PLANS: MAKE ‘EM
Set some long-term objective goals for your social media presence. Be aware that just because data can be measured, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s important. Instead of the number of friends or followers, track things like @replies, active conversations, and unique impressions, which are more representative of healthy, growing relationships.
Create a short-term schedule for social media engagement. Spread out engagement duties throughout the day across the whole team. For example, one person monitors the Twitter account in the morning, another during the lunch hour, another in the afternoon. Again- figure out a system, and most importantly, stick with it.
Be accountable. Schedule regular huddles for your social media team to discuss your ongoing metrics and update editorial calendars. This helps keep all members of the team accountable for their slice of the social media pie. Mmmm... pie.
Branding Your Credit Union Online: Part 2
SOCIAL MEDIA 101
Determine your desired key words. How do you want to be found? How do you NOT want to be found? Think about the important terms related to your audience, industry, brand and region. Establish a list of keywords, and refer to them often when creating content. Complete a competitive review of search engine results and rankings for your keywords. And repeat.
Open up your IT. Your IT department may have security concerns with opening up your organization’s network to social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Consult with the head of your IT department to give special access to social media channels for your team.
Review the channels. You should have a sense of which social media channels are most relevant for your audience. Review relevant demographic research to find where your audience already is, so you can bring your brand there in a meaningful way.
Branding Your Credit Union Online: Part 1
Branding: As marketers and CEO's, we all know how important it is. But do we know the best way to go about it online? The channels are always changing and there are new possibilities and realities every day. Take it from someone who's been around the block a couple of times.
Here are a few "Best Practices" we've put together for you when it comes to branding your credit union...
KNOW THYSELF
Conduct and review research with your employees, customers and prospects. Uncover what makes your organization unique and strong, and determine your voice and personality. For example: are you quick-witted and clever, professional and polished, or down-home and darling? Determining these attributes will help to reinforce internal culture and maintain cohesive interaction with the outside world.
Consult with a third party. As with many things in life, sometimes we need a little outside support to help us take an objective look at ourselves. Seek out a branding expert with experience leading organizations through such a process. Upon completion, you should have a compelling story and brand standards to help guide your social media team, as well as front-line staff and leadership. Win-win!
RECRUIT A DREAM TEAM
Choose people who know your company culture. Too often, social media and web presence responsibilities are delegated to the youngest employee, sometimes even an intern. Instead, find someone who is social, savvy and personable- regardless of age. Anyone can be trained to use the tools of the trade. Though- always hire a trustworthy professional for web development. Trust us.
Avoid ownership squabbles. People from different departments must partner together if the basic structures and processes are going to be beneficial for the brand. Figure out a system and stick with it.
Stay tuned for a couple more best practices and strategies for branding your credit union online...
Here are a few "Best Practices" we've put together for you when it comes to branding your credit union...
KNOW THYSELF
Conduct and review research with your employees, customers and prospects. Uncover what makes your organization unique and strong, and determine your voice and personality. For example: are you quick-witted and clever, professional and polished, or down-home and darling? Determining these attributes will help to reinforce internal culture and maintain cohesive interaction with the outside world.
Consult with a third party. As with many things in life, sometimes we need a little outside support to help us take an objective look at ourselves. Seek out a branding expert with experience leading organizations through such a process. Upon completion, you should have a compelling story and brand standards to help guide your social media team, as well as front-line staff and leadership. Win-win!
RECRUIT A DREAM TEAM
Choose people who know your company culture. Too often, social media and web presence responsibilities are delegated to the youngest employee, sometimes even an intern. Instead, find someone who is social, savvy and personable- regardless of age. Anyone can be trained to use the tools of the trade. Though- always hire a trustworthy professional for web development. Trust us.
Avoid ownership squabbles. People from different departments must partner together if the basic structures and processes are going to be beneficial for the brand. Figure out a system and stick with it.
Stay tuned for a couple more best practices and strategies for branding your credit union online...
5 Tips For Your Credit Union's Storyful Moment
You're Convinced. And you're ready to create your credit union's storyful moment and start making videos!
Now What?
5 TIPS FOR YOUR STORYFUL MOMENT
If the secret to a good video is finding a storyful moment, then how the heck do you find that moment? Here are some tips to make that process a little easier.
TARGET AN AUDIENCE
A video doesn’t have to go viral to be successful. Appeal to your audience specifically. If there is spillover appeal to the general public, that’s great, but it’s not a primary goal. Always ask yourself, “What would my audience find most interesting?”
CUT TO THE CHASE
“For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” That’s a six-word short story by Ernest Hemingway and proof that you don’t need to pontificate to tell a big story. Keep your video focused on one moment in a larger story. Provide just enough context for it to make sense. Struggling with debt? Planning a wedding? Find that trigger and craft a moment out of it.
"REAL" IS RELATIVE
Don’t sit around with a camera waiting for a candid moment to happen. It’s less important to be literally accurate than to tell a story that your audience can recognize as a part of their own life, too. That’s the difference between “realism” and “authenticity."
THE RIGHT KIND OF RANDOM
If you’re seeking laughs, you might be caught up in the recent “random” humor trend. It’s a sea captain nonchalantly fighting a giant octopus. A guy with a living beard interviewing for a job. Non sequitors still need to be relevant to your brand and story. The “man your man could smell like” appealed because he represented the brand’s masculinity, not just because the tickets are now diamonds.
THINK BEYOND TV
When you produce a video, you can chop it up into 30 second segments for TV ads. You can keep longer versions for your website, use still images for print campaigns and in-branch collateral, and use audio for radio ads and on-hold messages. With text, visuals, and audio all working together, you get three times the branding assets for your marketing budget. Regardless of the format, make sure your storyful moment stays intact.
Now What?
5 TIPS FOR YOUR STORYFUL MOMENT
If the secret to a good video is finding a storyful moment, then how the heck do you find that moment? Here are some tips to make that process a little easier.
TARGET AN AUDIENCE
A video doesn’t have to go viral to be successful. Appeal to your audience specifically. If there is spillover appeal to the general public, that’s great, but it’s not a primary goal. Always ask yourself, “What would my audience find most interesting?”
CUT TO THE CHASE
“For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” That’s a six-word short story by Ernest Hemingway and proof that you don’t need to pontificate to tell a big story. Keep your video focused on one moment in a larger story. Provide just enough context for it to make sense. Struggling with debt? Planning a wedding? Find that trigger and craft a moment out of it.
"REAL" IS RELATIVE
Don’t sit around with a camera waiting for a candid moment to happen. It’s less important to be literally accurate than to tell a story that your audience can recognize as a part of their own life, too. That’s the difference between “realism” and “authenticity."
If you’re seeking laughs, you might be caught up in the recent “random” humor trend. It’s a sea captain nonchalantly fighting a giant octopus. A guy with a living beard interviewing for a job. Non sequitors still need to be relevant to your brand and story. The “man your man could smell like” appealed because he represented the brand’s masculinity, not just because the tickets are now diamonds.
THINK BEYOND TV
When you produce a video, you can chop it up into 30 second segments for TV ads. You can keep longer versions for your website, use still images for print campaigns and in-branch collateral, and use audio for radio ads and on-hold messages. With text, visuals, and audio all working together, you get three times the branding assets for your marketing budget. Regardless of the format, make sure your storyful moment stays intact.
Upping the Ante With Facts
If everything we've told you so far hasn't convinced you that you need to up the ante with video for your credit union, maybe these facts will help...
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