HSBC's virtual bank first direct has launched a "social media newsroom", tapping sites like Flickr and YouTube to provide news and information through a mash-up of blogs, photos and videos.The site, which comes after the launch of a Twitter feed in April, lets users set up tags and RSS feeds to receive immediate and tailored information. Media consumers can also share text, images and video across blogs and social networks.
Amanda Brown, PR and communications manager, first direct, says: "Increasingly, people are turning to online methods of media consumption and as a brand we have to go where the audience is. With the social media newsroom we wanted to create one central hub for all our communications online and we wanted to make those communications as portable and shareable online as possible."
Last year the online bank launched a social network, Little Back Book, for customers to post and view recommendations of local attractions. The site lets users share reviews of anything from shops to restaurants to art galleries to festivals.
Says brown: "We create a lot of content that could add value to the conversations already going on online, the newsroom is a step on the way to engaging in that dialogue."
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