Not Measuring Results -- Some Jaw-Dropping Insights into Credit Union Social Media

by Ron Daly 

Recently, to gauge our clients' level of interest in our new social media "getting started (or not)" course, we decided to send out a survey and see where our clients were (or weren't) with social media. 

The course that Jimmy Marks, our Creative Media Director, spent the summer building focuses on: 

1. Deciding whether or not to get into social media and the information you'll need to gather first
2. What it takes to make good content
3. Getting fans and followers that match your goals
4. Safeguarding yourself against compliance and security issues
5. Monitoring your results

...and we wanted to see how useful that advice would be to current clients who were interested in social networking. 

We sent out a simple survey. The results we got back were shocking. 

First, some table setting:

Average size of credit union surveyed: ~400 million

Average year-over-year share growth: 5.04%

Average number of members: 35,216

Now, the numbers worth noting:

• 63% of CUs surveyed are involved with and using social media in some form. 
• 54% of those are using Facebook, the winner by far. Second place was a tie between YouTube and LinkedIn
• Of the CUs that said they are using social media, 51% had been using social media for less than two years.

Interesting thusfar, but here's the number that made my jaw hit the floor: 

• Of the CUs surveyed, 76% DO NOT MEASURE THEIR SUCCESS OR THE RESULTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA AT THEIR CREDIT UNION. 

What??? 76%??? It's true, according to our results. 

Now, I'm not one to just hear numbers and completely ignore how they got there. As I looked at a later question, where we asked respondants what information they would want to hear in a social media workshop, many people said they needed measurements and better metrics. As a result, part of me wonders how much the lack of measurement has to do with not understanding what these CUs are measuring or how to measure it.

Some of the results were actually very helpful - many CUs are measuring their results in feedback and next-steps in the marketing/sales funnel, not just numbers of "likes" or followers. I worry, though, that much of the problem with social media is how people think it's a solution to something. If you don't have a clear message and a clear understanding of how people make buying and borrowing decisions, what difference could YouTube or Twitter possibly make? 

At DigitalMailer, we have lots of followers and friends and likes and so-on and so-on and so-on. But make no mistake, we don't call any of those "leads". Not until we've been contacted by that person via email or phone. It's great to promote the brand and talk about what you're up to, but that's not where our scope is focused. Twitter and Facebook help us keep in touch with partners, clients and some very interesting people - but pleasing clients and making products and services that save people money is the thing that keeps the lights on. 

In our workshop, we've got a lot of helpful information and some good actionable steps. More importantly, we encourage the kind of forethought it takes to talk yourself (or your superiors) OUT of doing social media if it's NOT the right way to spend your time, money, or creative energies. 

The workshop is $500 and includes a 90-minute presentation and a downloadable workbook. To sign up for our next session, click here. 

A Must-Read Blog Post on Security, Safety and Liability

by Ron Daly 

This blog post from the NAFCU Services blog should be a must-read for those of us in financial services - bank, credit union or otherwise. You might remember some months back when the story of Comerica and Experi-Metal hit the news. According to this post from the NAFCU Services Blog: 

Earlier this summer, a U.S. District Court ordered Comerica to reimburse Michigan-based Experi-Metal Inc. over a half-million dollars for funds the company lost after Comerica approved nearly two million dollars in fraudulent wire transfers from Experi-Metal’s account following a phishing attack against Experi-Metal.

As David Frankil from NAFCU Services points out:

This case addresses one of the most challenging security questions facing financial services today – who is ultimately responsible, the credit union or the member? That should be a trick question, since the answer is really both. However, this court case opens up significant liability for credit unions and emphasizes the need for both extensive in-house anti-phishing and fraud detection capabilities, as well as extensive educational efforts aimed at members.

The highlight was added by me.  It's imperative that members and customers get educated about what to expect from your emails and it's your duty as a sender to keep on top of phishing attacks and properly inform members when one occurs. 

Truth or Dare: Do You REALLY Need a Social Media Expert?

by Jimmy Marks 

I saw a discussion group on LinkedIn - "Is there such a thing as a Social Media Expert?" 

It's an interesting question. With social media still such a young enterprise and with so many questions still in the minds of users and content creators, you have to wonder...is there really such a thing as a social media expert? 

What's sad is that in the short time "Social Media" has existed, we've already developed a stereotype of the "social media expert". It's usually a man, usually in a very expensive suit. His speech is very terse and he's VERY SERIOUS about how social media can help your credit union. 

Granted, he doesn't know what a credit union is, who you serve, how you're chartered, how you're capitalized, what your loan portfolio looks like, what your CAMEL rating is, how many employees you have, how much money you have...

He doesn't know anything about you or what you're doing. And he'll never care. Because by the time his check clears, he's moved on. It's like "The Music Man", only he's not coming back to win your heart and the heart of everyone in River City.

Why care matters

Am I a social media expert? That depends, I guess. I know how to set up and use the networks that most of you are using or considering using (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, etc.). But I think that's about one-tenth of the equation. My biggest social success has come from one thing and one thing only, and that's caring. 

I was hired a few years ago by DigitalMailer to start a company blog for their website. In time, I slipped into the position of Creative Media Director. When I had to get the blog noticed and read by the right people, I simply emailed a long list of financial industry bloggers that I thought would be good contacts. I said, very simply, that I wanted them to read our blog and to feel free to comment on our posts. 

In time, those "thought leaders" became personal friends of mine. In time, I became a person they thought of when they thought of eStrategy. Now, with hundreds of contacts and relationships formed, I can say I'm helping to inform more people about what our company does than I would have if I'd just started without their help.

It didn't start with Twitter, it didn't start with Facebook. It started with me asking them for their guidance and their friendship. I cared about their opinion enough to seek it out. They cared enough about my actions to continue communicating with me. They're great people and, pretty soon, a few of them are going to change the way things are done in this industry. 

My point: audience is everything. And anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. A big liar.

The biggest lie you've been told about being social

If I had to guess, I'd guess there's been at least one person who's gone out of his or her way to tell you all about how you're "doing it wrong." And sure, maybe you're not as accustomed to social networking as you are to other forms of marketing (by the way, yes, social media is a marketing enterprise. Marketing should be involved.).

The worst thing you can do for your social endeavors? Convincing yourself it's not worth the effort it takes to make it good. 

I can tell you that it takes FOREVER to build a following. I can tell you that not everyone's going to like you and not every kid in the playground will be your friend. I can tell you that a sales strategy is MUCH different than a strategy to gain followers.

I can get you started. But the level of care you bring to the table is what will make or break you. 

The "Truth" in Truth or Dare. 

Not to be one of those people that speaks in analogies, but here's a good one: getting started in social media is like making a cake. You need to know the ingredients, you need a little help with the mixing and the baking temperature, but the success of the "cake" is all in how much effort you put into it. 

You can get a store-bought cake and try to pass it off as home made, but over time someone's going to see through that. The same is true if you hire a "social media expert" to run your various social media accounts. Eventually, everyone's going to get tired of it. 

And yes, some people might not like your cake. Some people might love it and want another slice, and another, and another. Focus on that one person that likes it rather than the one that doesn't. A "social media expert" is most likely going to tell you that your efforts suck. Well, if you got into social media to impress social media experts, you might as well just get out of it, because you're not working to impress the people that matter. 

Some folks are going to tell you that baking a cake can stop up a leaky pipe in your basement. Those people are insane. The same with social media - if your infrastructure and your business model completely sucks, no amount of twittering or Foursquare promotions are going to save you. A cake doesn't solve a leaky pipe. Social media will never solve everything wrong with your business. 

The "Dare" in Truth or Dare.

With all that in mind, I'd like to talk to you about social media. I can show you the ropes, talk about ideas and strategies that I know to be successful, help you nail down the message and, if you're not ready, be honest with you about the things you need to get right before you get into social media. 

We've used social media to help us sell, to get the attention of new partners and clients and, most importantly (to me, anyway) to make us the envy of some of our stiffest competition. 

Can you do the same? That's not up to me. And if you come to one of my learning sessions, I don't guarantee you'll be a success. But I guarantee you'll understand more about what to do than you ever could alone. I guarantee you, you'll know what you want out of social media. 

With that said, here's a link to our sign-up page for a social media sit down. Get in touch with me and I'll be happy to slate some time for us to talk about what you're up to, what you want to do and what you're able to do. 

As a parting shot, I dare you to do one of four things with your social media endeavor of choice today: 

1) FOR FACEBOOK: Say something that's true of your credit union that the average user might not agree with - If you believe something, stick by that belief and throw it out there. What's one thing that you need/want to impress on your members? Don't be wussy and say something like "We believe that credit unions are great!". Say something bold and see what people shoot back with. Poke a bruise. Make a wave.

2) FOR TWITTER: Block or unfollow anyone who's following you that you can be sure is outside of your service area or is not a current member or potential member - How gutsy would THAT be? If you go through your followers list, you're likely to see a number of people who are not actually tweeting or are spam-tweeters. BLOCK THEM. If you see someone whose info lists them as a "social media expert" and they don't list a location within a few miles of your credit union, BLOCK THEM. If a major business is following you and it's not for any reason other than you mentioned them once, BLOCK THEM. Make your credit union account an account that just helps members. Set up a separate account for networking and use that to study what other CUs are doing. I can tell you for sure that more people contact @jimmymarks to talk about things and get a sales conversation started than those that contact @digitalmailer, and that's okay, because at least they associate me with the company. They're getting through somehow. And I've never been contacted by anyone who considers themselves a "guru" at social media. Because those guys typically have no money for what I'm selling. 

3) FOR LINKEDIN: Hire someone off of the recommendations they list on their profile - If good help is REALLY all that hard to find, at least start with people that have a little word-of-mouth behind them. You know there's someone you're dying to hire at your credit union. Make their LinkedIn account your crucial factor - slice anyone that would have been considered for the job that DOESN'T have a LinkedIn page. Who's that leave? Food for thought.

4)  FOR FOURSQUARE: Make a mad, mad, mad, mad world out of it - Give away something REALLY AWESOME and see who shows up at the branch. Let's say you're giving away a month's worth of gas. Let's say you're giving away an iPad. How about a wad of cash you would've wasted on a phonebook ad? Make it a crucial giveaway. Make a big stink of doing that. Then try the same with a Facebook check-in. Don't get shy. 

Go to DigitalMailer.com/socialmedia.html to learn more about DigitalMailer and social media - while you're there, sign up to be notified when our learning sessions begin and when our guidebooks become available. 

Soapbox Special Edition: The MAC Conference Recap

Jimmy Marks, DigitalMailer's Creative Media Director, attended the Marketing Association of Credit Unions' Annual Conference in San Francisco. We asked him to write up a recap of the events. Here's what he come up with (that is, what he could remember). 

Tuesday, Pre-Conference: 

I took a little walking tour around Market Street and over to O'Farrell. Took lots of pictures, they're included here: 

The city was buzzing with people, some from the MAC conference and some going to WWDC a few days later. There are really cool pictures of the Apple logo being applied to the building from my view at the hotel Westin. 

I had dinner with the always-awesome Jill Nowacki from MAPS and Chris Giles, the General Manager at CU Wireless. If you're ever in San Fran and you like Indian food, you HAVE to go to Amber. It's amazing. 

A fun first day/night after a long flight, but the real fun started the next morning...

Happy Birthday, Mobile Phones! What Do You Get for the Phone That Has Everything?

by Ron Daly 

This month marks the 38th anniversary of the first mobile phone call. Martin Cooper, a Motorola employee (below, photo via thenextweb.com), stood on the street with a gigantic (by today's standards) cellular phone and had a conversation. And in 38 years, we've come a long, LONG way. 

The phones got smaller, they got more functionality, and they went from being a convenience to a "necessity". I'm not one of those people that sleeps with his phone under his pillow at night, but my iPhone is my GPS, my on-the-go email inbox, my research assistant and, occasionally, my phone. It's a businessperson's tool, and the thought of going back to waiting for all my "get it done" information is a little frightening. I'm not alone, obviously. From Kottke: 

Once someone has an iPhone, it is going to be tough to persuade them that they also need to spend money on and carry around a dedicated GPS device, point-and-shoot camera, or tape recorder unless they have an unusual need. But the real problem for other device manufacturers is that all of these iPhone features -- particularly the always-on internet connectivity; the email, HTTP, and SMS capabilities; and the GPS/location features -- can work in concert with each other to actually make better versions of the devices listed above. Like a GPS that automatically takes photos of where you are and posts them to a Flickr gallery or a video camera that'll email videos to your mom or a portable gaming machine with access to thousands of free games over your mobile's phone network. We tend to forget that the iPhone is still from the future in a way that most of the other devices on the list above aren't. It will take time for device makers to make up that difference.

When it comes to credit unions, mobile might be one of the next big mountains to climb. Many CUs aren't running a fully capable website right now...how can they be expected to come up with a useful mobile app for a smart phone? And more importantly - how important will that be in a member's decision to stay or a potential member's decision to join? 

Some very insightful information on mobile apps and credit unions: