Indelible on Their Souls
Oregonians Credit Union uses inspirational tattoos to uplift staff
By Donna Adinolfe
In an effort to encourage, connect and uplift staff during a time of heightened fear and uncertainty, the leadership at Oregonians Credit Union in Milwaukie, OR, suggested the marketing team create a program using inspirational tattoos by local company Conscious Ink.
Conscious Ink’s website is about manifesting positivity, said marketing specialist Tiffany Leer, adding that many of the temporary tattoos spread messages already incorporated in the atmosphere of the credit union: “spreading kindness” and, “We are all in this together.”
What they did:
The marketing team sent out an email survey in May explaining that the credit union was trying to refocus on the positive and spread that message “one body at a time.” Employees were able to choose a message from the temporary tattoo website that spoke to them for helping them spread positivity.
“I live by ‘Tomorrow is never promised’ and I think ‘Today is a gift’ is another great way to say it,” HR staffer Lindamarie Wolf said of her tattoo choice. “If I had a moment of frustration, I’d look down and there (the tattoo) was, reminding me to chill, take a breath and that I’m pretty fortunate. At the end of the day, those little things that get me frazzled are so trivial.”
Employee Shafer Gilson said, “Through all of this, (we) have been on the front lines helping members and making what difference we can during such difficult times. We are making a difference in the world, and I know members appreciate us.”
Results:
About 45 tattoos were requested out of 73 employees. Employees were encouraged to wear their tattoos during the week of June 1, which was dubbed “Tattoo You Week,” and to post photos of them and their tattoos on Oregonians’ Facebook and Instagram pages.
Not only did the tattoos send a positive message among staff, but they also were conversation starters with members. Two of the most popular tattoos among the employees, “Resilient” and “Kindness Changes Everything” were purchased and given out inside goodie bags during a Member Appreciation Week.
Members were asked to pick their favorite tattoo quotes on social media, and a random winner was selected to receive a box of Oregonians swag.
The credit union’s social media pages received a significant surge in engagement and organic reach throughout the campaign with increased post clicks, comments and likes, Leer noted.
Lessons learned:
Boosting employee morale trickles down to members and promotes the “people helping people” message, especially during difficult times.
“The 2020 roller coaster has given us the opportunity to exercise our resilience, adaptivity, positivity, creativity, generosity and more,” Leer said. “We’ve come to recognize that each day we have to be intentional. We have a choice to dwell on upsetting things or on the positive.”
Keep vendors local and promote their businesses by tagging them in social media posts and using shop local hashtags.
“It’s great to support local business,” Leer said. “We always encourage that.”
