JACKSON, Miss.—To effectively manage a credit union's social media presence, staff can't look at the time clock.
Sarah Dale Harmon, marketing specialist at Magnolia FCU, understands that and actually likes that aspect of her role in guiding the CU's social media presence.
"My working hours are not confined to nine to five," said this year's winner of NAFCU's Professional of the Year honor for credit unions with $250 million in assets and less. "I respond to members' social media posts after hours, on weekends and during holidays. I have my phone with me so it is not an issue at all. I enjoy this work."
Harmon said that rapid response to members' social media interactions with the credit union is critical to a strong social media presence. "Finances are a very personal and important matter to people, and when they don't get an answer quickly they feel stress. I don't let that happen," she said.
Harmon came aboard the $132 million MFCU just under two years ago, and a primary project has been to update and enhance Magnolia's social media marketing.
She's added Vine, Pinterest, Instagram and Blogspot to the social media mix. In the past 19 months, fans of Magnolia's pages haven increased from 244 to more than 6,100. Membership jumped 11.8% in 2013, attributed, in part, to Harmon's efforts.
Consistency, honesty and well-chosen levity make social media sites tick, added Harmon.
"You have to stay on top of your sites, don't hide any member problems and don't be afraid to use humor," she said. "People really connect with humor when you use it appropriately—you need that human aspect in your posts. People can't feel like they are talking to a machine, they want to interact with real people."
If the credit union receives a complaint, Harmon said the CU does not hide it. "We post it, we never cover it. It's a more accurate reflection of who we are, because we are not perfect. We apologize for the problem and we fix it."
Outside of her social media duties, Harmon stays busy. She is continually trying to improve her professional education and is finishing CUNA's Marketing Management School, and she has earned a variety of other industry certificates.
She's also the Magnolia point person for a variety of community engagement activities, including being the liaison for Partners in Education.
"I like what I do and I love working within the credit union movement," said Harmon. "I enjoy making a difference in people's lives, and that's what credit unions are all about."
