Case Study | Alerus Customer Stories

How This Brand Wins Big by Shining the Spotlight on Their Customers

It’s almost cliché to say your brand is customer-focused. But for Alerus Financial Corporation, they prove this true by making their customer’s journey an extension of their own.

Alerus is a well-established financial institution with locations in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Arizona. And in recent projects with Yarn, they brought one of their mantras to life:

"Wherever you are on your life’s journey, we’re with you every step of the way."

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The Problem: Building Trust in a Skeptical Market

This is pivotal because the financial industry has suffered from sharply declining trust, falling as low as 8% consumer confidence according to a 2016 study.

It’s simply not enough to put words on a page any longer. So, how does a brand prove that it genuinely puts relationships and customer experience first?

Alerus pivoted from traditional PR tactics and worked with us to spotlight some of their incredible customers. They truly invested in their stories and their successes.

From telling the story of a generational farm in Agriculture to the housing downturn in Arizona, each customer story became a way for Alerus to show people-to-people connections in each vertical they serve.

In fact, take a few minutes to watch these stories for yourself!

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The Solution: Making Customers the Hero

The focus of the customer as the hero is key to the success of showing the values of Alerus. And we helped tell these stories in multiple formats on TV, social media, and online.

Alerus has invested in showing how much they value their customers, rather than simply telling them. We started an ongoing campaign telling the success stories of customers and how Alerus has helped them in their own journeys.

This matters more than ever, because video translates emotional connection better than any other medium. When it comes to sales and marketing, emotionally resonant video converts. And it does so while furthering relational depth.

What does this actually look like?

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Triad Steel

Even though this video is technically part of Alerus’ marketing strategy, it feels like a true exposé of a like-minded company they respect and celebrate. In fact, it’s not until about a third of the way through this video that Alerus is mentioned. But when they are, it’s perfectly natural, and the positive words resonate as heartfelt.

Simply by telling the story of why Triad Steel became a customer, trust is built between the viewer and Alerus. Brown explained further why he stays with Alerus:

“I’ve got the personalized service of a...community bank where the relationships are important — and yet I’m never going to outgrow them.”

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Putting People and Relationships First

In total, we produced five pieces for the Alerus spotlight series that are just like Triad Steel’s. Each showcased the dynamic partnership between the company and Alerus.

At Yarn, we put a premium on relationships, too, which is why we were so delighted to have our friends at Alerus say this about working with us:

We never take that kind of trust for granted. Quality relationships are woven into the fabric and culture of our company.

If your brand values your customer relationships, consider the impact that celebrating what they’re great at can have both for your company and for theirs. It builds trust, relational capital, and provides incredible context for why people choose you.

The first step is incredibly easy; grab our guide to telling your brand story and exactly how to position your audience like Alerus did theirs! Download our free guide with the form below.