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Alerts are my lifeline. I need alerts to make it through the day, week, month. Without alerts, I’d be running around like a maniac. Whatever the commitment is – daily activities, weekly events, birthdays – I schedule an alert to remind me. Thanks Google Calendar! Banking and financial matters are no different. House payment – reminded via an alert. Credit card – alert. Balances – alert. You get the point. I’m sure I’m not alone, so what is it about alerts that intrigue me? It’s not the concept or frequency, it’s the method.

Currently, the traditional way to receive alerts are via e-mail or text. That’s fine, that works for some. E-mail is how I receive most of my financial alerts. However, as technology continues to evolve; I wonder how financial institutions will respond? While the financial space has seen mixed results within the social sphere (you can see my “winners” here), one use of social media that’s of little risk is….wait for it…ALERTS!

I don’t expect social alerts to overtake text and e-mail due to the simple fact that those methods provide the greatest ease of use and accessibility. Like social media in general, I think social alerts can be a complimentary use; not a replacement. As the trend of checking e-mail via mobile devices continues to increase (and text alerts are obviously received via mobile), it’s clear that our lifeline is our mobile device. It only makes sense that the use of social networking usage continues to trend toward mobile.

Now, before you begin to scream about the security issues, I don’t feel social alerts provide any increased risk that’s not already present. Alerts aren’t meant for financial discussion. They’re meant to provide an “oh, yeah”. Implementing such alerts aren’t any more complex than what’s used to initiate current alerts. Provide a disclosure that the customer needs to read and agree to. Ensure proper communication is utilized informing the customer not to disclose any personal information. Use the tool to drive conversations to proper offline channels, if need be.

Personally, I would  sign up to receive alerts via a Twitter direct message. Yes, this would require financial institutions to become verified users – which I think is needed regardless. If Chris Brogan is verified, why isn’t Bank of America? The beauty of this method is that it would also allow the opportunity for brands to build their community base and form relationships.

So what do you think? Would you take advantage of such a resource, if made available? Please take a moment to conduct a brief, anonymous survey regarding social alerts. Click here for a 3 question survey.

As always, you’re welcome to leave your thoughts in the comments section, even if you do participate in the survey.