The Charleston Marketing Podcast
Welcome to The Charleston Marketing Podcast, the podcast that dives deep into the world of marketing, with a specific focus on the vibrant city of Charleston. Join us as we explore the strategies, trends, and success stories that shape the marketing landscape in this historic and captivating coastal city.
Each episode of The Charleston Marketing Podcast brings you exclusive interviews with local marketing experts, industry thought leaders and Charleston entrepreneurs who have harnessed the power of effective marketing in the Lowcountry and beyond. From strategic communication, social media, PR, digital strategy and everything in between, we uncover valuable insights and actionable tips for our listeners.
The Charleston Marketing Podcast
Banking with Purpose: The Story Behind REV's Community Impact w/ Shelley Puckett
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A credit union that feels more like a sports car brand than a financial institution? That's exactly what Shelly Puckett and the team at REV Credit Union have created through their bold, purpose-driven approach to banking in Charleston.
Puckett, REV's Director of Brand Marketing, takes us behind the scenes of one of Charleston's most successful rebrands, transforming the traditional Heritage Trust into the dynamic community powerhouse known as REV. Born and raised in Charleston, Puckett joined the organization in 2019 and quickly found herself at the table for a complete brand overhaul alongside CEO Jason Lee. The timing couldn't have been more challenging—launching in March 2020 as COVID-19 emerged—but their "atom bomb" billboard strategy flooded Charleston with their new identity and set the stage for remarkable growth.
What makes REV stand out isn't just their vibrant teal branding or memorable name (which stands for forward momentum, not an acronym). It's their foundational philosophy of "banking with purpose" that drives everything they do. Through their Up the Good Foundation, REV focuses on creating resilient communities by supporting health initiatives, inclusivity programs, and financial education. Their team has already contributed over 10,000 volunteer hours, reaching their five-year goal a year early. Now they're targeting 30,000 hours for the next five years as they expand across South Carolina, North Carolina, and potentially into West Virginia.
REV's nine-person marketing team operates as an in-house agency, crafting everything from their signature REV Day employee events to student-run high school branches that provide real financial experience for teenagers. With innovative programs like Shop REV Gear (an e-commerce site where proceeds support their foundation) and community sponsorships that prioritize events bringing people together, they've created a financial brand that resonates with Charlestonians of all ages. Follow @revfederal on Instagram or visit revfcu.com to see how this local credit union is redefining what banking can be through authentic community engagement and purpose
Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Radio Group
Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association
Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Darius Kelly, Kim Russo
Produced and edited: rūmbo Advertising
Photographer: Kelli Morse
Art Director: Taylor Ion
Outreach: Lauren Ellis
CAMA President: Margaret Stypa
Score by: The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Voiceover by: Ellison Karesh
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary
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Welcome to the Charleston Marketing Podcast, powered by the Charleston American Marketing Association and broadcasting from our home at Charleston Radio Group. Thanks to CRG, we're able to talk with the movers and shakers of Charleston, from economy to art, from hospitality to tech and everything in between. These leaders have made a home here in the Lowcountry. They live here, they work here, they make change here.
Speaker 2:Why let's talk about it. Hello and welcome to the charleston marketing podcast, followed by the charleston american marketing association. We're here recording at the charleston immediate solutions studios. Big supporters of camp gotta give a shout out to charleston's favorite dj. Dj jerry feels good for the beats in the beginning. Thanks to all our supporters. Compton here, co-founder and president of rumbo advertising, a creative digital marketing agency. Uh, here in charleston and tampa. Uh, and I'm also your incoming cama president. Yeah, I'm gonna have fun with it. Margaret's killing it right now for us. Yeah, I'm excited to be joined by my co-hostess with the mostest, stephanie Barrow. Say hello.
Speaker 3:Hey, co-hostess with the mostest. That's the first time you said that. You like that I do like it, I'm going to stick with it.
Speaker 2:Who are you? Who am I? Where are you from, Steph?
Speaker 3:I am originally from Yorktown, virginia, but now I live right here in Charleston. That's right. What's up? Guys? I'm Stephanie Barrow. I am the founder of Stephanie Barrow Consulting, a digital strategy agency here in Charleston, and we have a very, very awesome guest, someone who is exceptionally giving back to the community, so I'm excited to have you here. Welcome, shelly Puckett. She is the director of brand marketing for Rev Credit Union and we have her here in the studio with us today.
Speaker 4:Awesome. Thank you all so much for having me. So is this where I can collect my check right?
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, yes, yes, we'll be giving back you got the note. Yeah, yeah. Put your money where your mouth is. Paul Mallory's got your check, he's asking for your check.
Speaker 4:There you go, I feel like I know where to find him now.
Speaker 3:Yes and says hello, so we're so excited to have you here. I was telling you this in the quote unquote green room, but when I work with brands, I feel like you guys are like the gold standard of giving back to the Charleston community. So kudos to you and your team. You guys are just always out there giving back and really making an impression on me and making an impression on the public about how you are. You know, like you said, putting your money where your mouth is like giving back to the community and doing all the things. So congratulations.
Speaker 4:Absolutely. Thank you. Yeah, our biggest kind of motto is banking with purpose at REV. So you know, the more we grow as an institution, the more money we can give back to our community. So it kind of creates this really awesome cyclical cycle for not only our members and people that join RUB, but then allowing us to give back to where they are in their community as well.
Speaker 3:I love it. We'll dive into all of that, but I want to learn a little bit more about you.
Speaker 2:How about Shelly a little bit?
Speaker 4:Where are you?
Speaker 2:from Shelly.
Speaker 4:So I'm actually originally from Charleston, okay, good yeah. Born and raised, I grew up in West Ashley off Cosgrove.
Speaker 3:Okay, okay, shout out.
Speaker 4:You know, where the T-Bones is right behind there. Great place to grow up, wow. I went to Bishop England High School, so the second part of my childhood I actually lived right down the street on Clements Ferry.
Speaker 2:Oh, no kidding.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like I said, I went to Bishop England, same Catholic school my parents and aunts and uncles went to, so very big Charleston family.
Speaker 3:You don't meet a lot of like first hand Charlestonians.
Speaker 4:So this is nice, thank you.
Speaker 3:We tend to find some.
Speaker 2:On the podcast we do, we tend to find some here Because we've talked to like the people that are doing great things here in the city, because they're emotionally invested in this community, that's my point. Yeah, thanks for finishing my. You're welcome, we get along well.
Speaker 1:I'm just going to take it as we get along.
Speaker 3:well, there you go.
Speaker 2:So, shelly, you're from here. Yes, why did you choose to stay here in Charleston?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so after I graduated college, you know.
Speaker 2:What school again?
Speaker 4:I didn't go too far. I just went to South Carolina and Columbia. There you go.
Speaker 1:I'm actually a triplet.
Speaker 4:What You're a triplet. What You're a triplet, yes, triplet, that's impressive. Fraternal two girls and a boy. Two girls and a boy. We're super close. They're the best thing, they're my best friends.
Speaker 3:You guys are still friends too, huh.
Speaker 4:Y'all are still close. We've gotten closer as we've gotten older, I feel like a lot of people say that with siblings Good to hear. So my parents were. You know y'all are going to have to pay for this.
Speaker 4:You know this whole college thing, so staying in the state was always a good opportunity, and South Carolina has an amazing journalism program there. So I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I've always been into art and design, so let's figure out how to make money with this skill. So marketing was kind of the only avenue I really considered. So I went to school for visual communications, really got into web design and graphic design. So I came back to Charleston and that was 2014, and just seeing how crazy the city has exploded since then, that was massive. So just all the opportunities, so having more opportunities here in town and then being able to stay close to my family and friends was just something I couldn't really pass up.
Speaker 2:No kidding, yeah, do you like it other than that, other than with those lists of like the family and then that? What about the lifestyle here?
Speaker 4:I mean you can't really beat the lifestyle here, just always, you know, I love the water. I, you know, love boating, yeah, being with my friends hanging out, and so, yeah, you can't really beat it Super cool.
Speaker 2:I love it. Was there a gig before Rev?
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, so quite a journey to get to where I am now. After college, my first job was actually at the Post and Courier.
Speaker 1:Okay, yes, in their marketing department.
Speaker 4:So it was funny. I just, you know, kept calling like every single week and was like hey, is this? Have you filled the position yet? Have you filled?
Speaker 3:the position. Good for you. Showing the initiative. No, calling the posting career.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and my would-be boss, Brad Boggs, Shout out Brad, but yeah, he eventually was like yeah, you know, I just had to hire you because you kept calling in and we're so persistent. Hey, I love that.
Speaker 2:We hear a lot of that too.
Speaker 3:We do hear, but I think people like lose their gumption over time out of, like you know, just political correctness or whatever. I like that, just keep driving. Oh yeah, I was just.
Speaker 4:like you know, I really don't have anything to lose, and this seems like. I just felt you know, something would be good with that position. So, it went great. They actually ended up creating kind of a new role for me. I was the interactive creative specialist.
Speaker 1:There you go, which was pretty cool.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, doing web content, helping them build out their sponsored content product they still have now Doing websites for clients, emails, all the fun things and, honestly, the best team there ever Still close to a lot of those people and it was a great place to start and being right in the center of downtown was pretty sweet.
Speaker 2:That is pretty cool.
Speaker 3:What a way to get into knowing everybody in this town? Yes, by working with all the different brands, and Post and Courier is doing some cool stuff. She knew what she wanted, she got it. That's amazing. Post and Courier is doing some cool stuff.
Speaker 2:She knew what she wanted, she got it. That's amazing. So it went from Post and Courier to Rev no after. Post and.
Speaker 4:Courier. So I was there for about two and a half three years and then actually worked for a design and build firm not far down the street from here. We were doing modular construction out of like foam and steel panelized building system. Okay, so that's. The crazy thing about marketing is that you go in you can go into any industry and you just really throw yourself in and try to understand what it is you're doing. So then you can kind of relay that to the public.
Speaker 3:So now you're an expert in this field.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so I would be at trade shows I would be talking to, you know, not only homeowners trying to build with this system, or engineers, builders, architects, all the things. So it was a really cool experience. But yeah, and then after that, for another two and a half years, I found an opportunity at the Inheritance Trust. We weren't REV yet.
Speaker 4:So this was 2019. So I've been there since then and when I first got there, I really got hired to redesign the website and I was like, okay, I don't really know about this credit union thing. We were kind of in a brand at that point. That was, you know, a little bit, not a little bit a lot old school, very traditional. And then Jason Lee, our CEO, came in around the same time I got there and was like we're going to flip this thing on its head and we're going to create this whole new brand. And I got to be right there at the table creating it and it was an amazing experience. So I'm like, ok, this is, this is cool.
Speaker 2:And can I ask how old you were at that time?
Speaker 4:Like twenty seven, still pretty young.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah To be at the table for a rebrand for a credit union. Yeah, that's pretty dope.
Speaker 3:And especially a credit union to the scale. You've really done some neat things here in Charleston. I can't say that I know a ton of banks off of just their name. I just don't. I'm not that kind of person. I've been with Wells Fargo for forever.
Speaker 2:This is a credit union too. I understand.
Speaker 3:I know there's differences here for me is just like if nonprofits will ask my permission, like where you know where should I go this and that, like they ask my advice, I say gotta go to rep bank because you get back to the community. Can you talk a little bit about your partnership with, like the nonprofits?
Speaker 4:sure, absolutely, and it's. It's funny you, mike, you just talked about you know there's a difference between credit union and bank, um. But you know, stephanie, you just said bank.
Speaker 3:A lot of people use it interchangeably that's it and our brand and for us, like we really feel like it doesn't really matter.
Speaker 4:It matters, you know, in a in a foundational sense. But at the end of the day, we just want people to know that we have great financial products and services you know they connect with the brand, so that's why they come to Rev. We've even dropped Federal Credit Union off our name, which is another kind of marketing brand play we talk about later. Is that?
Speaker 1:new.
Speaker 4:After about a year a year and a half of being Federal Credit Union, we dropped it completely into our new markets that we're entering. We keep that just so people know we're financial.
Speaker 1:Right, right, enablish the brand Right exactly, but we're financial but Right right, Enablish the brand.
Speaker 4:Right, exactly. But stepping back to your question, just about giving back, so one of our core philosophies, like I said, is banking with purpose. So we really came out the gate with that, as who we are as an institution, and trying to differentiate ourselves from the market when you have so many different choices.
Speaker 3:Right, that was going to be my question. When you sat down at the table for the rebrand, were you always purpose-driven Like, did you know this going in, this was part of the beginning philosophy.
Speaker 4:Yes, absolutely. So that was definitely one pillar of the philosophy. The second one really is modernizing and creating this brand. We talk about legacy a lot, and legacy means to us that your grandchildren's grandchildren are going to bank with REB because we are standing the test of time to be around for them.
Speaker 4:And you can't do that with an old, stodgy brand that doesn't relate to people. Sure, so modernizing not only our technology but the way the look and feel is and all the things that we're doing in the community really aligns with that. How do we survive?
Speaker 1:you know Right.
Speaker 4:Because credit unions are decreasing every single year. So we have to kind of we have a lot of work ahead of us to not get swallowed up by big institutions.
Speaker 3:Sure. So this was 2019 when you were starting the rebrand.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 3:So right before the peak of COVID, in a sense, yeah.
Speaker 4:We honestly launched the whole rebrand in March of 2020.
Speaker 3:Did you?
Speaker 4:slow roll it out, or how did that work? Yeah, so we were sitting on the table, we just all done all this work. We had the logo, um done, and we're like, okay, what do we do? And we just didn't know how long covet was going to last. So we're like, let's just do this thing. We launched a big billboard campaign and we started obviously had to start with our membership first to kind of slowly roll that out. Tell them the why about why we're doing this, which you know definitely ruffled some feathers at first. Try to get them used to it. Change is uncomfortable for people sometimes, but we tried to do as much storytelling and communication as we could to make them comfortable with it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think, if I'm remembering this correctly, the story storytelling piece of it is didn't you have like a conceptual like one, two, three, four, five, six billboards in a row on on i-26 talking about the messaging and the rebrand and that kind of thing? So it's like you're inundated with the messaging, one after the next, right?
Speaker 4:which was fantastic. Yes, yeah, we did uh, one of the atom bombs, as they say there you go, that's atom bombs.
Speaker 3:What is that?
Speaker 4:So it's like 50 billboards and it's a couple-week span, but they're moving every so often, so it literally looks like you're everywhere.
Speaker 3:It feels like it's subliminal messaging. It's just following you across the entire city. Number one, it's amazing that you had the budget to do that and number two, it's incredible that you had the forethought that that would really penetrate into people's brains. Because during the time of COVID and you're just kind of like driving around aimlessly in your car like trying to kill time, like I remember seeing those billboards being like this is a really, really thoughtful, creative new way to do something. I'd never seen anything like that before, except for, like you know, the real estate, like the same people, but it was simple messaging where it was just kind of like like you know, nothing flashy about it, it was just like lines, you know, just copy and the next one was copy, and the next one was copy.
Speaker 3:It really told the story very well. That's why I'm so familiar with your brand from that campaign forward. Thank, you thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I know like that from heritage trust yes can I ask you, what does rev stand for?
Speaker 4:anything yeah, so we get that question all the time. So it doesn't stand for anything like an acronym or anything like that, it's just, you know, a short, memorable word that means forward momentum positivity, and we were really looking for something that was short and memorable. So that's how we came up with Rev. We came down to like three names and that one just kept coming back to us and back to us like, okay, this is cool, we have something here, sweet.
Speaker 2:How big is your?
Speaker 4:team, our marketing team. Now there's nine of us, including myself. That's impressive. Yeah, at the time of the rebrand, there was four of us. Nine of us, including myself. That's impressive. Yeah, at the time of the rebrand, there was four of us. So we've grown a lot since then how many branches do we have? So right now we have 14 branches. We have 10 in the low country and then we have four in North Carolina. Do you have expansion?
Speaker 3:plans yes.
Speaker 2:Jason's expansion plans that guy is a rock star. He is, he is I, he is from social media looking in, you know I follow you all, yes, on all the platforms. And, uh, that dude yeah looks like he's gonna conquer the world man.
Speaker 4:He's awesome, seems like a really nice guy too he is super tall, yeah, super tall, it's funny I'll like get on get on stage with him and we'll talk like that community at um employee events and stuff, and then just you know, you know what the height difference is?
Speaker 2:kind of funny. I saw a photo. I did giggle actually.
Speaker 4:Yes, but you know, for me I just look at him, you know, as a normal teammate and he's very involved in the marketing process, yes, very easy to work with, has a lot of great ideas. So very fortunate to work with him over these past five years. It's kind of crazy what we've all gone through together and and when I look back it's like holy crap, you know.
Speaker 2:So you were there before him.
Speaker 4:We started around the same time.
Speaker 2:Same time In 2019.
Speaker 4:That's fun, yep.
Speaker 3:So I was going to ask, like when you came together as a team just like for the key takeaways for listeners, coming together for a rebrand like that, so what was your course of action?
Speaker 4:Did you just like have pieces of paper on the wall and you just threw ideas at them and see what stuck? Um, yeah, so we worked with an agency and we um just told them you know our goals, this is our, this is kind of what we want to stand for, um, and then they came back with, you know, a bunch of pieces of paper on the table with like a million names, and then we kept kind of narrowing it down down. We looked at a lot of different scenarios and did some, you know, testing with different focus groups, stuff like that, but it was still pretty quick in the grand scheme of things and then took a maybe like three months, four months, something like that but you did your due diligence with the focus groups and really put the legwork in right, and then we're looking at you know, obviously securing domains, like looking at what other people have this name rev because there
Speaker 4:are some other um companies with that with that name in it. So is the product line different enough? Is this going to be causing confusion? Um, so it was. It was quite interesting. And then we were left literally with a logo. So at at that time I was the only one doing our design and development. So it's like, how do we take this logo and create a whole brand identity around it, sure, and then launch this thing. So it was.
Speaker 2:Is there a story behind the logo? Everybody loves it. Everybody talks about the logo. It's a conversation. Do people hate it or love it?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, so it. Yeah, yeah so um, we're actually started as um the charleston air force base credit union in 1955. So if you look at the rev logo it's kind of like a tail um wing of a plane there, it is yep.
Speaker 2:Now I see it okay I had no idea. Now it makes sense yep listeners.
Speaker 3:Now it makes sense right everybody no, I like it love it I just people want to.
Speaker 4:I know they want to know, people want to know, man.
Speaker 2:Everybody wants to know.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I can see that.
Speaker 4:And we have like our bright colors, which are really I do. I like that you've adopted, like the bright teal.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's kind of you know the fast sports car, that kind of hitting all the audiences Right.
Speaker 2:Think about this too. How many other people are excited about a credit union? Do you know what I mean? I know I'm looking excited about a credit union like Rev. I follow Rev.
Speaker 3:Same Everything they do yeah.
Speaker 2:Nobody else is talking about a credit union. You know what?
Speaker 3:I mean no, you're doing something right, for sure.
Speaker 4:Thank you. I always say, and you are, you love your job. I actually really do. Um, like I said, when I first got there in 2019, I was like I don't know about this, but you know, the more we've progressed, like, the amount of opportunities I've had and things I've gotten to do and be at the table out and be a part of has been just just amazing, honestly, for my career. So I'm, you know, I do love it. It's, you know, it's a lot some days, but I wouldn't have it any other way, right.
Speaker 3:And as a marketing team, what is your main focus? Is it digital? Is it? I know that you obviously talked about doing billboards and like traditional marketing things like that. What other things are you doing? Are you doing TikTok, like how are you like, what are you doing?
Speaker 4:Right. So we consider really ourselves an in-house marketing agency. Everything you see is designed and developed by us. We have a massive internal culture, too, that we cultivate. So right now we're really focusing on our Rev Day, which is our annual employee day. We do it at the Music Hall the third year there. We've done it at Festival Hall or Memminger Auditorium. We've done it at West Edge before.
Speaker 4:The third year there, we've done it at Festival Hall or Memminger Auditorium. We've done it at West Edge before, and it's like this big party conference TEDx-type experience that we've been able to pull off. We have motivational speakers come in, we have crazy lighting, we have music what an awesome place to work we have just swag that. We work months and and months on developing collaborations with different local vendors. Um, so, marketing team, we're working on that because if really cultivating like a brand message and story, you have to start with your internal sure, and the people have to feel it, they have to understand the why behind it. So, um, this is our fourth rev day, fifth Rev Day this year, so it's more than annual You're doing five a year.
Speaker 4:No, we do one annual event every year for Rev Day, and then we do our Rev Day for Good, which is our day where we take one of our federal holidays, and all of our employees across North and South Carolina go out to nonprofits all day. So we spend like eight hours volunteering. Then we all get together four hours volunteering, then we all get together for four hours and do a big group project as well. So it's a lot of logistics with that too.
Speaker 2:I can only imagine that the marketing team has a stronghold on that.
Speaker 4:Yes, a lot of work to do. Yep, that's all us.
Speaker 2:You said internal right. I mean the messaging and the story branding has to be bought in internally. If you don't have happy employees, you're going to have disgruntled Eugenes, if you will, disgruntled clients right. So it's super smart. And then is a lot of the content that you're creating, too, just for internal sometimes.
Speaker 4:Sometimes, yeah, so we have, like our employee internet that we call RevLife. We're always creating content for there and making sure everyone knows what's going on, not only in the marketing realm, but also volunteerism. We've been going through a big transformation digitally, so there's a lot of communication there. We're constantly redoing kind of the artwork on the walls and the space that we're in. I love it. We're in the middle of doing that as well. So, yeah, a lot of content for employees and a lot of external content about employees that we're working on now, too, to tell their story, to showcase, you know, our employment and what a great place I was curious.
Speaker 3:I bet you have a ton of applications.
Speaker 4:You know we do. We try to keep it coming. We have our REV employee orientation every two weeks, so they're always coming in and it's exciting Because I always tell new employees you're still at the forefront of something really exciting. We're still building this train. It's going 100 miles an hour down the track, so this is still a great time to be at rev.
Speaker 3:jump on board, yeah, exactly, get honored, you know you're gonna fly off because we're going and it's exciting. Now if people aren't familiar with your brand, like as they don't follow you on instagram or facebook or that kind of super fans like us, not super fans like us. Uh, what can they expect to see by following you guys?
Speaker 4:yeah, um so on social, we're really focusing a lot on, like you said, our give back. So, we interview our nonprofits. We take a lot of content out in the community volunteering. We also have a bunch of sponsorships, so our content a lot of times revolves around those community events, and when we sponsor an event we look for something that really brings people together.
Speaker 4:So that's how we sponsor sports and we look for something that really brings people together. So that's how we um sponsor sports and music things a lot so, but yeah, from our brand, like our great product and services. The one thing that's difficult about a financial institution to market is we're marketing like 10 products and services at one time I was going to say are you educating people on your bank, your mission?
Speaker 3:yeah, I know you're obviously talking about the non-profit good that you're doing in the world right are you talking about? Like you know, do I bring my child in at age 10 to get a checking account like those kinds of things b2c focus or b2b focus um, right now it's b2c focus.
Speaker 4:We also have our um business red business group building up a lot um well, so that's really exciting. We're also working on like a nonprofit business account too. So continuing to like connect all those dots together and offering that's a big operation. You have a lot of things in play right now. We really do. We have, you know, a great mortgage team, you know. Obviously we have our 4% premier checking like shameless plug there, everybody knows about that.
Speaker 1:No, no, no.
Speaker 4:No, checking like shameless plug. Everybody knows about. No, no, no, I love it. Um, so it really depends upon, you know, the product we're marketing based on one, the seasonality, but two like what rev needs. So if you know we're deposit heavy, like on our books, and we have more money to lend out, and then the opposite, you know, yeah, so let's talk a little bit about the up, the good foundation yeah so can you tell us, like the gist I know we're talking, talking a lot about nonprofits and that kind of thing.
Speaker 4:But like what?
Speaker 3:is the Up the Good Foundation.
Speaker 4:Yep. So the Up the Good Foundation is all about creating resilient communities. So the way, what that means to us is focusing on, you know, health and wellness. So organizations that really make a difference in people's lives, like American Heart Association, for example, Inclusivity and access for people. So Just Be is an organization that teaches companies about autism and how to be inclusive of that. I love that. Surfers Healing is awesome too.
Speaker 4:They do a big day on Folly every year. We support them Beyond Basic. And then the last one's really about financial education and strength. So you know, increasing hope is a big one. Making sure people have access to financial education.
Speaker 2:I was going to say yes, financial literacy we like calling it financial wellness over literacy.
Speaker 4:Just because calling it financial wellness over literacy just because it's just your whole well-being, because the more financially fit you are, the more you're able to do all these things not only for yourself, but for your community too.
Speaker 3:And, as a team, you've volunteered over 10,000 hours. Yes, that's impressive. Yes, that was our five-year goal.
Speaker 4:We hit it in four, which was awesome. So now we have a 30,000-hour goal to hit in the next five years. So we're definitely doubling down and, as we expand into new markets, continuing to grow those communities too.
Speaker 3:That's huge.
Speaker 2:So earlier you talked about the different messaging that you have, both internal and external. Do you have any best practices to talk about when adapting content across multiple platforms?
Speaker 4:Sure, yeah, and I know we've heard it a lot. As marketers, you know, if you're looking at doing even Instagram versus Facebook, it's a lot, it's a different market or it's a different audience. That you're, you know, putting your message out there too. So, just taking a piece of content for example, we just created a really big blog post for our Start Smart First Time Home.
Speaker 4:Buyers program and there's so much information in there. So if we have the blog post on the website that we can really go into detail about the product, then we can take little snippets of that and make a video for instagram if we're shooting, you know, our one of our mlos talking about it using that as a reel and then putting that out in you know an email, or like on our media screen to our members that walk into the branch.
Speaker 4:So just, whatever piece of content we have, I always challenge my team to slice and dice it as many times as you can, sure, um, because we're doing, we're running in so many directions. We have to be efficient with, you know, continuing, continuing to get that story out there yeah, you gotta squeeze that, yes, with the juice out absolutely yes, speaking of stories um.
Speaker 3:I loved your commercial that won a spark award this year.
Speaker 4:Oh, thank you. The one not that we're nominated for. Yeah, yeah, it was. It was really good nomination I don't know no, we didn't win, oh I know I was really good, I really really liked
Speaker 3:it, but we all kind of teamed up, didn't we? And like cheer it up a little bit.
Speaker 2:It was a good spot yes, I was like holding my husband it's sweet.
Speaker 4:Yeah, thank you yeah um, that was. Yeah. Last year was our first time working with like an actual video producer and producing like a major video commercial like that, so we actually worked with Bevan in Wilmington, north Carolina.
Speaker 3:She's actually on One Tree Hill which is awesome because we could do a lot of organic, like cross, you know social media.
Speaker 2:Wait, what now?
Speaker 4:So you found a producer that works with yeah, so they know each other and she has a big name in Wilmington and obviously Wilmington is our emerging market, so we have two branches there.
Speaker 1:That worked out nicely.
Speaker 4:It did so it's really she owns her own cycling studio, right. So, talking about you know, rev helps me power my business. Rev helps me power my financial goals, so empower my financial goals. So it was really cool. You feel like you're ready to go do a cycling class after you watch it Super cool, it's pretty sweet.
Speaker 2:Well, thanks for submitting work and supporting there. You were there with your team. Yes, hope you had a good time.
Speaker 4:We did, we had a great time.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry you didn't walk away with anything next year.
Speaker 4:I know Next year We'll keep trying. In my heart you did. I literally left thinking that you did so that's how much impact it made with me.
Speaker 3:So you're doing lots of things right, thank you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:So, speaking of lots of things going on, and we were talking about how you guys are up to good- and are part of the community a lot. There's got to be so many requests that come into play. Who says yes First? Requests that come into play who takes? Who says yes first of all? And I love the music like the, the, the, what is it called? The, the?
Speaker 2:you guys have a concert series oh, rev rocks, yeah, yeah how cool is that yes, isn't that neat, that's cool, thank you I don't know, maybe the radio station needs to know a little bit more about this too, right?
Speaker 4:well, this, well, this is our Wilmington concert series.
Speaker 1:Oh, bring it to Charleston.
Speaker 4:I know we need to. Yes, yes, yeah. We're always looking. If you find a concert series that's, willing, to let us name something. I thought you had one here. We did have Firefly. Ah, they had a Firefly, one yeah so we had Safe Sounds at Firefly during COVID, where you had, like, the squares and everything, which was pretty sweet, um, but yeah, we're not doing the Firefly concerts anymore, but shout out to them, they do a great job. Um, rob with ear for music.
Speaker 2:Sure, Well, there's so much going on in Charleston so many different great nonprofits, but also parties. Yeah, like every weekend, do you guys?
Speaker 3:have a gala or anything like that? Not yet.
Speaker 2:You're adding stuff to the list. There's a lot going on already. She said not yet.
Speaker 4:Not yet. She probably has it in the works already, not yet. It's yeah who says yes, and no, is my question. For, like, sponsorships and stuff.
Speaker 2:So you're head of branding right, yes so it's got to make sense for the brand.
Speaker 1:Yes, you probably have a little bit of a say in that Right on events that bring people together.
Speaker 4:So you know, the Riverdogs is a great example of that. We're powering their opening day on April 4th, really talking about Up the Good, sharing that message. We'll have a nonprofit activation there. We're going to be giving out some cool swag that's Rev. So, yeah, just any opportunity that brings, you know, family and community together, that will align with our brand.
Speaker 2:I should have worn my Rev hat.
Speaker 3:I have a rev hat nice.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I was lucky enough to pitch my agency and I left with a hat. So I was like, yeah, yeah, I wore it a lot too.
Speaker 4:It's very cool. Yeah, we take a lot of pride in our, in our swag and giveaway stuff so I don't have any rev swag so I'm gonna come by, yeah well we actually have a shop rev gear now, so we created an entire e-commerce site last year um, yeah, so really working on um.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we had to learn shopify last year, so, right, that was fun. Um is a pain, yeah, but getting that into the hands of our members, into our employees. Every um purchase um from shop rev gear goes back to up the good foundation. So another way for us to tell the story of what we're doing.
Speaker 3:It's all really about telling that story, so just different avenues Sounds like you guys have a really strong team to make all this happen.
Speaker 4:Yes, I do. I'm very, very thankful for them. Yeah, a lot of.
Speaker 2:Shout out to Kelly Nix and your team there.
Speaker 4:Yes, absolutely Yep, yep, revrev, team very solid.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, yeah, yeah. So is there a specific campaign or an activation that you're particularly proud of?
Speaker 4:Um, yes, you know I was thinking about this earlier. And just one thing I always come back to is 2023. It was like a crazy year for us. We did a conversion of our core banking system, core conversions no well. And then a digital banking conversion. So our entire app was going over to a new app. So when you're talking about 65,000 plus members, you know logging in and you know it's a different app trying to communicate. That was just a crazy but amazing experience. Looking back on it now, how did you do?
Speaker 1:it Video? Yeah, so we did literally everything.
Speaker 4:We created custom videos, we did landing pages. How did you do it Video? Yeah, so we did literally everything. We created custom videos, we did landing pages, we did mailers with QR codes to the landing page, we did massive email campaigns. So we started really early kind of trickling the message out. And then I think, as a marketer, it's so important to actually really understand what it is you're talking about, especially when it's technical. So I was lucky enough to be like in the process of building the app and making it look and feel like the red brand, yeah, and then being able to beta test it and use it so I could really talk to our members and say, hey, you know this is what, what to expect on day one, yeah, and just making our graphics and stuff exciting and cool.
Speaker 3:Have you changed any of your strategy for this new calendar year?
Speaker 4:Are you going?
Speaker 3:to stay the course.
Speaker 4:We're shifting a little bit more. We're, you know, aside from cultivating our membership, you know, and making sure that they know all the product and services, we have just continue to do more target marketing out in the community. I think our biggest shift is that we've done a lot of halo in brand marketing. Yep Just saying, hey, we're Rev, we're here, blah, blah, blah. You have done a lot of branding Halo.
Speaker 2:What are you saying, halo?
Speaker 4:So like the billboards, so it's not. You can't. There's no real attainable ROI Right.
Speaker 3:It's hard to track that should I know this term halo? I should know this for the listeners. No, that's good. Yeah, it's things that aren't trackable, like there's no, like halo, qr code towards it or phone number towards it.
Speaker 2:It's just you know, some people would say that advertising in general is all halo right.
Speaker 3:I mean a lot of it is trackable, which is good, which, oh, nowadays it is for sure. Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah so yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So now just making sure that people you know we've had some feedback that oh, I thought that y'all were a, you know, car loan company or are y'all a nightclub Like? So trying to make sure.
Speaker 3:I know We've got some crazy things yeah.
Speaker 4:So just making sure that people know, which I think is great. Honestly, I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, which I think is great.
Speaker 4:Honestly, I love that, but making sure that people know that we're the go-to financial resource and that we have all these great products and services without diluting our main brand message but finding the different channels for all of our different products that we have. How many products are there Anything you could need financially, we have it.
Speaker 2:What are your top three products that you like to work on?
Speaker 4:Obviously, certificates and deposits are still a main driver for us. Checking accounts, having your direct deposit and having that relationship as your primary financial institution will always be our number one driver. Mortgage is big for us too. That's good to know.
Speaker 2:A lot of people moving here, a lot of people refi-ing as well. Getting that low interest rate. Yep I know a good credit union that could help you out.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we have a great first-time homebuyers program with zero down, no PMI, it's, you know, almost 100% financing. It's really awesome. So we have that, and then you know, I think financial education is another big thing for us.
Speaker 3:I think that's huge. Do you come to schools or anything like that? Yes, high schools, you do.
Speaker 4:We actually have three branches in our local high schools that are run by students In the high schools.
Speaker 3:In the high schools.
Speaker 4:Correct which high schools? Yep, so Stahl High School. Okay, sorry, stahl High School. Now I'm blanking, really quickly.
Speaker 2:Two other high schools, wando yes.
Speaker 4:No, not Wando. Wando's got 3,000 students.
Speaker 3:It's like a campus. Like they need a bank, a college campus, I mean a credit union. They do.
Speaker 2:They need some kind of a financial institution.
Speaker 4:Yes, yes. So anyways, yeah, we're Stahl Cane Bay and then Goose Creek.
Speaker 3:Okay, great, so kind of like all in the same similar area, correct, so?
Speaker 4:you're trying to come over this way, correct? Yes, so Phillip Simmons, that's a great school right down the street from here. Yes, I said Goose Creek, but Phillip Simmons now is all coming back to me.
Speaker 4:Like I said we're doing all the things at once. We're asking you a Phillips Simmons. Those are the high schools we're in. It's a great program. The students actually make money. They can come work in the ranch during summer and during their Christmas break yeah, so they can shadow different departments. They, you know, earn the same amount as a teller. They earn the same amount as a teller Correct when they're doing like their summer hours and stuff that's cool. Yep, it is awesome Within the next 10 years when they're doing their summer hours and stuff that's cool.
Speaker 3:Yep, that is really cool, it is awesome.
Speaker 2:Within the next 10 years.
Speaker 3:We need to get into Wando by the time I get there, I was getting ready to say that, yes, I'm like we're planning ahead, is that?
Speaker 2:10 years from now, we're 19?
Speaker 3:Oh no, Less Less than that. I'm a fourth grader. You have a third grad.
Speaker 4:Crazy, I'm not there yet Time flies, take your time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't rush into anything.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, please, we're both old parents right, I was like no, when did you? Have your first kid, Steph.
Speaker 3:I had my daughter at 35.
Speaker 2:Same yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, that will be my trajectory. I'm getting married this year. Good for you.
Speaker 2:Congratulations. Thank you. What does he do? Where is he? What's his name? So Todd?
Speaker 4:shout out, shout out to Todd. He's awesome, my biggest supporter, but he's actually a pilot for United. Okay, great, yeah, tell him, we need you to stay here in.
Speaker 3:Charleston.
Speaker 4:Exactly, yeah, definitely. The pilot lifestyle is a fun one, and I'd never really flown that much until I met him. So I've gotten to go to so many places and every place I'm like, oh my god, it's the coolest thing ever.
Speaker 2:You five for free.
Speaker 4:I'm sure, yes, yeah, yeah, um, yeah, so Rome, prague, I married a nurse.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that's amazing. I don't want to go into the hospital. Doctors love Emily, shout out. Emily, she is our hero. That's great Congratulations, thank you. Do you have a date?
Speaker 4:Yes, april 5th, it's coming up, dude. Yeah, it's coming up, are you getting?
Speaker 3:married here in.
Speaker 2:Charleston, you seem pretty calm and collective.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm kind of, she can handle a lot.
Speaker 2:Apparently.
Speaker 3:You know it's like a duck.
Speaker 4:It's just paddling fresh through the water. But yeah, so it's going to be in Charleston, old Wide Awake, it's out in Hollywood on the Stoner River. Oh, stoner River's pretty.
Speaker 2:See, I'm not cool enough to know if you know. You know Reese Witherspoon actually got married there, of course, of course Reese did yeah, so it's pretty cool.
Speaker 4:My parents live a half mile from there now, so oh awesome, it's kind of the river.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very sweet, all right, okay because you know we, a lot of our listeners too, are new to town. So you know, kind of like talking about the area is what we do. So one of the our questions here is one of our last questions, but we can move it forward is where is your favorite place to eat and drink?
Speaker 4:oh, gosh, there gosh.
Speaker 3:There's so many Aren't there, though, especially because you're from here, you've probably seen a lot of transition. Have you seen places go that you miss?
Speaker 4:Yes, here and there, but it's like I'm not very picky, honestly.
Speaker 1:I like everything. I like food and drinks, but my favorite right now.
Speaker 4:like we love Berkeley's, we love Beautiful South.
Speaker 2:Two, I haven't.
Speaker 4:Okay. Okay, oh literally the best like lunch spot Sit outside, it's great. Okay Then. Yeah, like I love a dive bar like Burns Alley or Roll American.
Speaker 3:I do like Roll American. They have some good music spots. Yeah, that one's one of them.
Speaker 4:Yeah, if we're going to go like in Mount Pleasant we love Muddy's or like sitting outside the bar at Tavern. Table. Like having a glass of wine with my girlfriends, yeah. Or even like blues. Shout out blues, not pleasant. Stay cool, shout out, that was me and Matthew's first date, we were singing karaoke at blues, oh, no way.
Speaker 2:This is a different blues than by me, I know.
Speaker 3:The one on Johnny Dodds.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I haven't been to that one.
Speaker 4:Yes, that was our first date.
Speaker 3:That's a better. Yeah, I did sing Marry Me to Bruno Mars to him on our first date. So you know that's really funny Just going for the offenses.
Speaker 2:Listen, I sing. Let's Get Drunk and Screw on my first date with Emily. Wow, was that smart, I think.
Speaker 3:Hey, you know, landed them. Wow, yeah, we did not meet over karaoke.
Speaker 4:Thankfully I'm not. He would have ran for the hills, I'm sure. Oh yeah, I know.
Speaker 3:But Blue is a good spot. Charleston has a lot of great places. Yes, I remember it clearly.
Speaker 2:It was two old women sitting right there in the audience. I was just singing right to them. Oh yeah, that's a great song. That's amazing. Why don't we?
Speaker 3:Anyway, this showcases our personality a lot. Our first dates were karaoke singing badly.
Speaker 4:That's cool.
Speaker 3:Our spouses who handle us.
Speaker 2:I love that. Okay, so are there any trends and strategies that are shaping the marketing landscape in 2025 that you can talk to for Rev?
Speaker 4:Sure, yeah, I think one of the things, especially with AI coming in, like everything can be, you know, hyper, like curated, everything can be, you know, perfect. So one of the trends I think I always see is just like showing that authenticity more, you know, even with like TikTok and stuff, all like the get ready with me videos, it's people just being natural and, like you know, showing those different sides of themselves that aren't, you know, totally filtered, which I think is really cool. So I think showcasing more of that and just really being real and having that come across is going to stand out in in the marketplace, I think, more than having something that's totally perfect and you know.
Speaker 3:I think you do a good job of a combination of having the professional photography, commercial videography, that kind of thing, but you also do like behind the scenes stuff with with your reels and that kind of thing. I think that's important.
Speaker 4:Yeah, thank you, yeah definitely something where we want to do more of. We know videos, you know, not going away, so doing more videos, more of those you know, hyper produced commercials, but then having, like you know, those touches of realness to them too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, like I have like the documentary of Jason going to all the different places that he goes to.
Speaker 4:Yeah, follow that guy around. Yeah, honestly, I like it. Yeah, you can have that, thank you. There you go. There you go, write that down man.
Speaker 2:This has been a great conversation. You speak really fast too, so I feel like we're getting a lot of information in a quick amount of time so I don't know, you're great we're going through this a lot.
Speaker 3:I think it's amazing what you're doing and I think this is like it's crazy to me. This has only been an activated campaign since 2019, but that's pretty impressive.
Speaker 2:From like I don't remember. Obviously I moved here in 2019. I don't remember Heritage Trust.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 2:But it just sounds. It does sound like it. It sounds like it Heritage, right, the word alone.
Speaker 3:I like a monogram shirt type situation. Like you know, like I'm going to the Heritage the Heritage monogram. Like my polo shirt.
Speaker 2:Now it's like I want to drive my Lambo, to show up your drive.
Speaker 3:You're showing up in your PJ yeah, yes, oh, I was like PJs. All of these like PJs, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Well, because the logo Looks like a, I know. I know that's why, I was Come on Help me out.
Speaker 4:Thanks, yeah, we'll have a plane Wrapped at some point.
Speaker 2:So the rep. You know hey, there you go, boeing's right there. You knock on their door and say hey, I mean, that's more a PJ though.
Speaker 3:And have it go down Coleman Boulevard During the Mount Pleasant Christmas Day Parade and just throw out candy. Just throw it out. That would be fun, it would be.
Speaker 4:We were trying to get one of our boat dealers to wrap a boat for the boat show coming up that we're going to be at, not this year, but hopefully next year they'll go for that.
Speaker 2:So you're going to have a boat, then you can have a fishing tournament, then you have another fundraiser.
Speaker 3:You guys so much, you can do All the things it's awesome that your team and the owners of the bank, you know what have you are like down to do all this leadership. Yeah, yes, because a lot of you have a lot of yes people in your life, which is nice yeah, um, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 4:I think takes a lot of anticipating and knowing, um, you know our leadership and what they're kind of, what their kind of appetite is, so presenting something to them, knowing what they're going to say, but you know, then we can kind of help show up in the Rev way, no matter what it is, because you know, but we are very lucky that they're, you know, want to sponsor Beer Fest. You know they're down to, you know, do all these cool things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, every cool event is sponsored by Rev Right. How do you do that? Yeah, how do you become everything?
Speaker 3:for everyone, like on the first day of work. Do you get like a handbook like this is your rev handbook. This is your rev vocabulary put your helmet on.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we're gonna go to party yeah, we do like a big employee orientation and then, like our rev day, like I was talking about, it's coming up is just that kind of you know boom rev explosion, like I love it just really gets people like ingrained kind of into the mindset.
Speaker 4:but we always talk about, like our tone of voice and how we, you know, talk about ourselves and we always say it's like you're a um, you know, at a barbecue with your family and friends and you're talking to them about financial products, services, like it's someone that you're friends with, so you're talking casually and you actually care about this person, so you want what's best for them, but you can talk really casually about it in a fun way With a beer in your hand.
Speaker 2:It's a hard thing to showcase or tell to the audience as a credit union.
Speaker 4:Right, it is.
Speaker 2:It's not an easy thing to do, but it seems like you guys are doing it like very professionally but very cool, Like I want to work there, Like sign me up.
Speaker 3:Like what are you getting? National acclaim. You probably don't even realize that other people across the nation are looking at you as like the example.
Speaker 4:Thank you, yeah, it's cool, like even talking about. You know what we did with our app conversion, like I've gotten to talk to. You know banks and credit unions across the country that are like five times our size about how we did it. You know like $8 billion institutions. You know we're over a billion for example, are you over a billion? Yeah, Like just over a billion. So just the scale. Someone might have 50 branches where we have 14. But they're looking at us and asking my advice on something, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 3:That's amazing, so I'm like, yeah, sure, so you'll probably be there a long time making changes.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I hope so, I hope so.
Speaker 2:They say the first billion takes a long time. It takes the longest to make and then to get to $15 or even more like $5 billion. It's a shorter amount of time. So to me it sounds like you guys put in a lot of legwork, put the foundation down, got to the billion and now it's just time to keep the mission and explode from there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we've set new goals for the next five years Keeping the pedal to the metal, expanding into new markets is a big way to continue to grow.
Speaker 2:Are you buying other credit unions?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we have like one, we have one press release out now about an opportunity we're seeking in West Virginia.
Speaker 3:Actually, with a community bank there. I'm from Virginia, that's what.
Speaker 2:I meant Okay.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so West Virginia.
Speaker 2:There's two different states, West and Virginia Yep. For the listeners. Yeah, I won't say anything about West.
Speaker 1:Virginia at all.
Speaker 3:There's the normal Virginia.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4:I love it. But, yeah, just continuing to expand, you know, into new markets of Wilmington and that area is, you know we're still growing there a lot Like we're trying to replicate, you know, the success we've had here, there, which is definitely hard being physically here in Charleston and you know continue to grow that. So it's been, you know, a good learning curve.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of travel, a lot of Zoom calls yes a lot of travel, a lot of you know boots on the ground.
Speaker 3:And then different. We have a lot of rural markets too, so what are their needs um, and how do we market to them? So now, with all of your individual um locations, do you have like an instagram for each one of them, or is it one main one for just rev?
Speaker 4:period yep one, just one rev. That's nice. Yes, that would be. I can't even imagine, you imagine, like I don't know if you had one for each different state that you were in yeah, no, just one rev, but we definitely are conscious of you making sure we're representative of all of our markets as much as possible. So, yeah, it's definitely something we have to work on.
Speaker 3:Now with your marketing team. Are you typically under the same roof? Are you each at different locations, or how does that work?
Speaker 4:We're all in the same happy little corner of our HQ in Somerville.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's a fun office. I love they decked it out really cool.
Speaker 3:And you get to travel to all these different ones and take videos and that kind of thing.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we do, we kind of mix it up a little bit. A lot of times. Yeah, I'm there because, like I said, we have a bunch of initiatives going on right now, so we try to have a couple people in the office and then a couple people out and about. We're always at the events. Yeah, literally. Like you said, know, we're always at the events and um, yeah, literally like you said, we're everywhere.
Speaker 3:I feel like. Correct me if I'm wrong. Did I see that you're going to be at charleston?
Speaker 4:wine and food yes, yes, so we are going to be at their um, it's like their community hero yep awards. Um, yeah, so we're powering that event coming up at the end of this month.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we just had ray rich Bray Richardson on. Oh nice, yeah, what a badass, she is amazing.
Speaker 4:Yes, she was in my Leadership Charleston group.
Speaker 3:So cool. Yeah, she's really cool.
Speaker 2:I've never been to any of those events, but I'm going this year and I'm really excited, awesome oh wait, you weren't a co-host on and Bray invited us to their opening ceremony.
Speaker 1:Oh, you would take it. I don't know, maybe not.
Speaker 2:Maybe we get you one, I don't know.
Speaker 3:Hi Bray, I'm Stephanie. Good to meet you from afar.
Speaker 2:She was awesome. That was a great conversation. So what was it like working with them?
Speaker 4:With Charleston Food and Wine or.
Speaker 2:Wine and Food. Sorry, yes, wine before food. Yes, is what she told me. Yes, charles, wine and Food.
Speaker 4:I've heard that multiple times. So, jason and Dustin, who's our community PR manager?
Speaker 2:Jason and Dustin.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, they're more involved in that relationship than I am on a personal level, sure, but I know we've, you know, kind of tested the waters about sponsoring in a bigger way this year. We're just kind of starting with this one event. Right on and continuing to this year. We're just kind of starting with this one event and continue to see how we can work together. But we love them as a community partner and see what they do, you know, for our community and bringing in you know people to charleston.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I'm excited. I don't want to add anything more to your plate and your list, but I know a podcast that's looking for a sponsor there you go, okay, well it's called the charleston marketing I. You know, I had a hunch.
Speaker 4:I had a hunch, I had a hunch, not awkward at all.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm sweaty All of a sudden, but no, I like to have fun. Yeah, we do.
Speaker 2:We do like to have fun, you know whatever. So any common mistakes that you see marketers making when they try to build or rebrand, and then how do you help them, course-craft.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So I think one thing is, you know, you got to think about building a brand that lasts. So doing anything that's too like viral or, you know, trying to Too trendy yeah, too trendy, like trying to go in too many directions at one time, can kind of dilute your message. So, just really honing in on, kind of you know who you are, you know making sure that what you're putting out there is consistent across every single channel and platform, right, you know, making sure that what you're putting out there is consistent across every single channel and platform.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, I think I would just encourage people to take a step back and just really think about, okay, in 50 years, 100 years, is this going to stand the test of time? You know, yeah, and are we diluting our message by trying to do too many things or cast too wide of a net? Because I think once you have, you know, a couple followers or customers, members, whatever it is really trying to cultivate those relationships, because if you do right by them, they're gonna, they're gonna tell someone else and that's your most valuable kind of way you can grow, versus trying to cast this wide net and not focus on who is already, you know, supporting you right. So that would be kind of my advice there.
Speaker 2:That makes sense yeah, no, it's great advice, and especially since you just said that we're everywhere but not diluting the brand consistency and the messaging, the storytelling that you guys have done since 2019 is very impressive.
Speaker 4:Thank you, thank you, and I feel like we have a long way to go too.
Speaker 3:I know.
Speaker 4:So I feel like we're still on the cusp of it, which is, I think, exciting too, yeah.
Speaker 2:A lot of room for growth, for sure. Yes, All right, Steph. Any more brain busters for Shelly.
Speaker 3:No, I think I mean coming in. I was excited to talk to you. I think you're very inspiring. He knows I work with a lot of nonprofits and I send them your way and I think you guys are just. It's just something about the city, like I've lived in lots of places, but there's something about Charleston where it's like everyone really does give back and I love to see it and I love to hear about it. So I'm always really inspired by your story. So it was fun to hear about the rebrand and all the cool stuff you're doing and I think it's going to be a neat journey for you.
Speaker 1:Awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thank you so much. I appreciate that and congrats on getting married.
Speaker 2:Thank you. We're all about the love in here. How can people get a hold of you or the bank? Yeah, social.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so RevFCcucom, what now? Revfcucom um, revfcucom um. Follow us on instagram at rev federal um, yeah and then my name is shelly puckett. I'm on all the social medias too, um so, yeah, thank you for having me here and talking to me. I love talking about brand and marketing, so yeah, it's very happy to do it well you.
Speaker 3:you can hear in your voice how much you love what you do 100%. That's wonderful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks, shelly, it's been fun, super fun. Before we leave, we need to thank Stephanie.
Speaker 3:Aw, thank you. How about that? How about that You're thanking me, why not?
Speaker 2:And all of our sponsors, all of our sponsors, all of our sponsors. Future sponsors Charleston Radio Group.
Speaker 3:Nope, it is the Charleston Media Solutions. Oh, you're right, speaking of rebranding. Speaking of rebranding, we are now at the Charleston Media Solutions, Charleston Matt, we can't hear you.
Speaker 2:Matt Charleston Media Solutions.
Speaker 3:Studios, studios, yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you for engineering for us. Kelly showing up and taking some photos always a good time, uh. If you're looking to sponsor or be a guest on our show, you can reach out to podcast at charlestonamaorg, and stephanie will get right back to you yes, she will.
Speaker 3:Yes, she will absolutely thank you guys for being here with us today, and we'll see you next time till next time bye, say bye, shelly, bye, thank you. Bye, guys, bye, and we'll see you next time. Until next time, charleston.
Speaker 4:Bye Say, bye, shelly, bye.
Speaker 3:Thank you. Bye guys. Bye, that's a wrap. Bye.
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