MARLBOROUGH, Mass.–Marketers and communicators from the Cooperative Credit Union Association’s Marketing and Business Development Network gathered here to share their knowledge and sharpen their expertise of social media as a valuable tool for member and community engagement.
The meeting, conducted via CCUA’s Video Conference Network, saw gatherings in Marlborough, Mass., Manchester, N.H., and Smithfield, R.I., heard experts and veteran users share their comments and insights on such social media platforms as Facebook, Twitter and Hootsuite.
The discussion addressed numerous issues during the two-hour session, which included ways to schedule posts directly on Facebook, balancing television and radio advertising with digital content, and how to best persuade a CEO, the credit union’s top ambassador, to become a social media “Tweeter.”
Topping the discussion, however, was finding ways to report to management how social media contributes to the bottom line.
Similar to public relations, social media is primarily a way to engage, build and foster relationships with an organization, tell the company’s story and share its values, explained Walt Laskos, SVP of Strategic Communications at the Association and moderator of the panel discussion.
“It’s a precursor to the sales process,” he said. “Like PR, social media’s strength lies in its ability to build a trusting relationship with consumers, setting the stage perfectly for the sales process.”
According to the CCUA, the concept was further echoed by Judi Window, one of the three expert panelists participating in the discussion. In searching for ways to quantify how social media and PR contribute to the balance sheet, compare it to Mom, Window suggested. How do you put a price on your Mom when you consider how many diapers she changed, meals she cooked, beds she made, and lessons she taught, which contributed to the person you are today, she explained.
Window not only teaches social media but is also the community outreach coordinator at St. Mary’s Bank Credit Union in Manchester, N.H. She was joined on the panelist dais by Meg Sisco, VP of Marketing at Westerly Credit Union in R.I., a veteran social media user, and Kanisha Hans, an advisor with Venly, a social media training company.