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Efficiency now: 8 smart strategy tips
Fallout from recent global events presents an obstacle to generating revenue for community banks. How can they counteract these effects and maximize financial efficiency? As we enter budgeting...
Charles Potts: Fueling growth through innovation
Innovation is taking place all around us at a pace unlike anything we have ever experienced. We’ve developed an ecosystem to foster growth through innovative partnerships and community involvement.
Gamification’s Place in Community Banking
SPONSORED—How can gamification benefit your community bank? In more ways than you might realize. Zogo has mastered the art of incentivizing gamification that bolsters loyalty, engagement,...
Brad M. Bolton: Retaining the best
Community bank employees fill a special role, unlike no other position in the market today, and we must do a better job of telling that story.
Rebeca Romero Rainey: Budget prioritization
Community banks stand out in today’s financial services space because our business model depends on an ecosystem where the bank only benefits when customers do.
4 Ways to Find International Business Customers
SPONSORED | International expansion means more opportunities to acquire new customers. PCBB's insights paper, "Strategies to Attract New International Business Customers", identifies ways to find...
Are Bankers and Customers on the Same Page?
SPONSORED—Vericast surveyed financial services marketers and consumers about their banking goals, priorities, expectations and experiences. Industry experts analyzed the data and identified...
Charles Potts: Growing small business banking
We live in unprecedented times, filled with new challenges and opportunities for small businesses. Fortunately, community banks have greater access than ever before to advanced solutions and...
Brad M. Bolton: Advancing our communities
My bank’s tagline is ‘Where dreams meet solutions,’ and it serves as my guiding inspiration at the bank and, now, at the national level. As community bankers, our customers depend on us to keep...
Can fintechs enhance your bank’s marketing campaign?
Customized, well-thought-out interactions are integral to wooing new customers and retaining existing ones. We asked several banking leaders how they’ve employed fintech to ramp up their marketing...
6 smart marketing moves for 2023
When it comes to customer acquisition tactics, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s budget. Here, experts give their take on trends that can freshen up your community bank’s...
Build your community bank's brand with swag
Promotional merchandise, or swag, has long been regarded as a no-brainer approach to branding. Community banks are shedding those thrifty connotations with a mindful approach to company gifting...
Six ways data can boost your community bank's brand
Combining data with customer feedback can help community banks understand what customers think about their services and turn those thoughts into action.
How to collect positive customer reviews
When customers look up businesses online, reviews are one of the first things they see. These community bankers share how they collect positive reviews, and how to respond to negative ones.
How to build up your Gen Z customer base
Generation Z represents one in four Americans today, and they’re looking for their bank. To attract this new generation of potential customers, community banks must understand what banking means to...
De novos in the time of COVID
The 2008 financial crisis kept the number of de novos low for years but had started to rebound. Then, the pandemic happened. Today, de novos and beginner banks face a unique set of challenges and...
FNB Community Bank is conquering TikTok
FNB Community Bank’s investment in social media has paid off. Marketing manager and assistant vice president Julie Waddle has excelled at making fun, informative videos that engage the bank’s...
Paid social media's place in your marketing strategy
As social media platforms tinker with algorithms, marketing experts say one trend is clear: Paid social campaigns are becoming increasingly necessary to cut through the noise and reach customers....
Rebeca Romero Rainey: The spirit of innovation
A spirit of innovation and can-do attitude will serve you well this year, helping you remain ahead of the curve and address issues that arise.
7 ways community banks can boost profitability
A profitability strategy has a lot to factor in given today’s uncertain market. Here’s what community bankers need to know when planning their budgets for the next year.
Why community banks are acquiring nonbanks
Acquiring a wealth management firm, fintech, title business or other nonbank organization can unlock new opportunities for community banks. But experts say that finding the right business to...
ICBA’s best-performing community banks of 2020
Independent Banker’s annual listing of America’s best-performing community banks shows that nimble thinking and an adherence to good old-fashioned customer service can bring success, whatever the...
Improve your next marketing campaign with data
Using data from your community bank, an ad campaign or public sources allows your marketing efforts to find potential or existing customers who’ve already shown interest in your brand.
6 ways to boost your social media strategy
Community banks are building relationships through an active, thoughtful presence on social media, and these platforms are an extension of the relationships that community banks foster. Experts...
The advertising regulations you need to know
Like any business marketing its products and services, a community bank must keep its advertising truthful. There are plenty of regulations specific to financial institutions under the FDIC, CFPB...
Why going public is still an option
In recent years, some community banks have made the decision to go public as part of their strategy for growth. In 2020, however, COVID-19 cast uncertainty over the market. But experts say...
CFOs on how to account for the year's uncertainty
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has required community banks to adjust business practices, roles, budgeting and projections. We spoke to several chief financial officers and other community...
4 community banks with eye-catching names
These community banks know you never get a second chance to make a first impression. From Ergo Bank in Wisconsin to Happy State Bank in Texas, we uncover the roots of four banks’ eye-catching...
ICBA’s best-performing community banks
Our annual list of the year’s top-performing community banks boasts institutions that focus on efficiency and the personal service that builds strong, lasting relationships. Their success last year...
How to get and keep new customers
Customers have more choices than ever about where and how to do their banking. Community banks must find the right ways to engage them if they want to win and retain their loyalty. Here are the...
Community Bank CEO Outlook 2020: How your peers plan to grow
Independent Banker’s Community Bank CEO Outlook survey asked community bank leaders how they plan to grow their institutions this year. This year’s survey reveals what community bankers have...
Why your bank should be budgeting for the big picture
Your community bank’s strategic plan often takes things like innovation, growth and succession planning into account, but does the budget? How can your bank plan for these often unpredictable...
Five steps to building an effective deposit strategy plan
SPONSORED | Building an effective deposit strategy plan is an integral tool to acquiring new, and retaining existing, deposits. Here are the five steps for designing, organizing and implementing a...
Why your bank needs dedicated cyber insurance
Some banks have relied on their existing insurance policies to protect them from today’s security threats. But as the amount of data that community banks amass grows, they should consider dedicated...
Revealed: ICBA’s best-performing community banks 2019
Our annual list of the year’s go-getters is here! Read on to see the 75 community banks that took the crown, and hear from nine that shined because of their cutting-edge technology, strategic...
What’s in your bank’s swag bag?
Forget toasters. Community banks are standing out from the competition and luring new customers with innovative incentives.
Digital marketing tools your bank should know about
Digital marketing is evolving rapidly to meet customers where they are. We look at how remarketing, geofencing and other techniques can help your community bank get the word out.
How to build a successful payments strategy
Customer expectations and fierce competition—it’s never been more important to think strategically about your payments offering.
10 tips to boost cross-selling
Throw your sales goals out the window. Help customers get what they want, and your bottom line will take care of itself.
Who are ICBA’s best-performing community banks 2017?
Independent Banker’s annual listing of America’s best-performing community banks
ICBAs State of Community Banking survey results are in
Our annual State of Community Banking Survey of ICBA member banks reports that you’re planning to grow through creating efficiencies, introducing new technology, and investing in digital marketing....
How to boost creativity at your bank
Large corporations that lack the agility of startups often turn to “intrapreneurship” to make time and space for creative development in the workplace. Should community banks be doing the same?
Q&A: Growth-Related Challenges for the Evolving Community Bank
Whether growing organically or through M&A, even positive change can present challenges. We talked to two community bankers about considerations and issues they’ve noticed as their banks have grown.
Rob Birgfeld: Amplify Community Banking With Local Influencers
Influencer marketing doesn’t have to target social media stars with millions of followers, it can start at a local level.
Powering Potential: Maximize Your Social Media Impact
ICBA’s marketing resources, education programs and compliance tools provide community bankers with strategic social media solutions and regulatory guidance to amplify their online presence.
The Secret to Engaging Customers Through Podcasts
With the popularity of podcasts, these community banks are riding the sound waves. Learn how they plan and produce episodes and build up engaged audiences.
Revealed: ICBA’s best-performing community banks 2018
Our annual coast-to-coast roster of high achievers is here! Read on to see the 75 community banks that made the cut, and hear from nine we’ve highlighted for their consistent high performance and...
Streamlining Social Media for Community Banks
Don’t have a dedicated social media person? No problem. New tools and an inclusive approach make your community bank’s social presence simpler to establish and maintain.
Jim Reber: Manage Interest Rate Risk With Strategic Portfolio Decisions
Yield curve shape reflects bond market’s mood.
Michael Benedict: Putting the 'Strategy' in 'Portfolio Strategy'
How can you use your portfolio to create operating leverage?
Regulatory Expectations for Compliance Are Evolving – Are You Keeping Up?
Regulatory Expectations for Compliance Are Evolving – Are You Keeping Up? SPONSORED | As the regulatory landscape continues to change, every financial institution can use an extra hand when it...
Michael Benedict: Community Bank Growth in a New Rate Environment
A steeper yield curve brings growth strategies back into the fold.
Is Data the Key to Enhancing Bank Customer Relationships?
Conversion data from social media, websites and marketing platforms can help prove whether banks are successful in their personalization, outreach and differentiation.
Growth Goals: Navigating IPOs and OTC Trading
Is your community bank thinking about launching an initial public offering or over-the-counter trading of stocks to raise liquidity?
Michael Benedict: Are We There Yet?
Take a look at the nagging persistence of portfolio mark‑to‑market.
What Is Behavioral Economics, and Could It Help Your Bank Grow?
Much of our financial decision-making is driven by cognitive biases and emotions—and behavioral economics is the science behind that.
8 Budgeting Ideas That Support Growth
Smart budgeting allows for adaptation to changing financial and economic conditions. But the most important thing, say experts, is that community banks focus on investing in what’s working for them.
6 Things to Consider Before Opening a New Branch
A new branch can present new opportunities for community banks—if you plan thoroughly and calculate the risk involved.
Jim Reber: Moving on Up
Bond portfolios’ yields are beginning to catch up.