Getting your board 'on board': making presentations to your board of directors is a way to help get their support for your bank's marketing and public relations efforts. The following are tips on preparing an effective report.

• Author: Philo-Cook, Lori

DO YOU MAKE REGULAR PRESENTATIONS TO YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS? If you don't, you're missing a golden opportunity to communicate with a key marketing audience. By providing marketing reports to your board, you have the chance to share important information, communicate your successes, educate about your marketing programs and activities, and gain the directors' support for marketing and public relations in your bank.

Benefits of good board communications

There are several benefits of providing regular marketing reports to your board. You can:

* Educate directors about the role and scope of marketing at your bank and new trends in marketing.

* Explain and gain support for your current marketing programs and activities.

* Share data about your customers and discuss survey results so the board can make customer-centric decisions.

* Build a foundation of trust and confidence in marketing, which will help you get approval of future marketing initiatives and budgets.

* Convert board members into knowledgeable and enthusiastic bank ambassadors within your communities.

Preparing board reports

Board reports may be presented monthly or quarterly, or you may only be asked to present reports in conjunction with major campaigns or program launches. The format and content of your report depends on several factors. Here are some key questions to think about:

1. What type of marketing information is your board interested in?

   The best approach is to start by asking your senior management what kind of information the board would like to receive and how detailed they would want the information to be. Over time, you can change your reports based on director feedback, but your management is your best source of information to begin with.

   With so many changes in bank marketing today; its critical that you use some of your time to educate your board about new products and services, new delivery channels, social media, website initiatives, new customer trends and more. You may have to start small, but gaining their support is critical to moving your bank forward.

   Tip: Set up a meeting with your president or other key senior manager and bring a list of ideas. Use this feedback to develop your report.

2. What is the best report format?

   Start by finding out what kinds of reports your directors receive from other areas of the bank. How long are they? What format? Do they include charts and graphs? If board reports must follow a specific format, or directors are accustomed...