Capitalizing on Social Mediaand Other Effective

Strategies

Mike Lawson

DML Communications

What is Social Media?

Leveraging online channels to create conversations with your audience.

Develop and maintain consistent two-way communication with members.

But remember:Social media is not a Campaign; it’s a relationship.

Why Social Media?

• Share your expertise with members• Create conversations with members• Build relationships with members• Become more human with members

The Tools

The Channels

• Blogs - Blogger, WordPress• Microblogs - Twitter• Video - YouTube, Hulu• Podcasts - audio testimonials/education• Social networks - Facebook, LinkedIn• RSS feeds - subscriptions

The Rules

• Discover where your members are• Listen to your members• Talk to your members• Energize your members (brand evangelists)• Help support your members (provide advice)• Embrace your members (rewards)

The Goals

• Compliment your traditional marketing efforts• What do you want to do for your members?• Create interest in your credit union• Sell products and services• Position your credit union as a financial resource• Be consistent!

The Benefits

• Creates opportunities to build relationships• Reinforces branding• Differentiates your credit union• Builds community with your members• Builds trust among members (humanizes)• Less disruptive marketing message• Immediate feedback from members• People focused• Google likes frequent posts!

Blogs

What is it? Web log = Blog

Things to do:• Listen• Provide educational content• Respond quickly• Set communications rules and guidelines• Decide who’s going to say what• Be real (don’t be a sales person)• The conversation will go on with out youhttp://www.dmlcomm.blogspot.com/

Verity Credit Union

“Our Voices”blog

Verity Credit Union

“VerityMom”blog

Microblogs

A place calledTwitter

Microblogs

Twitter has grown nearly 2,000% in the last year

• Real time announcements of 140 characters– Member complaints and comments (support/service)– Promotions– Contests– Personalize– Commerce (announce new low rates)

Give people something they can use!

9 Twitter “Do’s”

1. Keep it short2. Include a helpful or reference link (use www.tinyurl.com)3. Provide practical, useful information4. Know your audience5. Check last 20 tweets - Are they any good? Would you follow

you?6. Quality over quantity7. Don’t feel obligated to tweet8. Research9. Have a goal!

What people look for in a Tweet…

• Topic with personal relevance• Topic that’s entertaining• Topic that gives them insight or advice• Topic with value• Topic that helps them• Topic that solves a problem

Vantage Uses Twitter

Using Twitter to manage funds: tweetMyMoney

Fun Twitter Site

Social Network

A place calledFacebook

What is it?A online channel where members can gather and

converse and manage funds

Facebook Users: Age Group

Facebook Tips

• Define your audience• Goals/Objectives/Strategy• Pick your settings carefully• Create a compelling page

– Make your page as rich and robust as possible• Research tool

– Query your audience

• Events• Resources

– Offer good resources or something useful for fans like Carolina Collegiate’s Internet Banking “MyMoney” app

Podcasts/Vcasts (video)

Online audio and video are hot!

Podcasts/Vcasts (video)

• Multimedia is hot• Adds new dimensions to your website• Provides venue for compelling story with visuals and

audio• Everybody likes watching a video or listening to podcast

– Keep ‘em short (2-minute rule)• Humanizes your credit union

– Places a face/voice on your credit union• It’s fun!

Evangelical Christian CU

Video MemberTestimonial

Vancity - Canada’s Largest CU

Social Mediaproject

leveragingvideo member

testimonials

Social Media Tracking Tools

• Google Alerts• Digg• Del.icio.us• Technorati• Jodange• Trendrr• Lexicon• Monitter• Tweetburner

Social Media Wrap-Up

• Compliments traditional marketing efforts• Two-way communication with members• Immediate feedback from members• Humanizes your credit union• Creates and maintains communication with members• It’s cost effective (most online apps are free)• Positions your credit union as a credible financial

resource• Only major investment is time

Other Effective Strategies

• Press releases• Articles• Newsletters• Website• Email

Press Releases

• Work with the media for placements– Leadership (positions)– Credibility (builds)

• Create story ideas for feature articles• Create testimonials• Create newsletter content• Create website content (press section)• Create content for social media channels

Articles

• Work with the media for placements– Positions as leader– Enhances credibility

• Member case studies (educate)• How to… (educate)• Features (prominence)• Profiles (prominence)• Q&A (educate)• Opinion/Editorial (educate)

Newsletters

• Create a community with members• Become an educator (resource)• Creates conversation with members• Enhances brand

– Adhere to consistent release dates

• Rewrite press releases and articles for content• Leverage online technology for distribution

– HTML (email)– PDF (post to website to download)

• To enhance member interactivity, be sure to include links to videos, podcasts, blogs, Twitter, graphics, etc.

Website

• Leverage cost-effective online presence• Push message out to members, pull ‘em back!• Keep it fresh!

– Post member/staff testimonial videos weekly– Post member/staff testimonial podcasts weekly– Post news and educational articles weekly– Post educational and member service blogs daily (try!)– Tweet about events, product benefits, milestones, etc. and link to

website (use www.tinyurl.com)

• Updating site and blogging frequently enhances search engine performance

Email

• Leverage your signature– Include blog address (link)– Include Twitter handle (link)– Include link to newsletter– Include web address– Include current credit union promotion

Putting All Together

• Find out where your members are• Use a multi-pronged approach to hit your targets

– Not every member will see your message in one channel, so leverage each one with the same message

– Retain the same message in each channel, but tailor it according to the channel

– Cross-market your channels• Encourages audience to discover and see same message in different channels• Enhances usage and/or visibility of other channels• Ultimately enhances opportunity for increased product or service adoption from

members

Get members to become your ambassadors!

Campaign

• Announce new service or product:– Press release to local press– Educational article placed in local publication (post on website)– Blog about it and encourage feedback from members– Tweet about it (include link)– Produce audio or video member usage testimonials– Post on website– Place in credit union newsletter (email)– Ad in SEG publication, statement, community newspaper, etc.

Don’t forget to cross-market message in each channel!

Tracking

• Website• Social Media sites

– Google Alerts, Digg, del.icio.us, Technorati, Lexicon, etc.

• Media placements• Email responses (clicked on links)• Inbound calls (“Where did you hear about this

product?”)

Messaging

• Educate your members– Don’t sell to them!

• Become a valued resource to your members• Show them you know them

– Find out what they’re talking about• Support them• Embrace them• Reward them

“Maintain two-way communication with your members.”

Questions?

Mike LawsonDML Communications

760/845-8146dmlcomm@gmail.com

www.dmlcommunications.com

www.twitter.com/dmlcommhttp://dmlcomm.blogspot.com

www.slideshare.com Search: “dmlcomm”