Successful searches on CU-finder website could grow with your input

In Wisconsin in 2012, 4,547 consumers from 207 cities visited www.aSmarterChoice.org seeking information about credit unions, and 1,774 of those consumers conducted a successful online search, identifying one or more credit unions they were eligible to join if they fell within the required field of membership.

In 2012 among all U.S. states, Wisconsin ranked 20^th in the number of total visitors to the website, which has become the premier resource for media to point to any credit union nationwide that consumers can join.

Nationwide in 2012, 385,000 visits to the site were made by more than 250,000 unique visitors, and of those visitors, 218,000 successfully found a credit union they were eligible to join on their first try.

The strong 2012 numbers came on the heels of "Bank Transfer Day." That event alone, which urged consumers to ditch their banks in November 2011, drove the site to record more than 240,000 visits from 198,000 unique visitors in 2011.

Since the site was launched in February 2011, the site has received a total of 626,000 visits from more than 450,000 unique visitors. There have been more than 403,000 searches for credit unions with 229,000 successful matches occurring on the first try.

Credit unions can help ensure an effective search – and gain new members – by updating the basic information that’s on the site including the credit union’s contact information, main office and branch locations, field of membership and affiliation. Credit unions can include up to four links such as to your member website or your Facebook or Twitter pages, provide an email address as a first point of contact and provide either a marketing message or list of select employee groups that can join.

The more detail a credit union provides, the more likely a consumer will complete a successful search.

All Wisconsin credit union presidents received a username and password to edit their information. Presidents can, in turn, add (or delete) other users to help manage the information. Credit unions can add, change or delete information from the site at any time.

Questions? Contact Judy Phillips at (262) 408-6020.