In our Employee Spotlight series, we take a closer look at the incredible individuals who contribute their unique talents and dedication to make our workplace exceptional. Today, we turn the spotlight on Bailey Ronnebaum, shining a light on her journey, passions and the invaluable role she plays within our team! 

What is your role at forbinfi and what do you do? 

I have been with the company for 7 years now and am currently the Business Development Manager. My job consists of traveling to conferences to meet with bankers and speak on different areas like website trends, marketing strategy, leader development and so on! When I’m not doing that, I’m working on developing the forbinfi brand and meeting with FIs to discuss their website, marketing or branding to see where we could help or what advice I can give them to help them succeed and grow. 

What is your background and experience with financial institutions? 

I did transaction coordinating and marketing for different realtors before transitioning into different roles at VGM (forbinfi’s parent company). I did marketing for all of our financial clients and then became the marketing manager before my current role now. So, I have a lot of web, content and marketing experience when it comes to FIs!  

What do you like to do outside of work? 

I like to be home with my husband, cat and dog (and our baby girl who is due in early March 2024). We’ll do home projects and renovate what comes to mind, so my husband is a trooper for putting up with my ideas haha! My passion is traveling and seeing the world, so I’ve been lucky to see so many places already like Iceland, Norway, Thailand, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Mexico, Prague, London, Costa Rica, the Carribean, and so on. So let me know if you need travel tips! 

What’s the next place on your travel bucket list? 

Ireland is probably next on my list (and I might try to combine it with Scotland)!  

What is something you think financial institutions should know based on your expertise? 

I always try to give advice on digital marketing and website updates you can make that are cost-efficient but have a lot of impact. Email for example is great to use because it cuts down on the cost of print, you can send to more people, and you can add lots of info by linking out to blogs. For website advice, I always speak to user experience and SEO – making sure you add new content and lessen clicks. 

Why do you choose to work with community banks? 

I truly believe that community banking is important because of the personal touch you have with each interaction. Growing up, my grandpa was on the bank board of our small community bank in the town that his family farmed in since 1884. Getting to see what he did for the community and the overall customer service I’ve experienced then up until now means a lot to me. As a marketer, I’ve gotten to work with hundreds of banks to develop their website and marketing. Every time, I get to see all the specifics of what each community bank does to help the towns they serve. And every time, it never fails to see how much each bank truly cares about those in their community – whether it’s donating to a local cause, giving scholarships to the high school graduates, teaching younger kids about money management or walking someone through their first mortgage – every community bank I’ve gotten to work with genuinely cares about every person they serve, no matter how big or small the interaction may be.  

Looking for insight on your website, marketing, branding or IT? Reach out to Bailey today! 

Contact Bailey