Powering Potential: Marketing Made Easier for Your Community Bank

Marketing can sometimes feel like an uphill battle for community banks looking to enthusiastically and effectively spread their message, but it doesn’t have to be that way. In November 2024, ICBA introduced a hub of marketing solutions—made exclusively for community banks—that could provide some relief. 

The ICBA Marketing Resource Center (MRC) is a toolkit packed with planning materials, how-to guides, thought leadership and more. It’s designed to elevate your marketing efforts, help you attract new customers and build stronger relationships.

“[There are] not a lot of resources out there that speak exclusively to community banks, especially within the marketing sphere,” says Rob Birgfeld, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at ICBA, “so we are stepping in to address the needs for any bank that wants to tell their story.”

Share your story

To empower community banks to effectively tell their stories, ICBA brought its National Campaign and Marketing Toolkit resources together to create a unified and dynamic resource center. Now, all the assets from those preexisting resources are accessible in one place—with more to come.

Among the many features are guidebooks covering topics like public relations, media pitching and search engine optimization (SEO). “These are not just how-tos; they are how-tos for community bankers,” says Jana Jurukovska, senior vice president of marketing at ICBA.

From editable templates and social media shortcuts to readymade press releases and videos, the MRC is designed to save time and simplify workflows. It’s an actionable toolkit that caters to marketers of all skill levels. Whether you’re a seasoned marketing professional or taking on marketing as one of many responsibilities, the MRC meets you where you are. 

For example, the MRC introduces a robust, easy-to-use social media component. Plug-and-play posts, taggable videos and eye-catching banner ads are available for immediate use. “By giving you templates that you can plug and play, there’s no reason a nonmarketer shouldn’t be able to use it,” says Jurukovska.

You can now also customize high-quality, professionally produced videos to showcase your community bank’s brand and messaging. 

“It’s to shorten the distance between the message and the execution,” Birgfeld says. “We want to equip members with tools and resources to enhance their messaging and market engagement.”

Amplifying voices

Streamlining workflows isn’t the only benefit the MRC provides. In an increasingly crowded marketplace where ads and marketing are everywhere, the platform gives you the tools you need to compete. 

“Often, community bankers are strapped for time, and often there’s only one marketing staff, or that individual is wearing multiple hats,” says Jurukovska. 

By offering research-tested and locally customizable campaigns, ICBA is giving community banks a chance to amplify their voices, stand out from the competition and connect more effectively with key audiences.

The MRC isn’t static, either. ICBA has assembled an advisory team of community bank marketers that will regularly review and prioritize what comes next. The advisory team is committed to adding new resources as marketing trends evolve, ensuring that the tools remain actionable and relevant. 

“This is going to be ever evolving. This is not just an unveil,” says Birgfeld. “We are constantly going to be updating it and refining throughout the course of the year.”

Future updates could include more advanced social media strategies or guidance on emerging technologies like AI marketing. “Everything we look at has to be through the lens of community banks,” says Birgfeld. “Everybody’s got a wish list, but what can they put into practice tomorrow?”

The ICBA Marketing Resource Center represents a significant step forward in empowering community banks to achieve their marketing goals. “We’re confident that there’s a compelling story to tell,” continues Birgfeld, “and we’re really about empowering and enabling our members so they can properly tell their story however and wherever they choose to do it.”