Six Tips for Banks to Develop a Small Business Content Program

October 18, 2016

In a recent EMI blog post, we discussed ways that banks could re-engage with the small business market. One of these ways was to develop content of interest to small businesses. The development and distribution of targeted content can enable banks to re-establish credibility, act as a proof point of banks’ commitment to small businesses, and reposition banks as a key source of advice for small business owners.

The following are six tips for developing a content program aimed at small businesses:

Conduct due diligence. Survey small businesses and company stakeholders to develop insights into what content topics small business owners are interested in, how they consume content, and how they perceive banks as content providers. In addition, banks should study competitors’ content development to identify best practices as well as approaches to avoid. And banks should also assess content topics and styles deployed by dedicated business media, such as Inc. and Entrepreneur.
Develop a content portal. Large banks—such as Bank of America (Small Business Community), Capital One (Spark Business IQ), JPMorgan Chase (Chase for Business Resource Center), U.S. Bank (Connect), and Wells Fargo (Wells Fargo Works for Small Business)—have all developed small business portals. These portals publish a regular stream of small business-related content, which aim to drive small business awareness, interest and engagement. Establishing content templates and guidelines—covering content length, styles, colors, fonts, logo treatment, images and graphics, and approval processes—facilitate timely content development and publication.
Focus on topics of interest to small businesses. Content developed for small business owners tends to be focused on key business life stages (e.g., starting a business, growing, selling), and related business challenges and financial needs. Such content positions the bank as a trusted advisor for small businesses at different stages of evolution, and can act as a catalyst for small business engagement.
Utilize a range of content types. Banks have a range of different content types at their disposal, each of which offers specific advantages in terms of developing and presenting content. These include articles and blog posts, case studies and success stories, podcasts and webcasts, videos and infographics. Wells Fargo has a dedicated “Wells Fargo Stories” section on its website, which include thumbnail summaries, which link to additional detail, including video. Content should be presented in easy-to-consume formats for small business owners who are bombarded with information on a daily basis.
Promote content across multiple channels. Banks should aim to present this content across a number of channels, including social media (in particular LinkedIn and Twitter), the company website, small business media, and small business-oriented events. In addition, this content should be adapted for use by the bank’s small business bankers in branches or on the road. Some banks that maintain small business content and advice portals extend this branding into social media. A standout example here is the @WellsFargoWorks Twitter handle, which mirrors the bank’s Wells Fargo Works for Small Business portal.
Carry out small business surveys. Many of the large banks now conduct and publish regular (annual, quarterly or even monthly) surveys that track business sentiment and key challenges. These surveys help demonstrate the banks’ commitment to the small business market. And findings from the surveys provide fodder for content development that can be used across a range of channels. Many of these have been in place for more than a decade (PNC has published a semi-annual PNC Economic Outlook since 2003), and some include a metric that is tracked over time (e.g., the Bank of the West Small Business Growth Index). A number of banks create market-specific versions of these surveys (U.S. Bank publishes versions of its annual small business survey for 11 markets in its footprint), which help raise the bank’s profile in these markets. Banks have also conducted one-off surveys of current hot topics (e.g., the TD Bank EMV Survey in November 2015) or focused on targeted segments (the August 2016 Bank of America Women Business Owner Survey).

Developing relevant and engaging content across multiple media enable banks to position themselves as aware of small business ambitions and needs, and committed to partnering with small business owners to develop pathways to business success.

Key takeaways from leading credit card issuer 3Q15 financials

October 30, 2015

The following is a list of several trends that EMI Strategic Marketing identified in leading credit card issuers’ 3Q15 financials:

Regional bank card issuers continue to lead in receivables growth. A key factor: regional banks, such as SunTrust and Wells Fargo, are focused on cross-selling credit cards to their bank customers.

Many national issuers not (yet) growing loans, but are ramping up new account generation. National credit card issuers like Citi and Bank of America reported y/y loan declines in 3Q15, due to continued run-off of legacy portfolios. However, both of these issuers are confident that their portfolios will grow in the near future. Citi reported that it is ramping up card acquisition for its core products, and this is starting to pay off with 6% y/y rise in active accounts. Credit card “monolines” are also investing in new account generation. Discover new account generation in 3Q15 was at its highest level since 3Q07. And American Express reported an 8% y/y rise in marketing and promotion spending, with a focus on attracting new card members. As a result of this investment, American Express generated 2.3 million new accounts in 3Q15, compared to a quarterly average of 1.6 million in 2014.
Card volume grew…but was impacted by low fuel prices. Leading issuers continued to report growth in purchase volume, but the y/y rate of growth was lower than in recent quarters, in large part due to low fuel prices. Discover reported y/y sales volume growth of 2.6%. However, excluding gas, the growth rate was 7%. Issuers reporting very strong volume growth included Capital One (+19% y/y), which is benefitting from its focus on transactors, and Wells Fargo (+15%).
Issuers are growing revenues…and expenses. Six of the largest U.S. credit card issuers have dedicated payment units, which publish quarterly revenue and expense data. Since the financial crisis, revenue growth has been elusive for issuers, but in 3Q15 four of the six issuers reported y/y growth in revenue. Benefitting from loan growth, five of the six issuers reported growth in net interest income. And three of the six reported noninterest income growth. However, as issuers are looking to generate new accounts as well as loan and volume growth, they are increasing their noninterest expenses. Banks with the largest y/y increases in noninterest expense in 3Q15 included American Express (+11%), U.S. Bank (+9%) and Discover (+8%).
Credit card yield shows signs of growth. Of the seven leading issuers who reported yield data in their quarterly financials, four reported y/y growth. In addition, six of the seven reported q/q rises in yield. This indicates that in the post-CARD Act environment, issuers are not competing aggressively on price, but are instead concentrating on enhancing rewards, providing additional value-added features, and making large acquisition-and-activation bonus offers.

Charge-off rates continue to decline…and may fall even further. As we have mentioned in previous blogs, credit card net charge-off rates are well below historical averages. Reasons for this extended decline include tight underwriting on the part of issuers and an aversion to building up large credit card debt on the part of cardholders. In its earnings conference call, Discover characterized the credit loss environment as “remarkably benign.” With continued y/y declines in 30+ day delinquency rates (which have historically been a predictor of charge-off rates), issuers are not expecting the charge-off rate to spike in the near term, and in fact rates may continue to decline further.

7 Ways Banks Are Adapting Branch Networks to New Realities

September 28, 2015

According to the FDIC, there were just over 94,000 domestic bank branches at the end of June 2015: a net reduction of almost 1,400 branches from end-June 2014, and a decline of more than 6,000 branches since the U.S. passed the 100,000 branch threshold in mid-2009.

The recent decrease in the number of branches is being driven by a number of factors, including banks’ focus on cutting costs in recent years. In addition, the emergence and strong growth of online and mobile banking usage has led to consumers significantly reducing their use of branches for transaction processing. So how are banks adapting their branch networks to this changing channel environment? An analysis of presentations by leading U.S. banks at the recent Barclays Global Financial Services Conference identified a number of ways that banks are restructuring, repositioning, redesigning and restaffing their branches to ensure that this channel survives and thrives into the future.

Continuing to pursue branch consolidation. While banks continue to emphasize their commitment to the branch channel in general, they have cut their overall number of branches in recent years, and will continue to do so. At the Barclays conference, KeyBank reported that it had cut its branch network by 10% in the past three years, and envisages a further ongoing reduction at a rate of 2-3% per year.
Selling off (and acquiring) branch networks. Most leading banks believe they need to have critical mass in particular markets. If they feel that they cannot achieve this goal, they may decide to exit the market entirely. Citi is exiting a number of markets, as it seeks to focus on just 6 major metro markets. Fifth Third recently announced that it is ending its branch presence in Pennsylvania. These branch sell-offs create opportunities for other banks who want to grow their presence in those markets (BB&T acquired Citi’s branch network in Texas, and F.N.B is buying Fifth Third’s 17 branches in Pittsburgh).
Developing a hub-and-spoke approach. Rather than having a dense network of similarly-sized branches, some banks are looking to establish a hub-and-spoke approach in specific markets. This approach typically features a flagship branch as well as a reduced number of small branches. At the Barclays conference, Synovus claimed that it was applying a hub-and-spoke system. Other banks with flagship branches include Bank of America and Citibank, which now has flagship branches in four of its six target U.S. metro markets.
Redesigning and re-staffing branches. As the branch channel’s primary role shifts from transaction processing to sales and service, leading banks are overhauling store layouts and are replacing tellers with product experts. In addition to closing or consolidating 400 branches in recent years, PNC reported that it has converted 300 branches to its universal banking model (featuring concierge stations and reformatted teller stations). In addition to providing enhanced sales and services to branch visitors, PNC claims that these branches cost 45% less than traditional branches. In terms of staffing, Bank of America reported that it has added nearly 1,200 financial solutions advisers and small business bankers over the past two years.
Growing in-store branch networks. Banks like Huntington and U.S. Bank have significant in-store or on-campus branch networks, and remain committed to this channel. Huntington Bank recently announced that it was adding 43 in-store branches in Michigan via its relationship with Meijer Stores.
Incorporating new functionality into online and mobile banking services to drive branch traffic. Bank of America reported that its clients used the bank’s online and mobile apps to schedule an average of 14,000 branch appointments per week in August 2015. And in September 2015, Bank of America announced online and mobile banking enhancements, which included enabling clients to make same-day financial center appointments.
Applying guerrilla marketing tactics. Banks are becoming more creative in how they establish a physical presence to better interact with clients and prospects. Leveraging its relationship with the Green Bay Packers, Associated Bank has set up a virtual branch in the parking lot of Lambeau Field to target tailgaters.

While the overall number of branches is likely to continue to decline, most banks appreciate the key role that branches play in sales, service and branding, and remain committed to the channel. However, banks will continue to adjust branch density, design, layout, staffing and integration with other channels, in order to control costs and adapt to new consumer preferences and behaviors in how they interact with their banks.