Online investing firm Scottrade is one of the few financial services firms actively communicating with its investors through social media networking communities. Today, the firm launched its first Chinese–language Online Community.
The site, chinesecommunity.scottrade.com, extends online conversations to Scottrade customers who speak Chinese. Mirroring the English–language Online Community (community.scottrade.com) in form and function, the Chinese version will have blogs and group discussions, as well as videos, profiles, photos and file sharing.
The English–language community, with more than 42,000 members today, continues to grow. The password–protected, customers–only site launched in April 2008. Some popular discussion groups in the community include Active Traders, Long Term Investors, New Traders, Options Traders, Technical Analysis and Sector–Based Discussions.
In addition, Scottrade Advisor Services provides community.scottradeadvisor.com for its registered investment advisors to collaborate and meet with other like–minded financial professionals online.
The three online communities hosted by Scottrade go beyond providing personal service, which is offered through Scottrade’s more than 475 branch offices across the country, its Facebook and Twitter pages, e–mail correspondence, online chat and national service center. The peer–to–peer and peer–to–expert conversations and content in the online communities work to educate investors and provide answers to investing questions that aren’t account–specific.
One Scottrade Online Community member, who goes by the screen name Paperchase, said being a member of the community has improved her skills tremendously. “Online trading can be so isolating, and I am not one to be isolated!” she said.
“Dialogue with our customers is essential,” said Rodger Riney, Scottrade’s founder and chief executive officer. “With our online communities, we’ve further opened up a conversation between our product specialists and our customers. Our associates are passionate, and customers can connect with them and each other to build their knowledge and provide feedback. This ensures everyone wins.”
Free for customers and easy to join, the communities tie all of Scottrade’s educational resources together, add peer–to–peer interaction and a direct way to communicate with Scottrade product developers. Because of this, community members’ participation in beta testing new products and services has helped identify and prioritize significant product upgrades.
Another community member, who goes by the screen name Kosterma, said, “I’m brand new to this site and must say I’m very impressed. I’ve only been logged in for an hour and already have picked up some very valuable info. I’m really excited. I haven’t traded in a while, but intend to get back in the game.”
Scottrade places the same importance on investment education as it does offering affordable $7 online trades*, convenient branch offices and outstanding, consistent customer service, said Nina Card, Scottrade’s online community supervisor. “We created the communities to encourage communication and collaboration. It grew exceedingly fast, which is proof to us that traders were looking for a safe place to meet and talk with others who share similar strategies or goals.”
About Scottrade
As a leading online investing firm, Scottrade offers a full line of investment products, online trading services and market research tools to help investors take control of their financial future. Founded in 1980, Scottrade is dedicated to personalized customer service and value, providing customers the convenience of buying many stocks online at just $7 per trade and the support of the largest branch network among online investment firms, with more than 475 nationwide branch offices. Scottrade has been named one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America for the past three consecutive years. For more information, visit www.scottrade.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.
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