MADISON, Wis. – Learn how to effectively incorporate social media into credit union marketing programs through a new webinar series from CUNA.

The Social Media Webinar Series explains how to develop and incorporate a social media strategy into credit union marketing efforts by using free tools such as blogs, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. The four-session series runs Aug. 11-27 and is held in conjunction with the CUNA Marketing and Business Development Council (CMBDC).

The series includes:

• Web 2.0 101 - An Introduction to Social Media for Credit Unions – This Aug. 11 webinar is a social media primer that provides specific examples of the free online tools that are available to credit unions. It includes examples of how credit unions and others are successfully using these technologies and suggests tools that marketers should be leveraging, regardless of their level of engagement.
• Results 2.0: Using Web 2.0 Tools to Achieve Real Business Objectives – The Aug. 18 webinar demonstrates how to build a Web 2.0 strategy that will accomplish credit union objectives. Jeffry Pilcher, publisher of TheFinancialBrand.com and founder of financial brand consultancy company ICONiQ, will also explain how Web tools can build a brand while selling products. Finally, he will offer his thoughts on the right and wrong way to build a strategy.
• How to Tie Your Social Media Strategy into Your Overall Credit Union Objectives and Marketing Plan – This Aug. 25 webinar explores how to tie a social media strategy into currently existing channels. Using all of the lessons from this series, this offering helps determine how and where social media aligns with current marketing plans and other objectives and how to best integrate these plans.
• Peer to Peer Social Media Web Roundtable – This Aug. 27 bonus session is open to those who attend the entire Social Media Webinar Series. It begins with panelists from three credit unions engaging in social media, followed by questions from participants.

"This webinar series, tailored specifically for credit unions, covers almost everything that marketing departments need to know about social media," said Rich Jones, vice chair of the CMBDC and vice president of marketing for Elevations CU in Boulder, Colo. "Like many credit unions, we are trying to figure out how to leverage social media, and this series will help us make informed decisions on how to best use these tools.”

Credit unions can register for individual sessions for $149 or for the entire series for $298. Members of the CUNA Council can sign up for special discounted rates of $49 and $99, respectively, and will also receive access to an online social media discussion group included in their series registration package.

For more information or to register, go to
training.cuna.org, and enter “Social Media” in the event finder search engine, or call
(800) 356-9655, ext. 4249.