OBL Marketing Forum
OBL Marketing Forum
The 2025 OBL Marketing Forum offers an ongoing platform for marketing officers and staff to exchange ideas and seek solutions over a wide variety of timely topics and concepts. Members will gain knowledge and become more effective in their roles, as they learn from facilitator Amber Farley, partner & EVP of Brand Development at FMS. FMS specializes in building brands and strategic marketing plans for community banks across the country. This forum has been designed by the OBL and FMS to encourage the exchange of ideas and provide opportunities for participants to learn from an industry expert and each other. The participants will network and form valuable professional relationships while expanding their marketing and leadership skills.
Benefits of the Forum
- Participate in a group roundtable of leaders of community bank marketing officers and staff
- Gain insight of current trends and industry best practices
- Contribute pertinent topics of interest to the forum agendas
- Form relationships with other community bankers who share the curiosity and challenges of community bank marketing
- Learn how forum members handle design and implementation challenges
- Learn how to leverage the role of strategy in achieving bank marketing goals
What is the Buzz All About!?
Find out what current Marketing Forum members have to say about this must-attend program!
Registration
The OBL Marketing Forum includes sessions that run from 10AM to 3PM at OBL Education Center (4215 Worth Ave, Ste 300). The following sessions remain. Click on the program dates below to register for the upcoming sessions.
How the Forum Works
- Participants are contacted in advance of each forum session for input into the next program agenda to ensure the topics are relevant and top of bankers' minds
- Multiple topics will be discussed at each session and participants are strongly encouraged to suggest their own agenda topics of interest
- Questions are collected in advance for Open Forum Discussions to ensure pressing concerns and questions are addressed
- Questions and best practices are also shared live during each session
- Each attendee receives electronic access to slides, handouts and resources from the session
Who Should Attend?
- Marketing Officers
- Marketing Staff
- Those involved with internal/external marketing
- Those interested in maximizing marketing efforts
What Do Current Members Have to Say?
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"Amber is captivating. She delivers current marketing information in a digestible and entertaining way. She has a good sense of when to let us lead and when to lead. Her personality is welcoming which fosters an open dialog space."
"For me, the most beneficial part is the networking and multi-problem solving. It’s nice to get hands on perspective of how other banks are navigating issues I'm facing."
"This is my first year attending the forum. From the first session, I would say the most beneficial part is making those connections and learning what others do. It also was the first time I felt like I could explain my struggles to others who would understand since so many community bank marketing departments are smaller and still struggling to establish themselves/their bank."
"I love Amber's energy as she leads the group and how we all engage with one another. I feel hearing the real stories, issues, challenges, celebrations - all makes it human, and we can all relate, learn from one another and be a support system."
Forum Discussion Topics - Past, Present & Future
- Creativity Workshop
- What All Goes in a Bank's Marketing Budget
- How to Stay Creative & Have Fresh Ideas
- Leveraging Digital Marketing
- Understanding and Utilizing Emerging Media
- Data's Role in Marketing
- Smart Websites: What Are They & How to Use Them
- Influencer Marketing
- Media Consumption Behaviors
- Digital Marketing: What works
- Email Marketing Best Practices
- How to Use Landing Pages Well
- SEO Best Practices
- Onboarding Strategies
- How the Role of Marketing is Evolving
- Social Media Best Practices
- Social Selling & Personal Branding
- How to Place Social Ads
- How to Optimize Your Search Initiatives
- How to Structure a Modern Marketing Department
- Web 3.0 & the Metaverse
- Employee Advocacy
- How to Increase Volunteer Efforts
- How to Promote an Event
- Crisis Communication
- Video Marketing
- How to Create Short Form Video
- Visual Storytelling
- Streaming and CTV
- The Latest in Social Advertising
- Project Management
- AI-Powered Marketing
- Cause Marketing & Social Responsibility
- How to Advance Your Bank's Brand
- Internal Branding & Culture Building Tactics
- How a Strong Brand Can Unite & Ignite Your Team
Forum Instructor
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Amber Farley, partner & EVP of Brand Development at FMS, is a well-known and respected teacher, presenter, consultant and thought leader on bank branding, strategic marketing, leadership, social and digital media strategies for banks around the country. She strategizes ways to help banks be purpose-driven, inspirational and more relevant to today’s customer—including both internal and external customers, and regularly presents and teaches at national banking schools, banking conferences, and other statewide banking institutions.
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Additional OBL Forums
Cancellation Policy
Refunds for the program will be granted for cancellations received in writing to the OBL Professional Development Team seven days prior to each session. Cancellations will be subject to a $75 processing fee. No Refunds will be granted for cancellations received within seven days of the program. Substitutions are always welcome.
Questions?
Contact Susan Poling Jones at 614-340-7611.