Community Bank Consulting Blog

Social media. Opting out for safety... NOT!

December 3, 2009

Bankers tell me on a regular basis that they refuse to participate in social media (blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) because they fear potential negative publicity.

Guess what?  It does not work that way!

Sort of like many people say about death and taxes, the internet and social media is not an opt-out kind of medium here in the United States.

What is the safest approach?  Actively participate!

Where To Start?

Where do you start?  Step one is to create a social media business plan!

Why should you care?

Today I was posting an article to StumbleUpon, a web sharing and indexing service, and found a great example that illustrates how opting-out is not an option.

StumbleUpon indexes posts on the web by topic.  Banking is a topic I follow.  Today when I clicked on Banking, here is the first article that was returned: Bank Refuses $80K loan; Annoyed Man Withdraws $190K From Bank!

I read the article and the comments posted.  I urge you to do the same.

The Power of Google

Next I decided to do a Google search using the words "Westpac Roger Griffiths".  Here is where things get interesting!  My search took 0.14 seconds and resulted in "about 37,000" results

Here are some of the results:

$190000 withdrawn in $20 bills - national | Stuff.co.nz

Ironic turn after man's Westpac protest | Stuff.co.nz

Man takes $192000 in $20 notes out from bank account in protest ...

cryptogon.com » NZ: Man Withdraws $190000 Savings After Bank ...

» 2009 » July

plime.com : Bank turns down man for $80000 mortgage - He closes ...

Bank Refuses $80K loan; Annoyed Man Withdraws $190K From Bank ...

Is this the beginning of the bank run? | Ron Paul 2012 | Campaign ...

Jeff Kaiser: July 2009

Man withdraws $190000 in $20 bills

Artist takes $190000 out of bank because they won't give him a ...

'Normal' boss swindles bank - Westpac Banking Corporation - NZ ...

Lost Soul: Bank pays cash

Lottery Post Journal

Westpac Customer Protests At Loan Refusal | Business | Guide2.co.nz

Roger Griffiths | Best Mortgage Quote Information

5 Regular Joes Who Stuck it to the Man–And Won | Business Pundit

Roger Griffiths | SNICE.CO.NZ

3 News > Video > Campbell Live > Loan rejection leads to $190k ...

- Boing Boing

PopUpCommontater

Guy Who Protested Mortgage Denial And Took Out $190000 In Twenties ...

cryptogon.com » Resistance

Bank turns down man for $80000 mortgage - He closes $190000 ...

Misc - NuRD's Blog

transpress nz: Disgruntled Nelson artist's protest at Westpac

Westpac customer protests at loan refusal | The National Business ...

Nelson artist urged to get involved in bank inquiry | New Zealand ...

2009 July : thecrit.com

Westpac $192K poorer after man's protest - TVNZ Smartphone - tvnz ...

Damanick Dantes - WalletPop

Preview from Europe: More Earnings Bull -- Seeking Alpha

My Journal

Mortgage Application Rejected // BlogCatalog Topic // BlogCatalog

Links on "1st Advantage Federal Credit Union" | Facebook

SNICE - For everything weird, strange, and random in NZ - Part 2

2009 July « PopUpCommontater

3 News > Video > Campbell Live > Loan rejection leads to $190k ...

MILLION DOLLAR BABY's Page - ThisIs50.com : IF IT'S HOT IT'S HERE!

publish Odd Stuff Blogs - Indian Bloggers on Odd Stuff | Indian ...

MILLION DOLLAR BABY's Page - ThisIs50.com : IF IT'S HOT IT'S HERE!

Westpac $192K poorer after man's protest - TVNZ

Nelson Building Society | Guide2.co.nz

News : thecrit.com

LOL! Man withdraws 190k from bank in $20 bills after being denied ...

Go Westpac! « Hogwash

The Consumerist: Search Results

roger griffiths // Current

Man makes $192000 bank protest!

[PDF]

www.lifesaving.com.au

VoteMeNot • Opinion • Westpac are wearing thin. Time we turned our

Cashzilla

MILLION DOLLAR BABY's Page - ThisIs50.com : IF IT'S HOT IT'S HERE!

Khat Likh De: Latest News, Photos and Videos

GnostiNews: July 2009 Archives

Enough already!

Okay, I stopped copying links after six full pages of hits on the Roger Griffiths / Westpac situation.  On page 11 of the Google search a very limited number hits unrelated to this incident began to show up.

Who won?

Who won?  Certainly not Westpac!  In my opinion Roger Griffiths won.  He was already a successful artist whose work is displayed around the world.  Stop for a minute and consider the value Roger Griffiths will potentially receive from the number of mentions he received from the publicity around this incident.

I suspect Roger Griffiths will have people from around the world looking up his work as a result of learning about him through this widely publicized incident.

Was Westpac justified in their decision?  Who cares?  When I browsed through a few of the posts and replies I noticed less than five people that were supportive of Westpac.

One thing I am quite sure of, even if Westpac was justified in its loan decision the situation was not handled correctly.  An old customer service mantra I hear from many people is "the customer is always right."  I actually don't believe that.  What I do believe is customers should always be treated respectfully and given a reasonable explanation.

Reminder: Building a Blogging Strategy Webinar Tomorrow!

Building a Blogging Marketing Strategy
Date:  October 13 from 2:00-3:30 Eastern
Facilitators:  Eric Cook, Bea Fields and Jeff Simpkins
Where?  Online via webinar and telephone
Cost:  $49.00

NOTE:  This webinar is not just for bankers.  It is a strategic planning session for anyone and everyone who wants to design a solid blogging marketing strategy!

Do any of the following scenarios sound like you?

• I would love to have a great-looking, professional blog...but I have no idea how to start!
• I visit my colleagues blogs and think...gosh...I really need to be doing this to reach my target market.
• I so wish I could increase the number of people in my mailing list without having to bombard people with e-mail, and I want to find a way to pull people to my website or blog.
• I am so ready to see my website (or blog) climb to the top of the first page on Google, and I am sick and tired of buying Google adwords.

If you answered YES! to any of these questions, then the Building a Blogging Marketing Strategy Webinar may be the most important event you will attend in 2009, AND it will get you pumped and ready to make 2010 a banner year for your business.

During this session, we will present the following, and we are going to lay it out in spades:

We will:

1. Explain the critical importance of building a solid plan and foundation for opening a blog

2. Teach you how to use a blog as the hub of your overall social networking strategy.

3. Provide you with 5 questions to answer to establish exactly the target market you most want to reach with your blog.

4. Answer all of those looming questions in the back of your mind such as "How will I have the time to do this?" "How do I get started?"  "How will I monitor negative comments on my blog?"  "What do I write about when I have writer's block?"

Sign Up Today for the Building a Blogging Marketing Strategy Webinar

Along with this webinar, we will be providing you with a simple yet robust strategic planning document which includes the 20 questions you need to answer before you start blogging and a project planning spreadsheet to get you going.  These two documents alone will be worth the price of admission.

The session includes:

• One 90-minute session on designing a blogging strategy
• A 20-question blogging and social networking strategic planning document to jumpstart your blog
• A copy of the video/audio recording of the presentation, easily downloadable online for review
• Access to our Knowledge Genie for this class...which will include a few additional resources to jumpstart your process.

Don't wait.   Sign up today for Building a Blogging Marketing Strategy

Capturing Attention Through Storytelling - Part 4

Master storyteller Ira Glass concludes his discussion on storytelling by discussing being genuine and avoiding two pitfalls.

Capturing Attention Through Storytelling - Part 2

Master storyteller Ira Glass continues his discussion on storytelling by telling sometimes the right decision is to dump a story that is just not working.

Capturing Attention Through Storytelling - Part 1

Ira Glass is a master storyteller.  He is best known for his radio show on NPR called This American Life.  His radio program is so popular that it resulted in a spin off on TV.

Storytelling is not only important in broadcast, it is also a great way to build relationships that result in building business with no selling required.

Listen as Ira shares some of his storytelling secrets for success.

What's off the table? by Seth Godin

Okay, so this is two days in a row that I have reposted a blog entry by Seth Godin.  When I run across something as powerful as this post and the one from yesterday, I can't help but pass it along!

This one really hit home for me.  I have become "the guy to call when you want to enter the social media and Web 2.0+ space" if you're a community banker, finance, or real estate professional.  I invited a community banker to be a guest on my radio program BankTalkRadio.net (http://banktalkradio.net) recently.  The program is hosted using a platform called BlogTalkRadio.  When I mentioned te word 'blog' the person went to her marketing people and they immediately took being a guest on my show "off the table," to use the words of Seth.

I love the power of the conclusion Seth presents:  "Big marketing breakthroughs always come from doing something that everyone else says is off the table."

What's off the table?

by Seth Godin

No project is conceived in a vacuum, no decision in isolation and no negotiation with a clean sheet of paper.

But do you know what you're not willing to consider?

If a newspaper company is planning its future, is shutting down the printing presses an option even being considered? Or is it off the table?

Plan a rabbi's wedding and you probably shouldn't even bother to pitch BLT sandwiches or lobster. It's off the table. Not being considered.

Personal marketing plans run into the unstated table problem all the time. Is it off the table for you to quit your job, drop out of school, go back to school, speak up to your boss? I'm not asking if it's going to work or not, I'm just wondering if the possibility is even on the table. If you're not willing to consider it, you can bet you're going to sabotage the thinking that goes into evaluating the choice.

Big marketing breakthroughs always come from doing something that everyone else says is off the table.

----------------------------------

Blogging and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. are often "off the table" as far as many are concerned.

Here are the common objections I hear:

We are afraid to blog for compliance reasons.  Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and a number of other large financial institutions have very active blogs.  It is not only possible to blog and remain in compliance, it is easy!  Have your compliance people write some basic guidelines of language to avoid (trigger terms).  

If we have a blog we open ourselves to being publicly criticized.  This is my favorite misconception about blogging and social media!  You are more at risk of receiving negative publicity by not using a blog, social media, and Web 2.0+.  By having a blog, being in Facebook, etc. you have an opportunity to monitor comments and take corrective action proactively.  

Obviously "What's off the table?" applies to almost everything in life and business.  I have chosen to point out "reasons" I hear when I bring up social media to banks, finance, and real estate professionals.

Want to learn more?  Visit http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/ and  http://banktalkradio.net/.

I highly recommend following the blog of Seth Godin. It is packed full or useful information that is quick and easy to read on a daily basis!   http://sethgodin.typepad.com

Jeff Simpkins, Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach 
Community Bank Consulting, Inc.
www.CommunityBankConsulting.com
Office Direct:  (704) 644-3868

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffsimpkins
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/jeffsimpkins
Free Webinar Wednesdays:  http://www.FreeWebinarWednesdays.com/
Weekly Radio Show:  http://BankTalkRadio.net (BankTalkRadio.net on iTunes)

We help community banks, finance and real estate professionals:
• Reach prospects, customers and clients using low-cost and no-cost marketing tools
• Deliver world class customer service by choosing and using the right technology

No project is conceived in a vacuum, no decision in isolation and no negotiation with a clean sheet of paper.

But do you know what you're not willing to consider?

If a newspaper company is planning its future, is shutting down the printing presses an option even being considered? Or is it off the table?

Plan a rabbi's wedding and you probably shouldn't even bother to pitch BLT sandwiches or lobster. It's off the table. Not being considered.

Personal marketing plans run into the unstated table problem all the time. Is it off the table for you to quit your job, drop out of school, go back to school, speak up to your boss? I'm not asking if it's going to work or not, I'm just wondering if the possibility is even on the table. If you're not willing to consider it, you can bet you're going to sabotage the thinking that goes into evaluating the choice.

Big marketing breakthroughs always come from doing something that everyone else says is off the table.

----------------------------------

Blogging and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. are often "off the table" as far as many are concerned.

Here are the common objections I hear:

We are afraid to blog for compliance reasons.  Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and a number of other large financial institutions have very active blogs.  It is not only possible to blog and remain in compliance, it is easy!  Have your compliance people write some basic guidelines of language to avoid (trigger terms).  

If we have a blog we open ourselves to being publicly criticized.  This is my favorite misconception about blogging and social media!  You are more at risk of receiving negative publicity by not using a blog, social media, and Web 2.0+.  By having a blog, being in Facebook, etc. you have an opportunity to monitor comments and take corrective action proactively.  

Obviously "What's off the table?" applies to almost everything in life and business.  I have chosen to point out "reasons" I hear when I bring up social media to banks, finance, and real estate professionals.

Want to learn more?  Visit http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/ and  http://banktalkradio.net/.

I highly recommend following the blog of Seth Godin. It is packed full or useful information that is quick and easy to read on a daily basis!   http://sethgodin.typepad.com

Jeff Simpkins, Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach 
Community Bank Consulting, Inc.
www.CommunityBankConsulting.com
Office Direct:  (704) 644-3868

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffsimpkins
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/jeffsimpkins
Free Webinar Wednesdays:  http://www.FreeWebinarWednesdays.com/
Weekly Radio Show:  http://BankTalkRadio.net (BankTalkRadio.net on iTunes)

We help community banks, finance and real estate professionals:
• Reach prospects, customers and clients using low-cost and no-cost marketing tools
• Deliver world class customer service by choosing and using the right technology

Booked Solid Friday: Trish Lambert and Jeff Simpkins-Who Knows What You Do (And Do They Like You)

Join Trish Lambert and me this afternoon at 2 PM EDT as we discuss Who Knows What You Do (And Do They Like You), from the bestselling book Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port.

Friday 29 May
2PM-2:30PM EASTERN
Direct link: http://is.gd/IoEj


This week, Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach Trish Lambert welcomes Jeff Simpkins to discuss how to build trust and credibility.

Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach Jeff Simpkins is the principal behind Community Bank Consulting Inc, which helps community banks reach prospects, customers and clients using low-cost and no-cost marketing tools, and deliver world class customer service by choosing the right technology.

Jeff's website is www.communitybankconsulting.com . Jeff also is co-host of an excellent free webinar series for community banks and for entrepreneurs of all kinds: www.freewebinarwednesdays.com

This episode is hosted by Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach Trish Lambert, whose web site is www.successinsweatpants.com

Join this spirited discussion about how the Book Yourself Solid system can help you achieve business success, even if you hate marketing and selling!

Book Yourself Solid Radio is a webradio show inspired by the bestselling book by Michael Port, focusing on helping you get more clients than you can handle... even if you hate marketing and selling!

Hosted by Certified Book Yourself Solid Coaches Trish Lambert and Davender Gupta, they interview fellow Coaches to help you succeed in filling your practice.

The show takes place every Friday from 2PM to 2:30PM Eastern

Check out the latest guests at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookyourselfsolid

Listen to the show or download podcasts of past episodes at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookyourselfsolid

Show Homepage: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookyourselfsolid
Book Yourself Solid Community: http://www.bookedsolidnetwork.com

Ben Bernanke changes history… goes public. What does this mean to you?

On March 15, 2009, Federal Reserve Board of Governors chairman Ben Bernanke changed history by being the first Fed Chairman ever to grant an interview while in office.  Bernanke appeared on the CBS News Magazine 60 Minutes.

60 Minutes leads in with “Aside from the president he’s the most powerful man working to save the economy…” “Ben Bernanke may be the most important Fed chairman in history.  The question is can he help lead America out of this deep recession and when?”

The interview begins with 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley asking “Mr. Chairman, I’m going to start with a question that everyone wants me to ask: when does this end?” To which Bernanke replies “It depends a lot on the financial system. The lesson of history is that you do not get a sustained economic recovery as long as the financial system is in crisis. We've seen some progress in the financial markets, absolutely.  But until we get that stabilized and working normally, we're not gonna see recovery.  But we do have a plan.  We're working on it. And I do think that we will get it stabilized, and we'll see the recession coming to an end probably this year.  We'll see recovery beginning next year.  And it will pick up steam over time."

What does this mean to you?  The fact that Mr. Bernanke granted an interview to 60 minutes is a strong indicator that he recognizes the need for a level of transparency that was not necessary in the past.

I think a clear indicator of the demand for more transparency in business is the tremendous growth recently of social networking sites on the internet such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.  As I was writing this post I attempted to log into Twitter to check some facts and got the message “Twitter is over capacity. Too many tweets!  Please wait a moment and try again.”  What a great illustration of the rapid growth of social networking sites.

MarketingCharts.com indicates in a blog post dated March 24, 2009, that “Twitter experienced 1,382% year-over-year growth in February 2009, with the number of total unique visitors increasing from 475,000 in February 2008 to seven million last month, according to Nielsen Online.”  They went on to say “This increase makes Twitter the fastest growing member community site for the month.”

“Zimbio and Facebook , which were the second and third-fastest growing communities, posted triple-digit growth, with the number of visitors to those sites increasing 240% and 228%, respectively” MarketingCharts.com continues.

Click here to access the MarketingCharts.com blog post.

The growth and popularity of these social networking sites is a great example of the internet transitioning from what is now referred to as Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.  Think of Web 1.0 as being like a printed brochure.  Web 1.0, like a printed brochure, only gives information.  It does not engage the reader in a two way conversation.

Web 2.0 is conversational.  Web 2.0 gives readers an opportunity to respond.  A great example of how Web 2.0 is conversational is this blog; you have the opportunity to post comments.  On Twitter, you have the opportunity to engage in conversation by retweeting (sending the post of someone else to your followers), replying, or direct messaging (sending a response privately to the original sender).  On Facebook you have the opportunity to post a comment related to almost any information on the site, again, a two way conversation.

For those of you that are having trouble grasping this Web 1.0, Web 2.0 thing, consider this fair warning, there is now a Web 3.0.  Web 3.0 is built around a more collaborative environment.

So what are the lessons we can learn from Mr. Bernanke?

First, I think his bold move of breaking a 96 year tradition of the Fed chairman not granting interviews is a reminder that a good leader is open to change when change is appropriate.  A recent study indicates that the workforce of 2012 will be made up  of 70 million Gen Y's (born 1977 to 1992) and 38 million Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964).  The current recession will most likely cause more Baby Boomers to remain in the workforce longer than projected when this study was conducted, however, the shift in demographics that will occur in the workforce in the next five to ten years is still noteworthy.  Gen Y is the group that discovered social media through outlets like MySpace.  They grew up communicating very openly online about their lives.  Gen Y expects more transparent communications from their leaders.  Gen Y does not respect a leader because of their title, the leader must earn their respect through their actions.

Second, be genuine and open.  If you have not had the opportunity to watch the video of the interview with Mr. Bernanke, it is well worth your time to do so.  You will see a man that is genuinely unhappy with the fact that the Fed had to put money in AIG.  You will also see his explanation of why it was the appropriate thing to do.

As I work with senior managers at community banks, many express concerns about using tools such as a blog, video interviews (Vlog), podcasts, and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  I understand the basis of these concerns, banks are highly regulated; all communication must meet compliance requirements.  This concern is legitimate, however it is not a reason to ignore these communication tools.

Here are a few action items:

1. Look at what other banks are doing.
   1. I did a blog post a few weeks ago on how banks are using Twitter.  Twitter is HOT right now.  A day does not go by without Twitter getting a mention in the media.  I outlined some suggested steps related to Twitter in that post.  Check here to access the Twitter post.
   2. Jim Brune did an excellent post about Twitter recently on the NetBanker blog.  I suggest taking the time to read his post and the comments.  Click here to access the post.
   3. Wells Fargo / Wachovia has a blog specific called The Wells Fargo-Wachovia Blog.  On March 18, Matt Wadley did a good post on their co-branding effort.  Click here to access the post.  This is a good example of using a blog to keep prospects and clients informed.
   4. Monarch Community Bank has done a nice job developing a page on Facebook.  They have integrated lots of photos and video.  Great technique.  Click here to visit their Facebook page.
2. Reserve your name on every social media network that you may ever want to be on!  Unless the site is geared toward inappropriate content, I highly recommend reserving your name.  At the bottom of this blog post there is a ShareThis link.  If you click on that link it will list the top 20 social networks currently on the web.  If you do not plan to begin actively using the network now, post a message saying you are determining how you will use it in the future and tell visitors how they can contact you now.
3. Involve compliance!  Have you compliance staff offer guidelines appropriate content.
4. Being current and relevant are very important.  It is a good idea to have a "fast track" review process in place with your compliance staff when posting to a blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  You are going to want the ability to publish information quickly.  Figure out in advance what the quickest way to have compliance "bless" your material is.  Ideally compliance should be able to review material in an hour or so, rather than a few days or weeks.
5. Have compliance set guidelines on information that can be published on an ongoing basis without being reviewed in advance.  For example, I noticed one bank uses Twitter to occasionally promote rate specials.  If this is something you plan to do, have compliance provide guidelines for how it is to be done once and following those guidelines going forward rather than having a compliance review done each time.
6. Social media coach Laura Roeder (http://twitter.com/lkr) posted a couple comments on Twitter on March 24, that I think are very valuable.
   1. "Don't put a pitch as your bio (on Twitter), (it) makes people feel like they will get a ton of pitches if they follow you."
   2. "The number one biggest mistake I see on Twitter is not telling anyone you are here! Put in your website sidebar, email signature, newsletter..."
7. Continue learning!  We sponsor a weekly series of free webinars geared toward small businesses, service professionals, and community banks called Free Webinar Wednesdays.  We often have discussions around social media.  Click here to see the schedule of upcoming events.
8. Popular business author Seth Godin did a blog post on April 11, 2008 in which he mentions Twitter and blogging in a very short, but insightful way.  Go read the post!  Click here to access "Drip, drip goes the Twit"

I would love to get your comments!

Jeff Simpkins, Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach
Community Bank Consulting, Inc.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffsimpkins
Free Webinar Wednesdays:  http://www.freewebinarwednesdays.com/

"Helping community banks successfully integrate People, Process, and Technology"

Twitter and the Communtity Bank - You REALLY want to know this!

Twitter.  Odd word.  Is it a word at all?  Is it something you should care about as a community banker?  Let me handle these one at a time.

First, Twitter.  It definitely is a word.  More specifically it is a website that Wikipedia defines as "a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length."  Twitter was launched in July 2006.  The word Twitter is a backronym created by Comedian Josh Marino; Typing What I'm Thinking To Everyone Reading.

Second, is it something you should care about as a community banker?  It depends.  If you target market is 100% Traditionalist or Baby Boomer (see Gen Y and the Community Bank), no.  However if your target market includes Gen Y (born after 1977), and in some cases Gen X (born 1965 to 1977), you should take a serious look at Twitter and other social media tools.  For most community banks, a decision to ignore Gen Y will eventually represent a decision to slowly see business wither away.  Gen Y will soon represent the largest segment of the US population; they will soon outnumber Baby Boomers.

A great place to start learning more about Gen Y is in the book Millennial Leaders: Success Stories From Today's Most Brilliant Generation Y Leaders .  Doing business with Gen Y is very different than doing business with their predecessors.  Click here to learn more about a free webinar on doing business with Gen Y on March 4, 2009.

Back to Twitter.

What is Twitter?  To quote their homepage, "Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"  In my experience, it is much more than  this!  It is a great way to reach a very large group of potential prospects in a very low cost (free), non-intrusive and non-offensive way if you follow the proper etiquette of Twitter.  To put it "old school", it's a form of networking.

In doing my research for this post I did a search on Twitter to learn who is already there from the banking community and how they are using Twitter.

I was most impressed with Wachovia (http://twitter.com/Wachovia), which became part of Wells Fargo (http://twitter.com/WellsFargo) at the beginning of this year.  Wachovia indicates "We're here primarily to listen, to learn, to engage with the Twitter community and, occasionally, to share information about our company and services." in their Bio.  There are currently 1,736 users following the posts Wachovia makes on Twitter.

Okay community bankers, here is the most valuable piece of information in this post!  When I looked up Wells Fargo, their Bio says "We're holding our name for now, but hope to participate soon."  There are 438 people following them already.  The moral of the story?  Register your bank name on Twitter immediately after reading two blog posts on choosing a name!  Sarah Evans discusses choosing a Twitter ID and much more in a post entitled HOW TO:  Build Community on Twitter on Mashable.com.  Rick Butts offers some useful tips on the importance of the correct Twitter ID and how to change it if you picked the wrong one in a blog post entitled How to Change Your Twitter Username ID on RickButts.com.

Here are a few other examples of banks currently using Twitter well, and banks that show good potential.

Using Twitter well:
North Shore Bank, Wisconsin and Illinois - http://twitter.com/NorthShoreBank
1st Mariner Bank, Baltimore MD - http://twitter.com/1stMarinerBank
First Arkansas Bank, Arkansas - http://twitter.com/fabandt

Showing good Twitter potential:
Northeast Bank, Maine & New Hampshire - http://twitter.com/Northeast_Bank
Nicolet Bank, Northeast Wisconsin, Green Bay - http://twitter.com/nicoletbank
Chesapeake Bank, Virginia - http://twitter.com/chesbank
Fidelity Bank, Greater Scranton/Wilkes-Barre PA - http://twitter.com/Fidelity_Bank

Are you wondering where to start?  Here's what I suggest:

1. Register a Twitter ID for your bank following the ideas mentioned above.
2. Post a message on the bank Twitter ID indicating you will begin posting "Tweets" in the future similar to what Wells Fargo has done.
3. Register a personal Twitter ID to get a feel for the community.
4. Follow all the banks you can find to see how they are using Twitter. Copy what they are doing correctly!
5. Become familiar with Twitter etiquette.  Randy Gage did an excellent blog post with some good guidelines for Twitter etiquette called Tweet This!  A Twitter Manifesto. 
6. Run a "beta test" by posting tweets to your personal Twitter ID for a period of time. Experiment using various tools for making post such as cell phone, etc.
7. Start tweeting!

Community bankers start your engines! You're ready to begin.

There is an eight minute video of Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter, on Ted.com that is absolutely worth watching!  Check out Evan Williams:  How Twitter's spectacular growth is being driven by unexpected uses.  Follow Evan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ev.  He's a pretty popular guy with 190,497 followers on Twitter as I write this post.

Oh yes, and be sure to follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffsimpkins

Happy Tweeting!