One of the biggest questions surrounding financial institution blogging, is whether anyone would actually want to read one. We are firmly in the camp that EVERY bank, credit union, and financial services company should have a blog (see our Online Banking Report on blogging here). But with so few actually doing it, it's hard to find examples that provide a good mix of community news, financial advice, along with that right "tone" that makes it readable and believable.
Here's one to watch. After just two months bloggin, Dan Veasey, Director of Marketing and Biz Dev at Piedmont Credit Union in Danville, VA, looks like he has what it takes. When I first looked at his blog (here), there were only a few entries, and its credibility was hampered by the limitations of the Blogger template. Well, Dan took the advice of several industry observers and moved it to a WordPress template several weeks ago.
With the conversion behind him, Dan has been concentrating on the content, which is really what it's all about. For example, in the past week Dan had a great content mix with local news (Starbucks opening), humor (sponsoring a digit of the number pi), CU business (annual meeting invitation), and serious financial subjects (budgeting for a family). He uses a friendly tone that establishes his credit union as the kind of place you want to like. And he drops in a picture or two to break up the text.
Now, all this takes time, so he may need to bring in another author to keep up the pace; but so far, it's great work and a good example to follow.
Here are the previous five posts:
- Math teachers, don’t you wish you’d thought of this?: Light-hearted Friday post on a website where you can buy a digit of the number pi. It has nothing to do with the credit union, but it's a nice break.
- Annual Meeting and New Benefits for PCU Members: Dan drums up interest in the CU's annual meeting, emphasizing the fun, food, and festivities.
- How much family can you afford? Serious piece about the cost of raising a family and the need to budget. Supported with background and a picture about his father's medical mission to Honduras.
- New Future Neighbors at Coleman Marketplace: Short post about a new business coming to town, supported with a picture of a local billboard.
- Starbucks Opens Tonight! (see below) Great post about the first Starbucks in Danville. The post a wonderful job welcoming the new business, while still honoring the two independent coffeehouses in town. Dan should be a politician.
