Simmons Bank’s storytelling capabilities exceeds expectations for their Newsroom and Investor Relations websites
Summary:
Simmons Bank® was named to the Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Banks” for the second consecutive year and was named to the Forbes’ list of “World’s Best Banks” for the third consecutive year in 2022. Behind the scenes, they recognized the need to update the technical capabilities of their Investor Relations (IR) and Public Relations (PR) websites due to limited feature sets and poor service from their existing vendor. At the same time, they were also looking at these challenges as an opportunity to expand their communication and storytelling capabilities with investors and other stakeholders.
Industry: Banking
Company size: 1,001–5,000 employees
Headquarters: Pine Bluff, AR, USA
Products used: PR Newswire distribution, MediaRoom for their newsroom, IR Website, Webcasting & Teleconferencing, Communications Cloud: Monitoring & Analytics, Connect Database and Impact
Customer Since: 2019
Results
The Challenge
Upgraded Capabilities Enable Speed to Market and Content Optimization
Simmons Bank was looking for an upgraded web experience for their Newsroom and Investor Relations websites, one that better fit the company's high standards and offered direct control of their content.
Previously, editing even the simplest information on their Investor Relations website was an arduous process that could take days, even for a revision as simple as changing a name. For the newsroom, where media-facing content and other resources are made available, staff could upload press releases but did not have the flexibility to produce and publish the kinds of content that are essential to brands telling their stories today.
Another obstacle Simmons Bank faced when they came to Cision was that they didn’t have access to web analytics capabilities in place to track even basic metrics, such as audience engagement or campaign effectiveness.
At the same time, their vendor for webcasting and teleconferencing was no longer meeting their needs. Vital to investor relations and communicating financials and earnings releases, Cision was asked to assess and offer a reliable option for managing these critical meetings.
The Approach
Helping a 120-Year-Old Bank Deliver for Key Stakeholders
Cision worked with Simmons Bank to build out new websites for public and investor relations content that would best serve internal and external stakeholders without losing any branding that was important for the company. Cision was able to provide the necessary technical solution to elevate Simmons Bank’s web platform to be competitive with other companies in the industry and support its current growth strategies by providing all of the specific functionality the Simmons team had always dreamed of.
Having anticipated the need for a new solution for hosting earning calls, Simmons Bank was seamlessly moved over to Cision’s teleconferencing and webcasting services with no interruption of service.
The Results
Increased Capability with a Seamless Transition
With the new platform that serves as a true content hub for investors and media, Simmons Bank saw transformative improvement in digital measurement through the implementation of robust and accessible analytics tools, taking them from zero to 100% visibility on website analytics. These new measurement capabilities allowed Simmons Bank to deliver their first-ever 30-day data report for senior management, who were thrilled to gain access to additional insights.
Armed with the proper training and sophisticated tools to empower their team, Simmons Bank's new content management system allows them to publish multimedia and content updates with impressive efficiency, flexibility, and speed. With Cision’s team of experts and consultants on standby, they have also experienced ten times faster response time on support requests than their previous vendor.
With Cision’s teleconferencing and webcasting services, Simmons Bank is now enabled to produce and host successful events during their busy earnings season. No longer held back by technology, the team at Simmons Bank can now focus their efforts on telling their unique brand stories using their new digital capabilities and exploring new ways to engage with their key stakeholders.
Key Outcomes & Benefits
Cision delivers on digital goals for Simmons Bank
- Increased storytelling capabilities and better control over how stories get shared with their audience
- Time and resources saved with an easy-to-use and reliably hosted content management system
- Dedicated, consultative support is available to assist within days, not weeks or months
About the Client
Founded in 1903
Simmons Bank offers comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric approach. In 2022, it was named to Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Banks,” for the second consecutive year and to Forbes’ "World's Best Banks," for the third consecutive year. Its parent company, Simmons First National Corporation, is a Mid-South-based financial holding company that has paid cash dividends to its shareholders for 114 consecutive years. To learn more, visit simmonsbank.com.
Ashley Leopoulos
Public Relations Manager
Simmons Bank
"There are two things that I really appreciate about our websites: the integration of technology, like the fact that our existing media monitoring and our PR Newswire content communicate with the new website, and the ease of use. It has not been another full-time job to manage this website. I'm grateful for that."
IR Website
Save time and resources, and reduce risk with a Cision IR Website, the secure, easy, and automated way to disclose corporate information to key stakeholders.
MediaRoom
Give your communications team complete control over your online newsroom. With automatic content updates from PR Newswire, MediaRoom is professionally designed, developed, and securely hosted.
Webcasting & Teleconferencing Solutions
Ensure every event is successful — especially during earnings season — with premier webcasting and conference call solutions, detailed coordination, experienced producers, and technical expertise.