ABA Banking Journal
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
SUBSCRIBE
ABA Banking Journal
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Retail and Marketing

But Is It a Blog?

May 16, 2018
Reading Time: 3 mins read

By Kristin Sundin Brandt, CFMP

Blogging. Everyone’s doing it, right?

According to Wordometers.co, over 2 million blog posts have been written today (it’s just before noon), and there seems to be no slowing down. The internet is rich with articles and advice about how and why you should blog for business. And according to various studies, most marketers and business owners name blogging as one of their top marketing priorities for the coming year.

Preparing to teach this year’s content marketing class at ABA Bank Marketing School, I found myself reflecting on the nature of most business and bank blogs, and whether they are, in fact, blogs.

In the beginning, blogs were online diaries, or “web logs” where people shared their personal thoughts or experiences in journal-style entries (or posts) which are displayed in chronological order. The idea of posting these entries online is nearly as old as the internet, but it was the introduction of services such as Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress that really contributed to the explosion in blogs by removing technological barriers.

Today, I would say the personal blog is alive and well—where the trouble starts is the business blog.

Over the last year I have looked through hundreds of bank and business blogs in preparation for class, and for the most part, banks and businesses have figured out the mechanics, filling their sites with posts related to a variety of financial advice and tips.

Here’s an example of good web content for a bank.

 

But I have to wonder…are these blogs?

Taking the blog concept to its logical extreme, can anyone imagine curling up under a cozy blanket with a beer, a great pen, and new journal, to share their personal thoughts about the fundamentals of home equity lines of credit?

I think you know what my answer is going to be.

Most of the content banks and businesses are sharing through their blogging platforms is really articles delivered through a website. It’s a serial newsletter that drives traffic. Supports social selling. Improves customer service.

There are some banks and businesses that are truly blogging. Through my wanderings, I found examples—personal accounts of time spent volunteering, a personal perspective on a career,  a personal perspective on the role money plays in equality, a personal story about buying a first home. Do you see the trend?

Personal experiences. Personal ideas. Personal perspectives.

That’s not to say that good quality content needs to be personal. But it’s important to be clear on what we’re doing. We can’t call them blogs.

Kristin Sundin Brandt, CFMP, is the president of Sundin Associates Inc., Natick, Mass., an agency specializing in financial services companies. She is also a faculty member of the ABA Bank Marketing School.

ADVERTISEMENT
Tags: BlogContent marketing
ShareTweetPin

Related Posts

Directors Briefing: Millbury National Bank marks 200 years  of independence with CEO transition

Directors Briefing: Millbury National Bank marks 200 years of independence with CEO transition

Directors Briefing
May 14, 2025

“Millbury National has always been about serving our community, and that will never change.”

Future risk and compliance professionals may be just down the hall

Marketing mutuality

Mutual Banks
May 12, 2025

Mutuals Matter campaign seeks to educate the public about what separates mutual banks from other financial institutions.

Podcast: Accelerating banking for quick-service restaurants

Podcast: Accelerating banking for quick-service restaurants

ABA Banking Journal Podcast
May 8, 2025

As independently owned and operated small businesses, fast-food restaurant franchisees have unique business needs. They have mobile and often part-time workforces, complex inventory management and the constant challenge of managing both a small business and being the face...

ISM: Service sector expanded in February

Capital for local communities and adapting for the future

Community Banking
May 7, 2025

Three key findings from the 2024 FDIC Small Business Lending Survey

Building Brand and Design Guardrails For Your Bank

Common branding mistakes and what to do instead

Retail and Marketing
May 6, 2025

Take the time to decide and understand whom you can serve really well, then excel at that.

What’s next in the fight for financial literacy

What’s next in the fight for financial literacy

Financial Education
April 30, 2025

Teach Children to Save Day is over, but the work continues.

NEWSBYTES

CFPB withdraws proposed ban on certain contract language for financial products

May 15, 2025

Mortgage rates rise

May 15, 2025

Survey: Most Americans want high schools to offer financial education

May 15, 2025

SPONSORED CONTENT

Choosing the Right Account Opening Platform: 10 Key Considerations for Long-Term Success

Choosing the Right Account Opening Platform: 10 Key Considerations for Long-Term Success

April 25, 2025
Outsourcing: Getting to Go/No-Go

Outsourcing: Getting to Go/No-Go

April 5, 2025
Six Payments Trends Driving the Future of Transactions

Six Payments Trends Driving the Future of Transactions

March 15, 2025
AI for Banks: A Starter Guide for Community and Regional Institutions

AI for Banks: A Starter Guide for Community and Regional Institutions

March 1, 2025

PODCASTS

Podcast: Accelerating banking for quick-service restaurants

May 8, 2025

How a Georgia community bank supports government-guaranteed lending nationwide

May 1, 2025

Podcast: Quantum computing’s shakeup in payments, cybersecurity

April 24, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT

American Bankers Association
1333 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-BANKERS (800-226-5377)
www.aba.com
About ABA
Privacy Policy
Contact ABA

ABA Banking Journal
About ABA Banking Journal
Media Kit
Advertising
Subscribe

© 2025 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Ag Banking
    • Commercial Lending
    • Community Banking
    • Compliance and Risk
    • Cybersecurity
    • Economy
    • Human Resources
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Mortgage
    • Mutual Funds
    • Payments
    • Policy
    • Retail and Marketing
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Technology
    • Wealth Management
  • Newsbytes
  • Podcasts
  • Magazine
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
    • Magazine Archive
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcast Archive
    • Sponsored Content Archive

© 2025 American Bankers Association. All rights reserved.