Truliant FCU Maximizes PR Impact

Lisa Warlick

Each week, Truliant Federal Credit Union CEO Marcus Schaefer appears on a cable television community affairs series, "Triad Today." This helps the Winston-Salem, N.C., credit union accomplish several of its communications objectives at once: reinforcing the credit union difference, advancing its "people helping people" philosophy, and solidifying the Truliant Federal brand in the public eye.

Through this creative public relations tactic, Truliant Federal has fine-tuned the art of integrating community outreach with media relations. By sponsoring segments and participating in interviews on Triad Today, the credit union delivers valuable consumer financial information about topics ranging from identity protection to understanding the fine print in credit card agreements, and from planning for a potential layoff to understanding credit reports. At the same time, Truliant Federal uses the media to position its officials as reliable spokespeople for consumers.

Truliant Federal has succeeded with this approach for all forms of media, including major daily newspapers, business journals, television news programs, and trade publications. Coverage includes personal profiles of credit union officials as well as consumer-oriented articles bylined by Schaefer and others. The goal is for reporters to "think Truliant" when they write about credit unions or consumer financial news.

In addition to using the media to distribute pro-consumer information, a robust community involvement calendar provides media outlets ample opportunity to highlight Truliant Federal. The local media are invited to all credit union community events, such as kids’ health and safety fairs, employee appreciation celebrations, branch grand openings, and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. The events are orchestrated not only to serve the community, but also to provide interesting "hooks" and visuals for the media.

Such commitments to the community are part of credit union philosophy. Actively engaging the media simply ensures that target audiences know about this philosophy and recognize Truliant Federal as a champion of the community.

Community involvement led to another innovative and fruitful media relationship for Truliant Federal. The credit union partners with the local NBC affiliate WXII-12 to sponsor community activities, such as American Cancer Society fund-raisers and area food drives. As a sponsor, Truliant Federal’s logo appears on funding and food collection sites all over Winston-Salem. In addition to sponsoring the activities, the credit union funds the public service announcements about the events. Simply put, you can’t turn on the 6 p.m. without hearing Truliant Federal’s name, thanks to this partnership.

Truliant Federal also taps into a cost-effective promotional tool with WXII-12 by sponsoring "televised billboards" and the station’s Web site banner ads. By sponsoring sports highlights or weather segments, the Truliant Federal brand and tagline is reinforced during prime time newscasts when traditional advertising can be cost-prohibitive.

Truliant Federal also hosts press luncheons to maintain its presence and profile in the markets it serves, most recently in Charlotte, N.C. These lunch meetings, which include print and broadcast journalists, give the credit union the opportunity to brief the local media about upcoming business and community initiatives. This allows Truliant Federal to control interactions with the press and highlight its continuing commitment to the communities it serves.

Integrating community involvement with media relations will maximize the impact of any credit union’s public relations plan.

Lisa Warlick is senior marketing representative for Truliant FCU. Contact her at warlickl@truliantfcu.org.