Community Bank Marketing: 5 PR Tips for Stronger Social Media Results

In today’s connected environment, consumers are turning to social media (24%), financial blog posts (22%), news articles (14%) and finance influencers (10%) to gather financial information, according to a survey by digital marketing platform LocaliQ. This reliance on third-party sources signals the growing importance of community bank public relations (PR) and social media tactics.

“Community banks engage in PR and social media for the right reasons,” says Lauren Kleck, vice president of advertising and marketing at $900 million-asset Peoples Bank & Trust Co. in Troy, Missouri. “We focus the message on the organization we’re supporting and what it means to the community.”

Community bank PR and social media activities can bolster financial education efforts, from tips to avoid becoming a victim of fraud to strategies for making financial decisions and beyond. In addition, PR and social media efforts can amplify the impact a bank has in its community, including emphasizing its sponsorship of youth activities, volunteer efforts with nonprofits, support of community events and presentations at schools.

Storytelling: The foundation of effective community bank PR

What are the best ways for a community bank to gain traction with PR and social media efforts?

According to ICBA’s Nicole Swann, vice president of communications, and Vanessa Hanson, director of social engagement, five tips will support community banks in enhancing their results:

1. Determine the target audience and main message. “It starts first with understanding the audience you want to reach and what you want to say,” Swann says. “Identify your value proposition and put it on paper. Take the time to outline those details so you’re clear on your message and who you want to target.”

2. Evaluate the best channels to reach your audience. “Look for opportunities to share your message,” Swann says, “whether that’s on social media, working with journalists or outreach within the community. Identifying those places and knowing what you want to say is half the battle.”

3. Make a connection. Think of PR and social media as an extension of the relationship-based model. “More than ever,” Hanson says, “people are looking to really connect with their brands. If [your] community bank is out in the community doing all these things, you’re more likely to say, ‘Maybe I’ll go down there and open up an account, or ask them a question or open a loan.’”

4. Post with authenticity… and people. Fifty-one percent of consumers rate the authenticity of a financial institution’s online presence as either “extremely” or “very” important, and featuring the people behind the bank drives a sense of genuineness. “We’re seeing a trend with brands being more mindful in how they’re connecting to people and showing that there are humans behind the screen; there are people making up these banks,” Hanson says.

5. Tap into ICBA resources. ICBA provides turnkey materials to aid community banks in their PR and social media efforts. “If you’re just starting out with PR and social media, or maybe you just need a refresher on the best way to go about it, we have tools to support you,” Swann says.

Hanson also recommends ICBA Community, a members-only social environment, as a way to connect on PR and social media topics via an existing marketing group. In fact, the ICBA Community marketing group has been so engaged that they’ve launched a monthly video meeting to connect and share.

“The biggest resource that our community bankers have is each other, and one way that comes into play is ICBA Community,” explains Hanson.

On the education front, ICBA offers the Marketing Institute, a three-day forum that speaks to PR and social media as key components to an overall marketing strategy. The institute covers building a foundation, data-driven marketing and customer relationships, and strategic reporting and preparation.

PR and social media efforts should be about telling a story and returning to a community bank’s core mission: serving its customers and the community.

“I’m really proud to work for an organization where we’re not doing PR for the picture or the social media mention,” Kleck says. “We’re doing it because we genuinely care about the community.”