Bill McKenna is the President and CEO of McKenna Marketing Network.

Bill has nearly 40 years of experience and a comprehensive understanding of the financial services industry. Bill has worked with more than 500 credit unions and community banks nationwide on marketing and growth strategies.

Before launching MMN, his resume included being the former President and co-founder of Marketing Partners, Inc., a nationally recognized marketing firm. Bill held positions of VP of Marketing at American Heritage Credit Union, Philadelphia, and recently as CMO for ESSA Bank & Trust, a $2 billion community bank in Eastern PA.

During his over 40 years in advertising and marketing, he has held positions as Art Director, Creative Director, and Vice President of Marketing and New Business Development for several advertising agencies in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Bill has spoken more than 100 times to groups nationwide on various marketing and financial services topics.

Speaking Topics:

Obstacles to Growth

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45-60 minutes

There has never been a more important time than right now to be laser-focused on growth. Change is happening all around us every day, and it’s moving at warp speed. Removing obstacles to growth is essential to maximizing performance. Bill will share what he has identified as the 8 Greatest Obstacles to Growth during his 40-year FI industry career.

No matter the size of your credit union or bank, it’s essential to

identify and address the obstacles that may negatively impact your success and potentially hold you back from maximizing performance. This session will provide helpful insights and ideas that will assist you in prioritizing an action plan for short- and long-term strategy, growth, and success.  Kick down the barriers and let’s get busy!

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• Change is inevitable
• The importance of strategy and planning
• The foundations of a resonating brand
• How to maintain loyalty
• The power of raving fans
• Frequency – Tell me again
• How siloed data is a death wish
• And more!

The Battle for Attention

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45-60 minutes

We live in an over-communicated society. People are no longer interested in you selling to them. Companies focusing on selling are tuned out in most people’s eyes and ears. Does this mean marketing is dead? Have we lost all control and the ability to attract people to our financial institution and use our services?  Not at all! It simply means we need a new game plan, new communication tools, and a better way of storytelling about who we are and how we can make people’s lives better.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• The rapid demise of “old school” marketing approaches.
• Traditional marketing channels that have not lost their impact.
• How we break through and get attention today.
• The extraordinary reach and power of social media.
• The best ways to build your brand in today’s world.
• Why there is no replacement for creativity.
• Building a robust content marketing strategy.
• Implementing a marketing plan with real impact.
• Marketing 2024 – What’s next?
• And More

The New Landscape of Financial Services Marketing

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45-60 minutes

It’s a time of unprecedented change in the financial service s marketplace. Credit unions and banks are not excluded from the challenges that lie ahead. Younger borrowers must replace aging depositors, and every FI needs to rethink its marketing strategy for today and tomorrow. We must have a clear, strategic, and actionable marketing plan now - and time’s not on our side.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• Welcome to The New World of Financial Services
• We Must Feel the Urgency of Making Changes Happen Now
• Our “Bread & Butter” For Increasing Income Today
• What Are the Ingredients That Will Positively Impact Your Brand?
• How to Grow and Increase Profitable Member Relationships
• Time-Tested Marketing Strategies That Guarantee You Measurable ROI
• Why Eliminating Data Silos is Essential for Success
• And More

Attracting and Retaining Quality Members/Customers - Are You Ready to Compete?

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45-60 minutes

Attracting new members and customers is vitally important to the future of every financial institution. However, we need to understand the best approaches to make this happen and the profitable relationships that make sense for us to attract.

Many FIs have yet to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that exist. Deepening relationships, household profitability, and increasing penetration are vital to your future survival and growth. This should be the priority in every marketing plan.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• The Effect a Strong Brand Plays in Your FI’s Future
• The Role Branches Play in Your Growth
• Marketing Tactics That Create Opportunities and Conversions
• Segmented Marketing Approaches That Work
• How to Build Profitable Relationships
• Communicating What People Don’t Know About Your FI
• And More

 Marketing to a New Generation

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45-60 minutes

Understand how marketing to younger people will make or break the future of many financial institutions. Throw out the window many of the ideas and tools you currently use to make connections and start thinking differently.

This session will help you understand more about content marketing, engagement strategies, digital channels, online promotions, and conversions. Let’s talk about the unique marketing approaches you must use to get the attention of younger groups of consumers.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• The Power of a Unique Brand
• The influence of Social Networks
• Content is King
• Please Don’t Sell to Me
• Understanding What Works Digitally
• Out of The Box Ideas
• Build Your Army of Brand Advocates
• And more!

Loan Promotions That Bring in the Bucks

Audience: Senior Leaders, Staff & Directors

Length: 45- 60 minutes

Attracting new loans and increasing member loan balances remain a top priority for almost all credit unions and banks. This session will focus on the types of loan promotions, offers, and targeting required to achieve your lending goals. We’ll discuss the elements needed for loan growth and market share.

Let’s consider some strategies to evaluate and review incentives that can increase response. The use of exact targeting, media, digital, websites, Email, and more will be discussed.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• The Best Loans Promote Right Now
• Targeting Strategies That Work
• How to Design a Great Loan Promotion
• Incentives Increase Response
• Clicks, Conversions and Closed Deals
• Timing Is Everything – Get It Done Now
• Why Frequency Is Critical for Greater Response
• ROI Tracking Tips
• And More

The Business Development Toolbox (One or Two Part Session)

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45- 60 minutes

Are you looking for impactful ideas for growing and building client and partner relationships? Our support from existing partners, customers, and groups at times may seem to be waning. And getting people's attention and finding ways to cultivate new opportunities is no easy task.

This session will give you answers and insights on the messaging and tactics you need to get attention and grow relationships. With the right tools, content, and strategies in place that create value, getting attention and turning it into business is possible.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• How to package your brand story
• What partners care about, what’s in it for them
• Getting attention – without it, you lose
• Simple BD growth strategies
• Sales tools that move the needle
• Financial Education and how it impacts partners
• Getting by the gate keepers
• Digital tactics and tools that work
• And more!

Innovation Gone Bad

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45- 60 minutes

Innovation is supposed to be a good thing. Let’s take a light-hearted look at some innovations that have not worked out so well. You’ll be shocked, awed, and amused. What were they thinking?

We will also identify essential pitfalls to avoid when identifying and introducing new products and services. Change and innovation are continually happening, and credit unions must be ready to quickly adapt.

We will explore some of the essential things to consider and that are required for seamless product implementation, penetration, and ongoing communication. If not executed correctly, what seems like a good plan on the surface may hurt your brand and ability to deepen relationships.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• Some of the things you’ll learn and laugh at:
• Ridiculous failures - what were they thinking
• Clever ideas can be turned into huge mistakes
• Time can change our perspective
• Too late can mean opportunity missed
• Communicate benefits for success
• A solid plan will avoid a potential disaster
• And More

 Winning with Marketing & Sales: A Powerful 1-2 Punch!

Bill McKenna, President, McKenna Marketing Network

Paul Robert, CEO, FI Strategies, LLC

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: (2 Part Session) 2 sessions 60 minutes each

In today’s highly competitive retail environment, every FI needs to do two things to survive and thrive:

1) Fully live the brand you’ve spent many years establishing

2) Deepen the relationships with new and existing members/customers

The strategies you’ve developed in the past won’t position you for success in the future.

Thriving institutions must develop strategies to create consistently great This session will provide a road map for executives and board members and offer impactful ideas on creating the alignment of sales and marketing for sustained growth and optimal success. Both are essential for FIs to stay competitive and relevant in an ever-changing landscape of shifting consumer trends, preferences, and heightened competition.

cultures while building trust, engaging members/customers and prospects, and establishing meaningful relationships. It starts at the very top of the organization and cascades down to every level – drafted by the board, deployed by execs, and delivered by Staff.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• Winning strategies and scorecard metrics
• The role your brand and culture play in success
• Creating synergy between your sales and marketing teams
• Building a winning sales team and strategy
• Aligning expectations, accountability, and consequences
• Measuring and reporting success
• Modern Digital Marketing
• And more!

Brand Building Essentials

Audience: Senior Leaders, Staff & Directors

Length: 45- 60 minutes

There’s lots of talk today about brand building. How will your financial institution stand out in the growing and evolving financial services marketplace? A great brand does not just happen. It requires strategy, knowledge, and execution of a proven brand-building process.

The greatest marketing mistake you will ever make is not building a brand that resonates. Focusing on your financial products and services, rates, fees, digital banking, and technology alone is a battle you will never win.

During this session, Bill will share the seven steps he has used during his career to build brands for multiple clients.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• The integrated role of brand and culture
• 4 Components of your brand
• The benefits of a great brand internally and externally
• The fantastic power of brand advocates
• Key roles visual branding play in marketing
• Ways your name impacts your brand
• Steps to living your brand each day
• And more!

Your Website – Now Your Most Important Branch

Audience: Senior Leaders & Staff & Directors

Length: 45- 60 minutes

Let’s face it – when you want to learn more, you start online. You can check out their website if you want more information about an FI or its products and services.

Statistics are undeniable that people now visit branches less often. The number of digital transactions is increasing each year. This means the importance of having a magnificent website can’t be underestimated. It must amplify your brand, communicate insights, create clicks and conversions, and build trust in your FI.

This session will support the important fact that a fantastic website does not just happen. We will examine the many factors to consider when updating or building a new website.

Some of The Things Attendees Will Learn:

• The branch of the future
• Creating an integrated online and offline brand
• Digital engagement beyond the URL
• The website development process
• Design essentials
• Ways to keep content relevant and fresh
• Building your marketing journey
• All advertising points here
• And more!