Anyone who has watched Mean Girls knows this line: “There are no rules in this house. I’m not like a regular mom. I’m a cool mom." In the movie, cool moms act more like BFFs than parents. They encourage -- or at least ignore -- bad behavior. Their conversational strong suit is centered on hot gossip, not maturity and wisdom. And, have you seen their kids? They look like they’re straight out of a glossy, driving luxury cars and wearing designer duds. Fun, fashion and frivolity are a cool mom’s forte. Bankrate’s social media networks aren’t like a cool mom. They’re like a regular mom. Regular moms have rules and set expectations. They tell their kids what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. They’re there to encourage their kids when they excel, and guide them back on track when they lose their way. In a culture littered with peer pressure and status envy, instilling self-esteem and teaching real-world lessons may be just the cure for hyper-consumerism. With financial literacy, there’s an understanding that beneath the bling, there are balance sheets, and those tell the real story. Status symbols oftentimes turn out to be just that -- symbols. Conversations on Bankrate’s social channels change the paradigm from “frugality is frumpy" and “finance is boring" to “saving is sexy." Bankrate’s insightful tweets and social posts help followers and their friends make smart decisions with their money, so they can be in control of their lives. After all, it's not easy to pay off credit card debt, finance a higher education, save up for a down payment, squirrel away an emergency fund, or put today's paychecks toward tomorrow’s retirement income. But these issues affect almost everyone. So like the regular mom, Bankrate is there to listen to concerns through tweets or Facebook messages, to remind people that they’re not alone in getting their finances in order, and to offer solid money management advice. Sounds like regular moms may be the cool ones after all. Even in mom jeans, Bankrate had a buzzy year in 2013. With the help of our followers, our brand reached more than 22 million people on social networks alone. Bankrate earned more than 409,000 mentions on social sites -- a 168% increase over the previous year -- with some hat tips ranging from the likes of Whole Foods to the Wall Street Journal Wealth Report. And talk about brand discovery through social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest and Tumblr collectively sent more than 345,000 first-time visitors to our flagship site. Financial infotainment, headline-generating research, interactive contests, engaging tweet chats and fun On-Air hangouts made Bankrate’s social content shareable. Here are some of our top social media moments from 2013, with example links below. It got real with scary-but-true personal finance stats. “76% of Americans report living paycheck-to-paycheck -- with young adults less likely than older adults to #save." - @Bankrate, Twitter Finally, you learned why Mom wouldn't co-sign your student loan. “Never, ever co-sign a loan unless you can afford to and want to make someone’s credit payments, period." - @Bankrate, Twitter You discovered that self-actualization doesn’t just happen. But a financial plan can help make it a reality. “Financial goals should be based on life goals: What do you want to accomplish? Make a money plan to achieve it." - @Bankrate, Twitter You were warned: Don't buy a house that’s bigger than your budget. Just don’t. “Don’t let your dream house take you to the poor house." - @Bankrate.com, Facebook Bankrate proved that finance can be funny. We hosted a social media contest at the Financial Blogger Conference, and awarded tablets to conference-goers with the best money jokes. The responses ranged from cheesy to clever, and a good time was had by all. Our #lolfinance contest hashtag was the most tweeted after the conference hashtag, generating more than 1.6 million impressions (and nods from AARP and NPR Marketplace Money). “Friday finance funny --> RT @AllyBank: #FinCon13 #lolfinance Why did the CD like cheap jokes? It hadn’t matured." - @AARPMoney, Twitter And, since house hunting isn’t as easy as it appears on House Hunters, Bankrate teamed up with an HGTV personality to walk homebuyers though the process. To nip new-year spending hangovers in the bud, Bankrate teamed up with RetailMeNot and Credit.com for a holiday hangout on smart spending. Viewers tuned in for an average duration of more than 11 minutes! Just like mom’s cooking, all of Bankrate’s social initiatives are homemade and served up fresh from our in-house team. We’re keeping our relationship building in the family.
https://twitter.com/Bankrate/status/349517616429273088 https://twitter.com/Bankrate/status/418019642545033216 https://twitter.com/Bankrate/status/417701813073494016 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151290318115836&set=a.498402095835.272323.137058825835&type=1&relevant_count=1 http://www.bankrate.com/financing/saving-money/finance-can-be-funny/
