By Ron Jooss
Do you know what your members are having for lunch? Chances are, a good number of them are devouring videos over their lunch hour, at least according to a front-page New York Times article that ran last Saturday.
We "YouTube" or "video snack" at CUES all the time. (But only during lunch, Fred.) I'm guessing workplaces that "video snack" average more laughs per employee, and that probably equals more satisfied customers. But that's just a hunch.
Music's my thing, so those are the videos I gravitate to, or at least they're the ones that touch me the most. Recently, I've seen the Beatles at Shea (thanks to Open Source CU), guys dancing on treadmills, and this unbelievable guitar player.
If you're looking for video content with take-home value, I take guitar lessons from these guys who use YouTube-type videos to present their lessons. (I don't do this at work, however.) They offer free lessons as well as premium content, for which they charge a fee. They also have about 75 videos on YouTube.
They've become sort of Internet celebrities, at least among guitar newbies like myself. The San Diego Tribune-Union even wrote an article about David Taub, the teacher on the site, when their videos were temporarily pulled from YouTube this summer. (They've since been reinstated.)
Next Level Guitar has truly added to my life. David Taub teaches me guitar like he lived next door. I can play the videos over and over. Paying for the premium content was a no-brainer, at least for me. Plus, I'm part of a community when I participate in their online forums. And it's all because of this easy-to-use video technology.
How about your credit union? I'm sure you've got both employees and members with talents they would love to display. Do you have a lending officer who can play a great guitar solo? How about a teller who can break dance? (Maybe a CEO who can break dance.)
On a community level, lots of credit unions display student art in their branches. Video would be a great way for the students to provide descriptions of their art. In addition to sending out photos of scholarship winners, you could send out short video introductions.
Or, on a more credit union level, you may want to tell your members why a certain piece of legislation is important to them. You could also describe why they should bank with you instead of the guys down the street. Your products are probably better and the average guy on the street probably doesn't know that you're not out to make a profit like the average bank.
Or maybe you've got a marketer who's just dying to tell the world why your bundling product is so great, and she can make people laugh while she does it. Who doesn't have that marketer?
Regardless, I bet you've got a reason to make a video, and give your members a reason to have you over for lunch. You can make them laugh and make them think—about your credit union. It's easy—and fun—with the Internet and these video capabilities. The bottom line is to think in terms of building community, to get people to "hang out" with you during their lunch hour.
Ron Jooss edits the General Management and Board sections of CUES' Credit Union Management magazine.
Read how a Canadian CU is using YouTube.
