Addressing the Current State of Banking: Put Your Clients at Ease with this Communication Plan

Another Illustration of Why Financial Literacy is so Important to Your Financial Institution 

During these times of uneasiness in the banking sector, it’s more important now than ever to provide your clients with the peace of mind about the safety of their funds and the current state of your financial institution.

How many times have you heard a client ask, “Is my money safe?” in the last few days?

If it’s too many to count, we know how you feel. With the recent news swirling around in the banking world, we understand what you and your clients are going through. We’re here to provide you with the tools you need to distribute timely, impactful updates among your clientele. 

As is the case at many financial institutions, we know many branch staff members wear many hats and the marketing teams often feel like their task list is never ending. If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, it’s okay. We want you to know that our DBSI team is here to support your financial institution with a simple communication plan you can act upon and roll out this week.

Feel free to share this blog post with your internal teams or utilize these tips and verbiage to put your clients at ease.

Here are the 3 things you need to do right now:

1. Educate Your Clients - Everywhere!

Panic starts when individuals are uninformed. On the contrary, when your clients are informed, they remain calm. At a time like this, it’s extremely important to not only update your clients on your current state but educate them on the insurance options your financial institution has.

Make your clients aware that their funds are insured if they have under $250,000 in their account. The standard insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. And you don’t have to purchase deposit insurance. (FDIC).

Each credit union member has at least $250,000 in total coverage. Administered by the NCUA, the Share Insurance Fund insures individual accounts up to $250,000. Additionally, a member’s interest in all joint accounts combined is insured up to $250,000. (NCUA)

If your institution offers the option to get more coverage, these are the conversations you should be starting. For example, a conversation your staff can have with your clients would be how they can diversify their money across multiple accounts.

Now is the time to over communicate with your clients the current state of your financial institution and ensure the safety of their funds through targeted, personalized messaging. Instead of sweeping the current state of the financial world under the rug, address it head on. Acknowledge that your clients are being heard by publicly addressing their worries. This will keep your FI top-of-mind and demonstrate that your team is being proactive in their communication efforts.

Blast your messaging on all digital marketing platforms - one platform isn’t enough and right now, you can’t over communicate.

When crafting your messaging, we recommend that it comes from either your CEO or an executive-level member of your financial institution. When people can tie a notable individual from your FI to the message, the delivery is more effective as it humanizes your efforts and allows people to connect to a recognizable face or name.

Where do most people go when they are seeking information? 

Your website, and your social media channels. Make sure your website is up-to-date and addresses the current state of the banking world. We suggest sharing an internal press release, social media posts, and having clear messaging on your website and digital platforms that provide your clients with a sense of ease. Use verbiage that instills a sense of relief and be sure to provide the appropriate contact information, so customers feel supported if they have specific questions or are seeking further assistance.

When you’re communicating on your social channels be factual, authentic, and informative for your followers.

Here is a sample social media post you can utilize for your FI’s social media channels right now:

Following the recent news in the banking industry, we wanted to assure you that there are no disruptions to (Insert FI name)'s business or services. If you are seeking further assistance, please visit (insert website URL). We look forward to serving you!

With an endless to-do list and managing everyday branch operations, we know that most FI’s marketing teams are almost always strapped for time. We also know that executing the right message to the right audience takes a dedicated, well-crafted plan to be the most effective.

2. Assess Your FI's High-Value Accounts

Identify the high-value accounts over $250,000 at your financial institution right now. From there, conduct an action plan on how you are going to communicate with this clientele.

This is a great opportunity to connect them with your wealth management team to have advisory-level conversations that demonstrate your level of expertise, support, and personalized care.

When you’re having these conversations with clients, it’s important you ensure them of the health of your financial institution. But also provide them with education on why things like this happen, and how they can prevent it from happening to them.

If your clients have more than $250,000 in their account, let them know the options they should take. At times like this, they are counting on their financial institution to provide educated guidance as they navigate through their financial journey.

3. Create an Internal Communications Plan

Just as important as your external messaging to clients, is educating your branch staff and call center so they are prepared to provide consistent, on-brand answers.

A few ways to do this:

• Conduct a virtual or in-person Town Hall: To ensure external messaging is consistent across your branch network, we recommend holding internal communication meetings before your messaging is rolled out.
• Don’t be afraid to over-educate your staff: Share as much information and education pieces with your staff as possible including insurance documentations, popular articles, or even your own social media posts or press release.
• Provide talk tracks to your branch staff and call centers: Don’t just provide education on this subject but provide consistent messaging they can utilize.
• Update digital signage displays: Whether it’s your in-branch signage, break rooms, your headquarters space, display real-time updates to educate and maximize comfort.

Ensuring your clients and staff feel well-informed when there is uncertainty in the industry is critical to the health of your financial institution. Instead of being bombarded by hundreds of questions in each of your branches, implement a well-crafted communication plan to help minimize the noise.

When people feel heard, that itself creates an instant sense of relief and provides individuals with a common space to connect.

Whether it’s writing a press release, website copy, blog post, social media post, internal communications, or content for a digital signage display, our DBSI team is happy to provide guidance every step of the way. We can provide a customized DIY marketing kit tailored for your FI that will not only capture your brand voice, but provide the timely, insightful updates your clients are currently seeking.

Looking to take action today to streamline your branch communications? Contact our marketing team of experts at digitalagency@dbsi-inc.com or 855-ASK-DBSI.