CUNA and state leagues are pushing out marketing and advertisingefforts for Bank Transfer Day, employing an array of toolsincluding model press releases, Q&As and management/employee“talking points” with an eye toward spiking account volume.

In a five-page “Ready Sheet” distributed to leagues andindividual credit unions, CUNA reminded CUs about the importance ofthe Nov. 5 event relaying a strong industry message against bigbanks' fee hikes while making “the most of the opportunity” amidstthe anti-bank fervor.

Both social networks and traditional means need to beconsidered, CUNA advised.

The trade group again urged credit unions that are open on Saturdays to extendtheir Nov. 5 hours, invest in new advertising, add links toFacebook pages and send out Twitter feeds, as well as issue pressreleases touting the virtues of credit unions.

“Credit unions would do well to be prepared so they can accommodate any surge in interestfrom people within their community and make the most of thisopportunity to build membership, especially among young people whoin the past have often been so hard to reach,” CUNA said in its“Ready Sheet.”

CUNA also said “front line staff should have adequate suppliesto accommodate increased traffic” and be prepared to cross-sellservices to potential members switching from a bank.

”Consider holding a community meeting atyour credit union or community center to explain what credit unionsare all about,” the trade group added. “If you're seeing a highlevel of press and social media interest about Bank Transfer Day,such a community meeting is a way to get in front of it.”

One New Jersey CU, the $280 million United Teletech FinancialFCU of Tinton Falls, said it has already extended hours for Nov. 5and announced Friday it is now the “Bank Transfer Headquarters” forthree New Jersey counties: Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex.

NAFCU also said it has on the shelf a panoply ofnew and existing marketing materials to help credit unions get theword out, including posters and inserts.

In its Q&A section of its “Ready Sheet,” CUNA also addressedwhat it said was a misconception that Bank Transfer Day couldcreate a run on banks and that credit unions could not handle theinflow of detailed some of what it said are common misconceptionsor myths about BTD creating a “bank run” or CUs being unable tohandle the deposit inflow.

“No one in the credit union system, or any of the organizers ofBank Transfer Day, is encouraging or wants to see a run, or adestabilized banking system,” the trade group said.

The CU message “has simply been that if people are upset withhow they are being treated by their bank, they have options,” CUNAsaid.