

Banking on Digital Growth
James Robert Lay
If you’re part of a financial brand marketing, sales, or leadership team, you know the entire industry is in the midst of exponential change fueled by new technologies. Consumers now make purchase decisions long before they walk into a physical branch location, if they walk into a branch at all, while mobile banks, digital lenders, and fintechs have transformed traditional growth models rooted in legacy broadcast marketing and branch sales strategies.Get ready to gain practical insights, proven ideas, and empowering inspiration as financial brand marketing and sales leaders, along with the leading digital marketing and sales technology firms, share their stories to help you maximize your digital growth potential here on Banking on Digital Growth.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 15, 2020 • 39min
52) #DigitalGrowthJourneys: Wise Investments Just Take the Right Motivation w/ Ben Soppitt
We all like buying new things; it’s human nature.
We know we shouldn’t spend frivolously — but we do anyway.
Why can’t saving money be as fun as spending it?
That’s the question that led Ben Soppitt, Founder and CEO at Unifimoney, to create a financial product that motivates people to save.
What we talked about:
How young affluent professionals are being gouged by traditional banks
Why poor financial habits are caused by lack of motivation, not lack of infrastructure
How Unifimoney makes finance fun
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dec 14, 2020 • 35min
51) #ExponentialInsights: Humanizing the Digital Experience w/ Jay Palter
Business leaders haven't figured out how to have productive, meaningful conversations with high-value individuals online. They still think LinkedIn is a pipe you can shove a marketing message down. In fact, it's another place to make friends.
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I talk with Jay Pater, Chief Engagement Officer at Jay Pater Social Advisory, about humanizing the digital experience.
Jay and I discuss:
Challenges financial brands face when humanizing the digital experience
Building local relationships in a digital world
The future of influencer marketing and how to maintain those influencer relationships
How to strike a healthy balance between the digital world and the physical world
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dec 8, 2020 • 32min
50) #DigitalGrowthJourneys: People and Purpose w/ Jonathan Clay
On this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, we continue our Digital Growth Journey series, as we talk with Jonathan Clay, the Digital Marketing Associate at Louisiana Federal Credit Union. Jonathan and his team are relentlessly focused on two things: People and purpose.
In this episode, we talk all about:
Why every team member is required to have a “What’s my why?” story.
How a brand-new process allowed them to close 74 additional loans, and why that process nearly came to a halt.
How the “pre-app” process is allowing them to get to know their customers better than ever before.
Why perfection is often the enemy of progress, and what Jonathan and his team are doing to combat that mindset.
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dec 7, 2020 • 43min
49) #InsideDigitalGrowth: How to Compete With the Big Banks on a Limited Marketing Budget
As we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more financial institutions are going to be working with slimmer budgets. We can no longer count on doing things like they’ve always been done, and adaptability is the name of the game. But what does that mean for smaller banking institutions, who may not have the marketing budgets of the big banks? How can you leverage your resources and compete with the big banks when you’re operating on a limited marketing budget?
On this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I sit down with a conversation with Jim Ruse, founder and CEO of the Digital Growth Institute, for a discussion around:
The four types of content to think about as a financial brand
The biggest barrier to success when it comes to content marketing
Why understanding the hero’s journey is crucial to getting content marketing nailed
How content marketing can empower both community financial brands, as well as regional banks, to compete with the big banks.
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dec 1, 2020 • 26min
48) #DigitalGrowthJourneys: Building a Bigger, Better, and Brighter Future w/ Mina Worthington
Are you stuck in the cave of complacency? It may feel safe and secure. But it's a deadly place to hide especially given the exponential factors we're dealing with in this new, post-COVID world. No matter what happens in the world, you have to keep making progress along your digital growth journey.
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I talk with Mina Worthington, President/CEO at Solarity Credit Union, about building a bigger, better, and brighter future in banking.
Mina and I discuss:
How vision sets the tone for any financial brand on a digital journey
Mastering the lead conversion ecosystem
The way to get results without spending a fortune on digital marketing strategies
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Nov 30, 2020 • 31min
47) #ExponentialInsights: How to Redefine Leadership w/ Rich Jones
The pandemic has created an opportunity. Financial brands, which had been moving toward a digital-first approach at a snail's pace, have suddenly hit the fast-forward button. Now we have to work on making products and services easier with digitalization.
What will leadership look like in this new digital and post-pandemic world?
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I talk with Rich Jones, president and principal at Leading2Leadership, about leadership in a post-COVID, digital-first world.
Rich and I discuss:
Why leadership does not belong to a chosen few
The role of culture in digital growth
The one thing a financial brand must commit to do in the next 12-18 months
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Nov 24, 2020 • 42min
46) #ExponentialInsights: Three Exponential Growth Insights w/ James Carbary
You've thought about your financial brand's purpose and your culture because as the ancient wisdom says, without purpose — without vision — you have no future. You need a future because we're not going back to the way things were pre-pandemic.
But how can you create purpose and culture for the digital world we're entering?
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I talk with James Carbary, founder of Sweet Fish Media, about education, empowerment, and elevation as we build digital teams for the future.
James and I discuss:
How to value relationships over transactions when you're working digitally
The core definition of digital growth
Why the best sales and marketing pros will transform into micro-media teams
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Nov 23, 2020 • 34min
45) #DigitalGrowthJourneys: Creating Servant-Oriented Content w/ Lynne Jarman-Johnson
During the pandemic, we should ask our customers three questions:
How can we make sure you feel comfortable?
How can we help your neighbor?
How can we help your business partner?
Our goal is to bring those resources to everybody through our online content.
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I talk with Lynne Jarman-Johnson, chief marketing officer at Consumers Credit Union, about how to create servant-oriented content.
Lynne and I discuss:
How to offer empathy through digital content
Why our best solutions are our simplest
What needs to happen right now for financial brands to make progress along their digital growth journeys
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Nov 17, 2020 • 41min
44) #ExponentialInsights: The Role of Images in Financial Brand Storytelling w/ Andy Janning
The first two questions we ask a prospective customer are:
Do you feel like you can trust this institution?
How does what you're looking at on the website make you feel?
Financial brands that use stock photography almost inevitably raise a red flag. Yet about 9 in 10 financial brand websites show at least one stock photo.
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I talk with Andy Janning, president and CEO at NO NET Solutions, about the role of images in financial brand storytelling.
Andy and I discuss:
Why it's important to have a conversation around imagery
How images, pictures, and videos communicate empathy
The critical value of taking action on imagery in financial brand storytelling
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Nov 16, 2020 • 21min
43) #InsideDigitalGrowth: Bridge the Gap Between Marketing and Sales
Marketing sees the value of digital, but sales culture can be heavily entrenched around the branches. How can we begin to bridge the gap between marketing and sales teams?
In this episode of Banking on Digital Growth, I answer this question from Tyler, a marketing director for a bank in the Midwest.
I talk about:
Why financial brand CEOs don't trust marketers and marketing teams
How chief marketing officers are transforming their role into chief growth officers
Why marketing teams need to hold themselves to higher standards
You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to Banking on Digital Growth on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.