FMS Bank is a locally owned, community bank serving Northern Colorado for over 40 years, with branches in
Greeley and Fort Morgan. Providing personal and small business support, FMS is a trusted local partner invested in the financial success of its neighbors and community.
FMS Bank operates in tight-knit markets with a core customer base that has skewed 45+. While holding strong equity with Gen X and Boomers, FMS Bank has yet to fully translate the unique value of community banking to younger generations, especally those navigating financial literacy, student finances, and early-stage careers or businesses. While they have historically struggled to reach these audiences, FMS Bank aims to target younger consumers and expand its presence across Colorado while remaining true to its local roots.
Recognizing the target is a digital-first consumer seeking a financial partner that offers digital tools and expert guidance, FMS Bank launched its first influencer-led social activation, "Life, Love, and Finances". To drive measurable business and social impact, the campaign aimed to grow FMS Bank’s Instagram following by 20%, strengthen brand awareness by improving average CPM by 10%, drive engagement through 3K+ social interactions, and increase monthly account openings by 30–70% to surpass last year’s benchmarks. Additionally, they presented us with the challanege of reaching a younger audience without being able to utilize age and demographic targeting due to federal regulations. Again, all this in service of increasing account openings within a younger demographic.
Younger consumers often feel like just a number at big banks and want modern digital tools without losing the human support that makes them feel confident about thier financial decisions. Research showed that while 79% of Gen Z and 69% of Millennials use larger banks, 52% are willing to switch to a community bank, highlighting an opportunity for FMS Bank.
FMS Bank offers the best of both worlds: digital banking backed by real people who understand and care about their customers. You don’t need a person for every transaction, but when a chatbot cannot answer a personal finance question or provide financial literacy, the relationship matters.
Recognizing younger generations look to social platforms for edutainment (Entertaining/Educational Content), FMS Bank needed an approach that would resonate with Gen Z and Millennials.
Utilizing humor and real-life scenarios, FMS partnered with relatable Coloradan creators, a young couple and financial expert, to make traditionally intimidating financial topics approachable and shareable while reinforcing FMS Bank as a trusted local partner providing guidance, support, and human connection.
As FMS Bank’s first influencer-led campaign, creator discovery in smaller communities like Greeley and Fort Morgan presented a challenge, as few creators had both the scale to extend awareness across Colorado and the relevance to resonate with target audiences. To meet campaign objectives, discovery expanded into broader Colorado markets, prioritizing influencers who aligned with FMS Bank’s values and connected authentically with younger consumers
FMS Bank partnered with two Denver-based creators: Date Night Denver (142.2K followers), a micro-influencer couple sharing relatable financial moments with a tight-knit younger audience, and Pamela Maass Garrett (2.78M followers), a macro influencer and financial expert using relatable skit-style content to reach younger consumers. All content was co-concepted with each influencer to ensure authenticity and resonance.
Organic social media served as the foundation, prioritizing Instagram and TikTok, with Facebook supporting broader reach. Paid amplification primarily targeted Northern Colorado and Denver, further extending content to Gen Z and Millennial Coloradans.
Paid efforts were optimized for engagement to encourage meaningful interaction beyond views. To adhere to banking compliance and regulatory requirements, paid social relied solely on location targeting, with no age, interest, or demographic specifications, ensuring equitable access while allowing the creative to drive connection.
The campaign surpassed business and social goals, delivering measurable high-impact growth for FMS Bank’s first influencer-led initiative.
During the peak of the campaign, FMS Bank saw monthly increases in account openings ranging from 34% to 75% above the previous year’s benchmarks. These results demonstrate that FMS Bank successfully captured a greater share of wallet during a period when the category typically experiences a seasonal slowdown.
With a limited budget (simply influencer fees and paid media), the campaign exceeded content expectations. Originally planning 4 influencer posts, strategic negotiations and earned content produced 10 short-form videos and 2 Stories across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, 3x the planned output. The campaign generated 7.3K engagements, 1.1M impressions, and 1.1M video views. Engagement was concentrated among Gen Z and Millennials (ages 18-44), demonstrating creative relevance. This was the first time in the bank's history that they were able to get in front of that younger audience as they weren't able to target by age or interests due to compliance restrictions.
Paid media exceeded benchmarks, with a 16.8% lower CPM ($6.24 vs. $7.50) and stronger Cost per Engagement ($0.84 vs. $0.95), reflecting efficiency and resonance.
Although FMS Bank does not have a TikTok presence, influencer content extended awareness, reaching a new younger audience for the bank. As Instagram is new for FMS Bank (launched 2024), followers grew 46% between June and October, marking the bank's strongest multi-month growth to date.
