When it comes to advocating for the future of community banking, few voices carry more weight than Rebeca Romero Rainey. This week we had the privilege of sitting down with Rebeca, the President & CEO of the ICBA, for a candid and thoughtful conversation on where the industry is heading.

Top of mind for us all is how community banks can stay strong amid competition from fintechs and non-bank players. Rebeca's vision is that the path forward isn't about becoming someone else, but about owning what makes community banking unique. Yep, Dan & I loved hearing her sing our song about that! She didn't hold back on the tough stuff either. We talked about regulatory clarity, the risks and rewards of adopting AI, and the challenge of attracting new talent to the industry. But through it all, Rebeca's optimism was clear: community banks are agile, trusted, and human, and that's their real superpower.

Some of the key takeaways that we can all use:  Embracing AI doesn't mean losing your human touch. We must embrace it but approach it responsibly.  Speak to the real human differentiators that community banks have in an increasingly digital world.  Succession planning and leadership development must evolve and be priorities.  We need to make it easier (and less costly) to start new community banks.  Some of the leadership principles that Rebeca relies on most are listening and taking action.

Resources: BankMarketingShow.com When it comes to advocating for the future of community banking, few voices carry more weight than Rebeca Romero Rainey. This week we had the privilege of sitting down with Rebeca, the President & CEO of the ICBA, for a candid and thoughtful conversation on where the industry is heading. Top of mind for us all is how community banks can stay strong amid competition from fintechs and non-bank players. Rebeca's vision is that the path forward isn't about becoming someone else, but about owning what makes community banking unique. Yep, Dan & I loved hearing her sing our song about that! She didn't hold back on the tough stuff either. We talked about regulatory clarity, the risks and rewards of adopting AI, and the challenge of attracting new talent to the industry. But through it all, Rebeca's optimism was clear: community banks are agile, trusted, and human, and that's their real superpower. Some of the key takeaways that we can all use:  Embracing AI doesn't mean losing your human touch. We must embrace it but approach it responsibly.  Speak to the real human differentiators that community banks have in an increasingly digital world.  Succession planning and leadership development must evolve and be priorities.  We need to make it easier (and less costly) to start new community banks.  Some of the leadership principles that Rebeca relies on most are listening and taking action.

Resources:

BankMarketingShow.com

ICBA: https://www.icba.org/

Rebeca: https://www.icba.org/w/rebeca-romero-rainey

LET (Leadership Effectiveness Training): https://www.gordontraining.com/leader-effectiveness-training-l-e-t/

Cybersecurity, AI, and IT modernization aren't just "IT problems" anymore — they directly impact how banks market, grow, and protect their brands.

In this episode of The Bank Marketing Show, Chris and Dan sit down with Scott Stevens, Chief Information Security Officer at Integrity Technology Solutions, to break down what community should actually be thinking about when it comes to cloud infrastructure, AI usage, and cybersecurity.

What We Cover

• Why "modernizing IT" doesn't always mean spending more — and often means simplifying
• How moving files to SharePoint and OneDrive unlocks safer AI use for marketing teams
• The importance of Microsoft Secure Score — and why 70%+ should be the baseline
• Why banning AI doesn't work (and what banks should do instead)
• How to create practical AI acceptable-use policies that employees will actually follow
• What Zero Trust architecture means for the next 5–10 years of banking technology

Links & Resources

• Connect with Scott: [email protected]
• Integrity Technology Solutions: https://www.integrityts.com
• Book: The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership, by Robert Hunter
• Website: https://www.bankmarketingshow.com
• Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.bankmarketingminute.com
• Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

Community Banks produce a lot of "educational" content, but a lot of it is thinly disguised sales material, or sounds the same as 1,000 other "how to buy your first home" blogs.

In this episode, we sit down with Emily Schwartz, Director of Financial Education at MidFirst Bank, about how her team helps build real trust in her bank, by focusing on education first.

If you are tired of just checking the boxes with your content, and trying to avoid "AI slop" (as you should be!), this episode is a great way to reframe how you approach financial education – no matter the size of your bank.

What we cover in this episode:

· The difference between truly educating your customers and prospects, versus just creating blogs

· Where to find the best education topics (hint: it's not keyword tools)

· Why smaller banks don't need big teams to start doing this well

· How education can support brand, loyalty, and community impact, without feeling salesy

· The results that MidFirst has seen from their efforts

Links & Resources

· Connect with Emily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-schwartz-ph-d-372a7815/

· Book: Inspired by Matt Richtel

· Website: https://bankmarketingshow.com

· Sign up for our newsletter: https://bankmarketingminute.com

· Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

100 episodes. Four seasons. Many dozens of conversations with bank leaders and innovators – and we're just getting started!

In this milestone episode, Chris and Dan look back at what they've learned from these conversations, and where they think community bank marketing is headed next.

They also turn the cameras on themselves – and put each other in the hot seat with surprise questions that dig into strategy, personal best practices, and how to navigate what's coming in 2025 and beyond.

In this episode:

• The biggest shifts in bank marketing since the show began in early 2022
• Lessons learned from dozens of interviews with industry experts
• What's working right now in brand, digital, and AI-driven marketing
• Key themes we expect to define the next year of bank marketing
• A special 100th episode Hot Seat session where Dan and Chris challenge each other with unrehearsed questions

Links & Resources

• Bankmarketingshow.com
• Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com
• Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

AI Agents are quickly becoming the biggest competitive edge for community banks to win and serve small business customers.

Chris and Dan sat down with the co-founders of Daylit, Jared Shulman (CEO) and Jerry Shu (CTO), to break down what AI agents actually are, how they work, and why banks should be thinking about building an AI Agent portfolio to stand out in the highly competitive SMB market.

Daylit (formerly Lendica) is the leading AI Agent for accounts receivable for SMBs, and they share deep insight into how businesses think, how they adopt new tools, and what they will expect from their financial partners in the next few years.

If you've been hearing the buzz about AI agents, and thinking about how they fit into your bank's AI strategy, this is a must-listen.

In this episode:

• What AI Agents really are, and what makes them different from just an LLM
• How AI Agents give SMBs enterprise-level financial intelligence, without the enterprise-level budget
• How community banks can use AI-enabled services to attract, retain, and grow SMB customers
• Why embedded fintechs and non-banks are quietly becoming competitors – and how to differentiate
• Practical ways banks can partner with AI technology vendors, without taking on additional regulatory or credit risk

Links & Resources

• Launch Event! Daylit is releasing the newest version of their AI AR Agent on December 2, 2025 at 6pm ET. Register here: https://luma.com/me4l88i0

· Daylit: daylit.com

· Follow Daylit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedaylit/

· Follow Daylit on X: https://x.com/daylit_ai

· Follow Daylit on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lendica

· Book: Zero to One

· Follow Jared on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shulman-jared/

· Follow Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-shu-8502591b/

Connect with Chris & Dan

· Website: bankmarketingshow.com

· Email: [email protected]

· Companion Newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com or https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/bank-marketing-minute-7240439067794948098

What happens when a 120-year-old community bank decides to take a bold leap forward? Randy Dorn, President of My Kind of Bank (formerly First National Bank of Henning), joins Chris and Dan to share the story behind their rebrand — from internal debates to a powerful cultural transformation that united staff and energized customers.

Randy reveals how a name change became more than a marketing move — it became a statement of purpose. This episode dives deep into how community banks can modernize without losing their soul, and how to turn a rebrand into a growth engine that drives engagement, loyalty, and pride.

Main Topics Covered:

• Why "doing nothing" is riskier than rebranding

• How My Kind of Bank turned a marketing idea into a brand identity

• The internal culture shift that made the brand stick

• Turning employees into local heroes (and why it works better than celebrity ads)

• Using digital marketing, SEO audits, and referral programs to turn a new brand into measurable growth

• How to approach board conversations about risk, tradition, and change

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• Randy's email: [email protected]

• My Kind of Bank: mykindofbank.com

• Website: bankmarketingshow.com

• Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

• Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

Compliance and marketing don't have to be enemies, especially in the age of AI. In this episode, Charles LeFevre, Director of Compliance Operations at Kadince (and self-proclaimed "Taylor Swift of Compliance"), joins us to break down how these two sides can work together to move faster, stay compliant, and even have a little fun doing it.

You'll hear how AI is reshaping the marketer–compliance relationship, and where there are opportunities for smarter collaboration, fewer bottlenecks, and better outcomes for everyone.

In this episode:

• Why "best practices" can actually kill creativity
• How to build realistic AI usage policies that empower your team
• The right balance between guardrails and innovation when using AI
• How smaller banks can use AI to leap ahead of big institutions
• Charles's three-lines-of-defense model for marketing + compliance collaboration

Links & Resources:

Charles's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talktochuck/

🌐 bankmarketingshow.com

📰 Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

📩 Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

If your 2026 plan looks like 2025's...you may not be adapting to all the technology- and user behavior-driven changes that have happened this year.

In this episode, Chris and Dan chat about all these changes, and lay out a simple checklist to use as your 2026 strategy comes together - including adjusting budgets, getting found with GEO and SEO, and speaking directly to customer problems.

Key topics:

- Why you should audit your digital visibility as the first input to your strategic plan

- How allocating budget should be different than last year

- Building initiatives around specific customer problems/niches

Links and resources:

- Website: bankmarketingshow.com

- Newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

- Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

Is SEO really dead—or is AI search just the new shiny object? In this episode, Chris and Dan break down the buzz around Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and what it actually means for community banks. (spoiler: SEO isn't going anywhere, but banks that act now have a huge opportunity to get ahead while everyone else is still watching from the sidelines)

What we cover in this episode:

• Why "SEO is dead" headlines are misleading—and what's really happening

• How SEO and GEO overlap and where they differ

• Why customer reviews and human "proof" matter more than ever in AI search

• How to structure your content for conversational, AI-driven results

• Quick, practical steps any community bank can start on today

• Why now is the easiest time to outrun your competition in search

Links & Resources:

• Website: bankmarketingshow.com

• Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

• Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]

There's lots of hype in the marketplace about how AI is taking over – and while the promise is that AI can help personalize customer experiences at scale, community banks are worried that it will actually make customer service feel more generic and less personal.

This week, Chris and Dan talk with Sharveen Kumar, former NVIDIA-backed founder and ex-marketing leader at Amex, about the opportunity for banks to use AI to gain more personal touch with AI. By using AI in the right ways, it takes the mundane, repeatable tasks off your plate and actually creates more opportunities for you to do what you do best: build customer relationships.

Main Topics Covered

· Personalization is the differentiator: banks have rare, long-term 1:1 relationships—most banks focus on protecting and scaling that edge.

· Start with data, not tools: CRM usage, clean legacy data, and connected sources are the foundation for any AI win.

· Beware shiny objects: many enterprise AI POCs fail; map processes and decide where AI should (and shouldn't) play.

· Where AI actually helps: automate the 30–40% "one-liner" service requests so teams can focus on deeper conversations.

· Practical workflow moves: capture conversation notes, let AI surface opportunities, and free humans for high-value outreach.

· Tiered experiences without losing the human touch: segment service levels thoughtfully, then invest saved time into relationship banking.

Books Mentioned

· On the Road — Jack Kerouac

· Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art — James Nestor

Guest Bio

Sharveen is a former NVIDIA-backed AI startup founder, now pioneering multi-agent solutions for finance and technology enterprises. He previously led marketing at global powerhouses including Singapore Airlines, American Express, LinkedIn, and The Trade Desk. Beyond building companies, Sharveen invests in emerging ventures and mentors the next generation of professionals.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharveenkumarl/

Links & Resources

Website: bankmarketingshow.com

Sign up for our newsletter: bankmarketingminute.com

Contact Chris and Dan: [email protected]