The Dirt and the Press

ValleyStone’s recent seminar, The Real Dirt on Household Cleaners, https://shoutcu.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/dirt/,  part of their Neighborhood Watch brand, was extremely successful as predicted.  The crowd of close to 30 interested people listened as Bill Ravenisi detailed amazing information and concern about household cleaners.  The information was stunning.  The attendees sat very attentively.  Their questions were direct and right on.  The  interest of ValleyStone and the topic was validated by the two TV stations who covered the event, the NBC and ABC affiliate, and the pre-event press by many newspapers.  As we know, press coverage for any financial institution is difficult, more on that below.

The post-seminar surveys gave ValleyStone huge praise in three categories – the quality of the speaker, hosting the event, the marketing involved in the event.  They expressed pure interest in attending many more of these types of seminars at ValleyStone.  This is the same reaction from the audience of the self-defense seminar held last month at ValleyStone – “we want more.”

Public relations such as the tv coverage and the newspaper coverage mentioned above should be top of mind for credit unions. I guess it is time for a reminder about why.

First, if you converted the free coverage that ValleyStone received into advertising dollars paid,  it would be immense and so important.  ValleyStone is often commended by competitors on the amount of press coverage they receive.  Credit unions don’t have the marketing budgets like their competitors and that is why public relations is so important.

Second, competition is rough and is only going to get worse in the financial industry, the more notice from the press, the better, it is almost like an endorsement.

Third, if marketing budgets get cut,  put more time into directing public relations.

The know how:

1.  Contacts, contacts, contacts – hire someone with the contacts or get to know the editors, news directors of your local, regional, national media outlets.

2.  Be where they are (community involvement); keep in contact.

3.  Work hard at finding reasons for press coverage (like the seminars mentioned above, seminars are bringing people in and getting free publicity.

 When the doing gets rough, the rough get doing!