6 Ways to Turn Account Holders into Advocates

Thanks to the rise in mobile banking, account holders are more transactional and less loyal than ever. According to the 2025 Accenture Global Banking Consumer Study, nearly three-quarters of consumers have accounts with more than one bank, and digital wallets are becoming increasingly popular. People have options, and they’re not afraid to explore them.

This can make it harder to turn account holders into true advocates—people who actively recommend and champion your institution. But doing so is essential for growth at community banks and credit unions:

• Advocates are simply more profitable, holding 17% more products and allocating more wallet share to their primary financial institution.
• Advocates are more loyal and more likely to refer friends and family.
• North American banks with top 20% advocacy scores have grown revenues 2.6x faster than their lower-scoring counterparts.
• A 10% increase in advocacy can drive 1% additional growth, on average.

So how do you create that kind of loyalty and advocacy among your account holders, and ultimately win the battle for deposits? Here are six strategies rooted in research, practical experience and proven success.

1. Reassure through trust and transparency

Trust has always been the foundation of banking relationships. Today, even though account holders may use multiple financial institutions, they trust their primary bank twice as much as tech companies when it comes to financial advice and products. More broadly, an Edelman study found that 88% of consumers say brand trust is a key consideration when making purchases.

But trust is fragile. That’s why transparency is essential—about fees, rates and how data and technology, including AI, are used. Banks that openly show how AI improves their services without compromising security earn credibility and confidence.

Practical steps include clearly explaining product benefits and AI-powered features, and using engagement tools that offer real-time insights tailored to each account holder.

2. Put your account holders first

Accenture reports that 46% of consumers occasionally feel pressured to adopt products that benefit their bank more than themselves. This doesn’t build advocacy. It erodes trust.

Instead, shift the focus from selling to partnering. Share personalized tips through your mobile app or offer proactive budgeting, savings and investing support. When you lead with value instead of a sales pitch, you build trust. And once account holders see you as a true financial partner, asking for and receiving referrals will follow naturally.

3. Know—and remember—your account holders

Generic messaging based on basic demographics just doesn’t work anymore. People don’t want to wade through offers and advice that might apply to them. They want personalized digital marketing that reflects their actual behaviors, preferences and past interactions. With AI-driven behavioral profiling and data insights, you can create dynamic profiles that make each interaction feel like part of a natural, ongoing conversation, not a one-off transaction.

For example, if an account holder often uses their debit card for groceries, you could surprise them with a tailored cash-back bonus or a real-time discount through a rewards program. These seamless, well-timed touches turn everyday actions into memorable experiences that are shared with others.

4. Prioritize service excellence

Exceptional service should be a community bank or credit union’s competitive edge. Yet only 32% of consumers feel service has improved in the past five years, and just 18% believe technology has improved their experience.

Community banks can stand out by:

• Creating dedicated service roles to ensure consistency and care
• Turning mobile apps into hubs where account holders track requests in real time
• Elevating chatbots into trusted advisors, not just FAQ responders

And despite the digital transformation over the past decade, branches do still matter: 65% of consumers see them as symbols of stability. What people really want is both personal attention and digital convenience. So, tailor your branch strategy to local needs, whether that’s advice-focused urban locations, hybrid suburban branches or education-centered rural sites.

5. Offer meaningful incentives

While 60% of consumers want relationship-based rewards, only 45% are satisfied with what they receive, according to Accenture. That leaves a 15% gap between expectations and reality, and even digital banks fall short with a 12% gap. Community banks and credit unions have an opportunity to deliver rewards that truly resonate and build advocacy.

The strongest programs go beyond generic perks by:

• Rewarding the moment with relevant incentives at the point of purchase or transaction
• Rewarding behavior by recognizing healthy financial habits, like growing savings or making on-time payments
• Rewarding the relationship with loyalty programs that celebrate milestones and tenure with the financial institution

Solutions like premium, and tailored referral programs can close the gap with unique and personalized incentives.

6. Measure and refine your strategies

Turning account holders into advocates isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. To keep building momentum, you need to measure what’s working and refine along the way. Track engagement, reward participation and overall satisfaction using clear KPIs such as:

• Net Promoter Score (NPS) to gauge loyalty and advocacy potential
• Churn and retention rates to spot disengaged account holders early and re-engage them with timely offers and communication
• Referral rates to measure the impact of advocacy on new account growth
• Program ROI to optimize rewards and referral initiatives so they deliver measurable returns

By monitoring these metrics, you can identify your advocates, strengthen their loyalty with meaningful recognition and keep improving your strategies. The results? Better relationships, higher engagement and a growing base of true brand ambassadors.

BONUS: Turn your own team into advocates

Your employees may be your best promoters. As the American Banking Journal points out, if you have 50 employees who each share one of your bank’s posts to 300 of their friends on social media, it could potentially reach 15,000 people. And that’s even better than traditional ad reach because, as Nielson’s latest Trust in Advertising study shows, 89% of people put their highest trust in a recommendation from someone they know.

To build a strong employee ambassador program:

• Set clear goals and decide if you want to improve reach, awareness or engagement.
• Start with your most enthusiastic, social-savvy team members.
• Give them the right tools, like pre-approved content, guidelines and templates to make sharing easy.
• Recognize and encourage participation to keep momentum high.
• Track and refine your results, then adjust as needed.

Creating advocates, one step at a time

Advocacy doesn’t happen by chance. It’s built through deliberate strategies prioritizing trust, personalization, satisfaction and recognition. By implementing the approaches above, your institution can strengthen loyalty and spark measurable word-of-mouth growth.

Loyal, vocal account holders are the ultimate competitive advantage in a market with nearly endless options. Community banks and credit unions have a unique opportunity to stand out by delivering experiences so exceptional that account holders can’t help but spread the word.

Building advocacy is just one piece of the puzzle. For a broader view of today’s deposit growth challenges, and proven strategies to address them, read our white paper.

Read the white paper

Cindy Draper, Director of Account Acquisition and Training

Cindy manages CSI’s account acquisition solution, advises financial institutions on retail strategies, and leads the vision, curriculum development, and execution of all facets of client training. She has over 30 years of experience in the banking industry, which she began as a community banker, working her way up through the ranks from teller to vice president of retail banking and marketing. Before joining Velocity Solutions 14 years ago, she served as Senior Director of Sales and Marketing for a bank holding company overseeing 14 banks. She was also a member of the Treasury team, assisting ALCO teams with customer profitability and deposit pricing strategies. Cindy earned a bachelor’s degree from Doane University and is a certified trainer in Sales, Adult Learning, and Corporate Training.