2012 Credit Union Blog Round Up

Welcome to the new year! New years is probably one of my favorite holidays because of what it symbolizes: a fresh start, a clean slate, a do-over. A time to reflect on last year's successes and mishaps and make changes for the future. Make new years resolutions to do more, learn more, and grow.

In that spirit, I want to kick off this year by giving our readers my top 5 credit union blogs to watch in 2012. Personally I plan on keeping a better eye on these blogs myself. I chose them because they are updated frequently, and have a wealth of useful and informative content.


1. The Financial Brand
If you aren't already following the Financial Brand, you're in for a treat. Though content isn't only centered on Credit Unions (yes, it also pertains to those 'big banks' we in the CU biz love to hate), it follows news, trends, social media marketing and case studies, and MUCH more. Not to mention, the "Webinars" tab at the top of the page can introduce you to all kinds of valuable information.

2. The Credit Union Exchange at cutimes.com
Here you can find a wealth of information and the opinions of industry experts.

3. Mark Arnold
This guy is full of industry knowledge and expertise on everything from customer service to branding to organization.

4. That Credit Union Blog
Some of the focus here is on east coast credit union news, but overall the info is good and they have several contributors with something to offer, from info on general management faux pas to specifics on the industry. Check out '23 Credit Union Truths', or listen to any one of the episodes of 'Current Issues in Credit Unions.'

5. Laskos on Credit Unions
Since our focus at Kearley is marketing and advertising--a blog that focuses on these attributes specifically is just my cup of tea. Though not updated as frequently as the aforementioned blogs, Laskos provides a good, critical eye on the best and worst of credit union PR.

Hope you enjoy! Please leave links to any of your favorite credit union related blogs in the comments below.

Happy Holidays from Kearley!

Image via Wikipedia






















This time of year is busy for everyone, but it is important not to forget that the holidays are also a time to give back. Between decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, and spending time with family, the Christmas season is also about remembering the less fortunate.

At Kearley, we do our best to use our talents to give what we can back to the community through non-profit work. One of the organizations we have supported this year is Dallas Challenge. Dallas Challenge provides resources and support for at-risk youth in the Dallas Area to "stay in school, off of drugs, and out of the criminal justice system." They provide after school programs, counseling and more to keep kids out of trouble and give them the foundation for a happy, successful life.

In the spirit of the season, I'd like to invite you to help us support this wonderful cause. Dallas Challenge is selling Christmas Cards featuring original artwork to help raise money for their life-changing programs. Click here to find out how to place your order today!

What is Crowdsourcing?

More and more I'm hearing people in the marketing world throw around the term "crowdsourcing." But what is it? Here is a great video featuring Jeff Howe (the man credited with coining the term "crowdsourcing") that can make it easier to grasp.



Wondering how you could put crowdsourcing to work for you? Ask us! bigideas@kearley.com

Building Trust through Social Media: Crisis Management via Tweet

Image via CrunchBase

I ran across this article on Bloomberg Businessweek.com about how Comcast communicates with disgruntled customers over Twitter. There is a lot of literature on the web about crisis management over social media, and Comcast follows the general rules that most of it swears by. But the really great thing about this article was that it followed around Frank, "Comcast's Twitter Man," as he interacted with customers. Essentially, we got to see him in action. Here is how Frank goes about his day:

1. Searches Comcast on Twitter many times daily
2. Reads all related Tweets that turn up
3. Responds directly to the customers tweeting about Comcast

Seems really simple, right? And though Comcast is a large company, similar strategies for handling crises directly and publicly over social media can work for smaller companies and credit unions as well. Some tips that I picked up from the way Frank communicated with customers:

• Respond quickly.
• Ask questions to be sure you understand the problem, and that your customer feels that you are listening.
• Be friendly, and help as best you can. If further communication is needed, DM the customer and ask for their phone number or email address.
• No matter what the complaint is, even if it doesn't seem legitimate, respond with the same level of care.
• Use punctuation carefully. Don't be afraid of smiley faces and exclamation points, but use them only when appropriate.

Do you have any experiences with handling crises over Twitter, or social media in general?

Social Media - A look at the numbers

By now you've probably heard it said that social media is here to stay, and it will forever change the way you market your business. But just how much reach does a social media campaign have? We came across this post last week on MASHABLE that does a great job of breaking it down.

• 52 percent of Facebook users use the site daily
• 92 percent of social network users are on Facebook
• There are 10,000 YouTube brand partners
• There are 500,000 merchants on Foursquare alone (not including other location based social networking utilities)

And you should also take into account how effective social media can be, for such little cost. Remember that Old Spice "Man your man could smell like" campaign? In one month:

• The number of Facebook fans increased 60 percent
• YouTube subscribers doubled to 150,000
  
• Twitter followers increased by 2700%
  

To see the infographic and the complete article on MASHABLE by Todd Wasserman, click here.

Social Media 101

Every day it seems people are asking about social media, from Facebook to Twitter to blog platforms and more. Some industries seem to be late adopters of this new media and are skeptical of whether it works – and whether the resources needed to pull it off are worth the pay-out.

At Kearley, our stance is YES it works. It's affordable, and easy, but you have to put the time and effort into it to get the pay-out you desire. But why does it work? Take a look at this video that I posted on the blog last summer.



Social media works because it closes that new gap between organizations and their target consumers. So what is your organization doing in the social media arena?

A glimpse into the future of retail merchandising

Nothing leaves an impression on your customers quite like face-to-face interaction, but keeping your branding consistent through your storefront is also very important. Now, with advances in technology, the ways you can interact with your customers when they visit your store or branch are expanding as well.

Have a look at what this bank in Madrid has done to give their customers a unique experience via interactive retail designs.


Could applications seen in interactive Museum exhibits have wider applications in retail environment?


What do you think? Could your local bank or retail store move to incorporate some of these applications?