Collaborate your way to social media expertise

The credit union industry has a long way to go in terms of using social and digital channels to the full extent of their power and potential. And that’s okay. The industry has come a long way in the past few years and there’s a ton of great examples out there of credit unions and cooperatives doing amazing things via social media.

As cooperative businesses, credit unions know a thing or two about cooperation (Principle 6 has always been my favorite). We don’t often see private companies in the same industry coming together and sharing information, programs and successes.  Yay for a friendlier business model! Now it’s time to ask your good friend collaboration for some fresh new ideas.

Regardless of your credit union’s current state of social media activity today—or your plan for where it needs to be in the future—there are a couple things you can be doing right now to be more plugged in to the scene:

• Join networks, ask for advice:  There are many online groups where people share ideas, provide templates for successful programs, and give feedback on new concepts. Get started by searching for groups related to social media or marketing on LinkedIn. On Google+, there are online communities  for social media, credit unions, marketing, etc. If you’re a CUDE, the DE Networking tools can be quite helpful and if you’re involved in the Cooperative Trust, the forum is an active and judgment-free place to get innovative and inspiring ideas from your peers. On an individual level, we’re always watching for what’s coming next from credit unions like Teachers (@TFCU), Landmark (@LandmarkCU) and Mission Fed (@MissionFed). These are just a few examples but there are many more—find what you like and reach out for advice!
• If you can’t find it, build it: At the CU Water Cooler symposium this past year, I met Alycia Meyers from CU*Answers who shared how she started a program called ‘Be an Innovator’ at her company —essentially an employee-driven group to encourage the growth of ideas and networking. Connecting with people in roles you wouldn’t normally interact with can open your eyes to new perspectives. If you’re not finding your groove among existing networking groups, think about how you can start one on a local, personal level.
• Don’t just be a taker: In order for ideas to come around, ideas must go around. Don’t forget to share what you’ve experienced and learned with others looking for advice. Now who’s the expert! Be useful in the networking groups you participate in by sharing out particularly relevant and interesting stories. I find Flipboard to be an extremely useful tool for curating information on topics of interest to me. Bonus: they’ve made sharing ridiculously easy and it functions beautifully on a tablet.

If we take advantage of the collective experiences of the industry; foster an environment of encouragement, sharing and honest discussion; and give back as much as we take, this industry can tap into the full potential of social media a lot sooner than if we each tried to go it alone.

If you’re interested in more examples of cooperative collaboration, I’ll be back soon to discuss the growing trend of cross-sector cooperative business associations.