It’s been a while since the last social media update…and with social media, a lot changes in a short amount of time. That means your well-meaning bank or credit union marketing team (if not on top of the news) is wandering around in the dark without a flashlight.
But fear not! Here are three quick tidbits to illuminate their surroundings and keep them in the loop.
1. Tick Tock for TikTok
“Should we be on TikTok?”
That age-old question finally has a resounding answer – no! President Trump’s executive order only delayed the ban for 75 days; it didn’t stop it from ever happening. Unless TikTok’s parent company sells the app to a U.S. buyer, it’s only a matter of time.
That doesn’t mean you should delete an established TikTok account. But it does mean waiting before setting up a new account. Creating a community on TikTok takes resources and energy…resources and energy you would waste by setting up an account right before a ban.
Use this waiting period to grow your presence on alternative platforms like Instagram or YouTube. You can always return to TikTok if it sticks around, but you want to capture the wandering audience if it doesn’t.
2. Movie Gen Magic
Instagram plans to deploy its innovative AI text-to-video program – Movie Gen – sometime in 2025. Movie Gen will let users:
- Produce custom videos from text
- Edit an original video with text
- Produce AI videos from people’s pictures and text
- Add music and sound to videos
The possibilities seem near endless for users (including your bank or credit union marketing team). Struggling with video production? Now it’s easy. Needing something funny in your video? Think about something fun and type it in.
Movie Gen will also give you the opportunity to connect with younger audiences. According to a study from idomoo, more than 75% of Millennials and Gen Zers want more AI videos from organizations.
So, watch out for its release. And as always, it’s your tool…not your master. Consistently double check its results to make sure everything you broadcast is reputation aware and brand appropriate.
3. It Takes a Village
People relate to people (unsurprisingly). That means your amorphous bank or credit union marketing account is not the most attractive thing to follow. Your employees on the other hand…they are much more likeable.
For example, influencer and former Chick-fil-A employee Mimi Webb brought millions of views to her reviews of the fast food chain’s food and drink options. And on LinkedIn, people love engaging with a company’s staff more than a company page. Audiences enjoy relating to real humans on social media, and it humanizes your brand.
Encourage your staff to participate in marketing your brand…with guardrails.
Mimi Webb (mentioned above) quit because she violated Chick-fil-A’s social media policies. What policies will you set out? There should be some in place. Don’t ban your staff from social media because again, it humanizes you. But letting people roam totally free poses major compliance and reputational risks.
Set up a system where trusted superstars post or compliance can review content. Sure, it’s more work. But it’s worth the effort.
Do you need help braving the ever-changing bank and credit union marketing wilderness? On The Mark Strategies helps clients with big and small marketing needs every day. Book a free consultation now and get an experienced partner to lean on.
