If you want to meet a community banker with an unusual title- "New Media Editor"- you needn't fly to a marketing conference or sign up for a e-banking seminar. You can open a free Twitter account, and, if you search for "bank," you just may come across Sterling Bank's Christine Pechayco. Twitter is where ABA Banking Journal first "met" Pechayco, whose $5.1 billion-assets company is headquartered in Houston, and also met Jason Kincy of Arvest Bank Group. (We've been on Twitter at ABABankingJourn since mid-March. In the world of Twitter, that can make one a veteran.) In the future, the social media and new media channels may be how your bank may be meeting some of its own customers and prospects.

Time for pioneers

The bankers we talked to for this article work on the leading edge, according to our own online survey of more than 100 banks of all sizes. Our research, conducted using SurveyMonkey and pushed out to our readers through our own weekly "A BA Banking Journal Report" e-letter, found that 62% of banks responding don't use social media or new media for marketing, and have no immediate plans to, while 22% say that they are planning to move into social and new media marketing in 2009. But 16% of the sample has been at least experimenting with something, with Facebook (52%), Twitter and Linkedin (both 43%) the leading methodologies. (See p. 16. For complete results of our research, please go to www.ababj.com.)

"Everyone hears the same message today, 'Get in there and try it'," says Diana Walery, 29, vice-president and corporate communications director at $562 millionassets American River Bancshares. "Marketers in every industry are being tasked with doing more with less."

You will notice in the course of this article that we mention bankers' ages, not our usual. Why? First, social media and new media have been seen as something "the kids" want to try. Second, they've often been spoken of as something you need to have to reach the "younger" generation. Interestingly, our survey asked those who use these new media which age groups they hoped to reach; you may be surprised at the targets: 30s (90%); 40s (80%); 20s (70%); 50s (60%); teens and 60s (20%); and 70s (15%).

Sterling Bancshares, Inc.: Linking business women online and off

There are other ways to define "community" than a geographic market, and Sterling Bank has targeted women in business. About a year ago, the bank expanded a live community it had developed into an online community based on Linkedin, a business-oriented social site. The Sterling Bank Women's Business Initiative, started in 2001, is a series of quarterly luncheons hosted by the bank in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio to facilitate networking and education.

"We were looking for a way to extend this relationship online, to create a community for this group," explains Christine Pechayco, 34, new media editor.

As of mid-April, the bank's Linkedin site has more than 100 members, ranging across the spectrum of industries and including people with posts from president and down.

The bank's role is kept low-key. Pechayco serves as the page's editor, and writes updates for it periodically, but any member can open online discussions, or post comments. Requests for information and assistance can also be posted.

Pechayco, brought aboard the bank specifically to handle new media, says social media is a challenge. "It's kind of a full-time job, and you have to learn while you're doing," she says. Features evolve and expand, so the social media user's activities become more involved as time goes on. "Everything's a work in progress," says Pechayco.

Sterling Bank also uses additional electronic methods to serve customers and keep the bank's name out front. One example: Business Confidential, an e-letter that grew out of a print newsletter the bank put together for small business owners and operators.

Pechayco has been tweeting for a little while, as a way to listen to what customers might be saying about the bank on Twitter. She feels it's important to monitor key channels to hear what customers are saying about Sterling, "because they are going to be everywhere."

Houston's Sterling Bank brought a live community of professional women to the web through Linkedin.

Arvest Bank Group, Inc.: Blogging in the heartland, to build community

Jason Kincy is vice-president and marketing manager, Alternative Delivery, of the $10.2 billion holding company. His duties include marketing for Arvest cards, ATMs, kiosks, and anything done through social media.