Tap into the power of social selling.

I empathize with banks. Most understand the importance of social media but also fear compliance violations. Some try to compromise by posting only company updates or community involvement projects. While they certainly have their place in the content mix, these posts shouldn’t dominate a bank’s social media feed.

You’ll also fail to establish yourself as a thought leader among target customers. Instead, work to establish trusting customer relationships through social selling: the practice of distributing branded content through the personal social media channels of your employees (loan officers, wealth managers, branch managers, etc.) rather than an official company account.

Train employees to build relationships, respond to inquiries and engage the public with relevant content. They’ll become powerful advocates for your brand in the process. When used alongside traditional social media marketing programs, social selling can be a highly effective tool.

This commentary by BAI chief marketing officer Holly Hughes highlights the tremendous potential of bank brand ambassadors. In it, Hughes highlights the standout efforts of institutions such as Avidia Bank. (Their success story is also discussed on the BAI Banking Strategies podcast by Avidia digital banking strategist CarrieAnne Cormier.)

Read the full story here.