"I'm goin' to San Antonio." Hmm. Almost the same impact as the original cliché!
A few months ago, "Alert Reader" REWahoo! told me about USAA's "Military Blogger of the Month" recognition. I immediately [-]started mining this valuable bloggers' resource[/-] nominated The-Military-Guide and received a polite "We appreciate your feedback" note from a USAA staffer. I don't exactly consider my blog to be in the same league as this group , and I can understand USAA hesitating to recommend a blog that's selling a product (no matter what's being done with the royalties). So I moved on with the rest of the book's marketing plan.
Then a couple weeks ago USAA's public relations exec subscribed to The-Military-Guide.com. I figured they were running low on blogger nominees but didn't really give it much thought. However last week the "Ask USAA" host started following my Twitter feed. Again I just figured some poor USAA staffer was running daily keyword searches and had swept up my feed in the collective.
Well, now USAA's grabbed my attention with both hands by sending this invitation:
Of course I accepted, and I'll probably be flying in on the 7th. My plans after that are flexible because I need to either return on the 10th (I'm not flying on the 10th anniversary of 9/11) or stay for a few extra days to do book signings at the Lackland & Fort Sam Houston military exchanges.
I've asked USAA if guests can attend and what parts of the event are open to the public. I've told them that people want to know how USAA's financial products (CDs, mortgages, mutual funds) could be made more competitive with NFCU, PenFed, Fidelity, & Vanguard. I've told them that [-]my daughter[/-] college students would like to know whether USAA will consider ROTC & service academy income for a USAA credit card.
I'll post USAA's responses. What other questions would you like me to ask them?
I don't know what hotel USAA is using, but presumably it'll be near their corporate offices. Who's up for a San Antonio E-R.org chapter meeting?
A few months ago, "Alert Reader" REWahoo! told me about USAA's "Military Blogger of the Month" recognition. I immediately [-]started mining this valuable bloggers' resource[/-] nominated The-Military-Guide and received a polite "We appreciate your feedback" note from a USAA staffer. I don't exactly consider my blog to be in the same league as this group , and I can understand USAA hesitating to recommend a blog that's selling a product (no matter what's being done with the royalties). So I moved on with the rest of the book's marketing plan.
Then a couple weeks ago USAA's public relations exec subscribed to The-Military-Guide.com. I figured they were running low on blogger nominees but didn't really give it much thought. However last week the "Ask USAA" host started following my Twitter feed. Again I just figured some poor USAA staffer was running daily keyword searches and had swept up my feed in the collective.
Well, now USAA's grabbed my attention with both hands by sending this invitation:
Greetings!
I am USAA’s executive director of communities and collaboration, responsible for the team that leads our social media efforts. I’d like to invite you to San Antonio, TX – the home of USAA’s 5-million-square-foot headquarters – for a unique opportunity to attend our special Patriot Day event, learn more about our organization’s mission and tell us how we’re serving military members and their families. USAA is happy to offer attendees a stipend to cover travel and lodging for your trip to San Antonio.
You are part of a select group of important financial industry/military/technology bloggers, editors and reporters to whom we are offering the opportunity to join us September 8 and 9. If you accept, you’ll attend our special event to remember and honor the victims of September 11 and get an insider’s look at our Fortune 200 company, which is focused on facilitating the financial security of 8.2 million members, associates, and their families. We have an exciting two days planned with an agenda that includes:
* A chance to meet with key officers and innovative thinkers at USAA.
* A tour of USAA Headquarters with a peek at our Innovation Lab, where we cook up cool ways to serve our members better.
* Attending USAA’s 10th anniversary September 11 remembrance ceremony, featuring guest speaker Vice Admiral Bill McRaven, a Navy SEAL and San Antonio native responsible for capturing Saddam Hussein and commanding the special operations raid against Usama Bin Laden.
* Networking with key members of the financial services, military, technology, and insurance industries.
When you RSVP, please:
* Let us know some topics you’d like to learn more about while you’re with us,
* Include your Facebook and Twitter handles so that we can set up a private Facebook group or Twitter stream to provide event updates, and
* Indicate whether or not you are interested in the stipend; if so, we will provide more information.
We hope to see you in September!
Best,
Augie Ray
Executive Director of Community and Collaboration
USAA
Of course I accepted, and I'll probably be flying in on the 7th. My plans after that are flexible because I need to either return on the 10th (I'm not flying on the 10th anniversary of 9/11) or stay for a few extra days to do book signings at the Lackland & Fort Sam Houston military exchanges.
I've asked USAA if guests can attend and what parts of the event are open to the public. I've told them that people want to know how USAA's financial products (CDs, mortgages, mutual funds) could be made more competitive with NFCU, PenFed, Fidelity, & Vanguard. I've told them that [-]my daughter[/-] college students would like to know whether USAA will consider ROTC & service academy income for a USAA credit card.
I'll post USAA's responses. What other questions would you like me to ask them?
I don't know what hotel USAA is using, but presumably it'll be near their corporate offices. Who's up for a San Antonio E-R.org chapter meeting?