Florida Banking April 2023

BANCSERV ENDORSED PARTNER: BANKMARKETINGCENTER.COM

NEAL REYNOLDS SPEAKS WITH BRIAN HICKEY OF THE FLORIDA BANKERS ASSOCIATION

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BY NEAL REYNOLDS, PRESIDENT, BANKMARKETINGCENTER.COM

A s you all know, bankers are continually required to do more with less… and the management of their marketing programs is certainly no exception. Because Bank Marketing Center is a Florida Bankers Association endorsed partner, I recently had the pleasure to speak with Brian Hickey, who you all know as the FBA’s Director of Partner Relations and Associate Membership. We talked about some of the trends in banking and how members can make the most of our partnership. Brian Hickey: Thanks for meeting with me, Neal. Let me begin this conversation by giving our members a bit of background. For those association members who are not familiar with the process, this is important; our selection of endorsed partners is an ongoing one. In other words, once selected, a vendor doesn’t simply enjoy permanent endorsed vendor status. As new suppliers and technologies appear, we know that we must continually review these partners and potential opportunities to remain assured that they are, in fact, the best organizations in their field. And, subsequently, that members continue to receive the best services in the industry. As your state banking association, we feel that it is always important to help keep you, our partner banks, abreast of the trends, developments and new opportunities that present themselves in this fast and ever-evolving industry. We’re taking this opportunity to update you on developments in the area of marketing, brought to you by Neal Reynolds, founder and president of one of our endorsed marketing partners, BankMarketingCenter.com. Neal Reynolds: First off, thank you, Brian, for giving me the opportunity to address your member banks. We are committed to bringing the FBA banks the best in marketing messaging, which is so critical, especially

with the many challenges that bankers now face. A top challenge, of course, is that banks are continually being asked to do more — regulation is a good example — and resources are stretched thin. The competition for customers has become incredibly tough with fintechs constantly entering the marketplace. Consequently, smart marketing is more critical than ever. Hickey: You mentioned that resources are stretched thin, and I’m pretty sure that all our member banks would agree. Tell me, how can your service help banks stay on top of that all-important function, marketing, without, perhaps, staffing an entire department or hiring an expensive outside firm? Reynolds: Good question, Brian. For starters, our web-based marketing portal gives your banks the ability to produce professionally designed, bank-branded marketing materials in a matter of seconds. It puts the user in complete control of the ad production process, saving valuable time and money. Our design interface is super user friendly, so no design skill is required, which is huge. Users log in, select an ad that most closely meets their needs, and then customize it with their desired images, brand colors, and copy, simply by dragging and

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