Banking on Digital Growth

Since the internet’s awakening in the mid-90s, we’ve experienced exponential growth in digital finance. As mobile technology and social platforms continue to democratize the world wide web, financial institutions and fintechs barely have time to stop and catch their breath. Marco Santos , CEO USA & Latin America Region - Grupo GFT , tells us why continuous learning and an exponential growth mi...

How often do revolutionary ideas in the financial space fall by the wayside because they’re left unshared? Collaboration is the mother of innovation in the Digital Age. As large financial institutions brace for tough economic times, credit unions are looking for ways to help common people with common financial problems. Jonathan Taylor , CEO at CU Sol , shares how credit unions are partnering with...

Customer surveys have become the default mechanism for financial brands in understanding consumer behavior. But surveys have a glaring weakness: they fail to account for the “why” behind a customer’s shift in brand loyalty. Derik Sutton , CMO at Autobooks , tells us why financial brand leaders need to dig deeper and hear the stories behind the shifts in consumer behavior Join us as we discuss: - T...

Financial brand marketers are in the communication business, so everyone has to flex their writing chops at some point. Yet, for one reason or another, many people believe they don’t have what it takes to create quality written content. But as Ann Handley , author of Everybody Writes , pointed out, you don’t need to be a brilliant writer to communicate value to your customers. You just need to be...

With the world on the brink of recession, many financial institutions and fintechs are reassessing their branding in a tough economy. But instead of burying their heads in the sand, financial leaders should see this period as an opportunity for growth. Mark Arnold , President of On the Mark Strategies , tells us why banks and credit unions should resist cutting their marketing budgets and invest i...

Personalization is about humanizing the digital experience. But for banks and credit unions to successfully implement a customer-centric data strategy, everyone in the organization has to be aligned. In this episode, we’re joined by Tom Novak , VP/Chief Digital Officer at Visions Federal Credit Union , Craig McGlaughlin , CEO of Finalytics.ai , and Mark Ryan , Chief Analytics Officer at Finalytics...

Your personal brand is a superpower. With positive nurturing, your brand can move mountains in financial services because people trust other people. But before you can sell your financial brand’s product to your customer, you have to sell yourself first. Dr. Cindy McGovern , CEO of Orange Leaf Academy and author of Sell Yourself , tells us why every financial leader and lender needs to look in the...

Is the digital lending experience broken? While trying to find a proper balance of human interaction and self-service, many financial brands continue to miss opportunities to improve these transactions. Jeff Keltner , Senior Vice President of Business Development at Upstart , tells us how banks and credit unions can streamline their customers’ friction points in the digital lending experience. Joi...

What is experience? At the Digital Growth Institute, we define it as the sum of processes that have been applied and optimized to exude a positive emotional response. But pain points and ill-conceived short-cuts can result in an undesired outcome. In celebration of our 250th episode, we reflect on several brilliant conversations around the subject of the customer experience in finance. Join us as...

The traditional customer interaction has steadily evolved in the age of digital customer service. But many age-old frustrations that hinder the consumer experience still plague financial brands. And that’s a problem because customers aren’t loyal to brands - they’re loyal to positive experiences. Rick Delisi , Lead Research Analyst at Glia and co-author of The Effortless Experience , shares how fi...

Financial brands and fintechs are scrambling to get a piece of the digital lead generation pie on social media platforms. But it’s not enough to be an analytical marketing guru these days. You’d better know how to handle a camera, too. Mark Lachance , CEO of Maxy Media and author of The Lucky Formula , tells us how his team is conquering the digital ad space on social media. Join us as we discuss:...

When people think of digital communities, their thoughts likely turn to social media. But social media is simply a tool, and it’s a tool designed to curate one thing: content . Gina Bianchini , Founder and CEO of Mighty Networks , tells us how she envisions building future digital communities around culture . Join us as we discuss: A strategic approach to building a digital community (4:33) The ha...

Credit unions have a significant opportunity to use data to help and educate their members, yet 70 percent of credit unions don’t have a data strategy. Many executives may point to the monetary cost of implementing such a plan, but what are the hidden costs of ignoring it? Anne Legg , Founder of Thrive Strategic Services , tells us why more credit unions should implement a data strategy to ease th...

Life has a way of putting obstacles in our path. But it’s how we choose to overcome those roadblocks that define us. Audrey Cannata , Operations Lead at the Digital Growth Institute , joins me for another episode of our Behind the Cover series as we discuss Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle Is the Way . By applying stoic wisdom, we can transform our account holders’ obstacles into opportunities to help...

Rather than leveraging their brands for change, banks and credit unions often get stuck in the institutional hamster wheel as opportunities for innovation die in a culture of “sameness.” But by stepping back from their busyness, they can reacquire their objective: creating a value proposition for their customers. Martha Bartlett Piland , President at BANKTASTIC and author of Beyond Sticky , tells...

Divorce is a messy business. And it can become an even more convoluted nightmare when one or more parties commit financial fraud. That’s why Forensic Accountant and Fraud Investigator Tracy Coenen authored The Divorce Money Guide to help spouses who have lost control of their financial security. Tracy shares why she saw a need to create her ten-step guide and how she thinks financial brands can em...

During his NFL tenure, Jedidiah Collins had an epiphany: he and many of his fellow players were financially illiterate. He knew he had to take action and address his poor financial habits. He needed a money vehicle. The Founder and CEO of Money Vehicle and author of Your Money Vehicle: How to Begin Driving to Financial Freedom! shares his mission to spread financial literacy to the masses. Join us...

As digital continues to dominate the marketing strategies of financial brands, an abundance of opportunities has left many FIs and fintechs feeling overwhelmed. By injecting people back into the digital equation, marketing teams and CEOs can escape this “channel paralysis.” Jim Craig , Co-Founder of Conotext, LLC , tells us how financial brands can best utilize age-old tactics to up their digital...

Decentralized marketing communication is trending upward.  To capture the attention of niche audiences, financial brands are spreading their wings in crafting their storytelling narrative. But with an abundance of communication opportunities, it’s easy for banks and credit unions to muddle their message.  Sarah Cooke ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahsnellcooke/ ), Founder of Cooke Consulting Sol...

An idea is only as good as its execution. Many financial brands struggle to deliver innovative products by using outdated operating models to push digital strategies.  Alex Castro ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/thealexcastro/ ), Founder of ReM Score ( https://remscore.com/ ) and author of Measure, Execute, Win, tells us why so many brands have neglected proper execution in trying to force digital t...

COVID shattered our perception of predictability in strategic planning. As we boldly move forward into a post-COVID future, many financial brands have raised questions about the strategic planning mindset. In this episode of our Inside Digital Growth series, we answer questions from you, our dear listeners, about the future of strategic planning going into and beyond 2023. Join us as we discuss: -...

With 85 percent of Americans dealing with financial stress, the mental health connection to money is becoming more acknowledged each day.  Now, the worlds of psychology and finance have come together to create the science of financial therapy.  Dr. Megan McCoy ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-mccoy-phd/ ), licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, certified Financial Therapist, Assistant Professo...

Despite so much promising technology in this age of AI, many people feel busier than ever before. But is our busyness a product of workload or simply poor time management?  In this episode of our Behind the Cover series, Audrey Cannata ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-cannata-6784191a1/ ), Operations Lead at the Digital Growth Institute, joins me to discuss Brian Tracy’s memoir on procrastinat...

Customer-driven leadership empowers teams to serve their clients better, both internally and externally. But what does that holistic model look like for financial services in this digital age of AI? Daniel Hammond ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-l-hammond/ ), Managing Partner at Customer Driven Leadership LLC ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/customer-driven-leadership-llc/about/ ) and autho...

Part 2 of our conversation with Allison Netzer ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-netzer-1b98335/ ) , Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at NYMBUS ( https://www.nymbus.com/ ).  Allison shares more valuable insight on branding as we explore the last three points in her book, Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank.    Join us as we discuss: How financial brands can “queue the remix” by recycling old id...