The Secret to Increasing Wallet Share

Quick, name a bank.

Did you name your bank, or another local or national bank? It is often easier for people to think of a national bank than a local one, thanks to name recognition through advertising and branches.

But as important as top of mind awareness is, staying top of wallet is even more important. When your organization comes to both customers and prospective customer’s minds, you increase the chances at becoming their primary financial institution (PFI).

At Wallit, we define PFI as a customer having an active checking account, a debit card and direct deposit with a financial institution. There are five ways banks can accomplish this objective, increase deposit growth and boost non-interest income in a way that maintains healthy, growing customer relationships.

1. Elevate the debit card. The debit card isn’t just a payment card, method or option. It is a powerful and valuable lifestyle tool that many community banks underutilize.

At the point of sale, consumers decide whether to use a credit or debit card, based on their own needs. They make this decision multiple times each day.

I’m sure that most community bank customers that have a checking account also have that bank’s debit card in their wallet. But do they use it? Do they use a competitor’s card? Do they reach for a credit card?

2. Be Visible. Consumers have more options than ever when choosing financial services providers. So many, in fact, that consumers actively avoid marketing and advertising. Community banks have to be more visible, but not pushy.

Look for opportunities to connect your brand to things your customers value by linking it to places that your customers already think deliver value. Connect your brand to local businesses in the communities you serve, building and growing relationships with these businesses.

Promoting local businesses and providing information people need extends your bank’s reach and gets your name out there. This also borrows the brand halo of those businesses and makes your brand top of mind and top of wallet in the process.

3. Capitalize on Connections. The best businesses succeed through collaboration. Leveraging current relationships and connecting local merchants to local consumers unlocks the trapped value of your bank in the digital age.

Your bank can create a sense of belonging for members of your community, with your institution at the center. Think about it this way – Connecting buyers and sellers is far more valuable than merely connecting the bank accounts of buyers and sellers.

4. Generate Word of Mouth. Consumers will always share what they think of brands, products and services with others in their network across a wide range of communication channels. These recommendations are highly credible and relevant; they’re generally more effective than the marketing and advertising your bank currently pays for.

The best tactic to generate word of mouth is to impress current customers with a card-linked, cash back offer when they visit one of your local businesses. Your customers already have your bank’s debit card with them, making it a tool for spreading positive word of mouth, building your brand and driving revenue by offering and rewarding unique, highly personal, share-worthy experiences.

5. Experiment. Create a culture of experimentation. Start small and learn fast. Having the courage to apply new technologies and reinvent existing ways of working can improve financial performance.

Develop and improve your bank’s ability to be hyper-relevant and serve customers more effectively by sensing and addressing their changing needs. Consider starting a pilot with employees, then extending to scale with a portion of your customers.

Increasing share of wallet and becoming a primary financial institution requires intention, commitment and experimentation.

By leveraging your bank’s current strengths and investing in your debit card and merchant services programs, such as offering and marketing cash back rewards to local businesses and consumers, you can tip the scale in your favor.