From Accounts to Households – Measuring Growth the Right Way
By Jennifer Simmons, Vice President, ADVANTAGE
INSIGHT: Rethink what growth really means for your credit union
Opening more accounts doesn’t always mean you’re growing. The real win comes when households choose your credit union as their primary financial home – bringing sustained engagement, deeper relationships, and measurable ROI.
For too long, financial institutions have measured growth by the number of new accounts opened. While account openings are an important metric, they don’t always tell the full story. Many new accounts close within the first 90 days, resulting in high acquisition costs and little else to show for it.
The real measure of success isn’t how many new members or accounts you open. It’s how many households you convert into lasting, profitable relationships.
Measure What Really Matters
This shift in perspective is critical for credit unions competing against larger players. A household that considers your institution their primary financial home brings not just deposits, but also long-term, deeper engagement through loans, payments, and everyday transactions. Measuring only at the account level can make it seem like you’re growing when you’re churning. Measuring at the household level reveals whether your efforts are building the relationships that fuel sustainable growth.
At ADVANTAGE, we help reframe acquisition metrics to focus on households instead of accounts. We look beyond account numbers to measure what really matters – funded accounts, deposit growth, and member engagement. By tracking these behaviors, leaders can see which households are truly adopting your credit union as their financial home and make smarter decisions about marketing spend and ROI.
Turn Growth Into Staying Power
The difference is striking. A campaign that delivers a large number of low-balance accounts may look successful at first glance, but the results deliver little. The real opportunity lies in campaigns that attract fewer – but higher-quality – primary financial institution (PFI) households, creating compounding value.
By adopting household-level metrics, your credit union goes from chasing short-term gains to building real growth. It’s a mindset shift that strengthens ROI, fosters long-term stability, and positions your institution to compete more effectively – today and tomorrow.
Ready to see the impact of smarter acquisition? Connect with ADVANTAGE to uncover your potential ROI and discover where your credit union can grow stronger.
