Community bankers and industry leaders gathered last week in Chicago for the ABA (American Banking Association)’s annual bank marketing conference focusing on the latest trends, strategies, and challenges in banking. The event’s lineup included a variety of sessions covering everything from digital transformation to cross-channel content marketing. The Social Assurance team was there, engaging with many of our friends and partners, and sharing insights on leveraging AI and authentic storytelling in content marketing. ICYMI, here’s a quick recap of our time in Chicago.
Empowering Women in Banking
The event kicked off with another fabulous ABA X Girl Banker Brunch, which featured an especially inspiring group of women in banking, including Natalie Bartholomew; First Community Bank, Britney Campbell; Legends Bank, Tammy O’Shea; Fidelity Bank, and Shamim Okolloh; Encore Bank (plus a guest appearance from Ella the Banker). The panel encouraged attendees to challenge traditional thinking around women in banking as well as highlighting the importance of women as a key customer demographic. This includes women in professional services, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit work. Natalie spotlighted programs committed to serving women in unique and inspiring ways, including Her Bank by Legends Bank and Fidelity Bank’s P.O.W.E.R., a program designed to meet the unique needs of women in business across Southeast Louisiana. We also heard from Shamim on the power of representation and storytelling and how those topics intersect with financial literacy and opportunities to reach underserved market segments and communities.
The Importance of Digital Experience
Balancing digital convenience with traditional banking values is crucial. Many speakers emphasized the importance of digital experience and transformation, especially as banks adopt and implement fintech partnerships and new technologies, including AI tools. Experts shared strategies for leveraging partnerships to manage risk and provide personalized customer experiences. The takeaway was clear: success in digital transformation requires agility, clear goal-setting, and a commitment to ongoing improvement.
The event also featured sessions on modernizing bank operations and maximizing customer lifetime value. Leaders like Shelly Loftin; Arvest Bank, Becky Mills; Heartland Bank and Trust Company, and Shelley Wetton; Five Star Bank encouraged attendees to prioritize strategic alignment across departments, from sales to marketing.
Building Human Relationships in an AI World
Community bankers know: It’s never been more important to forge and build meaningful human connections and relationships. Some sessions emphasized the impact those relationships can have, especially when it comes to growing commercial lines through the successful acquisition and retention of small and medium-sized business customers.
Of course, AI tools can help community bankers and bank marketers segment and leverage data, process information quickly and effectively, and even streamline content creation–but there are some things it can’t help with. Social Assurance’s own Ben Pankonin took the stage to discuss the role of AI in creating authentic content that resonates with customers. He highlighted that while AI can streamline processes, the best stories remain uniquely human. By adopting better systems, banks can easily collect and curate content that showcases their values and connects with customers on a personal level.
He emphasized that marketing teams need to be able to source meaningful content that shows off their people, the connections they have in the community, the spontaneous things that happen out in the real world when real, human, connections are made and grown through genuine service.
Strategic, cross-channel content–from the engaging photos and videos we post on social media to the deeply human stories we tell in long-form features and spotlights–is incredibly powerful when it comes to reaching, engaging, and motivating customers.
“Your customers are looking for information that is relatable and aligned with problems, their values, and their needs,” explains Ben. “Humans must be at the center of that content for it to effectively generate outcomes like traffic, leads, account opens, loans, and deposits.”
Looking Ahead
As the banking industry continues to navigate changing customer expectations, technology advancements, and regulatory requirements, events like this provide invaluable opportunities for learning and growth. Social Assurance is proud to be a part of these conversations, helping community banks stay at the forefront of innovation while remaining true to their roots.
