Content Marketing Today

Local Bank Websites Robbed! Compelling Content Stolen!

Or maybe really relevant content had never been deposited in the first place.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve gotten to know a lot of bankers.  The vast majority don’t fit the stereotype of button-downed and boring.  In fact, business bankers tend to be outgoing, smart, creative, and customer centric.  They are devoted to the well-being of their clients.  They offer sound, individualized advice when you’re facing a challenging business situation.

Why then do so many banking websites look almost identical and offer a set of services that everyone else can match? 

We know that our bankers want us to be successful.  Why then don’t they provide content on their websites that would help get us there? What do you get instead?  Clichés and same old same old.

An overabundance of clichés make every bank seem the same

We all know that customer service is important.  As businesspeople, our objective is to deliver extraordinary customer service ourselves.  And, of course, we expect it in return.  But, when banks seem to make it the only differentiator,’customer service’ loses all meaning.  Here’s a random sampling from some small to medium-sized banks:

“We value the relationships we build with customers. You’re sure to experience the high levels of customer service and professionalism that have become our standards when you visit any of our 16 locations.”

“A hometown community bank that is able to make local decisions for our customers.  Our mission statement is to provide legendary service to our customers.”

“Big bank resources that feel like home.”

“It is our mission to deliver financial services to our clients in the most efficient manner possible and with the highest level of personal service.”

“We are committed to give you and your business the one-on-one personalized attention it deserves.”

You get the picture.  Every bank claims to be delivering great customer service that one should feel warm and fuzzy about.  Let’s accept this as true.  But it’s still means that every bank sounds the same.

Today, even small banks can offer sophisticated banking services.

Except for the very largest loans, banks of every size can now provide a comprehensive set of business and consumer banking services.  A bank could not survive without providing the same services online as they do within their branches.  This is great, but it means that once again each bank looks very much the same.

Use content marketing to break out of the banking bunch.

What if banks delivered more?  What if a local bank became the financial thought leader within the business community?

In Southwest Florida, our newspapers carry little meaningful business or financial coverage.  Moreover, they are often seen as anti-business, even though they rely on local businesses for their very existence.  We do have some good local business publications, but they devote relatively little attention to the complexities of business finance.  I suspect in most regions around the country, it’s pretty much the same

The solution: create a bank website–and related eNewsletter and perhaps a print publication– that becomes a primary source of compelling business content.  The content should be weighted toward the financial issues that are so very important to businesses of every size.  Actually, we do have one bank with a strong local presence, Northern Trust, which does a terrific job of providing in-depth content to its affluent clients and to the wealth advisors who look after them.  Click here to see what Northern Trust is doing so effectively. 

There is no reason why a local or regional bank could not provide business-focused content of comparable quality that would position it as the go-to source for reliable financial information.  The small to medium-size businesses that make up the vast majority of the US economy need all the help they can get.  The first banks to provide the kind of relevant content that helps their clients succeed will reach a substantial bottom-line reward.