Getting Social with Promotions

A recent study from the Filene Research Institute entitled The State of Social Media in Credit Unions: Opportunities and Challenges has discovered that over 75% of credit unions use social media. However, other tidbits of information they uncovered include that only about a third of them had a social media strategy prior to launching or tied their social media goals to those of their credit union.

If your credit union is contemplating diving into the social media world, there are a few things to consider. When interacting with your members via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc., it’s important to give them something of value. Whether it’s just listening to them, resolving member issues or engaging them in a promotion, you’ve got to make it worth their while. Here are a few tips to think about if you’re looking to create a social media-based promotion at your credit union:

·         Before you launch a promotion, put a quiz on Facebook to generate interest in it.

·         Make your promotion fun by tying it into something fun like entertainment, sports or a local community event. Then, have a prize that’s related to the theme like a DVD, sporting event tickets, etc.

·         Directly integrate with your brand online. Example: run a Twitter promotion and have your members, in 140 characters or less, explain why they love their credit union. Post that Twitter feed on your website and blog.

·         Cross-sell your promotion on all of your social media channels and in traditional marketing materials.

·         Follow best practices and make sure you and your staff fully know and understand the rules before beginning the promotion.

Whatever promotion you run, just keep it simple with easy rules and easy access for members. Most of all, make it fun to run and fun for your members to participate.

Learn more on how to find the perfect social media solutions for your credit union here.