Social Media Tools - Part II - Using Yelp (it's free!)

The times are a changing. When was the last time you pulled out the big yellow pages book when you needed to find a phone number? Most people now will search online. One online resource that is becoming the place to go for finding a business is Yelp (http://www.yelp.com). This is a modern version of the yellow pages and much more. Not only does it list the business address and phone number, consumers can write reviews of the business and give it a ranking.

And, it is at the tip of consumers fingers-on their mobile phone. Using GPS on their phones, consumers can search for any business they need. They get a list of close businesses and their rankings and reviews, right on their phone. And, the feature, I used the other day is it will say whether it is currently open or closed!

Did you know that your credit union is probably listed on Yelp? Do you know if the reviews are good or not? This is an important resource that can be updated and used for free! Yelp has recently given businesses more control over their own Yelp listings. 

What can you do with your Yelp page?

1. Claim your credit union's page
2. Update information, including hours, available services, etc
3. Upload pictures, including your logo, pictures of your branch, employees 
4. Include special offers 
5. Get a badge to put on your website to let your members know you are on Yelp

But, that's not all! There is much more. You can respond to the reviews, both good or bad. This allows the credit union to try and resolve any problems, while thanking those that write a good review. And, what is even better is you can respond either publicly or privately.

With a business account, you can track the visits to your Yelp page, reviews, ranks, etc on an easy to understand dashboard.

Another great and free feature is event listing. If you have an upcoming credit union event, you can list it on Yelp. This is a great way to get word out about shred days, educational seminars, picnics, or any other credit union event.

All of the above options on Yelp are free. The credit union does not have to pay a cent for the listing, event, ability to respond to reviews, or even posting special offers. But, Yelp does offer an advertising option as well. 

With the advertising, you can get your listing on the top of searches. This is something to seriously consider, because credit unions are in a combined bank and credit union category. So, don't be surprised if your credit union is pages in when searching for a financial institution in your community. This is a way to get a prime listing!

SF Fire Credit Union is a great example to look at for their use of Yelp. And, they also use Yelp advertising, so if you do a search for credit union in San Francisco, you will see their premium listing. It is also interesting to see on the SF search, how different institutions are ranked. And, how important it is to know what is being said about your credit union.

The best thing about using Yelp, besides it being free, is that there is not a huge time commitment to maintaining your page.

Do you use Yelp for your credit union now? Any helpful hints for others? 

Social Media Tools- Part I - Monitoring your Credit Union

Yesterday, I posted a video with all sorts of statistics about who is using online communities and demonstrated how important it is for businesses, including credit unions to be aware of what is going on in the online world.

This is the first in a series of posts to explain some of the online sites and resources that are available to help support your credit union. Today is all about finding out what is being said about your credit union- the good, the bad, and hopefully not the ugly. But, isn't it better to know what people are saying, then not know? 

Every credit union should assign one person to monitor the credit union's online presence. Here are easy directions on how to get monitoring set up. 

The easiest way to do this is to set up searches for any new entries for your credit union name, including any variations. Google makes this very easy to do. 

1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts
2. Enter the term you want to search
3. Choose Everything
4. Decide how often you want to get the alerts and email length
5. Pick either email or feed (you will get the alerts in Google Reader)

Do this for each variation of your credit union name, such as full name, abbreviation, website address, etc. This will allow you to catch everything. If you have special program names, do a search for that also. Any term that you think would apply to your credit union. You can always go back and delete a search if it is too broad or is picking up non-related items.

Also, use quotes as necessary. "credit union" is different than searching: credit union. Using the quotes will only pull items with the words credit and union together. Searching credit union without quotes will pull items that have credit and union anywhere in the same page. 

Google alerts may not pick up all mentions of your credit union on twitter. So, you can also create a search for your credit union on twitter and send those to Google Reader as well.

1. Go to http://search.twitter.com
2. Enter your Credit Union name and click Search
3. Click Feed for this query in the upper right hand corner
4. Choose Google and click Subscribe Now
5. Select Add to Google Reader

Now, tweets that mention your credit union will also be sent to your Google Reader.

You can also search other specific websites that you think you will be mentioned on if you are concerned Google will not pick up the items, such as YouTube or Flickr.

That's it! Now, anytime your credit union is mentioned online, you will be able to track it. Perhaps, a member mentioned you in a blog and it was great. You now have a member testimonial. Or, if it was not so great of an experience, you have the opportunity to reach out to the member and resolve the issue. But, if you don't watch what is being said, you are missing out on great opportunities and perhaps, more importantly, potentially setting yourself up for bad publicity.

Now that you are monitoring your credit union online presence, it is important that you determine how you want to handle these comments. Do you want to respond or not? When and how will you respond? While knowing these references to your credit union are out there is important in and of itself, your response to them is even more important.

If you are monitoring your credit union online in another way, please add it to the comments! Also, if you would like help getting these set up, please contact me. I would be more than happy to help you.

Tomorrow, I will be writing about how you can use Yelp! to spread the word about your credit union and not miss out on potential new members.

Why CUs Can't Ignore Social Media!

While it would be easier to just keep doing things the same way we always have, the world is constantly changing and credit unions must must must adapt to these changing times!


This is an updated version of a video that I think is a must see for all credit union decision makers, including the management team and the board of directors. This is the world we live in! The question is....is your credit union adapting to these changing dynamics? Please watch the video and share it!

Now, that you have seen the video, what is your credit union doing? I'm not suggesting you run out and start a facebook page, twitter account, blog, or youtube videos. But, look into what fits with your member base and your community. 


I have done radio shows on twitter, facebook and this Wednesday, we will be talking about blogging, but there is many more options for credit unions to use. Some of these other options take less time and planning then the previously mentioned. I hope you will take a few minutes each day to review some of these other options that your credit union can start using right away.


The video asked whether you are protecting your brand or not. Tomorrow's post will be about how to monitor your brand and what people are saying about your credit union online. 


I hope you enjoyed the video and were surprised by some of the statistics!

CU Chat Up - Social Media at Credit Unions

Does your credit union use social media? Thinking about it? On previous shows, we have discussed twitter and facebook. This week we will be discussing how credit unions are handling their social media program. 

Morriss Partee from Everything CU and Monica Ginder from Day Air Credit Union will be on to discuss who should handle these accounts. One person? A team? Or, what about outsourcing it to a marketing firm or consultant.

What websites does your credit union use as part of their social media strategy? 

Interested in participating in the conversation, please call in at (646) 721-9289.

The show is live Wednesday, May 19th at 2 pm CT and archived as a podcast for future listening. Listen to the show here: Social Media at Credit Unions

Chatter of the Week - James Robert Lay

It has been awhile since there has been a Chatter of the Week (CoW) profiled and on the radio show. This week, the honor goes to James Robert Lay from PTP New Media and came about a little differently than the previous CoWs. 

During the NCUF DE training in April, I decided to auction off a CoW segment to one winner! I tweeted about the auction and got a tweet back from James Robert that he wanted to put in a bid! It was the first DE auction winner through social media! I want to thank James Robert for his generosity to bid on my auction item to support the NCUF DE program.

James Robert Lay

Grower of Relationships

PTP New Media/ CU*SWAG

What do you like the most about working with the credit union industry?

I love the fact that the credit union movement is like family.  Having worked with credit unions for almost six years now, I have met so many amazing people who know so many other amazing people.  The cool thing is that they are all working to help move the credit union industry forward.

What do you think is the biggest marketing challenge facing credit union right now?

The biggest marketing challenge I see for credit unions is to differentiate themselves from the noise that other financial institutions are making as well as other industries.  All industries are on a crash course for commoditization including credit unions.  No longer can credit unions compete on "great rates" and "service" as this is what other financial institutions are marketing as well.  I believe that if we move past these ideas and onto something deeper like experiences an relationships, credit unions can turn their members into walking and talking billboards just like other companies have.

What do you think is the biggest marketing opportunity credit unions have right now?

Credit unions can and should capitalize on the buzz that the press is generating for them right now.  While all the banks are getting negative press, credit unions continue to be touted as safe, sound, secure and ultimately the better banking alternative. When it comes to the effectiveness of marketing, the positive buzz generated by 3rd parties is priceless and should be capitalized on and continued. 

What have you found the most interesting about being part of the online credit union community on twitter?

Having the opportunity to connect with people from around the country who I may not have been able to otherwise is an amazing thing.  It is also exciting to share ideas all while growing together.

What is your favorite television show and/or movie?

I really don't have time to watch a lot of TV or movies as I go 120MPH all day.  However, one TV show I dig is LOST and am excited to get through the last two episodes.  

What is your favorite band or musician?

Music has been and is my passion.  It is with me wherever I go and I dig everything from punk to classical and electronica to rap.  A lot of people may not know that I was in orchestra throughout school playing first chair viola and before starting rocking with credit unions, I was in a punk rock band and had liberty spikes.

What do you think of the credit union community?

I would say that the credit union movement can keep growing together through innovation, communication and collaboration. Very few industries are like and have the opportunities that credit unions have to work together, to build something better and truly make a difference in the communities we are in.

Tune in to the show, Social Media and Credit Unions, on Wednesday at 2 pm CT to hear the CoW segment with James Robert Lay! 

CU Chat Up- Reaching Out to Gen Y...and how about the $10,000 THINK prize!

$10,000! $10,000! $10,000! How amazing would it be to win $10,000 to get an idea of yours out of your head and actually put into reality? CO-OP Financial Services wants to make that happen! One person or credit union will win $10,000 to fund their credit union innovation. 


On today's show, Samantha Paxson, VP of Marketing from CO-OP, will be on the show to talk about all the details surrounding their THINK prize contest. Make sure to tune in to find out how you enter, who is eligible and how the winner will be picked!


Perhaps your innovation idea involves Gen-Y! Well, keep listening because, Gary Balakoff, from Bucks First Credit Union, will be discussing their Project Flipside program which targets 16-25 year olds. Their program includes a 3-Person Crew, special accounts, education and much more. Tune in to hear about the program and get ideas that you can use for your Gen-Y plan.


The show is live on Wednesday, May 12th at 2 pm CT and archived as a podcast for future listening. Listen to the show here: CU Chat Up: Reaching Out to Gen Y

CU Chat Up- Credit Union Development Education

On today's radio show, CU Chat Up had three guests, Matt Vance, Chad Helminak and Amy Rapp. All three have been through the NCUF DE Program. They discussed their appreciation for the program and the projects they have been working on.

Amy Rapp shared her experience of going to South Africa to film a documentary about the South African SACCOs (credit unions).  


The formal description of her video: 

Producers Amy Rapp and Nick Sahakian of Mars Media Group have put together a three minute trailer that highlights the story of the current cooperative system in South Africa.

There are over 60+ hours of interviews and footage that have been videoed and are ready to be edited into a program. One PBS station in Northern CA has indicated that it would air a one hour completed documentary. The treatment that has been put together identifies a variety of stories that show the success that the cooperative movement in South Africa is creating in local communities. One of the upbeat stories details the success of a local couple who started a micro store within a shantytown by obtaining a loan from the SACCO. They now have become the center for much of the social activity within the community. Another upbeat story details women in a shantytown that received a loan to replace a tin roof with a cement roof which offered stability for their living situation. We also travel to the cooperatives that are associated with the local Vineyards. Their story is not as positive. For those that seek to take up wine making in the beautiful coastal areas of South Africa, they will learn that the pickers on many of South Africa’s great wineries still live in an oppressed environment. The regulatory framework for the overall economy of South Africa is depicted in another interview where we learn about the country’s desire to institute deposit insurance, a first in the African continent. In another interview, post apartheid sentiments are shared. We need to obtain completion funding as well as a template that is producer worthy for submissions to corporations/other association/ who would fund a PBS program. We are in need of that template and contacts of organizations that may be interested in seeing this project get to air. 

Thank you so much. 

Interested inquiries please contact:

Amy J. Rapp C.U.D.E. on the project - 909-524-8894

Nick Sahakian for Media - 818-201-7519

If you have any suggestions for how Amy can get the funding she needs to get her documentary finished and aired on PBS, please contact her. It would be amazing to see a finished product and what is possible through micro-finance and the SACCOs in South Africa.


The DE program will be having another session this year in Bainbridge Island, WA. If you are interested in attending please review information here: NCUF DE Program, August 2010


Also, for existing CUDE's there will be an update session in July, 2010 prior to The 1 Credit Union Conference in Las Vegas, NV.


You can listen to the archived show either on the player on the right of the blog or on the main player site: CU Chat Up: CU Development Education. The show can also be downloaded into iTunes.