Branch Marketing Fundamentals for Banks and Credit Unions

Branch Marketing at a Glance:

• Bank and credit union branches continue to be the primary driver of new customer acquisition and the most valuable generator of customer loyalty, cross-sell, and advocacy
• Successful branch marketing calibrates content to most effectively impact audiences in the branch environment
• Defining zones in the branch empowers banks to orchestrate the customer experience
• Each zone has a designated purpose, dwell time, and staff behavior taking place there and is populated with product, brand, informational, and seasonal content

Banks and credit unions invest in their branches with an expectation to grow. But they must do more to maximize their investment than simply build a branch and assume customers will flow in. When talking about the PNC Bank’s branch strategy in the Financial Brand, Jeff Martinez, EVP and head of branch banking at PNC, says “We’re not trying to spread our investment over more things, like peanut butter.” PNC has realized significant success with its digital channels, but continues committing to the branch, “convinced that physical proximity can be essential to growth.” With an expectation that each new branch to turn a profit in three to five years, PNC chooses the right markets (for acquisition) and supports the branch with the right methods (marketing).

Branch marketing is a critical component for driving that growth. With 60% of new-to-bank sales happening at the branch, ensuring the retail environment is primed for this purpose is essential. Banks and credit unions that invest in their branch network grow more and faster than the financial services sector at large.

But to realize that kind of success, financial institutions must understand how to calibrate content to most effectively reach and impact audiences in the branch. This means branches need to have these three elements:

• The right place: Zonal planning, with messages tailored to the customer or member journey
• The right message: A mix of content types across zones
• The right delivery: A strategy that includes content creation, management, frequency, and segmentation 

Maximizing retail return has never been more important, as branches continue to be the primary driver of new customer acquisition and the most valuable generator of customer loyalty, cross-sell, and advocacy.

How to Build an In-Branch Marketing Strategy

In-branch marketing provides a strategic foundation that enables financial institutions to leverage the branch channel more effectively. Maximizing the value of the branch as a marketing channel means having optimally designed, placed, and executed communications channels, married to empowered, engaged staff.

Branch marketing takes place both outside and inside the branch. Externally, your branch is your beacon, drawing people inside. It’s an opportunity to create awareness and spur acquisition. Internally, your branch is your brand. It’s a way to use communications to influence customers or members and deepen relationships. With consumers banking locally, branch marketing leverages proximity to deliver meaningful marketing messages.

Since consumers are more bombarded by brand messages and more discerning than ever before, in-branch marketing must be smarter and work harder to break through. Bank branch marketing also involves defining zones within the branch environment, allowing banks to orchestrate the customer experience, with each zone having a designated purpose, dwell time, and staff behavior taking place there. Each zone prioritizes the messaging that exists in any given area, and the content falls into four main categories: product, brand, informational, and seasonal.

Effective zoning requires a balanced approach, as all branches have different footprints with overlapping zones. The intent of zoning is to ensure consistency and maximize bank marketing and merchandising.

Static and Dynamic Branch Marketing Channels

Branch marketing includes content custom made for static and dynamic channels. Static channels include kiosks for collateral and fixtures for bank merchandising. Dynamic channels include digital signage and tablets that must be programmed with consistent branch marketing in a cadence that maximizes dwell time according to each zone. Static messaging is changed out less frequently, so the mission is to create static content that’s enduring.

For dynamic channels, the mission is to deploy content that’s engaging. Ultimately, the goal of in-branch marketing is to leverage proximity to deliver valuable information to the consumer that’s made for the moment. For banks and credit unions, branch marketing promotes local growth to ensure brand success and business advantage.

Creating a Bank Branch Marketing Plan

Every element of a branch’s interior and exterior contributes to the experience of customers. The design and messaging of branch marketing assets such as product posters, printed brochures, and content on digital screens matters, and must be deliberate to be effective. It starts by understanding exactly what a financial institution’s objectives are and building the right messages, channels, and timing around them. Is in-branch marketing being used primarily to: 

• Drive new account acquisition? 
• Promote a specific product or service?
• Deepen relationships with existing customers or members? 

Each objective shapes the content strategy, the channel mix, and the metrics that will be used to measure success. Without that foundation, even the best-designed in-branch communications plan becomes a collection of disconnected messages rather than a cohesive growth asset.

The most effective banks and credit unions treat their branch marketing plan as a living document, revisiting it regularly to align with product priorities, competitive shifts, and seasonal opportunities. When in-branch marketing is planned with the same rigor as other marketing strategies, the branch becomes an investment for growth.

To learn more about in-branch marketing and communications strategies that can get your financial institution ready for growth, or to speak with one of Adrenaline’s experts, contact us today.

Adrenaline is an end-to-end brand experience company serving the financial industry. We move brands and businesses ahead by delivering on every aspect of their experience across digital and physical channels, from strategy through implementation. Our multi-disciplinary team works with leadership to advise on purpose, position, culture, and retail growth strategies. We create brands people love and engage audiences from employees to customers with story-led design and insights-driven marketing; and we design and build transformative brand experiences across branch networks, leading the construction and implementation of physical spaces that drive business advantage and make the brand experience real.