Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

I heard a lovely discussion the other day on public radio. 

About ants. How do ants find food? That apple that you dropped? Or the ice cream that has turned into a puddle of sticky sweetness?

It turns out that it happens by accident. Ants fan out, each one leaving a trail of pheromones. In the beginning, the trails are all disconnected.

But one ant finds food. And another finds the same food. Eventually, the "pheromone" trails gain structure - almost creating the look of a highway. The more ants that go down a path, the "louder" the trail becomes - attracting even more ants. 

It turns out we people aren't much different.

How does a good neighborhood become good? Or a good restaurant gain traffic?

Much the same way. 

In our lives, we "wander" until something catches our attention and gets us to swerve. The more attention it generates, the more people will swerve. 

It used to be that advertisements or storefront design was the main way to earn the "swerve." Both still play a part.

But today, word of mouth has grown stronger with social media. The swerve now takes place partially on the internet.

It got me thinking.

How do credit unions take advantage of this? It seems there are only two ways. 

1. Do something to get them to swerve to you.
2. Or locate yourself where people are already headed.

That's easier for me to think about in the physical world. But a bit more tricky with social media.

Anyway, some food for thought.

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