Americans love their T shirts, and giving them away can help gain new friends, as the $750 million Xceed Financial CU recently found out.

The El Segundo, Calif., credit union held a Facebook promotion by offering the popular “I HEART Xceed” T-shirt to members who “liked” Xceed's Facebook page, as well as those who followed its Twitter feed.  

In just four days, Xceed Financial said it increased its circle of friends by 42%. Starting at a baseline of 615 “likes” gathered over three years, the 59,000-member credit union gained 262 followers from the Facebook promotion.

“We want to connect with our members everywhere,” said Kathryn Davis, senior vice president of Xceed Financial. “But when our members reside in all 50 states, and our 14 financial centers are located in only six states, you have to redefine what it means to be connected.”

To that end, Xceed constantly monitors its Facebook and Twitter pages with the help of a social media guru, who doubles as one of Xceed Financial's contact center associates. Questions posted on the Facebook page are answered immediately, giving members one more way to access the contact center, while sharing the responses with others.

Posts are often done in the smart and friendly voice of the “Numbers Guy,” Xceed's superhero financial avenger, whose adventures and advice are featured throughout the Facebook site.

In addition to boosting Xceed's social media following, the promotion elicited a groundswell of positive comments from members.

“Do I need another T-shirt? No. Do I want one? Oh yeah!” exclaimed one member on a Facebook post. “But seriously, my Xceed relationship is better than any banking relationship I have ever had. With or without the T-shirt.”