Banking on Digital Growth

A strong financial institution is reflected by a healthy community. By investing in their constituents, FIs can reap sustainable, exponential growth. But as digital banking evolves, so has the definition of ‘community.’ My guest, Jeff Marisco, president of The Kafafian Group, Inc., elaborates on several points from his latest book, Squared Away, in breaking down why he thinks communities as an entity are one of the most important stakeholders in banks. We also cover some of the challenges to grooming success in a remotely digital world. Join us as we discuss: - Community banks embracing niche branding to empower their consumers [6:00] - How FIs balance the needs of ‘the four stakeholders’ [8:59] - The challenge of building a strong culture in the remote workplace and why accountability has been misappropriated as a negative asset [28:06] Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - The Kafafian Group - Personal Blog at jeff4banks.com - Author Website at jeffmarsico.com You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Who do you see when you look in the mirror? Does the world see that same person? Your peers’ perception of you is everything. So, why do some people drag their feet in building their personal brands? In this episode, I sit down with Kyle Lacy, SVP of Marketing at Seismic, to talk about the perks of crafting a positive persona for the masses. A co-author of the book Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself, Kyle lays the groundwork for you to trademark your winning brand. Join us as we discuss: - How personal branding is different from self-promotion [3:18] - Some potential roadblocks, such as compliance and content creation [11:10] - How you can start building your brand and reaping the benefits [17:35] Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn - Email Kyle at kylelacy@gmail.com - Follow Kyle on Twitter You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Great institutions are constantly chasing the ultimate customer service experience. Once they’ve reached a threshold of excellence, how do they retain it? That’s one of the great questions that Todd Treadway, Digital Channels Director and Senior Vice President at Provident Bank, had for me in this episode. Todd and I had a wonderful conversation when we met at the Total Expert event Accelerate in Arizona last fall. We took this opportunity to continue the dialogue and catch up on his experience with his firm’s digital growth journey. Join us as we also discuss: The evolution of personalization in customer service [8:00] Defining the customer service experience [11:15] The importance of building trust in approaching referrals [19:30]   Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: Email Todd at todd.treadway@provident.bank Todd Treadway Text questions to James Robert Lay at 415-579-3004   You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Growth, whether it be personal or professional, is a journey. Sometimes, we need to take time to reflect on where we’ve come from to grasp where we’re going. We can’t be afraid to fail. Our failures are the flames that forge us. Do you use them as an opportunity to gripe - or to grow? I had a second round of back-and-forth with Audrey Cannata, the Operations Lead here at the Digital Growth Institute to talk about her transformational journey over the last ten years. Join us as we discuss: - How she rolled over her teaching experience into the digital growth space - The divide between personal growth and the personal ‘gap’ and what she’s learned in her role from observing human behavior - Why individuals, teams, and organizations should transform from the inside out Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Audrey Cannata You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

50% of consumers have shared that the pandemic made them reconsider their life’s purpose. Let that sink in. As a society, we value purpose-driven ideas - and brands - more than any other time in recent memory. In this episode, I chatted with Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert. As a leading customer service expert and 6-time author, Jay talks about the evolution of companies taking a stand on issues over the last few decades. We also discuss expectations in customer service and how businesses can improve upon those experiences, the impact of negative reviews on customer retention, and why leveraging your personal brand for professional networking is a good thing. Join us as we dive into the pool of ratings, referrals, and reviews. Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - jaybaer.com  You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Financial institutions have only scratched the surface of possibility in their shift from analog to digital services. What’s holding them back? My guest, David Brear, believes that financial services have grasped a mere 1% of their digital growth potential. The CEO and Founder of 11:FS, Dave believes resistance to fundamental change is the culprit. But he is excited about what the future holds once that change has been realized. Join us as we discuss: - How the melding of ‘digital’ versus ‘digitized’ has compounded the 1% problem - Roadblocks to innovation, including culture and misalignment of purpose - The relationship between personal and professional failure Today, we progress past the 1% barrier in digital growth - together. Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - David Brear - 11FS.com You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Social media has come a long way since Myspace, but a lot of banking institutions are still fumbling the ball with implementing it in their marketing strategy. I’m joined by Liz McIntyre, director of Social Media and PR at Renasant, to talk about the transformation of social media in fintech. Join us as we discuss why ‘engagement’ dominates social media and what holds firms back from establishing an online presence with their creative content. We’ll also chat about how that content can be used to empower women and others in financial brands and fintechs. And finally, we’ll take a look toward the future of positive social media content - gone are the days of negativity online, because nothing can damage your brand more and break down how we can harness the power of social media to bolster digital growth. Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - LinkedIn at Liz McIntyre - Instagram at Liz McIntyre You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A lot of marketing and sales teams equate governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) to a handcuff. How is fintech supposed to evolve with GRC factors holding them back? Risk is everywhere, but by addressing GRC head-on, we can mitigate potential roadblocks in the innovative process. My guest, Amanda Cohen, director of GRC Products at Resolver, breaks down the GRC playbook and gives us the winning strategy for the compliance caveat. By promoting risk intelligence, we can prepare ourselves for the unknowns in risk management. Join us as we discuss: - How clarity can ease tensions when dealing with risk management - Why inadequate marketing strategies often lead to compliance failures - How your institution can transform attitudes regarding GRC Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Amanda Cohen - Resolver You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Failure to carry out a plan in an organization is often caused by a lack of understanding. Many companies are limited by operating in silos that don’t have a shared outlook. If people don’t grasp the meaning behind change then they won’t fully embrace it. Independent systems need to come together to break the constraints that bind them and build a true vision of sustainability for institutions. We need to evolve our view of strategic planning. I sat down with Todd Feldman, founder and president of Rocket Factory, so he could share his thoughts on missteps in strategic planning and how we can bring systems together. Join us as we discuss: - Aligning mental models across corporate branches - Breaking bad habits in strategic planning - Combatting fear of change Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - gorocketfactory.com You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Life has a way of throwing an unexpected curveball now and then. Perhaps an illness or professional miscue sets you up for a downward spiral. Adversity doesn’t define us. How we choose to face it does. Failure is just a stepping stone to success when we surround ourselves with good people we trust. I had the pleasure of talking about fighting through hardship with Jim Morris, whom many of you may recognize as the subject of the Disney movie “The Rookie.” These days, Jim is an active motivational/inspirational speaker, teacher, coach, and author of his latest book, Dream Makers: Surround Yourself with the Best to Be Your Best. In this episode, we talk about the power of overcoming excuses by listening, learning, and forging relationships. Join us as we discuss: - Jim’s journey from baseball to motivational speaker - Finding success from pain and failure - Overcoming complacency through courage Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast: - Jim Morris - www.jimtherookiemorris.com/ You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Banking on Digital Growth in your favorite podcast player.Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.