Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST): Marketing Mix Analysis [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're looking to cut through the noise and see exactly how Southern First Bancshares, Inc. is navigating the current banking landscape, and honestly, their 4Ps tell a story of disciplined, high-touch growth concentrated in the Southeast. We see a Product focus where Commercial Real Estate loans anchor a $3.8 billion portfolio as of Q3 2025, supported by a Place strategy rooted in key Carolinas and Georgia markets. More importantly, their Price discipline is paying off: the Net Interest Margin hit 2.62% in Q3 2025, driving Net Interest Income up a massive 33.7% year-over-year, all while they stick to a relationship-first Promotion model emphasizing superior asset quality. Dive in below for the precise breakdown of how these elements combine to position Southern First Bancshares right now.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST) - Marketing Mix: Product

You're looking at the core value Southern First Bancshares, Inc. delivers-the actual services and relationship structure it puts in front of its clients. The product element here is heavily weighted toward high-touch service paired with substantial commercial lending capacity.

The fundamental approach is a full relationship banking model. This isn't just about transactions; it's about dedicated access. Every client gets a dedicated Senior Officer and a Client Officer, supported by a consistent staff team. This structure is the cornerstone of how Southern First Bancshares, Inc. operates in its markets.

When you look at the loan book, the focus is clear. Commercial Real Estate loans were a major component, making up 43.4% of the total loan portfolio as of Q2 2025. By Q3 2025, the organic growth pushed total loans to $3.8 billion.

Here's a look at the loan composition as reported for Q3 2025, showing where that growth is concentrated:

The core offerings cover the spectrum of traditional banking needs. You see the standard consumer side alongside significant commercial capabilities. The bank provides traditional consumer deposits, including checking, savings, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.

On the lending side, the offerings include:

• Residential mortgage lending.
• Commercial credit cards.
• Commercial real estate loans.
• Construction financing.
• Equipment financing.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. supports these services with modern digital banking services. You can manage your finances remotely with features designed for convenience. These platforms enable mobile deposits and full online account management. Furthermore, they support real-time payments like Zelle.

The digital experience includes specific data access points:

• View 18 months of transaction history via online banking.
• View 6 months of transaction history via the mobile app.
• Quick Actions available by holding the app icon for transfers, bill pay, check deposit, and Zelle®.
• Ability to set up external transfers online or in the mobile app.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST) - Marketing Mix: Place

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. deploys a focused geographic distribution strategy, concentrating its physical and digital presence within high-growth Southeastern markets. This approach is designed to capture regional economic expansion while maintaining a relationship-driven service model.

The physical footprint of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. is deliberately concentrated across three key states: South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. As of the latest reports in 2025, the bank operates across 8 markets with a total of 13 locations throughout the Southeast. The headquarters for Southern First Bancshares, Inc. is situated in Greenville, SC. This physical network supports the bank's relationship-first model, ensuring local leadership and decision-making are accessible.

The distribution of these physical locations is weighted toward the bank's home state and major adjacent metro areas. For instance, nearly half of the bank's deposits are concentrated in the Greenville market alone. Here is a breakdown of the physical presence and the associated deposit concentration as of mid-2025:

Key metro areas targeted for distribution include Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte in North Carolina, and Atlanta in Georgia, complementing the multiple markets served within South Carolina. This physical network supports a balance sheet that reported $4.31 billion in total assets as of Q2 2025. The total loan portfolio stood at $3.7 billion at the end of the first six months of 2025, with core deposits at $2.9 billion for the same period.

Distribution is heavily augmented by digital channels, which are crucial for scale and serving clients beyond the immediate vicinity of a physical branch. Southern First Bancshares, Inc. provides a full suite of digital access points to ensure product availability when and where the consumer needs it. These digital capabilities are a key part of the overall distribution strategy, complementing the relationship-driven branch network.

The digital distribution channels include:

• Internet banking platforms for account management.
• Mobile banking services.
• Remote Deposit Capture functionality.
• Access to real-time payments.

The bank's commitment to digital access helps support its growth trajectory, which saw total deposits increase by 5.8% since the end of 2024.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST) - Marketing Mix: Promotion

You're looking at how Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST) talks about its business, which is heavily weighted toward reinforcing its relationship model and strong financial discipline. The promotion strategy isn't about splashy ads; it's about consistent messaging that validates the quality of their bankers and their balance sheet to key audiences.

Relationship-First Approach and Banker Attraction

The core of Southern First Bancshares, Inc.'s promotion is its relationship-first approach. This means the message is that you get a dedicated senior officer and client officer, plus consistent support staff for your banking needs. This personalized service is a direct differentiator against larger, more impersonal institutions. The company actively promotes its success in attracting talent to support this model. For instance, in Q3 2025, the CEO noted they continue to attract and retain experienced bankers who share their commitment to outstanding client service.

This focus on human capital is promoted through:

• Emphasizing a team structure with a specific Senior Officer and Client Officer.
• Highlighting new leadership additions, like the three new Board members announced in Q2 2025, who brought backgrounds in community involvement and professional expertise.
• Promoting an internal culture focused on family, community, and teamwork.

Asset Quality and Disciplined Pricing Messaging

When talking about the business performance, the promotion focuses on metrics that prove their disciplined approach is working, especially in a consolidating industry. They want you to know their asset quality is superior. As of September 30, 2025, Nonperforming Assets (NPAs) to total assets stood at a very low 0.27%. This metric is frequently cited to back up claims of disciplined pricing and underwriting.

The messaging also centers on profitability derived from smart pricing. The Net Interest Margin (NIM) for Q3 2025 reached 2.62%, up from 2.50% in Q2 2025. This expansion is directly attributed to their intentional and disciplined approach to pricing across the balance sheet. The efficiency ratio also improved significantly, moving to 60.86% in Q3 2025 from 67.54% in the prior quarter, which supports the narrative of operational excellence.

Community Outreach and Corporate Impact

Community outreach is definitely a key component, used to reinforce the local ownership and commitment to the Southeastern markets. While the latest full impact report is for 2024, these figures form the foundation of their ongoing community narrative. They promote their mission to impact lives in the communities they serve.

Here are the latest reported community investment numbers, which frame their 2025 outreach narrative:

This commitment is also tied to their physical presence, with branches focused primarily across Upstate South Carolina, plus select markets in North Carolina and Georgia.

Investor Communications Focus

For the investment community, the promotion is highly quantitative, focusing on growth funded by core, stable sources. The narrative consistently ties financial improvement back to the relationship banking strategy. Investor communications in late 2025 emphasized the strong momentum seen in Q3 2025.

Key financial data points used to promote the investment thesis include:

• Net Interest Income for Q3 2025 was $27.5 million, a 33.7% year-over-year rise.
• Diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) reached $1.07 in Q3 2025, marking a 98% increase compared to Q3 2024.
• Total Loans reached $3.8 billion, up 4% annualized from Q2 2025.
• Core Deposits stood at $2.9 billion, up 2% annualized from Q2 2025, explicitly framing loan growth as being funded by client retail deposits.
• Book Value per share rose to $43.51 as of September 30, 2025.

The message is clear: disciplined pricing drives margin expansion, which fuels high-quality loan growth sourced from stable deposits, all while maintaining industry-leading asset quality. Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST) - Marketing Mix: Price

You're looking at the pricing strategy for Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (SFST) as of late 2025. This isn't about setting shelf prices for a widget; it's about the core economics of banking: the interest rate spread and how the company structures its cost of funds versus its earning assets. Effective pricing here means capturing value while remaining competitive in the Southeastern markets.

The company's focus on disciplined pricing is clearly reflected in its margin performance. Net Interest Margin (NIM) expanded to 2.62% in Q3 2025, which is an improvement from 2.50% in the prior quarter, Q2 2025. This expansion shows Southern First Bancshares is successfully managing the price it charges for loans relative to the price it pays for deposits.

This margin strength directly translated to top-line income. Net Interest Income (NII) saw a strong increase, rising 33.7% year-over-year to $27.5 million in Q3 2025, based on the reported figure of $27.53 million compared to $20.59 million the year prior. That's a significant jump in core profitability driven by pricing discipline.

A key component of managing the cost side of the equation-the price paid for funding-is the composition of the deposit base. Disciplined pricing on deposits is evident, with nearly 21% of the Q2 2025 deposit base being non-interest bearing. That's a large chunk of funding that costs Southern First Bancshares virtually nothing, which helps support that expanding NIM.

Here's a quick look at the key pricing and valuation metrics as of the third quarter of 2025:

For investors focused on the return component of pricing, book value per share is a critical reference point. Southern First Bancshares' book value per share rose to $43.51 as of September 30, 2025. This metric reflects the underlying equity value supporting the pricing of the stock itself.

When considering financing options and return to shareholders-a form of pricing the equity-the company's policy is clear. The company maintains a growth-focused capital allocation, electing not to pay a common stock dividend. This signals a commitment to retaining earnings to fuel business growth rather than distributing immediate cash returns. The stated intent is to retain earnings to grow the business and strengthen the capital base.

You can see the impact of this strategy on the balance sheet:

• Book value per common share increased 12% (annualized) from Q2 2025 to $43.51.
• Tangible Common Equity (TCE) ratio stood at 8.18% as of Q3 2025.
• Total loans reached $3.8 billion as of Q3 2025.
• Core deposits were $2.9 billion as of Q3 2025.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.