Be Heard on Social Media

Joshua Habursky

Assistant Vice President of Advocacy, ICBA

Carissa Hampton

Director of Marketing Engagement, ICBA

/carissa-hampton/@JoshuaHabursky

Why is Advocacy Important to Our Industry?• When lawmakers and regulators are considering policy initiatives that affect

community banking, your loud, clear and collective voice matters!

• Lawmakers seek reliable, trusted sources (That’s YOU).

• Your advocacy efforts allow you to engage on issues affecting community banks.

• You should be the trusted source on your local economy and the community banking industry for your lawmakers.

• Developing relationships and sharing your personal story is an important part of enacting change and bringing attention to important issues.

Is Social Media Really an Effective Channel for Making Your Voice Heard?• Your lawmakers have multiple social media channels.

• Your lawmakers engage regularly on social media.

• Social media is an effective way to share YOUR story in a dynamic, engaging way.

Choosing a Social Media PlatformTwitter: Live and influencer driven

• Tweet members of Congress, staff and media.

LinkedIn: Informational and professional

• Repost and comment on whitepapers, one-page documents, articles and formally written resources.

Facebook: the most used social media platform

• Drum up support from employees and community members.

• Share action alerts for maximum reach.

Instagram: Rising in popularity (especially among younger demographics).

Social Media Best Practices• Tag your lawmakers when you’re discussing

relevant bills, topics, policies and issues.

• Use local, trending and industry hashtags to extend your reach.

• Be positive (and still firm and knowledgeable).

• Say thank you when your lawmaker is supportive and /or a champion for community banking.

• Ensure your posts are authentic, personal and conversational.

Paint a Visual Picture of Your Reality• Tell stories about the history of your bank and its contributions.

• Show your personal involvement and the involvement of your bank using images and video.

• Get some help from your customers to tell your local story.

• Humanize your bank (who are the people in your bank and in your community that bills, proposals and policies affect?)

Share Your Expertise

• YOU are an important resource for media and lawmakers.

• Share the niches and particulars of your community that you are an expert in (ag lending, mortgage, small business loans, technology).

• Author and share blogs, articles and commentary on your social media channels (putting your expertise on display for media, lawmakers and staffers.

Stay Informed• Follow the issues that are important to your lawmakers.

• You may not agree with all of the issues and policies your lawmakers support but engaging in a professional dialogue and presenting facts and stories to support your viewpoint are vital.

• Use social media to follow important topics, hashtags, people and news so you can be as informed about the issues as possible.

Ways to Make Your Story More Impactful on Social Media

• Video (grab your phone and make a 30-second video addressing important topics and how they impact your bank and community).

• Follow and engage with local media.

• Take a couple hours a month to plan social media posts that highlight your local knowledge and industry expertise.

• Choose the right channels.

• Mentor your emerging leaders and teach them the importance of community bank advocacy.

• Encourage your staff to actively share their stories (an array of voices and experiences is so important).

Types of Social Media Advocacy

• ICBA Content• Drive engagement

• Gain powerful feedback

• Shareable Content• Action alerts

• Peer-to-peer

ICBA Content

Shareable Content

What should I do next?

• Connect with your Members of Congress on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

• Connect with ICBA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

• Retweet ICBA advocacy content.

• Utilize the ICBA Marketing Toolkit for social media content for your bank.

• Reach out to ICBA if you have questions or need assistance.

QUESTIONS?