer service headaches or ridiculous upcharges. And with a reliable website in place, it’s made other digital marketing efforts even more successful.
