Bank Marketing Show

It's a Bank Marketing Show Best-Ever Summer Replay! This week, we replay one of our most downloaded episodes ever - The Importance of Brand Voice. Listen in on why brand voice matters and what you should do about it in your bank.   A great brand voice has the same effect as a finely-tuned orchestra playing an unforgettable melody. For your bank, this means memorable differentiation from your compe...

Generative AI, like ChatGPT, can be a helpful tool alongside what you already use at your community bank. But many banks don't know where to start, or are worried about compliance issues from using it. Banks need to think about how they talk to AI, the rules that guide its use, and what role it plays in their teams. In this episode, Chris and Dan interview Ben Udell, SVP of Digital Innovation at L...

Chris and Dan dive deep into the world of bank marketing to uncover the secrets of gaining a competitive edge. They share practical insights and actionable steps for banks to effectively leverage their competitive advantage, ultimately leading to greater differentiation and success in the market. There's an emphasis on the importance of understanding your bank's unique value proposition and differ...

Even with the rapidly shifting financial landscape, community banks remain a pillar of the local economy. Up until recently, interest rates remained largely unchanged and favorable for business owners and buyers. But over the last 18 months, a shift has taken place that is showing us a new reality. In this episode, Chris interviews Chris Moya, CEO of ICBA of New Mexico. They discuss upcoming marke...

Chris and Dan dive into the ever-evolving landscape of AI in banking. Drawing from their experiences, they shed light on the prevalent use of AI and its transformative impact on marketing strategies within the banking sector. They emphasize the importance of staying ahead of the curve by embracing AI and adapting it into the culture of financial institutions. This episode provides valuable insight...

Chris and Dan dive into the impact of a bank's team structure on its marketing operations. No matter the size of your bank or credit union, there are a few key things to keep in mind when structuring the marketing team.   In this episode, Chris and Dan emphasize the importance of first aligning marketing activities with the bank's strategic plan. Once the activity set is defined, you can then stru...

In this episode, we dive into the importance of incorporating video into bank marketing strategies. We highlight the power of storytelling through video content and how it can create a more engaging experience for your audience. We stress the significance of differentiating from competitors and embracing the evolving trends of video content on social media. Listen to us share practical advice, lik...

Content marketing is an oft-misunderstood thing – most banks just produce blog posts about financial topics, and sometimes collect them into a periodic newsletter.   But are you really adding value to your customers with a blog post on "the difference between fixed and ARM mortgages", when there are literally hundreds of similar blogs already online? In this episode, Chris and Dan chat with Hollie...

SEO is a powerful but often misunderstood tool to improve your bank's rankings on search engines – which translates directly into being found, especially among younger, digital-first generations. In fact, search rankings are one place that it's often possible for small local institutions to outrank their larger, national competition...if you know the tricks. In this episode, Chris and Dan intervie...

Digital advertising has never been more important for community banks – it's one of the easiest ways to make your brand more visible to younger customers, who spend the most time online.   For many banks, digital ads have become a first conversation of sorts, encouraging prospective customers to research the bank more as they make their decisions. In this episode, Dan and Chris speak with Matthew...

Community banks, it's time to stand out from the crowd. Rebrands are no small feat – and to make them successful, lots of parts need to align in order to develop something that no other bank can replicate. In this episode, we interview Jeff McCarthy, SVP and Marketing Director of Bank Five Nine in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.   Jeff led the bank through a major rebranding project that has paid dividends...

We're returning with the fourth episode of the Major Marketing Challenge Series – where we discuss the biggest problems facing bank marketing teams. In our work with banks, we find that many teams end up spending time on tasks that don't add to the bottom line – like the right shade of orange for your logo. And those same teams breeze through the stuff that matters more – like the right CTA for a...

We're returning with the third episode of the Major Marketing Challenge Series – covering the risks of scattered marking tactics. In this episode, we discuss the common struggle of scattered marketing in the banking industry. We emphasize the importance of having a strategic marketing plan to avoid wasted resources and ineffective tactics, and share real-life examples while stressing the need for...

We're kicking off the second episode of the Major Marketing Challenge Series – covering the unexpected power of proactive marketing in banking. In this episode, we dive into the challenges of proactive versus reactive marketing in the banking industry. We emphasize the importance of aligning marketing efforts with the strategic goals of the bank to achieve better results and justify marketing spen...

We're kicking off a new set of episodes called the Major Marketing Challenge Series – covering solutions to the big picture challenges that we see most commonly in our work with community banks and credit unions across the country. In this episode, we tackle Modernization : why it's important, the challenges banks face in pursuing it, and practical solutions and case studies from our work. Moderni...

Almost all community banks today struggle with attracting younger people to replace deposits that leave due to an aging customer base. Countless articles, keynote speeches, and podcasts have been devoted to learning how to connect with Millennials and Gen Z. In this episode, we interview Dr. Brett Andrews, Dean of the Business School at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi.   Dr. Andrews ha...

As we wrap up 2023, we reflect on some of the highlights and takeaways we had on the show this year, and pull out a few gold nuggets for you to take into 2024. We're truly thankful for all you listeners and viewers for tuning into the Bank Marketing Show and we're excited to bring you a wide range of new guests and material for the coming year! In this episode: - Discover innovative bank marketing...

Data-driven marketing doesn't need to be difficult. Community Banks of any size can use data-driven techniques to better understand their customers and predict their needs.   In this episode, Dan and Chris chat with Dvir Ginsburg and Ilan Flax of Insait, a data platform that's helping community bank marketing and analytics teams achieve higher conversion through data-driven analysis and campaign c...

We're taking a little step back from bank marketing in this episode to talk about a topic that can make us all more successful, professionally and personally: self-care. Chris and Dan get personal and share their own burnout stories, and how those experiences made them realize the importance of "putting your own oxygen mask on first". We then discuss the challenges of feeling constantly busy and o...

Defaulting to "Trusted, Local" or "100+ Years in Business" in your bank's messaging? Many banks think because it's tried and true, or it's meaningful to them, that it will also resonate with their customers and prospects. But you could actually be hindering your marketing efforts by sticking with generic messages like this. This week, Chris and Dan chat with Grant Gooding, CEO of Proof Positioning...

You're already making a strategic plan (hopefully!) – but you can make it work harder and better with more specificity. In this episode, we discuss the need for specificity when setting goals, defining a target audience, and developing a message that speaks to that audience. We also stress the importance of adaptability in strategic planning, as market conditions and customer preferences can chang...

Chris and Dan chat with Heidi Miget, SVP of Marketing for Midwest BankCentre, a nearly $2.7B community bank with 17 branches and 1 loan production office in the St. Louis region. We talk through how her bank has differentiated itself with a laser focus on community and her hybrid (in-house + contractors + agencies) approach to building a marketing team. Most community bank marketing leans heavily...

In this episode, we dive into the importance of strategy in Google Ads and digital advertising for community banks. With our expertise and experience working with bank clients, we shares valuable insights on how to make digital advertising campaigns more effective and improve customer engagement. We recall a time when we realized that simply throwing money at Google Ads doesn't guarantee success....

In this episode we dive into the buzz surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) – and specifically, Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, in the banking industry. AI is here to stay and will be utterly transformative to the financial services industry.   It's crucial for financial institutions to understand the use cases and limitations, and how to incorporate AI tools into their strategies and decisio...

Marketing plays a vital role in attracting new customers, but equally important is the need to focus on retaining existing customers – after all, it's cheaper and often easier! In this episode, Chris and Dan dive deep into the importance of customer retention and increasing customer stickiness. We discuss stickiness factors and new ways to think about them – and get into practical strategies for i...