HERE ARE A COUPLE OF SIMPLE, LOW-COST PUBLIC RELATIONSAPPROACHES that have proven successful at two related banksthat our agency works wi th .

These tiRtics are listed below together with some examples of how they were

actually practiced at one or both of the banks. Feel free to work from or borrow

diese ideas:

Bank (assets: $2.3 billionl, Birmingham, Ala., reaches prospective and current

custciincrs through sponsoring or hosting local consumer and business-focused

. t'roni spoii.soring an event on identity theft to giving small-businesses

ad\ ii-e i>n how to write a business plan, Aliant maintains a presence in the com-

munitv as its leaders position themseh'es as experts on relevant and useful topics.

L i.\uits, m tum, lead to oppoitunilies toi m u h a u n e i a g e poi txiilaiU m

smallei m ii L^ts u I U K llii. [>' nit anJ 1 \ outlets aie olten looking fot '•oinLthiii'.

in lei est 11 ig to cus 11 \\ iih \ isuai oppoi [unities

It IS 11 ilK.il to hd\t: a thud pai t \ e \ p n l a( ihesi. e\ -nts so that people doj . t

think \<)u K |usl stlling the hank s -.LI \ Kes 1 oi e \a inpl ' , U ,ui idi-ntit\ theft e \ tn t ,

Allant had, in addition to its own emplo\ees, a poliee olt'iLti and d!stiKtattoinL\

ing on the pi e\ alenee ot ID thett.

1 6 I ABA BANK MARKETING i DECEMBER 2012

Examples of cost-effective PR tactics: hosting events,

writing newspaper guest columns, developing

relationships with local media, and communicating

regularly with your own internal brand ambassadors.

2.Write Guest Columns for Publications 3.Work with the News Media

Aliant Bank contributes monthly guest columns to localpublications, such as Lake Martin Living magazine. Thecolumns offer a wide range of useful and practical topics,from paying for long-term medical care to financing a boat.The institution's parent bank, USAmeriBank, Largo, Fla.,also contributes guest columns to community newspapersthat reach the geographic areas where its retail and businessbanking efforts are focused.

These columns position bank leaders as experts, but in away that is not seen as predominantly promoting the bank.The key is to offer high-quality, useful, helpful information.And the authors of the columns often take turns, to showcasethe different types of expertise in the various departmentsof the bank.

Not everyone has a knack for writing this sort of thing,and that's OK. One approach is to have the expert write downthe main ideas, then pass that along to an outside writer tohelp shape it into something that will be reader-friendlyand media-friendly. Another approach is to have the writerinterview the expert and start an initial draft that the expertcan revise and refine.

Developing deep relationships with the news media is keyto becoming a go-to source for their stories. A good place tostart is to ask for 15 minutes of their time to discuss what thebank's people are best at, and what makes the bank differentamong its competitors.

Journalists are busy people, and they rely on quality sources.Media professionals are particularly appreciative of peoplethat respect their time (when calling, always ask, "Is this agood time?"), öfter thoughtful and reliable information, andare responsive and forthright.

Always be thinking long-term—pay attention to howthe journalist likes to work, try to make their jobs easier, beconsiderate, and offer story tips even if they don't directlyhelp your client. It's all under the theme of being helpful.The media is just trying to do a job. If you show you canhelp them do their job, they'll call you back again and again.

USAmeriBank has been fortunate to establish lastingrelationships with local media at the Tampa Bay BusinessJournal, Tampa Bay Times, and La Gaceta (the nation's onlytrilingual newspaper), by being a helpful, thoughtful, andeasy-to-work-with resource on banking topics and trends.

Three key things to remember in your interactions with media:

These columns position bank leaders as experts, but in a way

that is not seen as predominantly promoting the bank.

Keep answers short. A general question from a reportercould provoke any length of response. Be concise, startwith the 30,000-foot view. Let them ask follow-up ques-tions so that the conversation fiows.

A Century of Banking On Alabama.

ALIANT NEWS ONLINEA quarterly newsletter for employées of Allant

Mortgage Questions and AnswersQ. How Is Allant Mortgage doing so far thA. We are striving to close as many purch

refinance loans as we can right now. Ourars mflecting weekly and monthiy recordsIs contiibuting above plan for Aliant and to\eO12 budget.

0. What la causing the market to impmvelA. Severalfactorscomeloniind;cn^istenth

Wim a älght hint of an uplicK, time ol seasa reduction of hon^ inv^tory on the markIng aome supply and demand trendshaven't seen in a lor^ time.

Q. What type ot mortgage loens do you h<A. There ara vary few lypas o( residential m

we don't do. Simpty put, we orlginata, procurtderwrite 95 percent of our loans in-housis a huge benefit. Wa also offer a faw uniqiucts, such as one-time constniction pem-giving ths client the opportunity to oniydosing arvl one set of fees with what is nctwo-time transaction, and portfoiio ioans tlgive us an upper harxl on our competition

a division oF u

allantbank.comSUMMER aOI2

Aliant N«ws OnUns Summer 2012

ALIANT'S REBRANDING A SUCCESS

Reflecting both Aliant's rich history and its commitment to its Alabama

customers, the bank successfully iaunched its new brand this spring, getting

a good reaction from customers, the news media and our communities in

general.

The effort wasn't simpia. involving changing avery sign at AllanVs 15

retail branches, along with creating a new website and brochures, to

redesigning the bank's iatterhaad, nametags, and detiit cards. Aliant's

Russell Thomas and Dianne All partnered with Birmingham's HipBrand

Group, one of AJabama's top branding agencies, for the design work.

The result: A clsan, modern look that's boon drawing praise,

"It was important that the brand reflect what we are - a homegrown

Alabama bartk," said Dianne Aii. "So whiie we wanted the iook to be profes-

sional and clean, we also wanted to have it not come off as too slick or

commercial."

Some key elements that helped were: a subtle, classy color scheme;

local photos anchoring the website; pienty of references and details about

Aliant's history, and personal touches such as a message from CEO Harlan

Parrish on the website.

Going forward, the brand wiil serve as the foundation for more advertis-

ing and marketing efforts, tied to continued pubilc relations initiatives

designed to gain Aiiant prominence in such publications as the Birmingham

Business Journal. Montgomery Advertiser and Ale)(ander City Outiook.

"When we are Introducing the bank to a potentiai customer, one of the

first things that person may do is check out our website," Parrish said. "With

this informative, engaging new look, we show that while wa are local and

personal we are also professional - a winning combination."

Keeping bankemployeesinformed aboutmarketingcampaigns andbank goals andgrowth plans is aninexpensive yeteffective way toencourage goodpublic relations.Shown here isan issue of thequarterly employeenewsletterpublished by AliantBank (assets:$2.3 billion),Birmingham, Ala.

1 8 1 ABA BANK MARKETING DECEMBER 2012

a You don*t have to answer a question. If it's something youcan't or don't want to talk about, just tell the reporter why.And if you simply don't know the answer to a question,it's a very nice touch to help them in finding somebodythat does.

ffl Nothing is off the record. If you don't want somethingprinted, don't say it. If you're casually asked a question"after the interview" that could lead to you trashing acompetitor, don't take the bait.

4. Don't Overlook Internal Communications

Your most important brand ambassadors, the people whoare inevitably talking about you out in the community, areyour colleagues who work at the bank. Most importantly,they should be generally happy with their employer—if not,people will hear about it.

Next, employees should be in some way aware of thebank's "elevator pitch." Never attempt to script anyone, butit is certainly appropriate to share key information on thebank so that staff can be prepared, accurate and consistentwhen the bank comes up in conversations.

And when possible, involve the staff in planning of ini-tiatives—people are more likely to be actively engaged withsomething if they're a part of it from the beginning and havea sense of ownership.

Feather Sound News • October 2012 ' Page 17

Are Banks Actually landing Right Now?By Cwol Roid. USAmoriBank

Ara bank« w l M % Unding r i (^ ncmr' TtM good rwws IS t

Vétti that <n mind, ham m* «va INnsa ta conaidar tf you •

As we lAlk to business owrwi around PinaHas County, wa anon »re askad Uw svne qas ttw economy slowt improves inany bai*s «r« »ct9a»r^ their IO{KIS lo tx^mesThat »Id. if you are (aotiing for a busmsss loan thsre am a numtjer of things to tthirling about vMang financing (rotn a iiank

1. Having a qualify but intM plan will h«lp your chancM <rf 9MUfi9 • tMru Th* land« w« «ant 10 know bcw ih« mon^sood invettmsnt for the b » ^ to tnak« ASQOdbutnMCplan w«dMO««ilhMBndinudimar« m th« plwi. ff» impart»« to dMcntM ffw ««mand for yourproduct r^wvouiimari^nocustamartHndstqjptyihaprodua.andwftaiyeuwpKtyiuesAacw.rwmuMvd^

3. Having m« bank handle both your iMTMiHi «ml b M ) n * N MMta can to Iw^ifbL A» Mnlere, « • woukt pi«tK (0 r ^business r e Ms This httipi us beti» undaratand y«« conptMi fmancM t i M t t AHo. tna tnnk can b* of tM|p wüh lueh «wig* m gMMg your fmnen^srtd EBusiness accounts sot up m a way (hat best fits your neads

3. it Isn't unusual to ba Mkvd to put ct^lirterid into « deal. It s not unusual af a» for a bar* to »fc a borraw« to put a tigMKm*. «noum of cash downOver tme. (ha!cashret^irememmsyb«reduced rnnriitniij nmn r T n u n n n i ti jrMngn-i]-pnf\i lnnrm i l l i iwUMiMng• Mich ron]iiiiirii.in.<iii

d. As you pick a l«n<tor. aito think at>out Hwhat banklns ttfvlc«« you may nmd In « i * houn. An kiaal tm*m vriB mcogni» • grwanQ bu^rm» a»an oppcrtLjruty to piaviúa uHfuI servirai ítotl wiü b« <6aûy io h lp tí you ruri «Mo a hnsrTKiM «morganey. Al»a r « (IIOM «fficttnt i yOU WOrtl wWi a landW

w way. you wort't tWM ter aifiMn yourá=JDK

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i TTw b » l tMJvinn« tunklng rtlationthlp« arawith b«nk«r« wfto takt th« time t« underitwidyour tMkimtu. ftjttncss-to-buBtnMS bankingis most «ffactivo whan it's pvrsonal. and aratationsh^ vrHti • l«nd«r shouldn't end whentne loan i* approved.

Gol a MfiiM of «tiath«! the bantc WJII tüK« tho tim«to undimaM your buamess urnqut value, along w<uiyour ehatlar>(|ai. and tfwt wfU shcm you wtwther trw«wndHMagoodil

- Carol Raid « Sanur Vic* PfMidant and Brancho inMBank't toanert at 4770 i40ihNwvt n Cmnvatar USAmanB«* n m

a M r k baMKt in CItanniir that prowdna ntgh lawi ol pamnsHzed sstvica and atumUon tesuaWmart aroind tn« Tir^pa Bay M*a For mort

vH« www USAmwi8«r« com

r .Kt tj

Using bank personnel to contribute coiumns or articles to local weekly newspaper is anotherlow-cost way to promote the bank's expertise. Shown here is an article written by the managerof USAmeriBank's Clearwater branch for the Feather Sound News, a monthly communitynewspaper.

Developing deep relationships with the news media is key to

becoming a go-to source for their stories.

Some Things to Consider Before Embarking onYour PR Campaign

Whether you have an in-house public relations profes-sional, a PR agency working to help represent yourbank, or if you're attempting to generate some new

attention on your own, here are a few ideas and things to keepin mind about before you embark on your efforts.

First, what is public relations? There are many definitions—many are accurate, others not. Generally, PR deals with howwe manage "relationships" with our "publics"—the audiencesthat we communicate with because they matter to our bank.

A bank has various publics/audiences that we need to keepin touch with if we want to be as successful as we can. The firstone, obviously, is our customers. The others include: prospects,our staff, our shareholders, our board of directors, the govern-ment, businesses, maybe schools or nonprofits, perhaps industryassociations. The list can go on.

It's helpful to look at each audience individually becauseeach requires different messages, and each is reached in differ-ent ways. Some are reached via news media, others with socialmedia, through the mau or email, from a podium, in a boardmeeting, at a baseball game.

Some audiences want to hear about rates, some about as-sets, some about dividends. People want information about

productivity, or strategic plans, or recent growth. Some wantfreebies and a good time. Others just want to know that they'reappreciated.

Before starting a PR strategy, think about:

• Which group or groups are most important to communicatewith right now?

• What do you want them to know about the bank?• What do you want to know from them?

Different groups might be more relevant or interested inyour bank at different times of the year, or different times ofthe day—^when's a good time, and where's a good place, to getyour audience's attention? How are we going to say what we'regoing to say to them? How do we want our audience to reactor respond?

Bottom line: It's about relationships. Paid advertising canbe an important part of creating awareness, and then it's yourpublic relations that bolsters your validity, your credibility, andultimately that coveted loyalty to your brand. And remember,quality matters over quantity, in terms of both the contentyou're putting out there and the people whom you're reaching.

JDECEMBER 201Z | ABA BANK MARKETING I 1 9

Local bank helps local businessesUSAmcriBank of Clcarvvatcr gives loans to the little jiiiys when others ean't.BY KAmERIHE «HOW SMITH

ST. PETEBiRWC

E ven with stiady business fromFortun«; 1.000 companies. 16-year-old Paradigm Learn-

ing ran up against ruadhlucte toñnancing when banks tiglitenedtheir Mts and its clients took lon-ger to paytheir t>iUs.

~I was banking with a majorbank that lud gone banknipt andwas taken over by another majoi-bank. I ended up with txtnkerstliatdidn't tmd«rstand our business.'said Ray Green. Paradigm co-founder and CEO. ".-Ml of the For-tune I,ü(H) clients that used to dealaccounts rwTirables e\er>' +5 daj-s.they stsuied taking öo to 70 ¡ky^"

He credits USAmeriBank. the+-year-old Clair»atei-lxis«l com-munity txinfc with a ciean tubncrslieet. ifor getting to knmv liis busi-ness, his constraints and lend-ing him money. Tlv bank's assetsexceeded $1 billion in February'.Its timing has allowed it to growquickly as well as ii\jeot cash intothe local economy.

"At the time, because of thedownturn of the economy, wewere about half a million dollarsin dett," Giwn sai<I. "Not only didthey take us on. tliey provided afiiiriy extensive line of credit so wecould continue to grow, tíi a very

k"

Roger Gatewood says he contacted to banks when he started Homes t^ WestBay. Only taur respondedpositively. He pickad USAmeriBank and has built SI homes with an average iwice of $400,000 in a year.

Gri>en said, adding that withouta suftioent linn of credit the rom-p.inv vumlcl sMil instead. It con-tiiiurtl to tinm .nul paid off tlut

Ijongtime hame buildef Ro^ rUatc'wood contacted 10 bjinks.when hi divi(l«1 Mthe stn>r)}; I]plU^ .ff

houses in the i»st ytar at an aver-agv price of HOO 0()0 It buikis in

k R.iiuh

Having goodrelationships withlocal media editorsand writers is a goodway to encouragefavorable presscoverage. Shownhere is a newspaperarticle aboutUSAmeriBank thatappeared in the dailyTampa Bay Times.

To help keep employees engaged at Aliant Bank and US-

AmeriBank, the marketing departments distribute internal

newsletters foctised on employees' community involvements

and successes, along with spotlight profiles on employees or

departments. The newsletters also include information on

major company news and changes, when applicable.

A little parting advice for doing public relations for your bank:

• Know your audiences—and be deliberate in your com-

munications with them.

• Make it personal—people care about people.

1 Think long-term—good relationships are built over time.

» Create high-quality content—offer information that is

professional and relevant.

« Have some fun with it—^banking can seem boring to some,

but it doesn't have to be. M

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JESSE LANDIS is principal and strategy director with

Florida-based Bayview Public Relations. He has provided PR

representation for several banks in multiple states. Website:

www.BayviewPR.com.

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