23 Hoosier Banker November 2016 The Indiana Bankers Association Future Leadership Division has always operated under the direction and guidance of the FLD board, which consists of industry leaders across the state. Until recently, the board included four members selected from each of the four IBA state designated regions, and appointed by the IBA to serve, for a total of 16 board seats. This summer, the FLD board elected to reduce the concentration of regional representation to three selected members in each region. More significantly, the board is in the process of implementing two new “atlarge” board seats that current FLD membership may seek to fill. The establishment of these two atlarge seats creates an exciting opportunity for FLD members eager to help shape the direction of the organization and have a meaningful impact on FLD Board Seeks Applicants for At-Large Board Seats IBA’s Future Leadership Division is a hallmark of the Association’s commitment to the future of the Indiana banking industry.The purpose of the division is to cultivate emerging professionals within the Indiana banking industry by providing networking, volunteer and educational opportunities. FLD operates under the direction of a board, consisting of emerging banking leaders from across the state and with support from IBA staff. the next generation of bank leaders. Applicants must be current members of the Future Leadership Division, and must have held that status for one year to be eligible for consideration. Applications are due Dec. 9, and both board positions are two-year terms, officially beginning Jan. 1, 2017.All applicants are expected to fill out the board application form found on the IBA website. For more information about the Future Leadership Division, please contact Dax Denton 317-917-8047, email ddenton@indianabankers.org, or visit: indianabankers.org/future-leadership-division. t unfamiliar with your brand often do not enter the website through your homepage. Therefore including unique information on each product page about your bank, service areas, expertise, etc., can make a positive first impression and help extend the length of your content. 3. Localization. Local financial institutions take pride in being part of the communities they serve, yet many bank websites are not localized for search engines or visitors. Make sure your site works your geographic service areas into the page meta titles, content headings and copy. From a user perspective, incorporating local photos, videos, testimonials, charities, memberships and content are a key differentiator and trust-builder. Too often, banks silo their local commitment into a single “community investment” page. Few visitors are likely to enter your website by way of the community investment page, yet they do care about this information. Take the approach of tapping designers and creative agencies to work local trust symbols throughout the website to maximize their visibility and value. Final Thoughts While these three SEO issues often represent the highest online growth opportunities for financial institutions, there is more at stake. Effective SEO incorporates a long list of on-page and off-page factors. Gone are the days of simple SEO tweaks and tricks that allow websites to instantly dominate search results. Instead, Google uses a complex algorithm that includes hundreds of ranking factors to determine which pages show up first in search results. Those factors have varying degrees of importance and change constantly; therefore, SEO is a long-term strategy that is constantly evolving. The sooner you can address SEO mistakes and implement a comprehensive search engine optimization strategy, the sooner your bank will reap the benefits. t
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