Kathy Klotz-Guest

I had the pleasure of chatting recently with Bill Sheridan (Communications Manager and Editor) and Tom Hood, CPA (Executive Director) of The Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants, known as MACPA, a top thought leadership blog in the accounting industry. MACPA’s blog, CPA Success, has heavily evangelized not only social media adoption by accountants; it has advocated a re-envisioning of profession based on a human-centered approach with social media being merely one small part of that. Who would have thought that accountants had “human” advocates?! They do, and we just had to talk to them.

Kathy Klotz-Guest, CEO of Keeping it Human (KKG): Using social media and being “social” are different things. Accountants aren’t usually known for having a “human” face to the world. You’re a big advocate of the accounting industry becoming “more human.”  What does it mean for accountants to become more human? How does it change the role...

KKG: Your success at IBM led to more of those videos and it became a serial effort.

TW: Yes, 6 ‘Art of the Sale’ videos. We would improvise, and with my writing partner, Scott, we ended up doing a few longer ones. The best bet is to do things shorter – 60 seconds or less.

KKG: What’s new at Cisco? I’ve seen some of the funny stuff you’ve worked on!

TW: We did the Father’s Day video and Valentine’s Day video! I believe that is why Cisco asked me to join their team – they wanted to mix it up and play. They are willing to experiment and try new things. You have to experiment.  So many companies are putting out so much content – but they forget about getting the story right. What we do is a mix of story, an offer and entertainment. It’s critical that good video have all three. Making people laugh won’t make them buy a million dollar mainframe; yet, there is still an enhancement to brand equity that happens when you make...

This is the third in a series of blog posts published on banking.com.

Apps and games: Another great way to increase engagement is to offer fun mobile and web-based applications that help people manage their finances. Infusing applications and great content with immersive gaming elements encourages interactions that are easily shareable with peers.  A great example of this approach is the game “Nickled and Dimed” at creditunionfacts.com. The object of this game is to save Joe from getting barraged by bank fees, and, by doing so, build up savings. Similarly, Park City Credit Union in Merrill, Wisconsin offers an online simulation game with avatars called “Money Mission” aimed at helping teens learn real-life financial skills. Players are eligible to win scholarships.

Another example of an application that allows users to manage their money using their mobile device (there is also an app specifically for the iPhone) is PNC’s virtual wallet application....

This is the first of 3 posts that ran on banking.com.

Today’s financial institutions, like other industry sectors, recognize how important it is to reach out to the Generation Y cohort of 18- to 30-year-olds. Traditional, conservative and stuffy marketing approaches do not work with these digital natives—and neither does throwing social media technology or “cool” marketing on top of existing approaches. While Gen Y likes technology, a lot of interaction and great deals, they also want you to embrace fun and humor, and help them achieve their goals. They want you to change the way you do business in order to earn theirs.

One area where credit unions already have an advantage over banks is in developing deeper customer relationships, and social media can facilitate even richer connections. The good news is there are many ways to increase your relevance by using serious technology combined with a not-so-serious tone.

After all, marketing should be fun if...