For bank marketers, vendors are synonymous with risk assessments, compliance hurdles, financial analysis and reference checks – not to mention a whole lot of paperwork and expense. Given this, why on earth would a bank marketer ever jump ship and start working for vendor?
Well, this marketer did just that. I’m proud to say that I recently joined Social Assurance as Chief Marketing Office after first working with them as a client. The decision wasn’t made lightly. Using the same due diligence as when I first came across them, I analyzed whether my move would bring chemistry, insight and ultimately success to the organization.
You see, there were several factors to consider. First, I was the Director of Marketing and Sales at a wonderful organization where I had a terrific team. We developed complex and robust marketing strategies and engaged in major strategic initiatives. My team was doing our best work to date during a pandemic (yes, best work in a pandemic). I was, and still am, incredibly proud of the personal and professional accomplishments achieved during my tenure.
Second, I am a woman, a mum and a wife. These positions come with an immense amount of responsibility and pressure. It’s no secret that women are far more risk-averse than our male counterparts, but this fact impacts all aspects of our lives and decision making – not just our professional career decisions. When a man gets an opportunity for a new job, the conversation tends to be the opposite of a woman. Men typically are met with congratulations and encouragement. For women, we tend to go back to the tried-and-true game of a pros and cons list where we spell out every possible worst-case scenario. It’s not uncommon to end up with a few grey hairs and a couple of extra pounds due to stress. During this roller coaster of emotions, I had an epiphany thanks to some amazing bank marketing women that I also have the privilege of calling my friends.
While I was looking at all the things I was “giving up and losing,” I wasn’t paying attention to all that I would gain. Social Assurance is innovative and creative. They’re passionate about financial marketing and committed to the success of community institutions. Moreover, they invest in their clients’ communities by supporting philanthropic and community engagement efforts. But what really won it over for me was their relentless focus to be the best at what they do and to do it with integrity. Seeing first-hand their ability to build sincere and authentic relationships with clients, starting with Social Assurance soon became an obvious decision.
So here I am today, (quite literally, a week in) in my new position as Chief Marketing Officer of Social Assurance. This little start-up isn’t so little anymore, serving roughly 1,700 financial institutions across the country. It is quickly expanding its service through new products and solutions designed to help clients reach their full marketing potential and community impact. Its established marketing and a leadership team have demonstrated their long-term commitment to the success of community financial institutions.
The coming months will be full of discoveries and initiatives to continue the already established success of Social Assurance. We have a unique opportunity to enhance and expand our marketing strategy, further engage and support our clients in their marketing efforts and continue to innovate and share new solutions with our community partners.
For this opportunity, I am grateful.
