How much do you trust your members? How much should they trust you? A couple of days ago the NAFCU Compliance Blog kicked off a discussion about credit unions offering consumer opt-outs from third party and affiliate marketers.

Okay first, selling your members’ information is just shady. Come on.

But moving on – my attention perked when the Compliance Guy brought up a credit union that allows its members a full-on marketing opt-out:

These members have the right to exclude themselves from all credit union marketing campaigns. (Interestingly, this credit union currently does not need to offer their members an opt-out under the privacy rules and does not plan on offering an affiliate information opt-out.) I asked how it worked, and the compliance officer said that it seemed to keep a very specific segment of their membership happy. “And happy members deposit more,” she added.

I’d like to shake this credit union’s hand. What an enormous amount of trust and respect for their members’ time and privacy.

But that brings up a new question – how do you reach members that have opted out of everything? I think part of the answer lies in the reason for opt-out. These members aren’t trying to shut you out entirely, they’re filtering out irrelevant noise. So the key to reach might be relevance. Opt-in.

One simple-ish way to stay relevant and paperless is to offer topical RSS feeds and email alerts (see NPR’s news feeds). For example, right now I’d absolutely subscribe to a “small business” feed offered by an FI. But if I see another credit card app, I’ll probably set something on fire.

How would/do you reach members that have removed themselves from your traditional marketing?

Maybe a better question is – would you even give them the option?

I’ve read a few posts across the financial blogosphere about Starbuck’s user-generated idea site, MyStarbucks Idea, and its relevance to financial institutions as a channel into consumer insight another way to listen.

As usual, the good folks at Vancity are ahead of their game with weallprofit.vancity.com, a (beautifully designed) user-generated idea site that launched months ago.

Their explanation of the site and philosophy hits the nail on the head:

You can call us a financial institution, you can call us a credit union, you can even call us a bank. But the truth is, when it comes right down to it, we’re really just in the business of ideas. An idea for a different way of banking is what got us started. It was the idea of profit sharing that made us grow. And today, it’s the innovative ideas that help make our members financial lives easier and our communities stronger. In short, through good ideas, we all profit.

At Vancity, we believe good ideas can come from anywhere. Which is why we always like hearing new ones. If you have an idea you’d like to share, then by all means, put it on the wall.

Well said.

Vancity’s William Azaroff says the site will be getting a facelift in the next several months. I’m looking forward to the action if/when they begin to implement the ideas they’re collecting.

(Starbucks site via Jim on Netbanker, Robbie on the fi-linx blog, and Brady on Grow Your Bank)

I thought it’d be nice to start the week off with a rant inspired by three things:

1. Jim Bruene’s recent post about the scrappy usage (his word: ‘anemic’) of financial apps in Facebook.
2. My disagreement with this quote from the CUES Nexus blog (sorry, Lisa):

   If you want to reach Gen Y, why not be where they are? The more than 68 million Facebook users (many of them young people) spend an average of 20 minutes a day on the site. And about 250,000 new users sign on every day. Some CUs are already there, waiting to greet them.

3. That there are still high-fives given for credit union MySpace pages.

Social networks…

Are Not:

Real estate. If you look at online communities as an opportunity to park your caboose and head people off at the pass, you’re missing the point. Go buy a TV spot, pop up or newspaper ad – stick to the proven, tried and true methods of interrupting and annoying people.

To brands who treat conversations like billboards: you’re not just old marketers, you’re also posers. (And I should note that I’m not talking about Lisa here at all.)

There are 140 Facebook apps added every day. This is Noise 2.0. The apps that are the most successful are those that help Facebook users do what they came to Facebook to do rather than react to the fact that they happen to be there. More on that in a second.

Are:

Communities. If you bust in on that without immersing, participating, understanding, you are a door to door salesman. If you show up, you and your toothy grin, you’d better be adding value to the community by helping them interact, grow, and have a deeper connection with each other (that’s why they’re all there in the first place). The Cluetrain Manifesto said communites are groups “of people who care about each other more than they should.” And each community/platform is unique, but also interwoven. Engaging the Facebook community looks different from engaging the Second Life community looks different from engaging the Twitter community.

For Example:

Why is Facebook’s iLike so successful (361,568 daily active users, $15.8 million in funding…for a Facebook app)? Because people use Facebook to communicate themselves, learn about and connect with people. iLike enables that and, as a result, enhances Facebook for its users.

This is shown across the board in the numbers too. According to Adanomics data (made sense of by Asi Sharabi) the most widely used apps (44%) are “Identity Formation / Social Comparison.”

Why do I think Fiserve’s MyMoney will not succeed as it is right now? Because, frankly, who cares that you can access your account within Facebook? It is not that difficult or time consuming to open a new window or tab and get to my online banking login. Thank you for saving me three clicks, but until MyMoney brings more to the table I’d rather keep my applications clean.

What if you could use MyMoney to visualize your progress as you saved for a vacation, a new toy, or the secret to time travel. What if a few trusted friends and I could use Facebook’s social tools to build a cross-FI collective overdraft protection account that auto transfers cash in a time of need, notifies each person on the account, and in doing so: 1) saves me fees and 2) builds in the obligation to replace that money as soon as I can?

By the same token, Financially Fun Island™ (not a real thing, but almost a real thing) in Second Life will, at best, attract a lot of industry insiders who are interested in this “innovative new tactic.” But the citizens have better things to do than go to your island and play money games. They’re building an active economy. However, a financial institution that offers home, land, and small business loans in Second Life for Second Life is enriching the in-world experience…not just capitalizing on it.

I’d much rather be enabled than greeted.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got. You can yell at me now.

Here is the next installment from the 2007 Partnership Symposium sessions. This time, it’s Shari Storm and Trey Reeme presenting A Credit Union Guide to Social Media, with a brief cameo from Tim McAlpine. This episode is packed with heavy hitters.

powered by ODEO

Last one to register for the 2008 Partnership Symposium has uncompetitive interest rates and doesn’t even care about it!

• Financial Planning 2.0 with Voyant – “The software has been billed as particularly useful for generating “what if” scenarios and forecasts stemming from your current financial situation” (from TechCrunch).
  
  
• To the 68% of credit unions focused on reaching small businesses: take note of Bank of America’s social network for small businesses, launched and active since October of 2007.
  
  
• Netbanker reports that 50 Banks and Credit Unions Have Facebook Pages. Good call, or noisy call?
  
  
• West Bank’s brilliant social savings account SmartyPig “allows you to invite family and friends to contribute to your account, gives you additional incentive boosts from top retailers who sell exactly what you’re saving for AND 4.30% (APY) interest on the money you’re saving.” (via Netbanker)
  
  
• This months Forbes magazine features work by Self Help Credit Union CEO Martin Eakes, aka “Subprime’s Mr. Clean.” Martin is also the founder of the Center for Responsible Lending, a resource for predatory lending opponents.
  
  
• How to make a 9-year old feel like a financial failure: As glitzy as Australian Commonwealth Bank’s ‘Dollarmite’ Kids Club is, none of that matters when they’re sending rejection letters to children. (via Servant of Chaos)
  
  
• Get your heart in the right place with the 3 forgotten emotional drivers in financial services, brought to you by Ron Shevlin.
  
  
• Credit union-partnered peer-to-peer lending network Zopa is launching in Japan.

The Credit Union Innovators Podcast

Last week Tim McAlpine from Currency Marketing launched a podcast devoted to highlighting and interviewing passionate and inspirational people from the credit union movement. His first guest is Gene Blishen, the tech-and-people-savvy General Manager of Mt. Lehman Credit Union.

One of my favorite parts is Gene discussing the future of credit union survival:

The question I would first and foremost ask any board or credit union manager is “Are you relevant to your members?” and, “Do you have passion to exist?”

Word on the street is there’s talk of an interview with the CU Skeptic. Sweet conflict!

Listen to it on the web here or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here.

Banktastic, a social network for financial institutions

In late October of last year, the Garland Group launched this social knowledge hub for financial institutions. Now don’t get in a tizzy just because of the word “Bank.” Here are a few discussions happening in Banktastic:

• What is your favorite credit union marketing campaign of all time?
• Emerging Markets and What They Could Mean for CUs
• Using Mobile Phones to Make Remote Check Deposits (which is honestly worth a blog post of its own)

The community is currently in “semi-private beta” What does that mean? “We have no idea,” says Brad Garland. But you will need an invite to join. I have a few, and I know several others do too. Post in the comments if you’d like to join, and I bet you’ll get hooked up.

Update: The Banktastic Invite Fairy hooked me up with quite a few more invites. If you want one, email me at brent [at] trabian [dot] com.

Young & Free Alberta

If you haven’t taken time to look at the best credit union social media campaign in existence (only rivaled by ChangeEverything), please go check out CommonWealth CU’s Young & Free campaign (orchestrated by the crazy Canucks at Currency Marketing).

After running a contest to find the most charismatic and expressive person under 25 in Alberta, Canada to take a year-long gig as the CUs spokesprson, they hit a goldmine with winner Larissa (see yesterday’s post).

She blogs, she makes videos, she digs up free stuff, and she positions CommonWealth as a youth-centric credit union. And the entire campaign ties to their Young & Free Checking Account.

It’s brilliant.

Tech CU’s iPhone button

Says Gabriel Garcia in a comment on Netbanker (link added):

”...I created and iPhone icon for the Tech CU Blog. One of our members had coincidentally inquired about the same thing the day before. We tested it on his iPhone and enjoys it!”

What a cool way to engage tech-savvy members (of which I have a feeling Tech CU has many) while raising awareness of their blog.

Next stop? iBanking:

(Video of German bank Postbank’s iPhone account interface. Sorry, the video is in German…but the demo speaks for itself.)

The brass|SHOW

I’ve always dug the content Gen-Y experts brass|MEDIA put out in their made-for-gen-yers magazine, brass. It’s relevant, on-point, and an entertaining read.

In early Feb, they’ll launch the brass|SHOW. brass CEO Bryan Sims described it nicely in an email:

We developed a 3-5 minute video podcast about young adults, money and real world stuff, that credit unions can license and place on their site to begin delivering updated content rather than many of the static sites that are out there.

I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with. And I’m especially looking forward to seeing how it is received by young members.

Check out an example of how the brass|SHOW could play out on a credit union site here

Did I miss something? Post other instances of CU New Media Awesomeness you’ve found in the comments.

Denise Wymore sent me this blog post about Alliant Credit Union. Dave’s comment at 2:42 AM, January 18, 2008 summed it up:

I had the same problems. It is difficult for me to put my money in an institution that:

1) cannot even get their application process to work correctly, and

2) cannot be clear on who can be a member who who cannot.

Even though 5.40% is a good rate, I will also find another credit union or bank to park my money.

I think it amplifies the point I tried to make with my last post: CU websites should be operations oriented, not just sales oriented. Make the online experience as close to the in-person experience as possible.”

Why can’t the credit union staff use the online application form while taking applications in-person? This solves several problems:

1. It streamlines the application process for operations 2. It familiarizes employees with the online processes (a CSR laughing and admitting the online application isn’t reliable…really?) 3. It tests the system. It’s easier to fix a problem if you can replicate it on the spot.

Dave’s second point is salient. Most CU’s provide FOM information on their sites, and I think they should continue to work to make it crystal clear who can or cannot be a member. I think this also helps the credit union remind itself of who it is serves.

It touches a branding point, too. I’m not a fan of the diaphanous CU name. Be who you are. Alliant was United Airline’s Employee’s Credit Union. I understand the need to grow and diversify. But moving completely away from who you are as a CU is disconcerting. Why not build the brand around your original sponsor SEG and grow from there? When picking a new name, why not put more effort into staying close to your primary SEG or community?

Of course, I also don’t think sports teams should not have mascots/names that can’t be pluralized.

Ron Shevlin said something to Matt and I at dinner a few months ago that resonated with me. Credit union websites should be operational. Sites should be a resource for staff to solve problems, not just a marketing tool.

Coast Capital Savings Credit Union does a great job of communicating its voice. It’s aggressively casual. It communicates the personality of the credit union and is an extension, perhaps even the center piece, of the marketing campaign. Creatively, it’s good work.

I hope more credit unions don’t do this. I hope they realize Coast Capital is a rare breed, willing to cop an attitude in a very conservative, very attitude-less industry. There’s only room for one smart-ass in the class.

Instead, when creating content for a site, credit unions should focus less on what the Coast Capitals of the world are doing and more on what their MSR’s are doing. Don’t worrying about fluffy, fun, catchy content – go the other way. Become operational. Become informational. Creative writing is expensive and difficult to maintain (insert picture of frazzled brand manager wringing her or his hands and asking “is it ON BRAND???!!!” with every update).

This idea of sites being operational is something that as a web development firm, I’m going to discuss with our clients. It’s something any of you in credit unions out there reworking websites and creating copy might consider. Leverage what you do well when developing content.

Don’t be flashy. Inform. Solve problems. That’s what CU’s are good at. And consider the first audience to be your front-line staff. Put information on the site that they can use to solve member problems when they call or come into a branch. Consider what information CAN go on the site. I’m sure most operational CU documents might find a home on the website for your staff and membership to use. PDF’s of forms; outlines of procedures; how to find your routing number.

At that point, it really DOES become a resource. It informs. And information drives traffic.

By this stuff, I mean this new stuff. Web 2.0. User-generated content. Social media. Whatever you want to call it.

All this stuff you live and breathe. All this stuff that continues to come in waves. All this stuff that you know is perfect for your credit union. All this stuff that you can’t explain to anyone who is not involved. All this stuff your members are doing online. All this stuff that you know is passing your credit union by.

How about the brand and name experts? No, they’re too busy helping credit unions merge to waste their time on this stuff. They’re telling credit unions, “Skip this stuff. It will pass.”

How about the ad agency? Not likely. They make their money in 30 second increments. If they can’t monetize it, forget it. They, too, are telling credit unions, “Skip this stuff. It will pass.”

How about the PR consultants? Nope. User-generated content with no editorial review is too scary for them. “We need to control this stuff.”

How about the IT department? Yeah right. They’re too busy with bank system security and making sure your in-box isn’t filled with spam. Just try to convince the techies that embedded code from a third-party website is a good thing to do. “Nope, that stuff is not touching my stuff. My job is to block stuff, not touch stuff.”

How about the young person in the organization with a knack for computers? Maybe, but this person will never have the influence or the resources to really implement this stuff. “OK old dudes, this stuff is so cool. Trust me, we really need this stuff.”

How about your marketing and communications department? They would be the natural fit, but with a steady flow of branch requests and with the production of your ingrained annual sales promotions, time and resources are spread too thin. “We’d love to help, but we just don’t have time to do this stuff.”

How about the digital agency or the web consultancy? Possibly. They are definitely capable of doing whatever your credit union wants to do. But they can’t go it alone. “OK, before we do anything, we want to make sure you guys understand this stuff and are comfortable with us doing all of this stuff.”

How about hiring an expert on staff? Good idea. But you better be prepared to listen and give him or her the freedom to experiment or he or she will get frustrated and leave. “I have been telling you about this stuff for months now, but you all still don’t get this stuff. I’m packing my stuff and leaving.”

So, who’s left? Your senior management and, especially, your CEO. Until credit union CEOs and the senior executive team are actually involved in this stuff, it’s not going as far as I know it can go to propel the credit union movement forward.

CEOs and the senior executive team need to feel the anxiety of not being able to see what their Twitter crew is up to while on a flight. CEOs and the senior executive team need to feel the exhilaration of receiving a slew of comments on a controversial blog post that they just posted. CEOs and the senior executive team need to understand the power of this new form of community firsthand. It cannot be explained. It must be experienced.

And CEOs and the senior executive team need to be seen participating in social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn by staff and members. CEOs and the senior executive team need to give permission to experiment and innovate.

As it stands, credit union CEOs and the senior executive team are out of the loop. They see all of this stuff as a waste of time and energy. But guess what, this stuff is real, this stuff is happening right under their nose and this stuff is not going away any time soon, if ever.

Signing off on a message from the president that you didn’t write for your credit union’s quarterly newsletter is not a two-way conversation. Not even close.

Two questions for you:

1. Who owns this stuff at your credit union?
2. What can we all do to prove this stuff is worth doing?

Tim McAlpine is the President & Chief Strategist of Currency Marketing. You can read Tim’s ‘stuff’ on the Currency Marketing blog at www.currencymarketing.ca/blog.

One of the saving graces of the leftover-filled dead week between Christmas and New Year’s Day are the year-end wrap-ups. No wrap-up story ever won a Pulitzer, but they’re interesting to read. So, to the pot-luck of lists and reprisals, I’m going to add my own.

This being a blog, and therefore collaborative, I’m eager to hear everyone else’s contributions to and opinions on the OpenSourceCU.com Top Credit Union Stories of 2007 (Now With Resolutions!). During this week of warmed-over dressing, think of this list as a sizzling sirloin steak, hot from the fire, ready for you to tuck into (for you vegetarians, think of it as whatever it is you tuck into that’s really satisfying…salad maybe? potatoes? tofu?)

My seven top credit union stories of 2007…bon appetit!

No. 7: The iPhone

It has its flaws. It’s wildly expensive. It’s great-grandfather was the Newton. But this zeitgeist-expanding gadget moves the bar for mobile computing and, ultimately, mobile banking services. It also allows for easy use of social media and opens the number of communication channels. Think about the annoyed member posting to a blog while in line to wait on a member service representative to fix a mistake another MSR made. If someone using a iPhone actually stands in lines waiting for MSR’s.

Resolution: It’s an antiquated attitude that technology and social media are just toys. I would love credit union staffers to open their minds to new technology and look at it from a perspective of early adopters and ask some simple questions: How is this used? How does this impact me? How could this impact my credit union?

Sub-Resolution: Personally, I need to avoid being a curmudgeon myself and open my own mind and ask similar questions. Keeping up with technology is hard, but invaluable.

No. 6: Gigi Hyland’s calling for a more consumer-centric approach to products.

Said Ms. Hyland in January: “The main themes of my remarks were to urge credit unions to continue to be consumer-centric in product and service delivery and to provide insight into the regulatory perspective on current issues, such as BSA and membership growth.”

Okay, this isn’t earth-shattering, and there are discussions like this all the time, but it’s validation from the top that CU’s need to approach their products and pricing the same way other companies do – with a focus on what the market demands.

Resolution: Credit Unions need to leverage that tax-exempt status to continue (or in some CU’s cases start to) offer cost-competitive pricing, provide dividends and serve immigrants and under-served communities. I’d also like to see credit unions trim their product offerings to better serve their membership and community. If you cannot profitably provide dozens of products and services, then take a good, hard look at your product mix and eliminate those that are underperforming or aren’t profitable. Don’t keep up with the Jones’s. Keep up with your field of membership.

On the surface, this is an oxymoronic request, but really, it’s about finding a niche and drilling down and serving it. Some CU’s can profitably operate wide. Most cannot and need to focus on their core membership, find what that it needs and really serving it in ways banks and other CU’s can’t.

No. 5: Hackers steal 45.7 million credit card numbers from TXJ Companies

The breach of security is the largest in history and reflects the importance of CU ID theft prevention policies. Given that credit unions have a 3.8 percent market share in revolving credit, the breach affected over 1.7 million credit union members. And that’s just credit cards. Debit cards, with fewer consumer protections, were likely part of that mix and even a small percentage would be thousands if not millions of debit card numbers.

Resolution: Credit Unions should treat debit card fraud the same way they treat credit card fraud. See top story No. 4 for support of this resolution. Members need to know all their transactions are secure, credit or debit. From my experience in credit union operations, I know this is expensive, but a credit union should act in the best interest of its members.

No. 4: CURIA momentum

At latest count, 141 members of the House of Representatives are signed on as co-sponsors of H.R. 1537. By raising the percentage of assets from 12-ish to 20 percent, this will allow CU’s to better serve under-served areas and small businesses, which in turn creates wealth in a community.

Resolution: Credit Unions need to mobilize staff and, in turn, membership to ensure members of Congress support H.R. 1537 and understand the difference and mission of credit unions. An adage of advertising says that when the marketing director of a company is tired of hearing his/her advertising message, it’s at that point that its impacting the consumer. Talk about it until you’re sick of it.

No. 3: Wings/Continental credit union flap

Nasty, nasty stuff.

Resolution: Stop doing this.

No. 2: Zopa

Peer-to-peer lending could be a threat to credit unions, given credit unions’ philosophical mission. Instead, Zopa is partnering with credit unions, each improving each other’s credibility and reach. I’m excited about this partnership.

Resolution: Like the No. 7 resolution, credit union staff needs to be more plugged into technology and how it affects their products, services as well as how members use it. It’s a competitive advantage to embrace it and folly to ignore it.

No. 1: The housing bust

Although credit unions didn’t seriously contribute to the questionable practices that puts the country on the precipice of recession, every credit union every member will be affected. As much as credit unions need to compete, they also must council and advice as part of their financial services product mix.

Resolution: With a tax-exempt status, strong capitalization (in general) and sound, conservative policies and procedures, credit unions are primed to be part of the solution, right?

There you have it, my year-end list complete with a side of resolutions, served hot and fresh. Enjoy!

In a session on reaching the 18 – 30 year old Hispanics”, Reverend Ed Gomez of El Buen Samaritano Epsicopal Mission said the best way to build trust, engage, and serve the Hispanic culture, and I would argue any culture, is to get outside of our own heads – both when we communicate and design products.

In a quote I swiped from the YES Summit blog, Ed said Wells Fargo did this…

...because it hired Hispanic staff, including management, and engaged the market by participating in local community events. It made its presence felt on the personal basis and used the relationships it built with community leaders to design products specifically suited to people who operate outside the majority economy.

Wright-Patt CU wanted to be more relevant to young adults, so they hired 23 year-old Dustin Limburg on as Marketing Representative for Young Adults. When I asked him how they are approaching the market, Dustin said, “We basically look at them like a separate SEG.”

How are you getting outside of your head and speaking the cultural language?

Christopher Morris has set up YES Summit social network at yescucommunity.com. He used Ning, a free (for a basic account) tool for building custom social networks, to create it. The YES CU Community allows users to engage in conversation forums, post blogs, join and create groups, “friend” each other, and share photo and video content (Ning automatically converts video files to a flash player…awesome).

In Christopher’s session explaining the network, he said they built it to 1) Facilitate and perpetuate discussion on reacing the 18 – 30 demographic and 2) Provide hands-on education to allow users to play in a social networking space and see how it works.

I like that CUNA is experimenting with this. A conference-specific social network has the potential to add a lot more depth and follow-up opportunity to the experience. Facebook and LinkedIn are both much better ways for me to keep up with new credit union friends than the lunchbox I keep my business cards in. Admittedly, half of this is because I always forget to bring my business cards to conferences.

Ning’s functionality and back-end interface are really impressive. To add features to your network, you simply drag and drop:

Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a way to kick off an online community.

Brent and I gave our “Building your relationship with Gen Y Members” presentation in Wisconsin a few weeks back.

One of the slices of feedback we got:

I was a little disappointed in the Gen Y presentation. They kept talking about social media, but saying not to do it.

That makes me feel good. Too many marketers are looking for a silver bullet, and social media isn’t it. I’ve never said, “Don’t do it.” But I have said, “Don’t do it without a strategy.” And I’ve said, “It’s not a fit for every business.”

During my co-presentation with Shari at Symposium, I showed the following slide:

My next point was:

I then called Tim McAlpine up to chat about Young & Free Alberta, which had just launched.

It’s immediately up there with Change Everything on my best FI social media campaign list. BTW, this outtake video from their CEO cracks me up:

Also gaining ground is what Diva Deb’s doing with the hoopty loan. As Charlie commented,

Talk about promoting thrift and building community. Nice work, CPCU.

So, back to the comment our WI presentation drew. I’d say that the keys to using social media successfully in your business are:

• You’ve got to have something compelling to talk about in the first place.
• It’s got to fit your culture. Thick skin is required.
• You’ve got to treat it as part of a larger marketing strategy.

Sure you can launch a blog or build a MySpace page or get that Jumbalooster account for your CU. But unless you know what you’re trying to accomplish, as Brent likes to say, all you’ll hear will be crickets chirping – or worse yet, criticism for not having it worked out in the first place.

I heart NY. Hat tip to Chuck and Ron.

This is the best cooperative ad campaign I’ve yet to see, and it comes from New York’s credit unions.

Why does it rock?

Other than the solid website and TV spots, here are a few points that are brilliantly executed but might not be so obvious at first glance.

• It explains how to start a credit union. At BarCampBankSeattle, Jesse expressed disappointment that he could find no resources explaining the process for Black Rock FCU. It’s nice to see that New York doesn’t simply say, “Here’s how you do it, now go have fun” – they say, “Here’s who you call at NCUA and at the NY State Banking Department. We’ll help.”
• It debunks CU myths while avoiding the rhetoric. As a whole, we worry too much about taxation and not enough about reaching new members – and not just “Gen Y’ers” either. Doggone it, one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a while is the burial plot loan.
• It even brings focus to volunteer opportunities within a credit union – both in the community and in the credit union itself.
• Instead of “People, not profit” it emphasizes “People over profit.” I hereby move that “People, not profit” be struck from the lexicon and replaced by this new phrase. Of course, we return those profits back to our members (or we should).

Overall, this campaign and the corresponding website explains eloquently that we are cooperatives, not banks. Every league should take a long look at this site, consider it the benchmark, and get campaigns like this launched in their state.

As a frequent Facebook user, I recently came across a great example I thought worth sharing.

Within Facebook’s home page is the “news feed,” a former controversy turned avenue for more targeted advertising that updates you on the latest happenings of your friends; what photos they’ve added, groups they’ve joined and causes they support.

Occasionally Facebook will include a “sponsored group” which appears in the “news feed” making users aware of companies dipping the ir toes into social media. In a number of cases, this has been used for trying to recruit younger employees.

Such was the case when I encountered a sponsored group titled “McCareers,” an effort by McDonalds to attract younger managers, which prominently displays quotes such as, “From the day I walked into McDonald’s, I’ve never looked back,” from Ana (no last name provided) a “restaurant manager” for McDonald’s. See photo below.

When I viewed the group, I was surprised, and somewhat amused, to see the comments users had left on the McDonalds “wall.” While unfortunately I can’t quote them verbatim (the commenting section was removed and disabled within 24 hours of the group’s posting) the comments from users included; discussion about McDonald’s supposed anti-union actions, a former employee blasting the company about how bad it was to work there, a jibe at McDonalds from one user saying even with all their “marketing muscle” they were only able to attract a few people to the group, and my personal favorite, a satirical 5 Reasons to Work at McDonalds which included “making America fatter.” It’s no wonder they disabled the commenting section.

The point I’m trying to make is that social media is simply an extension of what is real, and you can’t just buy your way in. Just because McDonalds potentially paid an estimated $150,000 for a sponsored group (see slide 3 in full screen) and one week after its debut has only 231 members doesn’t mean its Facebook group will want to make people work there.

So before you go jumping into social media, make sure what you’re doing is authentic, and then allow people to spread it. And maybe when you’re considering investing $150,000 for a sponsored group, you should consider giving your employees a raise.

Maybe then they’ll be lovin’ it.

Bryan Sims is the CEO of brass|MEDIA.