When community banks talk about the industry's talent shortage, the conversation usually centers on lending and compliance officers, branch managers, and executives nearing retirement. Rarely does it focus on marketing. It should.
Community banks are facing a growing marketing knowledge gap as experienced marketers retire, taking with them decades of hard-earned knowledge, insight, and judgment. While banks are investing heavily in new technologies, technology alone cannot replace the experience that's walking out the door.
Just how much are they spending? According to the ABA Journal article, Bank Marketers are All in on AI, the ABA’s survey of bank marketers shows that AI has moved into the mainstream. Notable findings include:
- 50.4% of bank marketers now use AI-powered marketing tools, up from 29.9% in 2025 and just 16.9% in 2024.
- 87% of bank marketers now use some form of marketing technology.
- AI is now the fastest-growing component of the marketing technology stack, with Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT the most widely used AI platforms.
For community banks, that's a remarkable shift from just two years ago.
Yes, lending, compliance, and branch management are certainly critical functions. But what about marketing? The institutional knowledge held by experienced marketers is every bit as valuable as that of lending and compliance officers. Marketing, however, is unlike many other disciplines within the bank. There are procedures for processing loans. There are regulations governing compliance. But marketing is built on judgment, and to some extent, intuition.
An experienced marketer knows which customer stories resonate with the community. They understand why one campaign succeeded while another fell flat. They remember the branding decisions made years earlier and understand how those decisions shaped the bank's identity. This kind of knowledge doesn't exist in a policy manual; it exists in the individual.
Today's young marketing professionals are entering the workforce with more technical skills than any previous generation. They can produce content quickly and often master new technologies with remarkable speed. But technology and expertise aren't the same thing. Creating an attractive social media post doesn't necessarily mean it communicates the right message. Scheduling an email campaign doesn't guarantee it will persuade customers to act. Knowing how to prompt an AI platform isn’t the same as “doing the thinking.” And that thinking is getting more and more complex.
A generation ago, marketing departments were primarily responsible for advertising, mailers, brochures, in-branch messaging, and community events. Today's marketers are expected to understand:
- search engine optimization
- campaign and website analytics
- social media strategy
- email automation
- reputation management
- cybersecurity messaging
- digital advertising
- compliance, and…
- the tactics behind increasingly sophisticated customer personalization
As technologies develop and new customer messaging channels enter the mix, it’s a job that is becoming increasingly more strategic. At the same time, many community banks continue operating with lean marketing teams. Recent ABA research tells us that financial institutions are being asked to leverage more customer data, more digital channels, and more sophisticated analytics than ever before while managing increasingly complex marketing environments. The result is a growing need for marketers who can think strategically rather than simply execute tactics. This is where the experience gap becomes especially concerning. Which begs the question:
Can AI Fill That Gap?
AI can be an excellent teacher of marketing concepts, frameworks, and best practices. It can explain positioning, customer personas, value propositions, SEO, and hundreds of other topics. It can quiz students, critique campaigns, role-play customers, and provide instant feedback. What it cannot do is impart the judgment that comes from years of experience applying those principles in real-world situations. An AI platform can pen a creative brief, perform a SWOT analysis, create a positioning or mission statement, and more. But these are simply tactics. The expertise comes in knowing when, and why, to employ them. Harvard Business Review recently introduced a learning program titled "Gen AI Skills: Co-Thinking Strategically with AI." The emphasis here “isn't on letting AI think for marketers, but on letting AI think with marketers.” So, can AI fill the gap? Not on its own. At least, not yet.
Don’t Wait to Start
Technology will continue to evolve. AI will become more capable. Marketing platforms will become more intuitive, and automation will become increasingly sophisticated. But none of those tools will ever replace wisdom or judgment. And none will ever replace the understanding that comes from years of front-line experience.
According to the ICBA in Tips for Cost-Effective Professional Development: “When long-tenured employees leave, they take with them a precious commodity: their knowledge. Community banks need formal professional development programs to keep their up-and-coming staff engaged,” says Shirley Ringhand, senior vice president for ICBA Education. “Those associates want to learn, and they want to be able to add credentials after their name. They want to know you’re investing in them and that there’s a path forward.”
The banks that begin the work of transferring marketing know-how today won't simply preserve institutional knowledge. They'll begin building the team of marketing professionals they need to tell their brand story for decades to come.
Bank Marketing Center
We’re Bank Marketing Center, the leading subscription-based, automated marketing platform designed especially for community banks. We are presently helping the bank marketing professionals at over 300 institutions craft and distribute topical, compelling marketing communication that builds trust in their brand, deepens customer relationships, and grows revenue. We do this by automating the essential marketing functions banks rely upon; content creation using professionally designed bank marketing templates, social media scheduling and monitoring, digital asset management, compliance routing, and more.
We also believe in sharing what we know and learn. Whether it’s insights on the latest AI tools, tips for attracting and retaining top talent, a webinar on operational efficiency, or what experts are saying about the future of banking, we’re committed to helping community banks thrive.
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.