The Provident Bank Named One Of The Nation’s Top Community Banks in Social Media

The Independent Community Bankers of America^® (ICBA) recently recognized Provident Bank as a Top 50 Community Bank Leader in Social Media. The annual contest highlights innovators among the community banking industry who make social media an integral part of their marketing and communications strategy.

“While we are honored to be recognized in our industry, the level of interest and engagement we have seen from our customers across social media continues to grow and we will continue to do more,” said Robert Capozzoli, First Vice President, Marketing Director at Provident Bank. “Our customers are on social media and they expect us to be there – not as another business or as their bank, but as someone who contributes to the social community and the conversation and that is our goal – to be part of the social community, just like we are part of the local community.”

As an innovator in the industry, Provident Bank’s award-winning strategy was built to start a conversation with their customers – as they are, when they are and where they are. Social media is not just a fad or a technique, but rather is a valuable vehicle for serving customers information and entertainment.

Provident Bank’s approach, in combination with a bevy of tried-and-true best practices, has resulted in a number successful initiatives such as Provident4Women, a community forum for women to come together, share wisdom, and better their collective lives. Committed to Share, the largest social media campaign for the bank, is a program that features daily $100 dollar winners and three grand prize winners, who are presented with a significant monetary award, plus a matching donation to the local charity of their choice.

“We have local branches and our employees are deeply involved in our communities, but social media allows us to interact with our customers at any time and any place,” said Capozzoli. “This is why we started Provident4Women and Committed to Share – to help bring parts of the communities we serve together.

More than 6,000 community banks throughout the nation were eligible to be part of ICBA’s list. ICBA sought nominations from the nation’s community banks from May to June and received nearly 300 nominations. Community banks were scored based on their engagement with fans and followers, the content distributed on their social media platforms, the number of followers they have and the frequency of posting new content.

“Congratulations to Provident Bank for being featured on ICBA’s Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media list,” ICBA Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Chris Lorence said. “These top community banks understand that building a reputable financial brand goes beyond just a physical presence on Main Street. They consistently introduce fresh content and interact with their customers both in-person and online.”

To view all 50 community banks featured, visit www.icba.org/smleaders. For additional information about ICBA, visit www.icba.org.

About The Provident Bank

The Provident Bank, (www.providentnj.com) a community-oriented bank offering “Commitment you can count on” since 1839, is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS), which reported assets of $8.75 billion as of June 30, 2015. With $5.8 billion in deposits, The Provident Bank provides a comprehensive suite of financial products and services through its network of branches throughout northern and central New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The Bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company.