Financial
July 22, 2025

Maximize Marketing ROI in the Second Half of the Year

We’re more than halfway through 2025, and if your financial marketing team hasn’t taken a moment to reassess campaigns and initiatives, now is the perfect time. Midyear planning offers a great opportunity to reflect, refine, and reset based on performance insights. Here’s how financial marketers can make the most of a midyear checkup.

AUDIT YOUR PAID MEDIA PERFORMANCE

Are your CD or core deposit offers generating strong conversion rates? Platforms like Bankrate continue to deliver high CTR and ROI when rate competitiveness is front and center.

How Bankrate Advertising Works:

  • Start with the recommended $50K/month investment and a three-month test period
  • Your ad appears in the “sponsored offers” section with click-through until the daily budget is met
  • After daily budget caps, your ad moves to the “additional offers” section (no click-through/still visible)
  • Some advertisers will see a boost in organic search traffic after appearing in “additional offers”

REFRESH YOUR MEDIA MIX

Explore channels like Reddit (targeting financial-savvy communities), OTT streaming, and DOOH displays for more targeted, flexible placements. With no long-term commitments, these support test-and-learn agility.

Advantages of Reddit:

  • Reaches untapped audiences who are not active on other social platforms, extending your reach through this unique channel
  • A range of ad formats, from standard display ads to video and carousel formats
  • A unique community-driven environment, where users are looking for advice and recommendations
  • Targeting tools that enable brands to reach users based on interests, location, device, and engagement history

Advantages of OTT Streaming:

  • Highly targeted ad placements across digital platforms, including podcasts
  • Reaches target audiences based on real-time listening behavior

Advantages of DOOH Displays:

  • Uses mobile and behavioral data for location- and audience-specific targeting
  • Enables anonymous mobile recognition when users pass digital displays, allowing for retargeting with relevant ads and video content across other digital platforms

ADJUST FOR SEO SHIFTS

Traditional SEO has taken a hit: AI Overviews are crowding the search engine results page, and zero-click searches are on the rise. Consider: Are your web pages optimized with schema markups? Are you using reviews, Google business listings, and Wikipedia to future-proof your AI SEO strategy?

What Else Can You Do?

  • Update your web pages regularly to make sure information is accurate/current.
  • Align keywords to real-world searches, including voice queries, which tend to be more conversational.
  • Write for both AI and humans, answering common questions.
  • Audit your brand regularly by asking AI why people should choose your brand.

INVEST IN AUTHENTIC ENGAGEMENT

Influencers aren’t just for beauty brands. Financial institutions can engage younger consumers by working with trusted voices, especially around financial literacy topics.

Why Align With an Influencer?

  • People are following influencers two or three times more frequently than brands, indicating a powerful shift in consumer trust and attention.
  • Working with micro-influencers in your geographical area can unlock highly engaged, localized audiences, maximizing your campaign’s relevance and impact.
  • Over 60% of Gen Z and millennials are following influencers. These are key consumer demographics with significant purchasing power.
  • Influencer campaigns provide an invaluable direct line to your audience through real-time comments.

FOCUS ON YOUR BUSINESS GOALS

Whether it’s deposit growth or expanding product adoption, make sure every tactic gets you closer to your goals. Track against Q3 and Q4 KPIs using custom dashboards and behavior-based targeting insights.

PRIORITIZE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

In financial services, reputation can directly influence trust and deposit behavior. A limited number of customers reviews, or a few visible negatives, can skew public perception. Activate staff to encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews using branded cards, QR signage, and gamified incentives. Reputation management can be done manually or with automated tools, if you prefer that approach.

LIGHTSTREAM partners with banks and credit unions to boost local reputation with easy-to-implement programs. We help create team engagement, help boost engagement at underperforming locations, and build social proof that drives new account growth.

Ready to recalibrate your financial marketing plan? Let’s create your perfect strategy for performance and growth. Contact LIGHTSTREAM today.