Hit Record Podcast - FI GROW Solutions

Cross-selling at community banks and credit unions doesn't have to feel like sales—it should feel like service. In this episode of the Hit Record Podcast, FI GROW CEO Meredith Olmstead and Director of Sales Danielle Fancher unpack real-world strategies for creating authentic, high-impact cross-selling efforts. From live chat and automation to frontline staff training and data-driven segmentation, this episode is a deep dive into how to serve more deeply, not just sell more.Key Takeaways:Sales Is Service: Effective cross-selling starts with building trust and solving real problems—not pushing products.Automate and Personalize: Use automation tools to respond instantly and personalize messages based on behavior and product use.Celebrate the Wins: Daily team huddles, open discussion, and performance dashboards keep cross-selling goals aligned and team morale high.

In this episode of the FI GROW podcast, CEO Meredith Olmstead and Sales Director Danielle Fancher dig into a powerful conversation around customer acquisition vs. retention—and why focusing on deeper relationships with your existing members may be your most overlooked growth opportunity. From defining true onboarding to real-world tactics that work, they share actionable strategies to personalize, automate, and maximize every new relationship at your credit union or community bank.Key Takeaways:Retention Costs Less—and Delivers More: It costs 5–7x more to acquire a new customer than to deepen a relationship with an existing one. Strong onboarding = stronger ROI.Onboarding Is More Than a Thank-You Note: True onboarding is a multi-channel, personalized, data-driven experience that nurtures product adoption and trust.Personalization Drives Growth: When onboarding is tailored to each user's actions and needs, customers are more likely to open 3+ new products in their first 12 months.

Surveys aren't just for collecting opinions—they're tools for growth. In this episode, Meredith Olmstead and Nida Ajaz explore how banks and credit unions can use surveys strategically to deepen member relationships, improve product offerings, and make smarter, data-informed decisions. From onboarding to attrition, they share real use cases that turn feedback into action.Key Takeaways:Surveys + Data = Smarter Strategy: Relying on surveys alone can miss the mark. Marry member sentiment with real behavioral data to fuel better decisions.Survey Timing Matters: Onboarding, application abandonment, and account closures are prime moments to gather actionable insights.Make It Actionable: Use automation to route feedback, celebrate wins, respond to dissatisfaction, and drive follow-up campaigns (like Google reviews or referral asks).

In our latest episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FiGrow Solutions, joins forces with Inbound Marketing Manager Rebecca Gwaltney to explore creative and effective ways to harness the power of automated emails. Beyond the basics, they delve into advanced strategies for financial institutions to engage customers meaningfully, ensuring their services remain indispensable.Key Takeaways:Re-engagement Campaigns: Utilize transaction data to trigger re-engagement emails, encouraging consistent usage and reinforcing your status as the primary financial institution.Product Lifecycle Communications: Automate emails around specific product milestones, such as post-purchase check-ins or warranty expirations, to maintain communication and offer relevant additional services.Behavior-Based Customization: Tailor automated emails based on user behaviors and interactions, like page visits or product interest, ensuring content relevance and increasing conversion chances

Join Meredith Olmstead and Kristin Mock from FI GROW Solutions as they dive deep into the lesser-known features of HubSpot that can transform how financial institutions engage with their clients. Discover innovative ways to leverage smart content, enhance user experiences, and optimize your digital strategy.Key Takeaways:Smart Content: Tailor your digital presence dynamically based on user behaviors and characteristics to provide a personalized experience for each visitor.SEO Website Scan: Utilize HubSpot's built-in tools to analyze and optimize your website's SEO performance effortlessly.HubSpot Academy: Access a wealth of resources and training materials to keep your team at the cutting edge of marketing technology. 

Meredith Olmstead and Kristin Mock from FI GROW Solutions discuss a recurring challenge faced by marketing departments in banks and credit unions: the lack of clear, measurable goals. In their conversation, they explore the importance of setting specific objectives for marketing teams to effectively align their strategies and resources, enhancing overall institutional performance.Three Key Highlights:Clear Goals Essential: Specific, measurable goals are vital for marketing departments to effectively align their strategies with the institution's objectives.Executive Communication: It's crucial for executives to communicate these goals across all departments to ensure a unified approach towards achieving them.Regular Updates and Reviews: Continuously tracking progress towards these goals and adjusting strategies as necessary is key to maintaining momentum and achieving desired outcomes.

In this engaging podcast, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, speaks with Sam Paxson, founder of the Power & Light Collaborative and a seasoned expert in the credit union industry. They explore transformative strategies for banks and credit unions to shift from product-centric to member-centric models, focusing on leveraging digital tools to align services with member needs and behaviors for enhanced engagement and growth.Key Takeaways:Embracing Member-Centric Strategies: Sam discusses the critical shift from evaluating product line performance to understanding member engagement and the lifetime value of members, advocating for a strategy that focuses on member needs rather than just financial products.Data-Driven Member Engagement: Utilizing behavioral data and digital tools to customize interactions and offerings, which helps in actively engaging members based on their interactions and preferences.Re-engagement through Digital Innovation: The importance of digital tools in reactivating dormant members and enhancing the member experience, ensuring that members fully utilize available financial services. 

In this episode of our podcast, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Kristin Mock, Senior Inbound Strategist, delve into the world of digital branches for banks and credit unions. They discuss the power of customizing digital experiences right from the homepage based on user behavior and characteristics, a strategy that not only enhances user engagement but also significantly boosts conversion rates.Key Takeaways:Personalized User Experience: Implementing smart content on homepages that adapts based on previous interactions or visited pages enhances relevance and engagement, driving higher conversion rates for products like auto loans or mortgages.Behavior-Driven Content Management: Utilizing behavior-driven strategies allows for dynamic content updates across the website, reflecting current promotions or rates, ensuring that content remains both current and highly targeted.Segmentation and Targeting: Sophisticated segmentation based on product usage, customer lifecycle stages, and even membership status allows for highly personalized experiences, encouraging deeper engagement and fostering customer loyalty.

Join Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Danielle Fancher, Sales Director, as they delve into the critical topic of budget allocation for credit union and bank websites. In this episode, they address the persistent issue of underfunding digital assets and advocate for recognizing websites as essential operational tools, not just marketing expenses. They share insights on the real value of investing in a robust digital presence to enhance user experience and meet the demands of today's digital-first customers.Key Takeaways:Recognizing Websites as Operational Necessities: Websites should be considered crucial operational tools that facilitate daily banking and information dissemination, rather than mere marketing expenses. Proper funding should reflect their central role in a financial institution's operations.Comparing Costs with Physical Branches: The investment in a high-functioning website is minimal compared to the cost of building and maintaining physical branches, yet the digital platform often serves a significantly larger audience.Importance of Proper Investment in Digital Assets: Underfunding a website can lead to poor user experiences and potential loss of customers, especially among younger demographics who prioritize efficient online interactions. Investing adequately in digital assets is not only necessary for maintaining competitiveness but also for future scalability and integration.

In this enlightening podcast episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, teams up with Kristin Mock, the firm's inbound marketing manager, to delve into the integration of AI in website development for financial institutions. They unpack the challenges and pitfalls of relying on AI and automated tools for creating or migrating websites for banks and credit unions, emphasizing the value of a tailored, strategic approach over quick fixes.Key Takeaways:Challenges with Auto-Migration: Transferring a website to a new platform often results in functional and design issues due to incompatibilities, leading to more time and effort spent on corrections, usually with suboptimal results.Limitations of Templates and AI: Templates may offer a quick start but often require compromises that may not align with a financial institution's needs. AI-generated websites lack the depth needed for optimal user experience and SEO, making them unsuitable for banks and credit unions that require detailed, compliant, and customer-focused content.Importance of a Tailored Approach: A custom redesign, though initially more costly and time-consuming, ensures a website is aligned with the latest technology, trends, and brand strategy, providing long-term value and better functionality.

In this enlightening podcast episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, teams up with Kristin Mock, the firm's inbound marketing manager, to delve into the integration of AI in website development for financial institutions. They unpack the challenges and pitfalls of relying on AI and automated tools for creating or migrating websites for banks and credit unions, emphasizing the value of a tailored, strategic approach over quick fixes.Key Takeaways:Challenges with Auto-Migration: Transferring a website to a new platform often results in functional and design issues due to incompatibilities, leading to more time and effort spent on corrections, usually with suboptimal results.Limitations of Templates and AI: Templates may offer a quick start but often require compromises that may not align with a financial institution's needs. AI-generated websites lack the depth needed for optimal user experience and SEO, making them unsuitable for banks and credit unions that require detailed, compliant, and customer-focused content.Importance of a Tailored Approach: A custom redesign, though initially more costly and time-consuming, ensures a website is aligned with the latest technology, trends, and brand strategy, providing long-term value and better functionality.

In this podcast episode, Meredith Olmsted, CEO and founder of FI GROW Solutions, sits down with Ronaldo Hardy, President and CEO of NACUSO, to discuss a groundbreaking initiative he led at Southwest Louisiana Credit Union. Ronaldo shares his journey of certifying all credit union employees as financial counselors, delving into the transformative impact it had on staff, members, and the broader community. This episode unpacks the “why” behind the initiative, the process involved, and the invaluable lessons learned from this bold approach to financial empowerment.Key Takeaways:Comprehensive Financial Empowerment: By certifying every employee as a financial counselor, Southwest Louisiana Credit Union ensured that all staff members were equipped to assist members and the community, creating a seamless and supportive experience for all interactions.Empowering Employees Internally: The certification process not only benefited members but also equipped employees with deeper financial knowledge, enabling them to manage their personal finances more effectively and extend advice to their families and friends.Community Impact and Growth: This initiative helped the credit union rebuild its reputation, foster trust within the community, and achieve remarkable growth, with a 70% increase in asset size over five years.

In this episode of FI GROW Solutions' podcast, Meredith Olmsted and Rebecca Gwaltney delve into the world of email marketing for banks and credit unions. They discuss the benefits and strategies behind behavior-based or automated email marketing, focusing on how financial institutions can leverage automated workflows to enhance customer engagement and streamline communication. Meredith and Rebecca explore various types of email marketing, including onboarding new members, behavior-triggered emails, and the importance of segmenting emails to boost cross-selling and deepen customer relationships.Key Takeaways:Automation Efficiency: Automated email marketing saves time and effort by sending personalized messages based on customer interactions, improving engagement and sales.Strategic Onboarding: Differentiating between direct and indirect onboarding emails helps tailor the content to the customer's familiarity with the institution, enhancing their initial experience.Behavior-Based Triggering: Utilizing behavior-triggered emails allows institutions to re-engage customers at critical moments, potentially increasing the effectiveness of promotions and offers

In this insightful podcast episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Nida Ajaz, discuss the critical importance of demonstrating the value of marketing within credit unions. They explore common challenges faced by marketers, such as incomplete data, lack of industry knowledge, underfunded budgets, and limited strategic influence. The conversation highlights the need for marketers to bridge data gaps by integrating more comprehensive business metrics and fostering closer collaboration with other departments. This approach not only proves marketing's worth but also enhances its strategic role in driving the financial institution's goals.Key Takeaways:Common Challenges: Discusses issues like incomplete data, lack of industry knowledge, underfunded budgets, and marketers' limited strategic roles.Bridging Data Gaps: Highlights the importance of integrating comprehensive business metrics to demonstrate marketing's ROI.Enhancing Strategic Role: Emphasizes the need for closer collaboration between marketing and other core business functions to align strategies and secure better funding.

In this episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Danielle Fancher, Director of Sales, discuss the challenges and strategies of building an effective digital sales and lending team for banks and credit unions. They share insights on managing digital applications, creating strong team structures, and aligning marketing and lending teams for better collaboration and results.Key Takeaways:Digital Lending Needs Strong Teams: Building a digital sales and lending team starts with clear job descriptions and finding staff with exceptional customer service skills, not just lending experience.Cater to Digital Preferences: Today's customers want seamless digital experiences from application to approval. Institutions must structure their teams to handle online leads efficiently.Collaboration and Trust are Key: Successful marketing and lending teams rely on strong communication, trust, and setting clear expectations, including service level agreements (SLAs) to meet goals together.

In this episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Sophie Bawany, the company's in-house social media guru, explore how social media is transforming financial inclusion for younger and underserved audiences. They discuss how banks and credit unions can leverage platforms like Instagram and TikTok to provide financial education, improve accessibility, and build trust with their communities. Their insights highlight the power of social media to reach new audiences and support financial empowerment in a fast-evolving digital landscape.Key Takeaways:Social Media Drives Financial Education: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are increasingly becoming search engines for younger generations, offering a great opportunity for financial institutions to share educational content.Accessibility Is Key: Simplifying account access through social media, such as using direct links in stories, can make it easier for audiences to open accounts and build trust with your institution.Humanizing and Building Community: Fun, personalized content on social media humanizes your brand, while initiatives like local contests help financial institutions foster stronger community connections.

In this podcast, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and social media expert Sophie Bawany discuss why social media remains vital for banks and credit unions in 2024. They explore how social media humanizes financial institutions, helps them engage with customers where they are, and fosters a unified brand experience. Additionally, they delve into the importance of internal collaboration, employee empowerment, and adapting to shifting social media platforms to maintain a strong digital presence.Key Takeaways:Be Where Your Customers Are: Social media remains a key platform where customers and members spend significant time. Financial institutions must maintain a presence on these platforms to engage with their audience, offer authentic financial advice, and control their narrative in an environment where information is rapidly shared.Humanize Your Brand: Social media helps humanize banks and credit unions, allowing them to showcase the people behind the brand. By featuring real employees and sharing authentic stories, institutions can build trust and foster a sense of community, differentiating themselves from larger, less personal financial entities.Encourage Internal Collaboration and Morale: Engaging employees in social media efforts can break down departmental silos and enhance internal morale. By involving team members across departments in content creation, institutions can create a unified brand message while promoting a more inclusive and collaborative workplace culture.

In this podcast, Meredith Olmsted and Kristin Mock offer a detailed exploration of user experience strategies for financial institution websites in their discussion. They emphasize setting clear goals for user interactions, simplifying navigation to reduce user effort, and the importance of continuous website evaluation to adapt to technological and behavioral changes. This dialogue is a valuable resource for marketers looking to enhance digital strategies in the banking and credit union sectors, packed with actionable insights and grounded in practical experience.Key Takeaways:Set Clear Goals for User Experience: Understanding what actions you want users to take on your site is crucial. Establishing clear goals, such as desired page time or bounce rates, helps in measuring the success of the user experience and optimizing accordingly.Simplify Navigation and Reduce Clicks: Ensure that the navigation on your site is intuitive and minimizes the number of steps users must take to find what they are looking for. This can be achieved by streamlining the content hierarchy and avoiding excessive submenus that can frustrate users and lead to abandonment.Continuously Optimize and Update: Digital environments are dynamic, with user behaviors and technologies constantly evolving. Regularly revisiting and testing your website's key pages ensures that your user experience keeps pace with changes and continues to meet user needs effectively. Avoid a "set it and forget it" approach to maintain relevance and effectiveness in your digital strategy.

In this podcast, Meredith Olmstead, CEO and Founder of FI GROW Solutions, and Danielle Fancher, the Director of Sales, discuss effective strategies for capturing leads on websites of banks and credit unions. They emphasize the complexity of online financial product applications and the high rate of abandoned applications. The conversation highlights the importance of combining automated and personalized follow-up methods to convert abandoned applications into completed transactions. They also explore how various techniques, such as prompt email responses, phone calls, and personalized emails, significantly enhance lead conversion rates.Key Takeaways:Lead Capture and Follow-up: Efficient lead capture isn't just about encouraging users to start an application; it's crucial to actively follow up on applications that aren't completed. This involves a mix of automation for immediacy and personal follow-up for effectiveness.Importance of Personalized Communication: Conversion rates significantly improve when financial institutions use personalized communication strategies. These include quick phone calls and customized emails, which make potential customers feel valued and supported.Impact of Team Involvement and Incentives: Institutions with dedicated, incentivized teams handling leads tend to achieve higher conversion rates. Engaging the team in active sales efforts, supported by automation, leads to better customer engagement and higher success in closing applications.

In this podcast episode, Meredith Olmstead, the CEO and founder of FI GROW Solutions, discusses the unique challenges and solutions in managing website projects for financial institutions. Joined by inbound marketing strategist Kristin Mock, they explore the critical role of their team in project management and content creation, detailing how their expertise helps bridge gaps between web developers, designers, and the specialized needs of banks and credit unions.Key Takeaways:Specialized Project Management: FI GROW Solutions enhances the website development process by providing specialized project management and content creation tailored to the financial industry. This approach helps ensure website projects stay on schedule and meet the specific needs of banks and credit unions.Understanding Financial Products: The discussion highlights the importance of a team understanding financial products and services. This knowledge is crucial for avoiding common pitfalls in web design and development that may not suit the specific requirements of financial institutions.Balancing Industry Expertise with Fresh Perspectives: While it's beneficial to work with developers who have broad experience across industries, it's equally important to integrate team members who understand the unique user experience, compliance, and complexity of financial products. This balance helps financial institutions leverage new technologies and design trends effectively.

In this podcast episode from FI GROW Solutions, CEO Meredith Olmstead and Senior Vice President of Marketing Nida Ajaz discuss the comparative effectiveness of contests versus surveys for engaging clients. They share results from a recent test involving the same audience and prize but with different formats: a simple contest and a more detailed survey. The results highlight how surveys can significantly enhance engagement over contests by providing value through participants' opinions. Key Takeaways:Effectiveness of Surveys Over Contests: Surveys tend to engage a larger number of participants compared to contests, even when both are offered to the same audience with the same rewards. Strategic Integration of Marketing Insights: The data collected from surveys can be strategically used for more than just engagement. It provides valuable insights into the customer base, which can aid in product development, targeted marketing, and overall improvement of services. Leveraging Small Incentives for Big Results: Even nominal prizes can significantly increase participation rates in surveys and contests. Highlighting these incentives effectively, such as in email subject lines, can attract more attention and participation, demonstrating that minor tweaks in marketing tactics can lead to substantially better outcomes.

In this podcast episode, Meredith Olmsted, CEO and founder of FI GROW Solutions, has a great conversation with August Mize, the brand ambassador for Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union. August discusses her journey from a communications graduate aiming for a career in journalism to becoming a brand ambassador, emphasizing the strategic shift towards influencer marketing to strengthen community connections and appeal to younger demographics. They explore the significant roles that brand ambassadors play in enhancing brand visibility, community engagement, and the overall marketing strategy of financial institutions.Key Takeaways:Community Engagement: Brand ambassadors enhance the visibility and relatability of a brand within the community, leading to stronger connections with existing and potential customers.Targeting Younger Demographics: Using brand ambassadors, particularly in social media and community events, helps financial institutions engage with younger audiences more effectively.Extended Role Impact: The role of a brand ambassador goes beyond traditional marketing by embedding the brand into various community activities and digital platforms, which can significantly boost brand recognition and customer engagement over time

In this episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of Fi Grow Solutions, and Danielle Fancher, Director of Sales, delve into innovative strategies for enhancing sales success in banks and credit unions. They discuss the importance of prioritizing service-oriented skills over traditional sales abilities, the benefits of proactive customer engagement through CRM tools, and the crucial role of integrating marketing and sales efforts. Their insights aim to transform the way financial institutions interact with and serve their members.Key Takeaways:Prioritize Service Over Sales: Focus on hiring employees with a strong service orientation rather than traditional sales skills. Employees who excel in customer service and genuinely want to assist members will naturally drive more success in financial institutions.Embrace Proactive Engagement: Utilize tools like CRM systems to understand customer interests and engage them proactively. This approach shifts the sales strategy from reactive to proactive, enhancing member satisfaction and retention.Integrate Marketing and Sales: Strengthen the collaboration between marketing and sales teams to ensure a unified approach to member engagement. This alignment helps both teams understand and leverage each other's efforts, leading to more effective consumer targeting and improved service delivery.

 In this episode of FI GROW Solutions' inaugural client feature, Meredith Olmstead, CEO and Founder of FI GROW Solutions, discusses with Christin Vaughn, CMO at Allegiance Credit Union, the transformative digital marketing strategies they've implemented. The focus is on leveraging real, engaging content created by Allegiance Credit Union's staff to significantly reduce the cost of driving traffic to their website through social media advertising, particularly on Facebook and Instagram.Key Takeaways:1. Authentic Content Boosts Efficiency: Using real, employee-generated content on social media has halved website traffic costs for Allegiance Credit Union.2. Leverage Expert Partnerships: Collaborating with FI GROW Solutions allows Allegiance to focus on creating engaging content while FI GROW handles ad targeting and optimization.3. Social Media as a Multi-tool: Beyond marketing products, Allegiance uses social media for brand building and recruitment, enhancing both customer and employee engagement. 

In this information-packed episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Ida Burr, Director of Digital Ads Management, dive into the nuances of budgeting for digital ads in the banking and credit union sectors. They discuss the strategic allocation of funds across various types of digital advertising, including social media, pay-per-click, display, and YouTube pre-roll ads, to optimize both engagement and conversions. Whether you're managing a small budget or scaling up, their expert tips on adjusting spend based on audience size and campaign performance are invaluable for anyone looking to enhance their digital marketing strategy.Key Takeaways:1. Strategic Budgeting: Allocate conservative budgets for social media ads aimed at increasing brand awareness, while prioritizing higher budgets for PPC ads that are more likely to drive conversions. Display ads should be used judiciously, with an emphasis on complementing other advertising efforts.2. Audience-Driven Allocation: Tailor your advertising budgets based on the potential audience size and specific market characteristics. This ensures that financial resources are efficiently used, maximizing impact without unnecessary expenditure.3. Integrated Advertising Approach: Employ a balanced strategy that integrates various ad types, including PPC, social media, display, and YouTube ads. This integration helps maintain visibility across different platforms and enhances the overall effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

In this episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Nida Ajaz, Senior Vice President of Marketing, discuss strategies for integrating marketing and sales within financial institutions. They highlight the importance of Google reviews for enhancing business reputation and SEO, and share effective methods for deepening customer relationships through automated referrals and targeted marketing, offering practical insights to boost customer engagement and business performance.Key Takeaways:Integration of Sales and Marketing: Aligning marketing strategies with sales objectives is crucial for driving tangible business results and enhancing overall performance.Importance of Google Reviews: Implementing strategies to increase Google reviews can significantly improve SEO and influence customer decisions, thus boosting business reputation.Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Automating referrals among departments and using targeted onboarding programs are effective in deepening customer relationships and expanding service offerings, which are key to increasing customer retention and upsell opportunities.

In this episode, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Kristin Mock, an inbound marketing strategist at the company, explore real-world challenges and solutions in data management for digital marketing. They discuss a specific incident involving data upload errors at a financial institution and provide practical advice for avoiding similar issues.Key Takeaways:1. Importance of Automation in Data Management: The conversation highlights the critical role of automation in preventing errors in data handling. Manually updating and uploading data, as was the case with the discussed client who uploaded incorrect email addresses for 10,000 contacts, can lead to significant issues such as increased costs and email delivery problems. Automating data uploads and integration can drastically reduce the likelihood of such errors and improve overall data cleanliness.2. Impact of Data Errors on Email Marketing: Learn how simple mistakes in data management could have broader implications for email marketing strategies. For instance, the erroneous upload led to a high volume of hard bounces, which not only affected the financial institution's email sender reputation but also triggered a response from their email service provider (HubSpot) due to the unusual spike in bounce rates. This example serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of maintaining a low bounce rate (under 1%) to prevent potential disruptions in email communications.3. Proactive Data Quality Checks: Regular monitoring and cleaning of email lists were emphasized as essential practices to avoid damaging bounce rates and to uphold email deliverability standards. The podcast advocates for a proactive approach to data management, such as quarterly reviews of unsubscribes and bounces and ensuring data accuracy before uploads. This includes double-checking data entries ("measure twice, cut once" philosophy) to mitigate risks associated with manual data handling and to maintain healthy communication channels with customers.

In this conversation, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Rebecca Gwaltney, FI Grow's inbound marketing manager, delve into the critical role of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for banks and credit unions. They explore the latest trends in consumer search behavior and discuss strategic SEO practices aimed at boosting the online presence of financial institutions.Key Takeaways:1. SEO is Fundamental for Visibility: SEO involves optimizing content with relevant keywords to ensure a bank or credit union's services appear prominently in search engine results. This visibility is crucial for attracting potential customers searching for financial products or solutions.2. Trends in Consumer Searches Influence Strategy: Consumer search behavior, including the volume and nature of searches, guides the content and product offerings of financial institutions. For instance, rising searches for debt consolidation loans indicate a market need that banks and credit unions can address through targeted products and content.3. Local SEO and Long-Tail Keywords Offer Competitive Edges: Incorporating local keywords into content can significantly improve a financial institution's visibility in specific regions. Additionally, long-tail keywords, which are more specific search queries, can attract a more targeted audience with less competition, offering a strategic advantage in content marketing.

In this episode, Meredith Olmstead and Sophie Bawany, of  FI GROW Solutions, are chatting about how to build trust and credibility through social media specifically for banks and credit unions. The conversation delves into the evolving landscape of social media for financial institutions. Their discussion highlights the enduring importance of social media for banks and credit unions, focusing on building credibility and fostering genuine connections with customers.Key Takeaways:1. The Core Purpose Remains Unchanged: Despite the rapid evolution of social media platforms over the past decade, the fundamental reasons for financial institutions to engage in these spaces have remained constant. It's all about building relationships, ensuring authentic engagement, and expanding visibility among both existing and potential customers.2. Authenticity and Transparency Are Paramount:  This method not only establishes trustworthiness but also adds a human touch to these organizations, making them more approachable and reliable to the general public. The power of authentic storytelling and clear communication is emphasized as effective tactics to inform and connect with audiences.3. Engagement and Education Are Crucial: A successful social media strategy for banks and credit unions involves engaging the audience with accessible, educational content that demystifies financial processes. Genuine stories, practical tips, and direct interaction on social platforms are key to maintaining relevance and fostering a loyal community.

Meredith Olmstead and Kristin Mock, of  FI GROW Solutions,  dive deep into the crux of enhancing user experience on digital platforms for banks and credit unions. Their insightful dialogue sheds light on common pitfalls and strategic maneuvers essential for any financial institution aiming to refine its digital branch.Key Takeaways:Monitor Key Indicators to Spot UX Issues: A high bounce rate and poor conversion rates are glaring indicators that your website's user experience (UX) may be lacking. Embrace the 'Three Click Rule' for Navigation: The digital journey on your website should be as frictionless as possible. Adhering to the 'three click rule'—ensuring that users can find any information or service within three clicks—is a good practice, albeit with flexibility for modern web navigation standards. Avoid Overloading Pages and Obscuring Products: Cluttering a single page with too many products or services can overwhelm users and dilute the SEO effectiveness. Each offering deserves its space to shine, particularly when catering to distinct customer segments. 

Meredith Olmstead, CEO and founder of FI GROW Solutions, and Dean DeCarlo, President of Mission Disrupt, engage in a discussion about the increasing significance of user-generated content (UGC) in the financial sector, specifically focusing on banks and credit unions. This conversation provides a deep dive into the strategic use of UGC as a tool for building trust, enhancing customer engagement, and strengthening the overall marketing efforts of financial institutions.Key Takeaways:1. Importance of User-Generated Content in Building Trust: UGC, such as reviews and customer testimonials, is crucial for financial institutions in establishing trust and credibility with their audience. This content, often shared on platforms like Google My Business, Facebook, and Instagram, serves as a third-party endorsement, offering prospective customers genuine insights into the experiences of current customers. 2. Strategies to Encourage UGC: To increase UGC, financial institutions should implement intentional strategies. This can include automated SMS or email campaigns triggered by specific customer actions like loan funding or account opening. These campaigns should make it easy for customers to leave reviews by providing direct links to review platforms.3. Influencer Marketing as a Form of UGC: While slightly different from traditional UGC, influencer marketing is a powerful tool for banks and credit unions. Influencers, with their established trust and audience on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, can effectively communicate the value of financial products and services. 

Meredith Olmstead and Ida Burr, of FI GROW Solutions, explore the dynamic intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital advertising, shedding light on how this technology can be leveraged to enhance marketing strategies. They discuss the practical applications of AI in creating and optimizing digital ad campaigns, emphasizing its role in not just streamlining the process but also in adding a layer of sophistication and effectiveness.Key Takeaways:1. Evolution and Integration of AI in Digital Ads: AI is not a new concept in digital marketing. Tools like Google have long utilized AI for keyword suggestions and ad campaign optimization. However, recent developments, such as chatbots and tools like Google Bard and ChatGPT, have introduced more interactive capabilities.2. AI as a Tool for Enhancing Creativity and Efficiency: AI tools are being used to enhance the creative process in developing digital ads. By analyzing specific landing pages, these tools can suggest appropriate keywords, headlines, and ad descriptions that match the content. 3. Strategic Application and Limitations of AI in Ads: While AI can significantly aid in the ad creation process, it's essential to use these tools strategically. Marketers should not rely solely on AI-generated content; it should be treated as a starting point or inspiration.

Meredith Olmstead and Rebecca Gwaltney from FI GROW Solutions delve into the world of content creation for your community bank or credit union. Learn more about how to effectively become an authority and trusted resource for your members or customers through effective content campaigns. Key Takeaways:1. Content Campaigns for Financial Institutions: The importance of content campaigns for banks and credit unions. Content is SEO-optimized and designed to address specific pain points related to financial products and services. This includes creating pillar pages, lead capture forms, and follow-up blogs to engage and educate users.   2. Benefits of Content Campaigns: Include problem-solving and trust building, nurture emails, effective marketing emails, as well as financial literacy and thought leadership.3. Strategies to Enhance Content Campaigns: The importance of increased email marketing, booster campaigns, and actions that can lead to sales. 

Meredith Olmstead and Nida Ajaz from FI GROW Solutions delve into the critical signs that indicate a financial institution's brand may need rejuvenation, highlighting that a brand extends far beyond mere aesthetics to encompass customer perceptions and company culture.Key Takeaways:1. Community Connection: If your target audience is unfamiliar with your brand or if you're failing to attract the desired market, it's a strong signal that your brand's identity and messaging may need to be re-evaluated and more effectively communicated.   2. Internal Culture: The brand is only as strong as the company's internal culture. If employees aren't engaged or aligned with the brand's values and mission, this disconnect can detrimentally affect customer experiences and the brand's public image, indicating a need for cultural realignment and possibly a rebrand.3. Product Differentiation: Without a distinct product or service offering, a brand can appear generic and fail to stand out in a competitive market. Rebranding might be necessary to highlight unique selling propositions or to introduce innovations that distinguish the brand from its competitors.

Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Duncan Craig, leader of agency Raka, discuss the importance and budgeting for websites, especially for financial institutions.Key Takeaways:A well-budgeted website for financial institutions should range around $150,000 to ensure quality, strategy, and flexibility.Underspending on websites can lead to reduced functionality, lesser shelf life, and possible non-compliance with ADA standards.Financial institutions need to prioritize their online presence as it is often the primary point of engagement for most customers today.

Meredith Olmstead of FI GROW Solutions and Sophie Bawany discuss evolving social media strategies for financial institutions.Three Key Takeaways:Know Your Audience: Different age groups favor different platforms; younger users lean towards TikTok and Instagram, while older ones use Facebook.Tailor Content: Platforms require unique content to match their specific audience and algorithms.Invest Smartly: Achieving organic viral growth in finance is rare; budgeting for content boosts and influencer partnerships is key.

In a discussion between Meredith Olmsted, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Stephanie Chadwick, CEO and COO of Edge, the two experts delve into the complexities and nuances of multicultural marketing for banks and credit unions. They emphasize three key takeaways: the importance of "transcreating" rather than merely translating content to resonate culturally, the need for institutions to authentically incorporate diverse language speakers into their staff, and the critical role of trust and authenticity in connecting with new, often underbanked, populations.

Meredith Olmstead and Kristin Mock from FI GROW Solutions discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) can benefit and hinder marketing strategies, particularly in the context of banks and credit unions.Three Takeaways:AI can be a valuable tool for generating content ideas and doing keyword research but should not be relied upon to write entire articles or webpages.AI can analyze customer reviews and surveys to identify trends, helping financial institutions improve their services.While AI can assist in some aspects of content creation and strategy, it can't replace human expertise in maintaining a brand voice, fact-checking, and ensuring SEO effectiveness.

In a detailed discussion, Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Nida Ajaz, VP of Marketing, explore the complexities and strategies involved in combining traditional and digital advertising for banks and credit unions, emphasizing the need for clear messaging and budget balance.Key Takeaways:Importance of Messaging: When it comes to ad placement, special attention should be given to the messaging. Whether it's traditional or digital advertising, the call to action (CTA) needs to be crystal clear. The messaging should align with the campaign's overall goal, whether it's promoting a new product or creating brand awareness.Synergy Between Traditional and Digital: Both traditional and digital ad placements have their own unique benefits, and neither should be entirely sacrificed for the other. Brands should aim for a cohesive strategy that uses both types to optimize reach and results. For example, SEO-optimized landing pages and digital ads can reinforce and track the effectiveness of traditional ads.Budgeting & Tracking: It's crucial to balance the budget between traditional and digital ads. Traditional ad placements are usually more expensive and less directly trackable, so they may be more effective as short, concentrated campaigns that allow for 'lift' measurement. On the other hand, digital campaigns should be run continuously to maintain visibility and search ranking.

Meredith Olmstead, CEO of FI GROW Solutions, and Ben Bauer, Executive Director of Exclamation Services, discuss various topics related to leading creative teams at financial institutions, including:Adapting to Change: They talk about how the global pandemic has forced credit unions and community banks to rethink traditional work models, leading to more flexible and remote work arrangements.Leadership and Creativity: Ben shares insights into his transition from a creative role to a leadership one, emphasizing the balance between being involved and trusting his team. They also discuss building a "coaching culture" with regular check-ins and personalized development plans.Professional Development:  They encourage continued professional growth, considering different preferences and needs, and how they allocate budget and resources to support their team's learning opportunities.

The FI GROW team discusses crucial factors in choosing a digital marketing agency. Key concerns include maintaining access to your own Google Ads account and avoiding agencies that lock clients into long-term commitments or charge based on ad spend. They emphasize the need for agencies to provide personalized ad strategies and focus on actual conversions, not just click numbers. Finally, they caution against blindly following advice from Google representatives, who may primarily be interested in increasing spending.

What is the difference between Brand Ambassadors and Social Media Influencers? A brand ambassador represents the institution they're working for, building their name, and their trust. A brand influencer is someone who is a brand on their own. So when they work with a credit union or a bank, they're coming in as a partner for a short-term campaign and providing agreed-to deliverables. Tune-in to learn which type between the two is the right fit for your bank or credit union.

Your bank or credit union should be better leveraging the people in your community to spread the word of the quality customer service and community support your institution provides. In this episode we discuss how to:Set a clear expectation of influencer deliverables based on what you need for your financial institution.The different types of content you'll want the influencer to create.Which platforms you should focus on.

What is a NPS Survey? NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, and you survey your customers with this metric to measure the likelihood of retaining those customers. In this episode the FIGROW team discusses how to really leverage those survey results to help improve products and services for banks and credit unions

Facebook scammers continuously evolve and figure out new ways to attack our clients' Facebook pages. In this episode we discuss what types of scams are currently trending and best practices to mitigate any negative effects it may have on your bank or credit union's social presence.

When it comes to sales enablement there are three areas we try to help our client team members with, those being saving time, being more effective, and more successful in following up with leads that are coming in. So how do we accomplish this? The FI GROW team discusses:Sales tools that are great to useAutomating the sales processHow to make time, especially for digital sales priorities

What is the difference between content writing and copywriting? Content writing is used to inform. It is all of the details that you're trying to educate someone on. Versus copywriting, which is meant to persuade. It's going to be your sales and how you grab their attention, speaking to those emotions. In this episode, the FI GROW team discusses best practices and case uses of content writing and copywriting to convert customers for your bank or credit union.

Online reviews are important when it comes to people researching your institution and are considering applying for a new account or loan. So what are the benefits of Facebook and Google reviews? The FI Grow team discuss current best practices and how to leverage your bank or credit union's online reviews to enable new business.

When building a client's new website, they often suggest to group multiple products on one website page. We don't recommend putting multiple product lines on your pages because it ruins the SEO value.So when a client says, "I want to put RVs, ATVs, boat loans, and UTVs all on one page" -- we start the conversation by trying to explain the SEO value behind not only the single pages, but your root domain as a whole. Each individual product page should be utilizing the best keywords for SEO in URLs, in the metadata, in the on-page header, in your image alt text, and you're on-page headers throughout the page.Tune-in for best practices for your product page structures.