The Ultimate  List of Financial Social Media Ideas For Banks and Credit Unions.

Financial social media isn’t for us, you think. Not too fast!

Whether your goal is to reach millennials,  the mass affluent or the  underbanked, social media is a consistent channel across all demographics. Research from Nielsen, PEW confirm that the relationships these groups make with brands through social media influences financial decision making.Whether you are a bank, a credit union or other financial provider,  social media is no longer optional in achieving your goals online.

But how do you fill up  a financial social media editorial calendar? Because let’s be real, ain’t nobody gonna follow you if all you’re tweeting are boat loan rates. (And I really like boating too!)

So that’s why I started this list. To help out the financial marketers on social media. A list of ideas to fill up your financial social media calendar with things your members, depositors and borrowers will actually care about. I’ll keep adding to it over time.

Bonus: Grab these ideas as a PDF PLUS 3 recommended tools to get more out of your social media marketing. Download Your Copy

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Twitter marketing ideas
Instagram marketing ideas
Facebook marketing ideas
 YouTube marketing ideas
Foursquare marketing ideas

Twitter marketing ideas for banks and credit unions

Twitter allows financial social media efforts to engage in real time conversations. These tactics put your brand in the conversation without cramming sales down anyone’s throat.

1. Host a community Twitter Chat. Show that your credit union or regional bank is involved in the community by hosting a twitter chat. This is a way for your community to tweet and meet each other. Brand the hashtag and hold it regularly.
2. Hashtag #askyourbrand. People always have questions about money. If part of your content marketing strategy is to answer those questions, brand an “ask(your financial institution)” hashtag. Cross promote your hashtag with other media to engage prospect and current clients  in conversations and answer questions with the content you’re creating.
3. Share the love! As a community lender you’ve helped hundreds of small businesses grow. Those small businesses are crucial to local economies. Hold regular small business spotlights on your business customers. Tell their stories through Twitter and promote them with a link to a blog post or YouTube video for more.
4. Be a source of ideas. Whether it’s holiday tips or what’s going on in the community this weekend. Curate  information so your local community comes to you for more than just a loan. Doing this keeps your brand top of mind when the next financial need arises.
5. Celebrate the people who bank with you. Highlight their stories. Did someone who won a scholarship from your bank or credit union just land a place at Harvard? Tell their story. Is someone from the community off to climb Mt. Everest? Share in their story. Show that as a financial institution you’re about more than just dollars and cents, but about people.
6. Community bulletin board. Share ways that people can give back to their community by curating volunteer opportunities. Show that your institution cares about the foundation of the community. Socially conscious brands are more likely to resonate with consumers.
7. Community education. Share twitter-sized tidbits of information from community education classes your bank or credit union hosts.
8. Save-A-Thon. Invite your twitter following  to encourage each other to reach their savings goals by holding a Great-Save-A-Thon. Ask Twitter, what are you saving for? And feed the community ways to save more money to achieve their goals faster.
9. Dream together. For those in cold climates, ask people to fill in the blank: when it’s cold outside I dream of being ____ . Encourage followers to reach their winter vacation goals through savings. (See #8 for feeding with content).
10. Capture expertise. Have ask the expert series through twitter chats. Connect the community  with experts from your bank or credit union(within regulatory guidance of course) around topics such as retirement, buying your first house, preparing for college expenses etc.
11. Weekly tips. Have weekly tip series such as . . .

• 30 reasons to bank with a credit union. (one a day)
• 3 months to build up your credit score. (once a week for three months link back to content)
• 60 days of savings. (once a day promote a way to save be it money saving tips, local offers or coupons etc.)

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Bonus: Click here to download this post as a PDF PLUS 3 recommended tools to get more out of your social media marketing.

 Instagram marketing ideas for banks and credit unions

On Instagram, your financial social media efforts take on a collaboratively visual effort. These ideas help your bank or credit union engage in the pictures and videos of image sharing social network.

1. 1. Ask people to share their favorite places around town.
   2. Share Instagram photos showcasing local businesses you support.
   3. #(Yourorganization)OpenHouse. Use a hashtag when you help those in your community purchase a new home. People love sharing pictures of their home. Homeownership is also a foundation of personal fride and healthy communities. Who wouldn’t want that associated to their brand?

• #(Your organization)madeithappen. hashtag encouraging people to share pictures of things that your financial services organization made possible: college, home, car, boat, vacation, you name it!

 

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Bonus: Click here to download this post as a PDF PLUS 3 recommended tools to get more out of your social media marketing.

Finance marketing ideas for Facebook

Facebook is a mecca for financial social media. With a media rich platform you can bring video, pictures, links and text to your audience.

1. Small Business Spotlight. Bring the small business idea from Twitter to Facebook. Now you can add pictures, video, and more copy.
2. Weekly tips. Just like with Twitter, but provide a little bit more detail.  Here’s a few campaigns to get you started.

• How to get through the financially tough years of college
• Tips for job hunting.
• How to have a great wedding without blowing your budget.
• Little known facts about the community.
• Extra perks to being a member of your institution like discounts at local businesses.

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Bonus: Click here to download this post as a PDF PLUS 3 recommended tools to get more out of your social media marketing.

Marketing financial services on YouTube

YouTube is the king of long form video. For financial social media efforts, it’s a chance to show, not tell about your organization.

1. Create video profiles of team members that your clients will meet in-branch.
2. Create a video series telling the history of your bank or credit union.
3. Create a man on the street video series that identifies common misconceptions about money.  (think Tonight Show) Then, follow the video up with an expert from your institution providing the correct information.
4. Highlight local community members also on YouTube with a community playlist.

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Bonus: Click here to download this post as a PDF PLUS 3 recommended tools to get more out of your social media marketing.

Using Foursquare to market your bank or credit union

 

Foursquare is the ultimate location based social network. Forsquare supports your financial social media efforts by being highly local.

1. Make sure you’re leveraging every branch location.
2. Have a community scavenger hunt based on checkins and enlist local businesses.
3. Leave tips around town by your organization. As people check in, they’ll get tidbits about history, fun facts etc. and you’ll get brand reinforcement.
4. Create community lists for example: 10 best lunch spots or 10 best bars to watch a game.
5. Leave notes at local businesses you have partnerships with, do your members get a discount? Remind them when they checkin.

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Bonus: Click here to download this post as a PDF PLUS 3 recommended tools to get more out of your social media marketing.

About Ryan
Ryan Ruud is a digital marketing consultant and the Founder/ CEO of Lake One, a digital marketing firm that helps brands grow by designing, building, and managing modern marketing programs driving leads, users, and sales. Over to you

What’s worked at your organization? I’d love to hear your creative financial social media tactics. Leave me a note here and I may include it in a future update of my Ultimate List of Financial Social Media Ideas. Make sure to let me know how you’d like to attribute you!