First American Bank
First American Bank (FAB)—one of the largest regional banks in the US—faced a critical challenge: their marketing team lacked the resources and processes to engage an audience of small and medium-sized business owners with consistently high-quality content. Over three years, MarketSmiths became an invaluable partner, helping the bank mature its marketing processes, launch new content formats, and maintain continuity through market shifts and internal team changes.
Client
“We needed professional work with minimal editing.”
First American Bank has been serving businesses and individuals for over 40 years. Leveraging a combination of community and international expertise, it’s now the largest Illinois-based private bank. With over $6 billion in assets, the bank operates 61 locations, including a strong presence in Florida and Wisconsin.
FAB’s need for financial copywriting services was multifaceted: newsletters, thought leadership articles, website copy, mini case studies, press releases, and emails.
“When I joined, the marketing team didn’t have much to work with,” recalls Natasha Barraqué, FAB’s Florida Marketing Director at the time. “We had a big project on the horizon—it had to resonate with existing clients and capture new prospects—but I didn’t have time to write it all.”
Beyond sheer volume, Natasha explains, the bank needed bandwidth—copywriting so strong and reliable, their team could comfortably dedicate their time to business-related matters. “We needed professional work with minimal editing.”
“We hadn’t been using creative briefs before MarketSmiths. It was helpful to dig deeper into the details that make a press release or article compelling.”
– Carlos Nieto, Strategic Advisor for First American Bank
Challenge
“We needed discipline and standardization.”
Overcoming freelancer frustrations
Before deciding on MarketSmiths, First American Bank tapped into freelance options—but the team wasn’t impressed.
“Our freelancer didn’t understand the tone First American Bank was going for,” Natasha recalls. “They didn’t really see our vision, nor did they ask the right questions. Ultimately, I had to do so much editing on their drafts.”
Standing out in a crowded field
“We also considered other copywriting companies,” she continues. “But MarketSmiths really stood out.” Natasha points to the case studies and testimonials on the MarketSmiths website as initial head-turners. Then, after reviewing several MarketSmiths writing samples, Natasha confirmed what her intuition had already suspected: that MarketSmiths was the missing puzzle piece.
“Your writers have done such a good job breaking things down,” she explains. “MarketSmiths absorbs technical concepts so quickly. Your strategists have extensive financial experience—that knowledge has been so helpful.”
“MarketSmiths just seemed extraordinary at breaking down complex topics into digestible content—and, importantly, in an engaging and inviting tone,” she adds. “Honestly, for most readers, banking isn’t super interesting, but we knew the right content partner could add a lot of flavor.”
Building effective collaboration across teams
FAB faced a unique hurdle in managing collaboration across their internal teams and thought leaders. Developing content that accurately reflected the bank’s expertise while addressing client needs required a partner who could streamline the process and unite diverse perspectives.
“We needed discipline and standardization—two things we were struggling to implement on our own,” says Carlos Nieto, FAB’s strategic advisor. “It was costing us time and creating inefficiencies.”
“MarketSmiths has taken a huge load off our plate. You’ve really made life easier. Before, we were really spread thin. Now, we’ve been freed up like never before.”
– Natasha Barraqué, First American Bank’s former Florida Marketing Director
Shared Success
“We’ve seen higher engagement rates across the board.”
Scalable success
The payoff of financial copywriting services that scale effortlessly—from newsletters, thought leadership articles, and website copy to mini case studies, press releases, and emails—is clear: FAB has seen higher engagement rates and an increase in newsletter subscribers.
“We’ve gotten so much great feedback from people who read our newsletter,” Natasha shares. “We’ve seen more subscribers and higher engagement rates across the board.”
Time savings and reduced stress
For a growing team, the partnership also meant newfound time and focus. “MarketSmiths has taken a huge load off our plate,” Natasha says. “You’ve really made life easier. Before, we were really spread thin. Now, we’ve been freed up like never before.”
Expanding content beyond the basics
As the partnership blossomed, MarketSmiths proposed new forms of content, including FAB’s first-ever ebook. After learning about an industry panel FAB moderated, MarketSmiths showcased a few examples of gated content for top of funnel lead generation—content that could be similarly crafted from the panel discussion transcript.
In addition to writing and designing the ebook, The Benefits of Reshoring, MarketSmiths helped support a targeted campaign with landing pages and emails, bringing the content directly to FAB’s business audience.
Continuity amid transitions
In a period marked by internal changes, including shifts in FAB’s marketing leadership, MarketSmiths ensured content consistency.
Carlos notes, “MarketSmiths knew our brand voice and wrote seamlessly.”
Lasting process improvements
MarketSmiths also introduced process enhancements, such as creative briefs, which transformed how FAB approached content. “We hadn’t been using creative briefs before MarketSmiths,” Carlos explains. “It was so helpful to dig deeper into the details that make a press release or article compelling. You modeled a process we now use internally. It’s like going to college—MarketSmiths held our hand while we learned.”
Over the course of three years, MarketSmiths not only elevated FAB’s marketing strategy but also empowered their team. This partnership exemplifies how external expertise can unlock internal insights and spark innovation in any sector. By aligning with FAB’s strategic goals, MarketSmiths’ financial copywriting resonated with each audience, setting a new benchmark for thought leadership and content excellence.
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