KK: What effect has using Twitter had on your relationship with members?
PH: Twitter is a perfect tool for credit unions because it's a one-to-one medium. It's a great way to connect with our members. Members initially seem to be surprised to find their credit union is on Twitter, but the reaction so far has been universally positive. I've found members are impressed that Bellco is reaching out to them through a "cutting edge" channel.

KK: How did you convince your CEO to try Twitter?
PH: Our board of directors heard about Twitter at the end of 2008. They planted the seed with our Marketing team and that led to Bellco starting up on Twitter. I signed up for Twitter in January 2008 and (like many new users) tried it for a few weeks and then let things go dormant. When the board suggested Bellco start using Twitter, I jumped back in on my (personal) account for about a month to get the hang of things and then we started @bellco_CU in January 2009.

KK: What other forms of social media have you added to your marketing mix?
PH: We have a Bellco Credit Union Facebook page in addition to our Twitter account. Our Facebook page allows us to provide in-depth content on different financial topics as well as feature the community events we are involved in. Twitter also allows us to provide brief up-to-the-minute updates on our branches, financial news, etc. Twitter is the "headline" and Facebook is where we can "write the rest of the article," so to speak. To create additional awareness that Bellco is active on Twitter and Facebook, we have added Facebook and Twitter links at the bottom of every page on www.bellco.org.

KK: How do you manage social media with your other job responsibilities?
PH: As the Direct Marketing Specialist, social media is a perfect addition to my job. I check search.twitter.com every morning for "Bellco" and "Bellco_cu." This takes about five minutes. Then I come up with at least one tweet for our account each business day. I also check the Facebook account daily for new posts or comments. We like to address our fans’ questions and comments right away. ...All in all, social media "maintenance" takes about 30-45 minutes a day.

KK: How do you think social media has helped your credit union grow?
PH: Bellco has been mentioned in a number of blogs as a leading financial institution on Twitter. The growth of our Twitter and Facebook presence is partially related to the attention we have received from the credit union industry. We believe we will see a growth in the number of followers and fans from our credit union members later this year, especially on Twitter as it continues to go more mainstream and members find that Bellco is already active in the Twitter community.

Want to learn more about how social media can be weaved into your 2009 marketing efforts? Check out our webinar, "Let's Talk Strategy - Layering Online & Social Media with Traditional Marketing".