An industry survey found that 94% of responding credit unions are using Facebook as a form of social media marketing. Credit unions also indicated that they plan to use the following channels for marketing:

• Mobile applications – 74%
• Twitter – 66%
• YouTube – 61%
• Social media analytics – 48%
• LinkedIn – 39%
• Tumblr – 29%
• Google+ – 24%
• Pinterest – 1%

[Source: New CU Survey Explains How CUs Use Social Media Today. CUNA Mutual Group. 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.]

Members rely on credit unions to cater to their particular lifestyle’s financial needs. Having a strong social media presence within your member’s community is vital to staying relevant and understanding their needs. For this reason, I have curated three tips to help boost your organization’s online reputation while on social media:

Blogging and Sharing: The One, Two Punch of Social Media

You may ask, “why blogging?” Well, there is no better way to communicate your expertise than to begin blogging. It allows you to showcase how you can assist your members in reaching their financial goals. Blogging can provide useful information to your members, while simultaneously improving your online reputation (provided your blog’s content is well researched and articulated properly).

Once you have created your blog, it is time to get the word out. When users check Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, they expect to see new and fresh content. Though each medium is different, users visit each platform expecting to find articles within their feeds that are relevant to their interests. Use this to your advantage, and post links to your most recent blogs across all of your credit union’s social media accounts inviting your audience to read your blog and to engage by discussing and shaping the subject matter socially.

Don’t Disregard the Disgruntled

It is imperative to monitor your organization’s presence on social media. Many business entities – especially financial institutions – create social pages in hopes of promoting their business. However, very few actually monitor the feedback they receive on their page and respond to rectify a customer’s negative experience.

It is not uncommon for a disgruntled member to visit the organization’s page and post a barrage of feedback designed to damage the online reputation of the page owner. The longer negative comments remain unanswered on your page, the more damage is caused to your online reputation. Leaving negative comments on your page can curate the impression that you are apathetic without regard to the opinions of your customers. This isn’t exactly the best way to improve your online reputation or maintain a strong customer base.

It’s not recommended to fight back in order to valiantly defend your honor, but you must join the conversation and do it quickly. Respond to each comment individually and apply a personal touch to show that the credit union cares about its members. The majority of users posting negative comments can be quickly subdued by replying with an empathetic and timely response.

Speak the Native Language and Join the Conversation

Social media is very much like the geographical world. Different groups of people have migrated to different parts of the world for many different reasons. The end result is a world of different cultures and languages, each with their own style and flair.

If you hope to increase your online reputation, spend time on each platform and absorb the style of conversation on a general and local level. Members trust that their credit union will understand the unique elements of their lifestyle that affects their finances. Social Media is the opportunity to showcases that care and knowledge base.

Now, tell me about your  experiences…