Today’s banking consumers aren’t simply making decisions on products and services; they’re making provider choices based on considerations such as beliefs and values. Which is why the celebration of observances can play a significant role in a community bank’s branding and customer engagement strategies. Celebrating holidays, recognizing staff milestones, honoring community traditions, bringing attention to community events, and acknowledging cultural heritage months are more than gestures. They are signals to the marketplace, and to the bank’s staff, that a community bank is a personal entity; one that is human, cares, and lives its values in tangible ways.
When customers see their local community bank celebrating observances and events, whether national holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day, or local events such as festivals and fundraisers, it reinforces a belief that the bank shares the same values as they do. Observances are, after all, public expressions of values: respect, commitment, and gratitude, to name just a few.
These public expressions help a community bank differentiate itself from its national, regional, and FinTech competitors. As a recent article in rdwgroup, 5 Essential Questions to Help Revitalize Your Community Bank Brand notes: “Hyperlocal engagement is essential, but it doesn’t look the same for everyone. The key is to align your strategy with your bank’s culture, capacity, and strengths.” Celebrating observances is yet another arrow in a bank’s marketing quiver, one that delivers on that all-important hyperlocal engagement.
Likewise, celebrating employees and their achievements is just as vital as celebrating holidays. Recognizing staff birthdays, work anniversaries, promotions, or exceptional customer service not only boosts morale internally, but reminds the public that a community bank practices what it preaches. When customers see their teller or loan officer honored publicly, it reinforces the perception that their bank values service and commitment, i.e., the traits that, today, many customers expect from their financial institution. Indeed, research on workplace culture shows that celebrations can strengthen trust, belonging, and employee engagement—key ingredients in a brand to which people can feel loyal. This from greatworkplace.com’s 5 Company Celebrations that Strengthen Workplace Culture: “Great workplaces reinforce their values and expected behaviors when honoring employees for their contributions. When behaviors are celebrated and properly incentivized, a company transforms its workplace."
Together, observances around holidays, culture, or staff achievements help knit together internal culture, outward reputation, and deeper emotional connections with customers. They show that a community bank isn’t just transactional; it’s relational and personal.
How observances build brands
- Expressing shared values: when a community bank publishes social media messages recognizing cultural or national observances, it shows alignment with values its customers care about—diversity, service, gratitude, local pride. These moments become brand touchpoints, reinforcing identity beyond products.
- Reinforcing trust and connection: customers derive confidence when their community bank walks the talk. Celebrations of staff and community send the message: “We see you; we care.” That perception matters when customers choose one institution over another. In markets where many offer similar products, services and experiences, the perception of integrity and community connection often become deciding factors.
- Deepening the workplace culture: a community bank that celebrates its people fosters happier, more loyal staff. Engaged employees more naturally advocate for the institution and can act as brand “ambassadors.” The ABA’s Banking Journal’s The Power of an Employee Ambassador for Banks highlights how employee ambassadors amplify brand reach. When employees share their workplace culture online, they become trusted voices for the institution and feel “empowered to represent and promote a community bank’s brand, values and culture in an authentic way,” says Regina DeMars, director of content marketing and social media strategy with First National Bank of Omaha. "Employees can amplify a brand’s message and visibility to engage with a larger, more diverse audience.”
How Bank Marketing Center makes it easy
This is where Bank Marketing Center’s observance messaging becomes invaluable. Instead of scrambling for ideas or designing from scratch, community bank marketers can access professionally designed observance messaging; everything from social posts to in-branch signage. The creative is customizable in just minutes with no design skill needed.
And when the right words feel elusive, BMC’s built-in ChatGPT integration helps generate polished, context-appropriate messaging instantly. This tool, along with pre-placed brand components such as colors, fonts and logos, ensures that observance content remains brand-aligned, authentic, and regulatory agency compliant. With BMC’s content creation, archiving, and editing resources, a community bank marketer can distribute observance quickly and easily. And with BMC’s Social+ social management platform, they can not only plan a year’s worth of observances and staff recognitions well in advance, but also gain insights into which types of content resonate best and which platforms deliver the highest engagement.
In short, observances matter. They act as authentic reminders of what a community bank values, and how that bank views both its team members and the community. When done well and supported by tools like Bank Marketing Center, observances become ongoing brand moments, not one-off afterthoughts.
Bank Marketing Center
We’re Bank Marketing Center, the leading, subscription-based provider of automated marketing services to community banks. Our goal is to help bank marketers with topical, compelling communication with customers that builds trust, relationships, and revenue. And we do this through automating critical bank marketing functions, such as content creation, social media management, digital asset management and, of course, content routing. All of which contribute to a community bank’s ability to create and distribute content that drives business without fear of fines, brand damage, or fleeing customers.
We also want to share what we know with all our community banking friends. Whether it’s content focused on the latest AI technology, suggestions on how to attract and retain top talent, a webinar focused on operational efficiency, or the importance of data protection, we’re here to make bank marketing the best that it can be.
Want to learn more about what we can do for your community bank and your marketing efforts? You can start by visiting bankmarketingcenter.com. Then, feel free to contact me directly by phone at 678-528-6688 or via email at nreynolds@bankmarketingcenter.com. As always, I welcome your thoughts.