Florida Banking October/November 2025

If you want to be hyperlocal, and you want to really resonate with your community, you need to understand how the people in your community are engaging with search. In urban Baltimore, for example, search tends to be broad and value-oriented — top terms include “free,” “quick,” “low interest” and “no-fee online banking.” In contrast, residents of suburban Silver Spring, searches are more focused, often seeking specific credit cards by name. Search trends also vary by age group. Younger consumers, for example, rarely search for terms like “rewards checking” — and some may not even be familiar with the concept of a checking account. But they do search for the specific benefits a rewards account offers. Targeting those more granular search terms is far more effective than relying on broad product labels. The How Community-based financial institutions already hold a key competitive advantage: local branch presence. And in a digital world, that physical footprint doesn’t have to be a limitation — it can be a strength. Using modern tools like artificial intelligence, community-based FIs can create and launch hyper targeted campaigns at scale. Instead of running a few generic ads, they can deploy thousands of tailored messages that speak directly to local needs and preferences. To make the most of this approach, institutions should optimize local ads and listings with real photos of

local peaks and troughs that can inform specific campaigns. For example, in college towns, financial services-related searches spike in August as students return to campus. That’s an opportunity to target relevant products at the right moment in the right place. In some rural areas, where search volume is low or inconsistent, digital may not be the largest investment — direct mail still plays an important role in effectively reaching consumers. Zooming out, the think-small approach may also have an amplifying effect on the core business models of smaller financial institutions, by leveraging their local brand recognition and their deep-rooted market knowledge. Consider mortgage underwriting: Where a national institution might be all about counting baths, bedrooms, square feet and acres, a local financial institution brings detailed insights about location too. They’d know about the views and the distance from amenities — and be better able to put comps in context. Search engine marketing can yield similar opportunities, at scale. The key is to combine the power of local insight with the power of granular data. With access to hyper-local, granular data, small and mid-size banks can turn their ground-level knowledge into a scalable advantage. Lisa Nicholas is the Senior Vice President of Product and Strategy, responsible for leading Vericast’s go-to-market strategies, product development and implementation.

local branches and team members, and highlight their involvement in community-related sponsorships and events. These human, place based touches build trust and relevance. Search engine data can guide marketers not just where to focus your efforts, but when to so. While banking follows an overall seasonal pattern — slow in January and February, picking up in March, and peaking in August or September — local patterns diverge. But search data also reveals

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