Is Your Bank Website a Comprehensive Financial Resource, or Just a Brochure?

Is your financial institution meeting this need for your customers?

If your website only features the products and services you offer, with no blog to help customers and prospects find answers to their questions, the answer is no.

To prove this theory, let’s compare search volumes for basic bank products like checking accounts vs. questions about personal finance, business, and investing. Then we’ll offer suggestions for what to add.

• Money Management Topic had an increase of 250% from the last 12 months.
• Money management books + 140% (search volume of 1,000)
• Money management for kids +140% (search volume 325)
• Money management app +140% ( 6,600) ( best money management software volume of 300)
• Best way to manage retirement money (search volume of 90)
• Topic Bank Account + 130% (27,000) (online banking account 22,000)
• Financial Risk Management + 70% (1,600)
• Money management worksheet +110% (volume 590)
• Free Money management software + 90% (search volume 210)
• How to manage finances in a marriage (110)
• How to manage your money (search volume 1,900)
• How to manage your money better (volume 170)
• How to budget (volume 9,900)
• How to create a budget (volume 4,400)
• How to make a monthly budget (volume 1,300)
• How to finance a business (volume210)
• How to apply for financial aid (1,900)
• How to invest money (22,200)
• How to start investing (8,100)
• Where to invest money (4,400)
• How to invest in stocks (49,500)

A white paper is an authoritative and informative text that is usually longer than a blog post but shorter than an ebook. Banks and credit unions can use white papers as a marketing tool to provide answers to the questions their customers are researching. White papers can also be used to highlight certain products and/or services and to collect consumers’ email addresses. You have probably seen this yourself: a website popup offering a free white paper or ebook and the only catch is that you need to enter your email address to download it.

If you already have a blog on your website, look for ultimate guide-style articles that could be expanded and turned into downloadable white papers. This could help you grow your email list organically and keep your customers and prospects engaged with your brand.

Once you publish blog articles on these topics, you can turn them into printed white papers to mail to your customers. Consider creating shortened versions of any of the above guides and mailing out while customers are home. Mail marketing strategies provide a nice complement to your digital marketing efforts.

At BankBound, we work with community banks and credit unions across the country. We’ve found that local financial institutions are uniquely positioned to connect their customers with state, local, and federal resources beyond the bank’s products and services. Here are some ideas for your own “Resources” page:

Unemployment Resources: With millions of people out of work during the pandemic, you could provide links and information for state unemployment programs as well as the extra unemployment compensation allocated by the CARES Act.

Free Financial Workshops: Whether for basic personal finance, estate planning, taxes, and more, you can help your customers find local workshops. Better yet—offer these events yourself!

Tax Guides: Help individuals and businesses understand the changes to the tax code from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Business Grants: What grants are available at the state and national level for new entrepreneurs?

Social Security and Medicare: Help the soon-to-be retirees in your community with links to the Social Security Administration’s benefit estimator, Medicare enrollment, and other pertinent information.

FAFSA Information: For parents and college students looking for financial aid information.

Resources for Farmers: Examples include Resources for Farmers, Small and Mid-size Farmer Resources, and localized articles such as 10 Helpful Resources for Farmers.

We’ll leave you with these real-world examples for inspiration:

• Tropical FCU’s Get Beyond Money
• Central Bank’s Video Tutorials
• The Money Mentor from Alliant Bank
• Bank of America’s Better Money Habits
• News and Stories from Chase Bank
• Santander’s Prosper and Thrive
• Resources for Business, Farm, and Life from First Bank.

For more tips on improving your bank website, check out our blog post on “The Value of Your Digital Bank Branch.” Need more help than that? Our singular focus on financial institutions makes us the perfect digital marketing partner for banks and credit unions. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build a better website and online presence.