Ep 87 – Essential Website Strategy Insights with Brent Feldman

Many community banks don’t hesitate to invest hundreds of thousands, or even millions, in a new brick and mortar branch—but balk at the cost of a new website. In this episode, we dive into why that mindset needs to change—and what a modern bank website should actually do.

Brent Feldman, CEO of Matchbox Design Group, joins us to unpack what makes a website work for banks, how to shift your team's mindset, and the most common traps banks fall into when building or rebuilding their sites.

Topics we cover:

· Why your website is more important than any physical branch

· The mindset banks need before starting a web project

· Common content mistakes (and how to fix them)

· Why residential lending ≠ mortgages

· WordPress vs. core CMS platforms

· Creating a digital branch that actually reflects your brand

Brent Feldman is the CEO of Matchbox Design Group, a website and marketing company focused on banks and credit unions based in St. Louis, Missouri. Brent leads digital strategy initiatives for the organization and is also the host of the Mix & Matchbox Podcast.

Links & Resources:

· Brent Feldman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentfeldman

· Matchbox Design Group: https://www.matchboxdesigngroup.com

· Brent’s Podcast: Mix & Matchbox – featuring a banking series - https://matchboxdesigngroup.com/about/mix-matchbox-podcast-digital-marketing/

· Recommended Book: Smart Brevity by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz

Learn more:
Website: bankmarketingshow.com
Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com
Contact Chris and Dan: contact@bankmarketingshow.com

Financial education isn't just about blogging — it’s one of the most powerful tools a community bank can use to connect with its audience, build trust, and drive long-term growth. And, it’s one that many customers are requesting – information and education from an institution they already trust.

In this episode, Dan and Chris unpack the real “why” behind financial education and dive deep into practical ways banks can use it to boost engagement and loyalty.

We discuss:
*Why financial education works better than promotional fluff
*Real-world delivery formats: blogs, workshops, bite-size videos, and more
*How to tailor your content for local relevance (and stand out from national
competitors)
*The ROI of financial education—even when results take time

Resources mentioned:
- Bankmarketingshow.com
- For more on this topic, check out our newsletter at bankmarketingminute.com
- 90-Day Checklist – email us at contact@bankmarketingshow.com

Turning Stories Into Strategy: Humanizing Your Brand

Think you need a massive ad budget to stand out? Think again. This episode is all about how community banks can turn everyday staff and customer stories into powerful, memorable marketing—while keeping spend to a minimum. If your team’s struggling with content ideas, this is your playbook.

In this episode, Chris and Dan cover:

• Why stories beat stock photos every time
• How to encourage employees to share small, real moments
• Turning everyday experiences into community trust
• Mixing personal + professional for maximum impact
• Campaign ideas that make your bank feel more human
• How to systematize story collection for social media gold

Links & Resources:
Website: bankmarketingshow.com
Newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com
Contact: contact@bankmarketingshow.com

Forget billboards and banner ads — this episode is all about unexpected, low-cost, high-impact marketing moves that big banks simply can’t pull off. Chris and Dan share real-life guerrilla marketing campaigns from community banks that sparked attention, built goodwill, and drove serious local engagement.

In this episode:

• What guerrilla marketing is (and why it works for banks)
• How surprise and delight builds brand loyalty
• Real examples: food trucks, cookbooks, classroom giveaways & more
• Ways to turn offline buzz into social media momentum
• Compliance watch-outs and how to stay inclusive
• Tips for measuring success and repeating what works

Links & Resources:

• Website: bankmarketingshow.com
• Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com
• Contact Chris and Dan: contact@bankmarketingshow.com

Podcasting isn’t just for influencers anymore—banks are getting in the game. In this episode, Chris and Dan sit down with Caleb Stevens, VP of Marketing at SouthState Bank’s Capital Markets Division and host of the Community Bank Podcast. From demand generation to practical AI use, Caleb breaks down how banks can modernize without losing sight of what really matters.

In this episode, we cover:

• - The rise of podcasting as a bank marketing tool
• - How digital lead gen is changing—and how demand creation is in
• - How to use AI in practical, low-risk ways inside your bank
• - Caleb’s “3Ms framework”: Message, Methods, and Metrics
• - Real-world examples of alignment between marketing and lending teams that actually drove results
• - Why the simplest marketing ideas might be your most powerful

About Caleb:

Caleb serves as the VP of Marketing for SouthState Bank’s Capital Markets Division, serving over 1,000 community banks across the nation through a variety of banking products and services. He is also the host of The Community Bank Podcast and the co-author of the book Collegiate: 7 Big Ideas to Make College Awesome. He lives in Athens, Georgia with his wife Grace and two young sons.

Links & Resources:

- SouthState Bank podcast: https://southstatecorrespondent.com/podcasts/

- Community Bank Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-community-bank-podcast/id1513967803

- Contact Caleb: caleb.stevens@southstatebank.com

- Favorite Book: Remarkable - David Salyers & Dr. Randy Ross

- Resource for brand messaging: https://storybrand.com/

- LEAD - Neil Stevens: https://www.oconeestatebank.com/business/make-your-remarkable-podcast

- Website: bankmarketingshow.com

- Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

- Contact Chris and Dan: contact@bankmarketingshow.com

How do you grow your bank’s social media presence without relying on your bank's own profiles?

Most banks don't - but in this episode, Chris and Dan explore a different strategy: using your own staff as influencers and brand ambassadors. You’ll learn why employee-led content consistently outperforms corporate posts—and how to turn your team into your most powerful marketing channel.

Here’s what we cover:

• - Why your employees’ social media reach outperforms bank official pages
• - Creating a culture of brand ambassadorship, not just marketing
• - Balancing compliance with creativity in employee posts
• - How to run a successful internal workshop to train social media ambassadors
• - The secret to making these programs sustainable over time
• - Why storytelling (not promotion) should be at the heart of your content

Links & Resources:

- Website: bankmarketingshow.com

- Sign up for our LinkedIn newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

- Contact Chris and Dan: contact@bankmarketingshow.com

We’ve met a lot of bank and credit union marketing teams – and we’ve noticed some commonalities among those that see more success in their efforts. In this episode, we talk about the role of a marketing director (or VP, or manager, or any lead marketer at a bank) – and the things we see in our work that are most impactful to personal career growth and organizational success (which are highly correlated!).

This episode covers a lot of ground – the essential traits that define top-performing marketing professionals, the importance of building strong internal relationships, and ways the most successful leaders maintain focus on their plans and avoid being distracted by shiny objects (of which there are many in tech and digital marketing today!).

Topics Include:

• · Building Trust and Resonating with Customers
• · Staying Informed and Competitive
• · Avoiding Pitfalls and Aligning with Bank Goals
• · Attending Industry Conferences and Seeking Diverse Inspirations
• · Budget Management and Strategic Planning
• · Managing Internal Relationships

Resources Mentioned:

• · contact@bankmarketingshow.com
• · Bank Marketing Minute Newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com
• · Website: The Bank Marketing Show: bankmarketingshow.com

Many community banks are missing out on valuable marketing opportunities. Statistics show that many community banks aren’t currently utilizing cookies, which used to put them at a disadvantage. However, with cookies being increasingly phased out, updating your website pop-ups and refining your other marketing strategies is crucial. While some data will be lost in a cookieless environment, there are ways to continue engaging with customers.

In this episode, Chris Bates, Dan Novalis, and Hollie Brown explore what a cookieless future means for community banks. Email marketing is one effective strategy that doesn’t rely on cookies, and by using techniques like lookalike marketing, community banks can keep reaching the right audience. They also share other smart strategies to meet your customers.

Chris, Dan, and Hollie look at how fintech companies are stepping up to meet these challenges and how community banks can model their marketing strategies after them. They also share easy-to-follow tips on how community banks can use customer data more wisely and show real returns on their marketing efforts.

Topics Include:

• What can we do about a cookieless future
• Why older generations are less likely to accept cookies and information
• How to collect more information from your website visitors
• A comparison between Fintech companies and community banks
• How a cookieless future will affect the marketing landscape

About Hollie

Hollie Brown is Vice President of Marketing for Coastal Community Bank. Coastal provides personal and business banking services for Puget Sound, WA customers, and Banking as a Service (BaaS) for fintech partners. At Coastal, Hollie leads marketing strategy, brand and corporation communication, public relations, and digital marketing.

Hollie earned a BA in Journalism from Western Washington University, an Executive Development Professional certificate from the Washington Bankers Association, a certificate in Bank Marketing from the American Bankers Association, and she is a Certified Financial Management Professional from the American Bankers Association. She is currently enrolled in Pacific Coast Banking School.

Before joining Coastal, she was the Regional Marketing Manager for Moss Adams LLP in Seattle and the Vice President and Director of Marketing for Peoples Bank in Bellingham, WA.

Resources Mentioned:

• Episode 58 - Producing Content that Actually Engages with Hollie Brown
• Website: https://www.coastalbank.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holliejoybrown/
• Website: https://bankmarketingshow.com/
• contact@bankmarketingshow.com
• Bank Marketing Minute Newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com