Social Media and Banking Group Launched on LinkedIn

Redondo Beach, CA, April 16, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Banker and social media author, Jesse Torres, today announced the launch of the Social Media and Banking Group on LinkedIn.com, the world’s largest professional network.

“LinkedIn is the leader among professional social networks, with over 38 million members located in over 200 countries. A key member segment within LinkedIn is professionals affiliated with financial institutions – whether as employees, vendors, executive recruiters or journalists,” said Mr. Jesse Torres. “Based on LinkedIn’s leadership position and significant composition of bankers, it only made sense to launch the new Social Media and Banking Group on the LinkedIn platform. Attracting bankers and others with an interest in social media and banking is executed much more efficiently and economically. What is given up in control is made up for in time and expense.”

As more and more bankers begin to see the benefits of social media, from marketing, customer service and reputation risk perspectives, they will seek out a group of peers with answers to their questions. The Social Media and Banking Group meets that need.

“In late 2008 I began seeing a growing interest in social media among bankers. My initial response was the release of The Community Banker’s Guide to Social Network Marketing, an e-book that I released free of charge in December 2008. The Social Media and Banking Group on LinkedIn is the next step in informing the banking community about the benefits and hazards of social media within the banking community.”

Joining the Social Media and Banking Group is free and only requires registration on LinkedIn.com. The Social Media and Banking Group can be found at http://www.tinyurl.com/smblinkedin. The 70-page Community Banker’s Guide to Social Network Marketing is free to download at http://www.tinyurl.com/cbgsnm. The Guide is a social media and social network primer for bankers. According to Mr. Torres, “banks tend to avoid being on the bleeding edge of technological implementations. Now that social media has experienced significant growth, is starting to season and is being used by a growing number of financial institutions, it is time for bankers to evaluate how to best utilize social media within their organization as both a tool for customer relations and risk management.”

Jesse Torres is a banker and the author of The Community Banker’s Guide to Social Network Marketing (www.tinyurl.com/cbgsnm) and of the upcoming Social Network Marketing: Unlocking the Value of the Community. Jesse can be reached by e-mail at MrJesseTorres@gmail.com. He can also be found on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessetorres and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jstorres. His blog, Social Media and Banking, can be found at http://socialmediabanking.blogspot.com.

###