Kevin B. Tynan

Most big companies achieve success by squeezing vendors, lowering prices, improving efficiency and giving consumers what they want. But in the topsy-turvy world of banking, the most disliked financial institutions end up at the top of the food chain.

Digital channels are not strategies in and of themselves, writes Kevin Tynan, a bank marketing executive. In fact, three important customer groups are unlikely to be swayed by mass emails and pay-per-click advertising.

Community banks need a steady flow of prospects. A partnership with a successful retail concept virtually guarantees constant customer traffic, according to one bank marketer.

Like the Postal Service, small banks must radically change their business model, expect more consolidations and mergers, focus on critical services and avoid relying on the U.S. government for help - it could make things worse.