Notably Quotable: 14 Financial Marketers on Finding Success in 2014

The Financial Brand's contributor-at-large, Mark Arnold, asked bank and credit union marketers what they need to do to be successful this year. Here's what 14 experts from around the industry had to say about 2014.

kathryn_davis“Know your target audience better than ever — don’t skimp on research, transaction data, and demographics. Targeting will become more personal and delivering one to one marketing will help you stand out from the clutter. Then create and execute an exceptional mobile and online marketing strategy, with a special emphasis on content marketing.”

Kathryn Davis, CMO
Xceed Financial Credit Union ($800 million)


donna_may“The number one thing marketers must do is to have a genuine and honest conversation with the profit centers of your bank. You have to talk to the CEO and CFO. Find out what their goals are. What are retail’s goals and how can marketing impact those? We have to be very profit driven.

“Financial institutions need to translate their brand into their customer experience and vice versa. Those two things have to be aligned.”

Donna Kimes, SVP Marketing
Famers & Merchants Bank ($812 million)


jason_duplant“You must be where your members/customers are. In some metro markets that may mean you have to execute the best digital marketing strategy on the planet. In smaller markets that may mean being visible at every community event and be the trusted advisor for all things financial.”

“Do an 80/20 analysis. Schedule it regularly. Then ask questions about your current financial marketing such as, ‘What is the product or experience I want to create or transform into a wow?’ And, ‘What does failing to meet members’ expectations for this experience look like?'”

Jason Duplant, VP Marketing
Neches FCU ($375 million)


joann_marsili“We must interpret the data that we have at our fingertips and make it actionable and understandable to the front line so that relationships can be broadened and deepened at the point of customer contact.”

“We must create consistent opportunities at every touch point for significant and meaningful communications, including using social media outlets as a customer service tool.”

Joann Marsili, CFMP/VP & Marketing and Sales Director
Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank ($640 million)


janet_belsky“I believe 2014 will be the year that we’ll be pushed into the deep end of SEM. We need to make the time to understand SEM, and really employ it as an integral part of our media mix.”

“Getting our message to the younger demographic is critical if we want to grow and be successful into the future.”

Janet Belsky, VP Marketing
Leominster Credit Union ($650 million)


rich_jones“To be successful, financial marketers have got to connect their marketing goals to the organization’s KPIs as a way to demonstrate marketing’s value. Demonstrate how your efforts are making a difference to relevant key ratios.”

Rich Jones, SVP Marketing, Business Intelligence/Development
Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union ($1 billion)


tony_dickinson“Financial marketers must continue to really get to know and understand their customers to be successful. Stay focused on deepening relationships (both consumer and business) and connecting with your communities, driving loyalty, your reputation and referral business.”

“Connect with millennials. Financial companies must work to understand the evolving needs of this generation, and provide products and services that will meet their needs when, where and how they want to be met.”

Tony Dickinson, Vice President and Marketing Manager
Wells Fargo ($1.42 trillion)


ryan_wilson“We need to get better at recognizing, quantifying and aggregating the various data sources we inherently have available, and transform those into actionable insights. And we must look for ways to leverage mobile technology to improve the customer experience and drive business value.”

Ryan Wilson, Online Development Officer
EVB ($1 billion in assets)

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tim_draper“Financial marketers need to understand value of their electronic channels and the importance of delivering their messages to market in a non-traditional manner.”

“The other thing marketers need to do is better understand how to leverage social media — how to use it to build goodwill in the community.”

Tim Draper, Vice President
Navigant Credit Union ($1.4 billion)


fatemeh_fakhraie“Financial marketers must make sure their online presence and content marketing are on point. Redesign your website to make it responsive and easily navigable. Then make sure your website has a place for informative, helpful articles and news from your financial organization. Good content will get eyeballs to your website, and a clean, mobile-responsive web design will make sure members are actually reading it.”

Fatemeh Fakhraie, Social Media & Marketing Specialist
brass Media


kent_dicken“Keep doing the usual with the largest chunk of your budget, as long as it gets you the ROI you need. Then do something with the last 20% that is guaranteed to make you stand out, and make sure people hear about it.”

“Step outside the ‘promotions silo’ and take charge of your brand from start to finish. Product development, pricing, policies, training, even the coffee served in the lobby — all need your input as the brand expert.”

Kent Dicken, CEO
iDiz Incorporated


eric_gagliano“The most important thing to do in 2014 (or any other year) is to focus. There are a million things you can do and a hundred million things other people want you to do. But what are the handful of initiatives that you should do to generate the greatest return towards your goals and maximize your budget? Everything else is distraction.”

“Focus on your existing customers/members first. These people already have a relationship with, awareness of and trust in your brand. And you do not have enough product penetration or share of wallet with them today.”

Eric Gagliano, SVP
MarketMatch


denise_wymore“Walk into your lobby, now stand in front of your brochure rack and look around… Next, pull your website up on your phone…”

“Remove all shiny happy people stock art from your marketing materials (website, lobby posters, ads, etc). Credit unions that don’t know what makes them unique fall back on these easy images. Identify what makes you unique and visually tell that story.”

Denise Wymore, Co-Founder
6th Story


“Financial marketers must get their staff to see a connection between their day-to-day job and the bank or credit union brand. You can preach branding all day long to your staff but if they are not living your brand, it doesn’t matter.
2014 is all about the user experience (UX). What is it really like to do business with your bank or credit union—at ALL delivery and touchpoints. Financial marketers must analyze their institution openly and critically. Take off your blinders, look critically at your shop and make the hard decisions to improve your experiences.”

Mark Arnold, Founder and President
On The Mark Strategies

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