Fox Chief Marketing Officer, Melanie Draheim

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker

You work as the Chief Marketing Officer at Fox Communities Credit Union. Could you describe your job in simple terms?

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

My job is to make what’s complex simple, or in a way be a clarity architect, because financial services and accounts, loans and rates, and all the intricacies of them aren’t typically things the average person is thinking about every day, or they may not even understand or know what a HELOC is. So how would they know if they need one? That’s a lot of the core of what everything we do centers around: how do we make it understandable, relatable, and easy for people? Within my responsibilities in the role, I oversee several key areas. 

In addition to our marketing efforts, I also oversee the brand and advertising aspects, as well as the traditional marketing elements. How do we measure and analyze the vast amount of data across various systems to determine if our marketing efforts are effective and driving business growth? That’s one significant segment of what my team does and what I oversee. 

And then there’s another piece, which is more specific to us being a credit union: community engagement, because we are a not-for-profit organization. Therefore, any profit we generate is not distributed to stakeholders; instead, it is reinvested in our community and returned to our members. So we are very involved in the community. We work with over 600 nonprofits, whether it’s through donations, sponsorships, volunteering, or other initiatives. So, there’s that community aspect combined with the data performance and marketing growth pieces.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker

Does your job include a lot of structure, such as day-to-day tasks, or is there more flexibility? Because I’m the type of person who likes a lot of routine, following the same, obviously not doing the same things every day, but knowing what I’m going to be doing.

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

It’s a mix, and probably for my team, some of them it’s more structured, some it’s less. And I think some of it is also a matter of personal style. So, even if you’re managing our social media, something unexpected could come up that you didn’t plan for that day, and you’ll do it, but you also have a plan. There’s flexibility in that you can structure as much or as little as you want, but we do have set goals, plans, and deadlines that we must meet and achieve. So while that doesn’t directly answer your question, there’s definitely flexibility and there’s a need for both. Therefore, since we need to be agile, we also need to have a plan.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

More academically, was there anything that you studied in college that contributed to your success, or, on the other hand, was there anything that you regret not studying?

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

Ooh, that’s a great question. So I had an interesting… I wasn’t sure what I wanted to pursue when I started college. So I… And I knew… So, I’m a strange one; I knew I liked art and creative things, but I also knew I liked math. And when I was in fourth grade, I wanted to be an architect because I liked the math and the precision of planning everything out. I was actually taking graphic design courses, as well as marketing and business courses. And then I decided that there’s more opportunity for me to grow in the communications, marketing, and business aspects of that. So I ended up going that route. I’m glad I did both, though, because, honestly, I think that no matter what your role is, communication is essential. Even if it’s just communicating what you want to do or trying to gain buy-in, it’s crucial to almost any role. So I’m glad that was a piece of it. 

And that can come in so many different forms now, whether it be video, writing, infographics, whatever, there are so many kinds of that. Things I Wish I Had Studied More. In hindsight, I probably would have ended up in more accounting and finance roles, but I didn’t know that’s where I was headed. So, you can also learn. So, it’s okay if you didn’t get it; that’s the type of thing.  

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

Talking about opportunities for women in a more male-dominated industry, was there anyone whom you turned to for advice or guidance when you were starting your career and moving up the corporate ladder?

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

I had a really excellent leader and mentor, and finding such individuals is essential. That can be achieved through various avenues. Even now, you can find mentors within LinkedIn or certain groups and organizations, but she happened to be a leader of mine, a few levels above me, and pushed me out of my comfort zone. From that perspective, having a person who believes in you and can inspire you, while also being a woman and a leader, inspires me to aspire to what she accomplished. That really helped me, and I’m fortunate to have had her to guide me, push me to do it, and not always help me. Like you got this, right? So having that person. Even being new here, making relationships with other women in leadership and their paths, and building those relationships, helps too. And then you can support each other.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

And then, as the business world continues to evolve, how do you see new opportunities arising for women in your field, or do you see that?

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

Yeah, I definitely do see that. And this industry is evolving at a pace of accelerating change, where everything has been changing, but now it’s changing at a pace faster than it ever has. That’s going to create more opportunities for things that may not have existed up to this point, whether it be within AI or different types of financial services, or a series of fintech providers or financial technology companies that are growing. So, even financially, we work with partners and technology companies that are in the same space as us, but they’re constantly coming up with new things all the time. So again, accelerating and being agile, but finding those partners. There’ll be opportunities within credit unions, banks, and also in the technology space of financial services.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

And looking towards the future, what advice would you have for girls looking to go into business after college?

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

Great question. Another thing that helped me was when I got a leadership coach. Having that confidence and kind of ‘fake it till you make it’ mentality was really beneficial. Even if you don’t feel like you’ve got it, acting like you do, because your mindset really changes how you come across and how you’re perceived. So, from their mindset, many people may think, ‘Well, if I only had this, then I would be that and I could be that,’ but that’s backwards. Focusing on being confident and doing the things you want to do, trying them, and not letting perfection get in the way is key. Sometimes, taking action is better, and you can adjust and optimize to get better than just doing nothing. Sometimes, it’s just about putting yourself out there and learning as you go.

Girl Money Talks, Annette Walker 

Definitely, that was my last question. I really appreciate all of your insight.

Fox Communities Credit Union, Melanie Draheim

Sure. Always happy to help future leaders. Exciting stuff. Yeah, keep me updated on how it goes.