10 tips to leverage social media to engage with account holders

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live and how we conduct business. Now, more than ever, social media is an important way to keep in touch with your account holders and the community at large. There are a number of social platforms financial institutions can use to engage. But, don’t forget these 10 key tips!

10 Key Tips for Engaging through Social Media

1. Use photos or other images whenever appropriate. Visuals spark interest and create engagement. Until recently, it was reported that people are uploading at least 350 million photos every day. Now, when many are isolated, photos create a sense of connection.
2. Share videos. Like photos, video also adds to the sense of connectivity. It is a great way to convey emotion directly and clearly, whether impart gravity or elicit laughter. You can combine existing videos to make new ones and even repurpose PDFs into short-form videos.
3. Consider your audience. Is it current account holders, potential account holders, or potential new hires? Message must be tailored to the audience you are hoping to reach. For example, people looking for their next job often look at the company’s social media profiles to get an understanding of products and services, but perhaps more importantly, a company’s  culture.
4. Share exclusive offers. At a time when foot traffic and in-person engagement is low, social channels are a great way to share exclusive offers and in an effort to drive business. Discounts, rewards, and prizes are great ways to keep your audience engaged with your brand. They also increase positive social word of mouth by attracting and motivating social influence.
5. Be creative. Be professional but show your individuality. As mentioned, previously, social channels are great outlets for conveying your unique culture. Even in difficult times, people tend to look to social media for fun and entertainment. So while these channels are a great way to get your business message out, you don’t need to shy away from creating lighter content.
6. Follow the 80-20 rule. People are not on social media to be exposed to endless sales pitches and advertisements—especially not now. Eighty percent of your posts should be informational/educational—conversational, fun, and helpful. No more than 20% should be self-promotional—designed to directly drive business or promote products and services. This isn't an exact science, but you get the idea.
7. Be sure to interact with your audience. Now more than ever your account holders will have questions and concerns that cannot be addressed with an in-person meeting. Monitor your social channels and respond promptly. Anticipate concerns and address them preemptively, providing helpful tips. Look into automation and social listening tools to stay current with what's happening on your channels. It's important to be responsive to build trust and loyalty.
8. Do not overshare. Nobody likes someone who constantly talks about themselves; in the current environment it comes across as particularly tone-deaf. Posting more than once a day on Facebook is probably too much and people will unfollow you or just stop paying attention. Tweeting multiple times on Twitter is fine but make sure you have that right balance of information – not overly salesy. Have fun, but show concern and be professional.
9. Stay on top of trends in your industry, especially digital banking, since that is at the forefront of innovative banks and credit unions.
10. Establish expectations and have goals as you monitor your campaign. If you are just starting out your goals might look like this:

• Raise brand awareness through impression numbers
• Maintain communication and keep lines of communication open throughout the pandemic
• Get ‘X’ number of followers using paid social promotion (Facebook ads or Twitter promoted tweets)
• Track how many people visit your website via your social profile pages

BONUS: Check out your competition and what other folks in the industry are doing. Learn from them and develop your own campaigns that focus on the strengths of your own brand.