YORK, Pa. — First Capital FCU sent an area high school student to prom in style here in the culmination of an academic year that included the launch of its Youth Financial Advisory Board for high school students.
For the prom promotion, FCFCU partnered with a local school district, asking students to use Instagram to tell them how they give back to the community. Students had to submit a photo explaining how they give back, along with the hashtag #GivingBackFirstCapitalStyle.
Each photo was required to get at least three "likes," with the top three then voted on by the credit union's Next Generation committee, which VP of marketing Tara Houser said is "made up of young employees who have a better understanding of what [the millennial market] wants."
The winning student's entry was a photo collage on different pictures of her various community involvement, including supporting students with ALS, talking with legislators and activists about the foster care system, and more.
The winner received a limo ride to prom for her and her friends, a pair of $50 gift certificates for a manicure and flowers, and two tickets to prom, all provided by the credit union.
Students thinking about a high school prom probably aren't going to be active, profitable credit union members for some time to come, so what's the return for First Capital?
For one thing, said business development representative Lisa Barshinger, it strengthens the relationship with the school district.
"It also gets our name out there," she added. "It shows the students who we are and what we're all about." The winner, who will be a senior next year, has expressed interest in serving on the credit union's Youth Financial Advisory Board, "and now she can basically be a voice for the credit union."
In launching YFAB, the credit union consulted 25 high school juniors and seniors from school districts throughout the county it serves on how First Capital can better reach that age group.
One lesson learned: the CU needed to tweak and rebrand its accounts for younger members — something it is in the process of doing now.
But one of the biggest takeaways, according to Barshinger, was that millennials spend more time on Instagram than any other social media platform. That played a big role in crafting the prom competition.
Moreover, the prom campaign and YFAB taught First Capital a valuable lesson about how to reach that demographic. They want posts to be personal to them, but they also want them on the social channels that are relevant to their lives — and that may mean skipping what is traditionally the most widely used social media outlet.
"If you put an ad on Facebook, they're just going to scroll right by it," said Barshinger. "Whereas something like prom, football or the school musical, those things actually reach these students, and that's something that's important to them."
