CategoryFinancial

City State Bank is a community bank headquartered in Norwalk, Iowa. They have 11 locations split between banking, trust & investment and insurance offices in central Iowa. After listening to the client’s goals and understanding the feedback they received about the website, we focused on a few main issues the new website would need to resolve: The need for a modern design and user interface More robust content to aid understanding of their products & services Make it easy to find Read More

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?” Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau hit the nail on the head when it comes to putting meaning to action. This is especially important when it comes to your marketing campaigns. So many financial institutions don’t execute well, that great execution on a solid plan will set you apart. As Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy, authors of the book Executive: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, put it, Read More

You’ve been handed down a quarterly product sales goal with little to no direction of how to reach those numbers online and the clock is ticking. You’re not alone in this dilemma. Having a web marketing strategy is important, but having an effective plan is vital. Unfortunately, we find that many financial institutions may have a strategy that is missing pivotal components for success. A complete marketing plan ensures everyone is on the same page and that all stakeholder issues Read More

Scenario 1: Your CFO pokes their head into your office and says you need to conduct a campaign to raise $15 million in deposits to fund new loans. Also, you have four months and nowhere near a large enough budget. Good luck! Scenario 2: You overhear a conversation between two members of your management team. They refer to marketing as a cost center. One of them says marketing should stick to “writing newsletters and posting photos on Facebook.” Sound familiar? If so, it is Read More

  There may be a time when your current web hosting company isn’t making the cut for your financial institution. Maybe you’re disappointed with the customer service of your website provider or concerned about the level of security features they offer. Whatever the reason, your decision to switch doesn’t have to be an overwhelming venture into a wild frontier. What if we told you if you really liked the design of your site, you can keep it while increasing your access Read More

Walk into our office at VGM Forbin, and Darrell's smiling face is one of the first things you see. As our Financial Account Executive, Darrell brings plenty of energy to the team, which is good considering he has to keep up with wife, Liz, and their three sons every day. Originally from La Porte City, Iowa, Darrell's career in the financial industry started at a small bank south of Chicago in 2004. From there, he moved to Des Moines, Iowa to work in the electronic payments space for Read More

A vendor’s view of what opportunities lie ahead for financial marketers to capitalize on in order to claim a spot at the leadership table. A few weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure and opportunity to attend the American Bankers Association Bank Marketing School. It was eight days of class and craziness with nearly 100 fellow marketing junkies Throughout the school, I noticed several themes I could relate to as someone who markets to financial institutions.   Too often, strategy Read More

Iowa State Bank approached VGM Forbin because they were looking for a website that is informative at its core, while also creating a simplified visual experience. The community bank was seeking a site that reflected their relational personality and simultaneously provided spot-on customer-sought information. Take a peek into our process of discovery for creating a website that has Iowa State Bank’s users coming back!   Q: What makes you a community bank? A: We live, Read More

The People Have Spoken! Peoples Bank Website Launch Overview: Defining the Problem Peoples Bank, an independently-owned bank in Indianola, Iowa, was struggling to accurately represent themselves to new and current customers because of a problematic sitemap, lack of awareness for their unique products and stagnant social media efforts. Because of the troublesome navigation, they were not receiving desirable engagement or conversions. They wanted the user experience to be both smooth and Read More

Locking Down a Solution: Security Trust & Savings Bank Site Launch Overview: Defining the Problem Security Trust & Savings Bank came to VGM Forbin for a custom solution to better represent their products and friendly personality. The bank was struggling to reach their target audience with a stiff site that did not represent their culture or products that are central to their business. VGM FORBIN can find a web solution unique to your business. FILL OUT A SIMPLE CONTACT Read More