Will the U.S. have fewer or more bank branches in the future? The great debate over the future of branches is far from over. As Katie Kuehner-Hebert points out in the American Banker article “More or Less: Branches’ Role After the Meltdown” (reg. req’d):

The predictions vary widely — from roughly 10,000 closings to more than 1,000 additions over the next five years — but everyone agrees on one thing: no matter what happens, the size, nature and location of the branches will change greatly.

The article goes on to cite TowerGroup’s Tom Brogan, who predicts that banks will simultaneously increase in number and shrink in size. We’ll have more branches, but they’ll be smaller. Even if you don’t buy his predictions for 1,200 net-new branches by 2013, his description of the meaner and leaner branch is compelling:

• Smaller footprint: 3,000 sq. ft., down from current average of 3,500
• Fewer tellers (replaced by ATMs, presumably)
• More use of technology, such as video phones for customer meetings with experts

Brogan doesn’t touch on it, but one has to wonder if the increase in branches and the heightened competition will lead some banks to go “hyperlocal” in their marketing efforts? Might some banks see their increased presence in towns, suburbs and city neighborhoods as an opportunity to be even more locally relevant than they were before?

Hyperlocalism is a term that describes the increasingly local nature of information. Thanks to breakthroughs in both Internet and geolocation technology (e.g., Google Maps mashups, GPS, geotagging of photos, videos and other user-generated content), we are awash in information that can be tied to very specific locations on the map. That information includes:

• News
• Weather
• Real estate data
• Crime data
• Local business data
• Classifieds
• Job openings
• Social networking
• Events
• Photos
• Videos
• Traffic
• Store pricing
• Customer reviews
• Directions

Hyperlocalism could also be used to describe what happens when marketers use very local data to increase the relevancy of their marketing in the branch.

Perhaps the easiest way to go hyperlocal is simply to tap into the stream of information that is available from the many (and growing) free sources on the Internet and then offer that information to customers who visit the branch. Our client, Caja Mediterráneo, currently does this in Spain, where they use their digital signage network to display very local real-estate and job listings as a public service.

Many banks already show regional weather information. But what about the weather for the local ZIP code, or even a four-block radius? Or current traffic on the local stretch of the expressway?

The data is already out there, just waiting to be harnessed. And new marketing tools, such as John Ryan’s Messaging Manager platform, will allow marketers to automate the process of pulling in and processing data, giving it a high-quality graphical treatment and then distributing it to thousands of localities.

An enterprising marketing department might take this idea even further, with the goal of making each branch far more locally relevant than their cookie-cutter competitors down and across the street. Some tactics that could be worth trying:

• Partner with local government to disseminate public notices and news
• Publish news from nearby schools and neighborhood associations
• Sponsor hyperlocal news (example | NYT article)
• Sponsor locally focused bloggers (example)
• Run live coverage or highlights of local high school games and concerts
• Display free ads by local small businesses (submitted via a centralized Web site)
• Host meetups of local professionals, consultants and small business owners (who can be found or gathered via LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, etc.)

What’s your vision for the future of the branch? What ideas do you have for making bank branches more locally relevant? Please leave us your thoughts in a comment!

Photo credit: Dawn Endico