Bank Marketing Show

The concept of "work-life balance" has been around for years – but we think it's time to reframe it and recognize that work and life are not separate, not something to keep in balance.   Rather, the focus should be on integrating the two so you – and your team – can find greater fulfillment in both. In this episode, Chris and Dan explore work-life integration and how you, as a bank leader, can fos...

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 competitors. Developing your brand voice involves determining the right tone, communication style, and emotions that echo the bank's mission. It's not just the realm of marketing.   Like creating a great culture, developing a brand's voi...

Connection – with your team, your bank, your customers, and your own self - is the key to great leadership and to creating a truly engaged team. It starts at the top. Your bank's leadership needs to feel confident in and connected with the values, vision, and mission of your institution. When this happens, and you hire people whose personal visions are already aligned with yours, you start buildin...

Ep 37 - The Secret Sauce of Recruitment Job seekers' attitudes have shifted dramatically over the last few years – forcing changes to the hiring process.   Applicants today have a different view of what they will and won't accept in the workforce and have an increasing need for purpose in their work. For banks, it's imperative to stand out to attract new talent, and one of the best ways to do this...

Ep 36 - Avoiding Quick-Win Marketing   To differentiate your community bank from competitors, it's important to identify your "special sauce" or unique strength that attracts your target audience. By concentrating on a couple of key areas and excelling in them, your customers will be happier and more likely to recommend your services to others.  In this episode, Chris Bates and Dan Novalis talk ab...

Do you have clearly defined goals for your bank marketing efforts? The only way you can determine if your marketing is performing – and adding bottom line to your bank – is if you are tracking your progress against goals. Digital ads won't work if you just throw money at them. In this episode, Dan Novalis, Chris Bates, and Alana Levine, CRO of Fintel Connect, discuss finding digital ad performance...

Ep 34 – Networking: The Power of Community for Your Career and Bank It's a thing that some people live for, and others shy away from.   But the benefits of networking – for introverts and extroverts alike! - go beyond getting your bank noticed or advancing in your career. We all know it, but fostering genuine relationships leads to increased knowledge, growth, and opportunities. Furthermore, conne...

Ep 33 – Competing on Customer Experience with Joann Marsili Community banks must focus on what they do best: connecting with customers and building their brand. It's easy to look around the corner and see what everyone else, especially megabanks, is doing, but resist the urge. Focus on what  your customers need instead. In this episode, Chris and Dan interview Joann Marsili, CFMP, and EVP, Chief M...

Ep 32 - How Banks And Small Businesses Can Connect Better with Derik Sutton - Chief Marketing Officer at Autobooks Marketing to small businesses comes down to relationships, proximity, and trust.   Derik Sutton, Chief Marketing Officer for Autobooks, is a small business and bank marketing expert.   Dan and Chris chat with him about the best ways banks can build trust and relationships with their s...

Ep 31 - The Role of Marketing in Crisis Communications As a cornerstone of the community, banks play an important role in times of crisis. In the wake of the March 2023 bank failures, community banks must build confidence in their strength, and marketing is the key. In this episode, Dan Novalis and Chris Bates discuss the role of marketing in crisis communications, why it's crucial to have a plan,...

Ep 30 - Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank In this episode, Chris Bates and Dan Novalis interview Allison Netzer and Liz High, authors of the book "Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank" – a must read for any banker.   Your bank's brand belongs to everyone in the bank, from teller to CEO.   Banks and companies that focus on their brand almost always outperform in their markets – and we discuss examples of ba...

Ep 29 - The Value of Strategy To meet your goals, you must pause to plan. Marketing cannot be viewed as a side project but as an integral part of your strategy. Do you know what your customer journey looks like? What are the steps that lead from brand awareness to researching a solution to actually opening an account? Considering these factors will help you create a strategy that leads to success....

Choosing the right digital marketing agency for your bank can be a make or break decision – but can also be one of the best decisions you make. It's tough for many banks to decide to bring in an external vendor, but often vendors bring expertise and perspective that don't exist within the bank (and are very hard to hire for!). But, to do it right, you need to ask questions, dig deep,and get really...

There's a lot of talk about an upcoming recession and how it will affect spending habits. It's essential that financial institutions keep up their digital marketing to ensure brand awareness. In fact, a recent study showed that Americans are collectively sitting on $1.7 trillion in excess savings, which is giving many people a bit of a cushion. There's a lot of opportunity for banks, even during e...

Stop thinking about selling your product. Start thinking about how it benefits your customer. Data-driven campaigns are the future of marketing. By gathering data on your existing customers, large and small banks can use this information to create better-targeted advertising campaigns. In this episode, Dan Novalis, Chris Bates, and Ria Iyengar discuss how data-driven, targeted marketing gives bank...

Bank marketers find their way into the profession one way or another – but rarely does someone set out to become one.  Instead, most bank marketers have followed a winding path to get there, usually through another role within the bank.  So is it possible to sum up what a bank marketer should be?  If you're not yet a bank marketer, but want to be, how can you aim yourself there? In this episode, D...

As we wrap up 2022 and look forward to 2023, many banks and businesses are fearful of impending recession, rising rates, and more – and may be discussing pulling back budgets or operating more cautiously. Instead of backing away, this could be your opportunity to keep going and run past your competition. In this episode, Dan Novalis and Chris Bates discuss what to expect in 2023, inflation and ris...

To wrap up 2022, and celebrate the first year of the Bank Marketing Show, Chris and Dan re-visit the best bank marketing tidbits from the first 22 episodes.  They break it down into four main categories you won't want to miss: real community engagement, industry leadership, marketing partners, and the power of marketing. One good decision can create a good day. There's power in storytelling: big b...

You can't out-bank your competition, which is why focusing on building relationships is so essential. Social media creates an incredible opportunity to foster relationships online, especially when you post engaging content that's authentic and personal. There's a power of personal branding that community bankers can benefit from. In this episode, Dan Novalis, Chris Bates, and Eric Cook discuss why...

You're one good decision from having a good day. By repeating these good decisions, you can have a good life. Making decisions isn't easy; we're faced with fear, the fear of regret, distractions, and temptations with almost every decision we make. But when you choose the best things for your life, your life will be the best it can be. Our guest decided he was tired of who he was and wanted to beco...

Your customers don't want to hear about your bank's latest offers, they want to hear how it helped people in your community realize their dreams. This is the power of marketing; this is the power of storytelling. Banks need to create online content that resonates with their customers, on the social media channels where they hang out, meeting them where they are. In this episode, Dan Novalis, Chris...

Attrition is normal, but 20-30% of customer churn can be attributable directly to customer service issues, and other things within your control.  Plus, in a post-Covid world where fintechs are proliferating, many financial institutions are seeing "quiet attrition" – where some of a customer's business leaves the bank, but there's no formal closure of accounts.  What can you do within your bank to...

When you see smaller financial institutions that have more followers and significantly more engagement than yours, you may wonder what you're doing wrong. But the reality is that organic reach has been declining in general, and especially on Facebook, where polarizing content often wins the day.  It's important for financial institutions to have a strategy to increase engagement, and the great new...

When your bank plans for your next marketing campaign well, there is a much greater chance of success. From knowing your budget and timeframe right from the start to being in touch with your target audience, it's important to pre-plan your digital marketing campaign. Banks also need to understand that to make money, they need to spend money on marketing – and with more and more people using social...

Your bank needs technology to grow and to serve your customers better. You can use technology to upgrade your systems and the way you communicate with your customers. We think every bank should have a tag management system on their website to help analyze the behavior of their visitors and monitor whether they're new customers or returning customers. We also recommend using technology for your ban...