MountainOne Launches Social Media Initiatives11:33AM / Monday, July 06, 2009
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - MountainOne Financial Partners and selected subsidiaries are actively using social media applications for customer interactions, according to an announcement by Liz Bissell, Vice President of Marketing. MountainOne Financial Partners includes: Hoosac Bank; South Coastal Bank; Williamstown Savings Bank; Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins; and True North.
According to Bissell, "Social media applications allow us to interact with customers and the public in new, personal and innovative ways. Social networking sites are all about connecting."
MountainOne is currently using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Stated Bissell, "This quote from a webinar I attended is useful in quickly understanding the types of interactions one can expect with the various applications: LinkedIn is the business meeting; Facebook is the hallway conversation; Twitter is the cocktail party."
MountainOne will use social media applications to: respond to customers; solicit customer and community feedback; publicize sponsored events and seminars; share photos of events, offices, and employees; monitor information about MountainOne and its subsidiaries; and connect with customers in a fresh and personal way.
Linkedin
MountainOne employees are encouraged to create their own individual profiles on LinkedIn, which currently has over 30 million users. Users like the professional and business-oriented look and feel of LinkedIn as compared to other social networking sites. LinkedIn tends to be popular with older demographic groups, and profiles include education, work history, and accomplishments. The site allows users to build a network of online business connections and also to join relevant groups for sharing of information and soliciting feedback.
Facebook
While over 200 million individuals have personal "profiles" on Facebook, businesses are also able to create corporate "pages" which work somewhat like profiles. The business page allows MountainOne to post commentary, photos, events and other company information. Individuals on Facebook can become "fans" and read and comment on MountainOne information. Non-Facebook users may also view limited information on the MountainOne page.
Photos are extremely popular on Facebook - over 10 billion photos are uploaded daily by users around the world - and the MountainOne page features event photos frequently, and has several photo albums. The MountainOne Facebook page can be found by non-Facebook users by visiting mountainone.com and clicking on the "F" icon, or by active Facebook users by searching for MountainOne Financial Partners.
Twitter
Over one million individuals and businesses are currently using Twitter, which allows for unlimited numbers of posts or "tweets" on any topic, each of which is limited to 140 characters. Roughly three million tweets are sent every day throughout the world. Photos and web links can also be shared via Twitter, and tweets can be submitted through various applications, including cell phones. According to a recent poll conducted on Twitter, when users were asked what type of information they would like financial institutions to share on Twitter, the majority of responses included financial advice, money tips, community events, and seminar information.
Twitter also allows one to create and save searches on company and individual names, topics, cities & towns, etc. MountainOne uses this search capability on a daily basis to monitor information about MountainOne and its subsidiaries, its competitors, and to connect with local individuals and businesses. MountainOne tweets can be viewed by non-Twitter users by visiting mountainone.com and clicking on the "T" icon, or by active Twitter users by searching for MountainOneFP.
Webinar Case Study
Through Twitter, MountainOne was contacted by an organization called BankerStuff, which, according to its website, "is the only one-stop online resource of banking information compiled by bankers for bankers in the US, North America and around the Globe." As one of its many services, BankerStuff provides relevant online webinars to Bankers. Bissell will serve as a guest speaker in an upcoming webinar titled: "Twittersphere: a Banker Case Study." She will describe MountainOne's efforts to launch social media and Twitter applications, share a sample policy and style guide with interested bankers, and relate tips and techniques that MountainOne has learned in the use of these tools.
MountainOne Financial Partners, headquartered in North Adams, has combined assets of $860 million and over 200 employees. Hoosac Bank, Williamstown Savings Bank, and South Coastal Bank provide a broad range of banking services for personal and business customers. Hoosac Bank, established in 1848, has offices in North Adams and Williamstown; Williamstown Savings Bank, founded in 1892, has an office in Williamstown; and, South Coastal Bank, founded in 1868, has offices in Rockland, Braintree, Scituate, and Quincy. Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins Insurance Agency, founded in 1927, and one of the largest property and casualty insurance agencies in Western Massachusetts, serves personal and business customers through offices in North Adams, Williamstown, and Adams. True North Financial Services, established in 1997, is a registered broker dealer, providing investment, life insurance, retirement planning, and employee benefit services to personal and business customers through offices in North Adams, Williamstown, and Pittsfield. |
