Blogging for Bankers

The World is Getting Flatter All The Time…

I was recently in Salem, MA speaking at the New England Financial Marketing Association’s Fall Conference on the topic of social networking and community banking and had one of those “revealing” moments that reminded me just how connected the world has become. While I spend my time working with clients talking about this very issue (given the power of social networking), it’s always interesting when you see this “for real” and you’re involved in the process.

During my presentation, I talk about the power of blogging to build relationships via a bank’s website and then cover what I refer to as the “Fab Four”. These are the sites of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Druing my YouTube discussion (which, by the way, is the worlds #2 search engine now), I temporarily leave the PowerPoint and fire up a video from Landmark Bank to show how one financial institution is using the power of video to differentiate themselves from the rest of the “pack” of financial service providers. Check out the video below and I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Well, one of the attendees at the conference came up to me afterwards and said that something amazing happened. She has a blog site called Manic Mommies and also is on Twitter (@kristinsb). During my talk, she “tweeted” about my presentation and mentioned Landmark Bank. Well, much to her surprise she got a response to her “tweet” from the woman who actually produced the above video. That was quick!

Well, the story doesn’t end there… Seems that the producer actually knew Kristin and proceeded to inform her that she’s also a follower of the Manic Mommies blog. Now, that’s when it got really “spooky” (yeah, that was an obvious attempt to work on some Halloween lingo into the post – I was in Salem during October, after all). Ofr course, I couldn’t resist the urge to ask her if either of them knew Kevin Bacon…

So, when I flew to Memphis a few days later, I told that story to another group of bankers where I was presenting at the Bank Tech Summit with my good friend Jimmy Sawyers of Sawyers & Jacobs, LLC. Not only was the story somewhat “cool” because these two individuals had actually been “connected” already (but didn’t know it), but it wasn’t until my presentation when the two of them put it together.

So, as my grandmother would say… “What’s that got to do with the price of eggs in Denmark?” Well, the world is getting flatter and flatter every day and social media is connecting us in ways like never before. Imagine, if you will, the power to share good customer service stories, or (gasp) what if someone has a bad experience with your business. Think about how easy it is to get the word out and just who will actually hear it along the way.

Eric Cook
http://www.PoweredByWSI.com

5 Ways Banks are using Social Media - Can You Say Relationships?

Recently, I had a colleague of mine come across an article on Mashable entitled 5 Ways Banks are using Social Media and he shot it over to me. Here on Blogging for Bankers, we've been talking about how social media is more about building relationships than selling products, and this article reinforces just that.

Here's  quick rundown on the five areas and I encourage you to check out the article to read more and let me know your comments.

1. Community Building
2. Product Research
3. Customer Service
4. Marketing & Promotion
5. Transparency

So, what did you think??? While in Madison, WI a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting the folks from Nicolet Bank, mentioned in two of these areas - and most importantly in the area of transparency. Talk about a small world!

Eric
http://www.poweredbywsi.com

Meeting the Needs of Generation Y - Social Networking and Other Strategies

Recently, Eric Cook was asked to present at the 2009 Concepts '09 conference for The Payments Authority. This was their annual conference and for those of you who may not be familiar with The Payments Authority, they are the governing organization that oversees and works with financial institutions and companies throughout Michigan on automated clearing house (ACH) transactions. This entails all the automatic payments you have processed to your bank account and such things like direct deposit for your paycheck.

This year they wanted to close the conference with a talk on how financial institutions and companies in general can better connect with Generation Y with things like social networking sites. In the September 23rd episode of Free Webinar Wednesdays, Eric will recap his presentation and help uncover opportunities for businesses to get some ideas on how to use these tools to enhance relationships with this generation (and others using these types of tools).

Below is the video that Eric opened his talk with and you may want to view this before attending the session, since videos don't seem to some through very well via GoToWebinar. Certainly sets the stage for where things are headed. Once the FWW session is done, you can visit the site to check out the presentation and listen to his talk.

Register Today:
If you are not yet registered for the Free Webinar Wednesdays series, click here to register. We look forward to seeing you online!

About Free Webinar Wednesdays:
Free Webinar Wednesdays was created as a community building tool to bring professionals together to share pertinent business development information, provide subject matter experts with a platform to open a learning dialog, and inspire small business owners to reach their professional goals.

Free Webinar Wednesdays is sponsored by Community Bank Consulting, Inc. and WSI Internet Consulting.

Graduate School of Banking President & CEO Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Kirby Davidson, President & CEO of Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison yesterday.

GSB attracts students from all 50 states in the US as well as international locations.

Listen as Kirby talks about the GSB programs, the current state of banking and his predictions regarding social media in banking.

Yellowstone National Park + Blogging + Banking

How are Yellowstone National Park, blogging and banking related?

Let me tell you... a number of community banks invest a significant amount of energy into building strong relationships with the senior market.  Many, especially those located in small towns and rural markets, host travel excursions at modest prices for their seniors.  I worked with a bank last year that has enjoyed such success in reaching the senior marketing this way that that they employed a full time person who was solely responsible for leading events to keep their seniors engaged.

I am on vacation this week in Big Sky, Montana.  As I was enjoying the beauty and wonders of Yellowstone National Park on Sunday, it occurred to me what great potential video and blogging offer community banks that wish to engage the senior market.

Call this my case study if you like.  I shot a series of short videos using my Flip video camera.  You can buy a Flip for well under $200 and be an expert user in minutes!  Using the software provided with the camera I put together the above movie in well under 30 minutes.  This is the first time in my life I have ever made a movie.  I added the royalty free background music, also using the software that came with the Flip video camera.  Next I uploaded the video to YouTube where it is hosted for free.

I now have a video that is hosted for free, can be circulated to my target market, easily passed along to their family and friends (great referral potential), and creates a much more significant impact than a words alone.

That's how Yellowstone National Park (fill in the blank with whatever event you want to use to build relationships), blogging and banking are related.

Jeff Simpkins
http://www.communitybankconsulting.com/
http://blog.communitybankconsulting.com/

A Leading Edge Social Media Community Bank

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Courtney Dirschell, Assistance Vice President of Marketing at Monarch Community Bank, Coldwater MI.

Courtney has been instrumental in moving Monarch to the leading edge when it comes to the use of social media in community banking.

Monarch currently publishes a blog and uses Facebook and Twitter.  They plan to add LinkedIn to their network of social media sites in the near future.

I invite you to listen as Courtney and I talk about her experiences in using social media in a community banks.

Jeff Simpkins
http://blog.communitybankconsulting.com/

Creating Interest With Video

Here is an example of using video in a blog to create interest in your blog content. It took less than ten minutes to shoot, upload and tag this video using a Flip video camera (under $200) and YouTube.
 

Make Blogging Interesting with Video

The last thing anyone wants is a boring blog!  Pictures and video keep blogs fun and interesting.  I suggest using a variety of types of posts on a blog to keep readers coming back for more.

Current technology offers us very high quality tools at extremely affordable prices.  Many cost nothing!

I shot the above sample video using my FlipVideo UltraHD, purchased at Amazon.com for well under $200 including overnight shipping with Saturday delivery.  I pulled the video onto my computer using the FlipShare software included on the camera.  I uploaded the movie to YouTube, where it is hosted for free.

Video is a great way to capture community events, client testimonials, produce a short tip to deliver on your blog, etc.  There is so much you can do with video and blogging so inexpensively.

Enjoy my short sample video... and enjoy meeting my dog Patches!

Blogging and Social Media Thoughts from a Non-Banker

I interviewed Annie Hart this afternoon on BankTalkRadio.net.

Annie and I met in March; she immediately told me she did not do technical... including blogging and social media.  Less than six months from the day she made that statement she has a blog that she built herself.  She posts to her blog multiple times each week.  She has received attention internationally as a result of her blog.

Blogging and social media is an amazing way to build networks, whether it be locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally.

Listen and learn as I interview Annie on BankTalkRadio.net and she shares her insights on using blogging and social media in the community banks.

Dave Thomas Would Have Been Proud… A Lesson From Wendy’s

The late founder of Wendy’s, Dave Thomas, was famous for appearing in his own television commercials and bringing a “personal touch” to the Wendy’s brand. When you visited a Wendy’s and dined on their characteristic square burgers, it almost felt as if Dave was right there with you. While the shape of their burgers was one way they tried to stand apart from the other fast food restaurants, Dave’s appearances were unique to the industry in an attempt to make that all-important connection with their customers.

Dave’s been gone for several years, long before the arrival of blogs, Facebook and Twitter, but that hasn’t stopped the company from forging ahead and using “web 2.0” techniques to continue making personal connections. Recently, I got a direct message from @MichWendysDeals via Twitter, reaching out to let me know they wanted to send me a $5 gift card if I sent them back my name and address. I responded with the information and sent along a note to the effect of “I’ll take my wife out for a Frosty”.

What makes this story interesting, is within three minutes I had a response (via Twitter directly to me at @EricCook) thanking me for the information and letting me know that my $5 gift card was on its way. But the best part is they picked up on the comment about taking my wife out for her Frosty and said I must be the best husband ever. This personalized response was vital to the “conversation” since I knew it was not simply and auto-responder thanking me for my name and address. There was someone on the “other end” actually reading (and responding) to my note and we carried the conversation on for a few more exchanges.

So, why do I think Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, would be proud? Well, this is the “Internet age” version of making a personal connection with customers. Not only will we likely spend over the $5 @MichWendysDeals sent me when we visit for that “Frosty date”, but I’ve told this story to several folks as an example of how a business can make a connection – a personal connection – via the Internet.

Chances are, in your marketing plan making a personal connection with your customers is a priority and one of the many ways that you try to differentiate your institution from your competition. While you may not have the lure of a cold, creamy Frosty at your bank, do you have some other way to connect with your customers and do something out of the ordinary and get people talking? Sure, you could offer up gift cards (assuming your institution offers them), but what other things of “value” do you have at your disposal that you can provide? As financial experts and community leaders, we have a lot to offer, maybe we just need to do a better job of “how” we let the world know about it.

Eric Cook
http://www.poweredbywsi.com