Creating and distributing your marketing messaging, from ads and emails to direct mail, in-branch signage, and social posts is, of course, an essential piece of marketing a brand. But that messaging can “fall on deaf ears,” as the saying goes, without a formalized, well-thought-out marketing strategy. It's a process that goes something like this: Define goals, understand audience, assess market and competitors, clarify value proposition, choose channels and tactics, set performance indicators/goals, execute, measure, and refine. Seem easy enough? Not always; especially when resources are scarce and time is limited.
For community banks, both a marketing budget well spent and a robust bottom line hinge on having a clear, intentional marketing strategy; one that aligns business goals with customer needs, guides tactical decisions, and ensures every dollar spent is working toward measurable growth. Without one, even the most polished marketing materials risk reaching only those “deaf ears.” By contrast, marketing messaging driven by a sound strategy attracts and retains customers and grows a bank’s share of market.
What Is It?
At its core, a marketing strategy defines who you are trying to reach, what you want them to do, and why they should choose your bank over any other. It provides the framework for product promotion, brand positioning, channel selection, and message timing. As we say in the ad agency world, it’s how we reach the right person at the right time in the right place with the right message.
Following this process is especially critical for community banks, which tend to operate with limited budgets and lean teams. A strong strategy prevents wasted effort, reduces guesswork, and helps marketing teams focus on initiatives that move the bottom line. Yet many banks struggle to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. Marketing teams are often asked to “get something out quickly,” promote multiple products at once, or respond reactively to market changes; all without the benefit of a coordinated, insight-based plan. This is where Bank Marketing Center (BMC) can play an important role in driving not just the creation and distribution of compelling marketing materials, but the marketing strategy that ensures the relevance of that messaging.
Strategy First. Then Tactics.
Effective marketing doesn’t start with a brochure, a campaign theme, or a social calendar. It starts with strategic thinking. That includes understanding the organization’s growth objectives, identifying the audience, evaluating the competition, and determining how different products can fit into a potential customer’s lifetime financial journey.
At BMC, we understand that while tools are important, they’re not enough and that even though our automation, templates, and content libraries contribute significantly to effective, cost-effective messaging, they can only be effective when guided by a plan. Our experienced marketers understand how strategy drives results and can partner with a bank’s marketing team to assist in developing campaigns that are targeted, creative, compelling, and performance-driven. In short, a plan can answer some of the questions that plague every marketing professional:
- Which products should we prioritize based on margin and demand?
- Which audiences offer the greatest growth opportunity?
- How should messaging differ across channels and life stages?
- How do individual campaigns ladder up to our long-term brand and relationship goals?
Decades of Real-World Marketing Experience
By addressing these questions first, banks can create marketing programs that are intentional, rather than reactive. The experts at BMC have collectively gathered together more than several decades of marketing and advertising experience, having worked with some of the most respected agencies in the world, including J. Walter Thompson, Saatchi & Saatchi, and McCann-Erickson. Their experience spans global brands such as Oscar Mayer, American Express, AT&T, Frito-Lay, and Coca-Cola USA. These decades of experience have taught us the importance of following a disciplined strategy, gathering audience and competitive insights, and distributing compelling execution in channels that matter; and the process that goes into each.
This background matters because the principles that drive successful marketing for global brands, from soft drinks and salty snacks, to detergents and fast food restaurants, also apply to community banks. The team at BMC brings that same level of strategic, national-brand-building rigor to the community banking space, translating it to small bank marketing’s local markets, regulatory realities, and relationship-based banking models.
Turning Marketing into Measurable Growth
As market conditions and regulations change, interest rates shift, or customer behavior evolves, marketing strategies must evolve as well. Having both the tools and the expertise in place enables banks to adjust quickly to these changes and maintain a competitive advantage.
Bank Marketing Center
By combining decades of world-class marketing experience with purpose-built tools, BMC helps banks move beyond simply “doing marketing” to using marketing as a strategic lever for growth. We are presently helping the marketers at over 300 financial institutions craft and distribute topical, compelling marketing communication that builds trust in their brand, deepen customer relationships, and grow revenue.
To learn more about how Bank Marketing Center approaches marketing strategy and how it helps community banks grow their bottom line, visit the BMC website. Feel free to contact me as well, directly by phone at (678) 528-6688 or via email at nreynolds@bankmarketingcenter.com. As always, I welcome your thoughts.