Writer: Becki Drahota

Take your M&A communications strategy to the next level

The pandemic turned what was a slow shuffle toward the edge of the technology cliff, into a hard shove right off the edge. Banks had to get nimble, creative, flexible and comfortable with a very different way of operating in a very short time period. And frankly, they did. The continuous push toward leveling up in the digital and technology game is often a driver for a larger decision to find one or more strategic partners, to combine resources — or organizations — to build the best, most competitive and sustainable solution. Enter the acquisition strategy! [Continue]

Wealth management marketing: From ‘Secondhand Rose’ to ‘It Girl’

Who knew that a line of business which doesn’t have mass market appeal and has a sales cycle that’s measured in years, would be on a lot of bank marketing plans for 2021?! It’s true. After decades of writing yawn-inducing brochures with exhaustive definitions of services like testamentary trusts, wealth management is being recognized as a low-capital-requirement, higher-than-average ROE banking division worth actively pursuing.  [Continue]

Apples-to-apples comparisons are less fruitful these days

To say banking is competitive today is a revelation as surprising as acknowledging that the Pope is Catholic. So why, then, are we still measuring success relative to a peer group that includes only banks that look like we do, act like we do, and operate in the same geography we’re in? I’m not saying that traditional peer comparisons are wrong. I’m saying they’re insufficient. As a marketer, acting only on traditional apples-to-apples numbers can lull us into a false sense of security and a plausible excuse to forgo proactive urgency. [Continue]

How to field a marketing team in 2021 and beyond

Your customers are comparing your mobile banking app experience to shopping on Amazon. Your CEO wants a digital transformation plan up and rolling. Now. And your lenders want Wave 3 PPP communication support, a spring mortgage campaign, and a treasury management video by noon tomorrow. While just about every facet of banking has been disrupted in the last five years, the resources needed to support these changes are in serious need of inspection. [Continue]

What’s your brand plan, Stan?

Managing and curating your bank’s brand has always required discipline, vision and creativity. Today, industry disruption and COVID-19 have added a new mandatory: Relevance. [Continue]

Is your board an ‘asset’ or an ‘audience’?

As a director serving two boards, I can tell you that 2020 reinforced its no-star rating by the challenges it afforded leadership in banks large and small. In both cases, for me, dealing with substantive and emotional issues under significant time constraints made me grateful that both of my boards are strategically focused and functionally practical. But that’s not always the case. [Continue]