Interview with Hannah Britt and Dana Martin, Suncoast Credit Union
Introduction and Team Roles
Joan Jenkins (CMO, Blueshift): Welcome to the webinar! I'm thrilled to have with us today two stellar marketers from Suncoast Credit Union: Hannah Britt, Director of Marketing Automation, and Dana Martin, Marketing Automation Strategist. They’ll walk us through how Suncoast is redefining member engagement in a data-driven world.
Hannah Britt: Our team handles the strategy and deployment of messaging and optimizations within the Blueshift platform. We map out user journeys, identify opportunities, and work to continuously enhance the member experience.
Dana Martin: Our journeys focus on using data to drive personalized, one-to-one behavioral messaging that engages and retains members.
About Suncoast Credit Union
Hannah: Suncoast Credit Union, founded in 1934, is Florida's largest credit union with over 1.1 million members and 75 branches. Our mission centers around community service. For every card swipe, we donate two cents to a foundation supporting children's education, and our employees volunteer 24,000+ hours annually.
While we offer financial products, our focus is on service and long-term member relationships. Choosing Blueshift was part of our commitment to improve engagement from the moment a member joins—leveraging data for behavioral messaging and creating internal efficiencies through automation.
Key Results Since Implementing Blueshift
Dana: Since onboarding Blueshift in May 2022, we've achieved:
- 810,000 active email subscribers (about 80% of our members)
- 17 active event connections
- Over 80 attributes used for segmentation
- Real-time and right-time messaging capabilities
Key outcomes include a lift in mobile app logins within the first 30 days of membership (from 69% to 73%) and a 10% increase in e-statement adoption among new members.
The Building Blocks of Personalization
Dana: Our marketing approach is built on three foundational pillars:
- Data Collection – First-party data fuels segmentation and triggers.
- Personalization – Goes far beyond first name tokens to align with member behavior.
- Automation – Delivers timely, relevant content based on real-time actions.
Collecting Actionable Data
Hannah: We unify meaningful data points from our core systems into Blueshift to ensure accuracy and timeliness. These member attributes form our segmentation “buckets.” For instance:
- New vs. tenured members
- General vs. business memberships
These segments help us personalize both messaging and calls-to-action.
Using Events for One-to-One Messaging
Hannah: Event-based triggers elevate personalization. For example, if a member uses the home equity loan calculator on our site, we trigger a personalized educational email about that loan. We also use events for application status updates, payment reminders, and onboarding sequences.
Campaign Example: Remote Deposit Capture
Dana: We built a behavioral-triggered campaign targeting members who made in-branch deposits. The campaign promoted mobile deposit, using login behavior to personalize CTAs. This increased remote deposit capture by 29%, with 44% of eligible members making a mobile deposit after their in-branch interaction.
Personalized Onboarding Journeys
Hannah: We personalize onboarding by:
- Membership open date
- Membership type
- Source (branch, online, dealership)
- Product mix
- Digital engagement
For example, members opening accounts online receive content geared toward independent navigation, while in-branch openers get ATM locators and card tips. Using Liquid syntax, we dynamically adjust content and CTAs based on each member’s journey.
Result: Our first welcome message saw a 4x increase in engagement—from a 5% to a 20% click-to-open rate.
Product-Specific Personalization
Hannah: In loan messaging, we noticed members opening auto loans via dealerships often didn’t have a Suncoast checking account. We filtered this segment and added prompts to open a checking account, resulting in a click-to-open rate jump from 24% to 36%.
Scalable Automation
Dana: Before Blueshift, our quarterly loan campaign required 35 separate email templates and manual data uploads. Now, we:
- Use a single file with dynamic attributes
- Code Liquid syntax to customize content, CTA, and images
- Run five dynamic emails instead of 35 static ones
This streamlined approach has saved our team countless hours while enhancing the member experience.
Leveraging Syndications for Cross-Channel Reach
Dana: We use syndications to:
- Retarget onboarding or referral campaign users
- Re-engage members who didn’t convert via email, using Facebook ads or other channels
These help us meet members where they are, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Favorite Campaign: Home Equity Loan
Hannah: Our home equity campaign was a quarter-long initiative. We used 20–30 data points to segment members by use case (home improvement, debt consolidation, etc.), and layered in educational content. By involving outbound call teams and syndications, we drove 46% of that quarter’s applications.
We also tested engagement based on mortgage ownership. Members with existing mortgages at Suncoast showed much higher click and conversion rates—validating our segmentation strategy.
Advice for Marketers Starting Out
Hannah: Start with a plan. Define your audience segments and objectives clearly—whether it’s engagement, conversion, or awareness. Focus only on the data you need, build small use cases, and test before scaling.
Automation Reduces Friction
Dana: Blueshift has enabled one-to-one relationships with members. We provide relevant communications—like branch locators or e-statement tips—when they’re needed. That reduces friction and makes for a smoother experience.
Internally, it’s improved efficiency so we can focus on strategic journey building.
Expanding to More Channels
Hannah: We’ve also added outbound calling. For high-intent but non-converting members, our internal advisors follow up personally. This has been incredibly effective at nudging conversion while maintaining a personal touch.
Why Blueshift?
Dana: We moved from a very manual setup to a full data-driven marketing platform. With Blueshift, we can segment directly in-platform, build personalized content, and reach audiences across email, syndication, and soon, push and SMS.
Looking Ahead: AI and Influencer-Style Marketing
Dana: We’re excited about AI. We’ve tested AI subject lines and see potential for content creation, campaign automation, and predictive analytics. AI will soon be embedded into everything we do.
Hannah: I’m intrigued by user-generated and influencer-style content. It offers a new lens on delivering our message and building more personal brand connections.
Joan: Thank you both for a fantastic discussion—truly a masterclass in data-driven, member-focused marketing!
