Social Media – No Pressure…It’s Only Your Reputation at Stake

Michael Ogden, CUNA Mutualby: Michael Ogden, Media Relations Manager for New Media at CUNA Mutual Group

Let’s get to the point – social media is not the silver bullet for your credit union’s marketing and public relations projects. It’s more like the key ingredient in some Harry Potter spell. Do it correctly and the rewards are magical. Screw it up and poof…..you’re a toad/road kill/on the Internet’s Wall of Shame! So let me give away the trick to social media right here in the first paragraph of my first article: start slowly, be honest and be you. TA-DA! That’s it! Everything else after that is pure strategy, search results, analytics and blah, blah, blah (we’ll get into that in later posts).

Before 2012 loses its new-year smell and you tackle that new social media plan, make sure you are honestly asking yourself “What’s the right social media platform for my project?” Because every social media platform has different pros and cons and it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” world.

As I develop my plans, I like to think of these popular social media societies like this:

  • LinkedIn – professional attire (business suit, corporate, friendly with agenda)
  • Facebook – business casual (khakis, polo shirt, self-absorbed)
  • Google+ – sophisticated casual (T-shirt and jeans, chatty, loves sharing pretty pictures and videos)
  • Twitter – casual (get comfortable because information overload is exhausting)

Whatever platform you go with there are three things you must do or you might as well not even start your social media project.

  • Find out where your audience is located. Are they tweeting? Are they posting on Google+ or Facebook? Are they checking in on Foursquare? There are dozens of social mining sites you can use to find your audience. Two of my favorites are Social Mention and Twitter Search – excellent results and you’ll find some great information.
  • Think of the personality you want to convey to your audience. Do you want to be thought of as serious, chatty, funny or trustworthy – or a combination of everything? Yes, putting out good and honest information is important to your followers. But letting your personality come through is equally as important because that’s where your true/important connections will come from. The personality should reflect your brand which, in turn, will help build your online reputation.
  • Post something every day (in many cases, multiple times each day). Social media is like a treadmill you can’t get off. Once you post your first item, you are on for good and your audience will begin to rely on your information. And that’s a good thing.

Social media is one of the very few areas in life that is truly black and white. Either do it or don’t – there’s no in between. There’s nothing worse for a brand than potential customers coming across your abandoned social media profile.

“Consumers’ opinions of a brand are influenced by the information and comments shared in social media.” That’s a quote from a social media conference I attended and it’s something I keep in mind every day when I post – because I understand the power social media has over my company’s brand, reputation and future. And you should understand that as well.

Michael Ogden is the Media Relations Manager for New Media at CUNA Mutual Group. You can connect with him on Twitter @CUDiscovery or on Google+ at +CUNAMutual.  CUNA Mutual Group, based in Madison, Wis., is a leading provider of financial services to credit unions, their members and customers worldwide.

Michael Ogden

Michael Ogden

Michael has been in the social media business for more than a decade inside the credit union, technology, financial and food industries. He’s the founder of For3, LLC, which ... Web: www.for3forgood.com Details