April is Community Banking Month. Here are nine ways to celebrate!

Written by: Neal Reynolds

As you probably know, April is Community Banking Month. Some community banks trim the celebration to a week, others celebrate the whole month. Whatever your bank’s choice, BankMarketingCenter.com has some fun ideas for celebrating your bank’s positive role in the community. And if you read all the way to the bottom, you’ll find an added bonus to help you effectively tell the story of your community bank!

Small-town banks, with their “Main Street” focus offer their customers personalized financial services, like a concierge at a five-star hotel. Customers know their bank, from the CEO to the part-time teller in the drive-thru. And bankers know their customers and their families, and most of the time they’ve known them for generations.

New retail stores, new residential homes and subdivisions, improvements to a local school or church, may have their financial foundation at your bank. All of this deserves a celebration.

Here are nine fine ideas for celebrating Community Banking Month (or week) in April.

Getting to know you: During Community Banking Month/Week, the bank’s officers move into the lobby and try to meet as many customers as possible. In the early part of the last century, it was not unusual for bank presidents (or branch presidents) to occupy a desk in the lobby, so that customers could go “to the top” with their needs and concerns. It’s a great way for the leadership and customers to develop a relationship and in turn, celebrate what’s at the heart of community banking.
Take me out to the ball game: Or track meet, or tennis match, or county tournament. High school and college sporting events draw big crowds and it’s a great opportunity to get exposure for your bank’s brand. Need a promotional idea? Stuff a large jar with change and currency and give every spectator a chance to guess how much is in the jar. The closest guess not only wins the amount, but gets an equal amount deposited in a new or existing account.
Ice Cream and Piggy Banks: Community banking has a great opportunity to provide financial education at local schools. Send an army of volunteers to talk to fourth-graders in your town about how to handle money. Give away piggy banks and tuck a $20 bill in random porcelain porkers. It’ll spark interest in healthy financial practices and start a buzz at your local schools. And another treat – team with a local dairy or ice cream joint (preferably, a bank customer) to scoop up free ice cream for potential future customers.
Lunch With the CEO – Pick a random customer, or even your longest-tenured customer, to have lunch with the CEO. This is the stuff of a great business story for the local paper or TV station, or at least a photo or a brief photo or online clip.
Serving our military: If a military base is in or near your town, offer financial education and help to our fighting men and women and their families. Most of them wrestle with tight finances and the bank can help. Try “Big Pizza and Budget Priorities.” Another tip: Ask some of your employees to help babysit at session venues so that Mom or Dad can attend. It’s another great way to serve – and build relationships
Colors for Caring: Allow employees to wear their favorite team’s sweatshirt, T-shirt or colors each Friday for a small fee to benefit a local charity.
Come in, Cook Out: After closing, team with a local civic club to grill burgers and hot dogs for present and potential customers. Or you could take a more local approach. Community banks in Texas could serve chili, in Georgia, Brunswick stew. It’s a tasty way to create a buzz for your bank.
Customer of the Day/Week: Choose a customer, any customer to honor for the day or week. Treat them to lunch, a manicure or haircut, or coffee at a local spot. Rewards for this special customer are limited only by your bank’s imagination.
Dancing for Dollars: Host an old-fashioned dance marathon or block party featuring local talent, food and soft drinks. It’s fun, and another opportunity to market your bank outside the traditional confines of the office or advertising. Winners in the dance contest win $100 for a new or existing account.

These are just nine fine ways to celebrate Community Banking Month. The bottom line? Have fun.

Now as an added bonus, BankMarketingCenter.com is giving away FREE creative content to help your bank promote Community Banking Month/Week. Here are a couple of examples of what’s available. You’ll be able to create you own personalized ads, web banners, flyers, posters and Facebook posts, all within seconds.