SPONSORED CONTENT PRESENTED BY ALKAMI TECHNOLOGY
As budget season approaches, leaders face a pivotal inflection point as technology and digital channels accelerate personal and convenient consumer experiences. The decision made now around digital infrastructure, data integration, and performance will shape the institution’s ability to scale, compete, and deliver measurable value in the year ahead. With about 39% of financial institutions saying their budgets will stay flat in the coming year, marketers are feeling the pressure to reevaluate and reallocate dollars to specific strategies that will yield the highest results.
In Alkami’s 2025 Update to the Retail Digital Sales & Service Maturity Model report, financial institutions that include advanced data and marketing capabilities combined with other advanced operations achieve 5x higher average annual revenue growth compared to their less advanced peers. These institutions are widening their lead against competitors through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, stronger digital marketing strategies and automation tactics. However, success is based on a modern data infrastructure, where insights and behavioral intel is accessible and actionable across the martech stack.
Why Data-Driven Marketing Should be Foundational
Imagine a tenured customer is moments away from opening an account or applying for a loan with a competitor. But before that transaction occurs, the use of transaction data and insights allows a proactive outreach, instantly presenting a compelling, personalized offer; one that is tailored exactly to that customer’s unique financial situation, predicting their needs before they are expressed. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it’s the modern approach of Anticipatory Banking in action.
According to Alkami’s 2025 Update to the Retail Digital Sales & Service Maturity Model research, nearly one in four digitally mature institutions have already embraced this strategy, automatically detecting critical customer moments to deliver precisely timed marketing offers. These institutions aren’t just preventing attrition, they’re deepening relationships by showing account holders they truly understand and want to be their long-term financial partner.
Data that derives behavioral insights is the connective tissue between financial institution leaders/marketers, relevant engagements and product recommendations, and is the fuel for AI engines to optimize campaign spend and deliver efficiency and effectiveness through digital channels – from digital banking solutions to social media ads. While 42% of the most digitally mature banks and credit unions are breaking away from the pack having deployed generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) throughout some area of their business, consumers perceive their data as a way that financial institutions can connect with them. Forty-six percent of consumers are comfortable with their financial data being processed by AI if it improves their banking experience—rising to 57% among younger millennials, the generation craving intelligent personalization. When account holders are completely satisfied with how their data is used to make relevant product recommendations, they can support the growth of the business – they are more likely to be loyal to the provider (42%), more likely to recommend the provider to family and friends (42%), and more likely to engage in other digital banking products, tools or features from the provider (38%).
Meeting Generational Needs with Personalized Recommendations
Customers across every generation expect digital experiences tailored to their unique needs. According to Alkami’s 2025 Generational Trends in Digital Banking Study, nearly half (46%) of digital banking Americans wish their primary financial provider did a better job of anticipating their financial needs and goals.
What does this look like in practice? It’s an account holder receiving a recommendation for a rewards debit card the moment they set up recurring payments. It’s proactively offering a high-interest savings account just before a significant withdrawal, showing customers you’re invested in their financial success. These predictive recommendations to account holders are powerful moments that build trust and inspire lasting loyalty.
Anticipatory Banking represents a fundamental shift: harnessing real-time insights to deliver relevant, meaningful experiences at exactly the right moment. By incorporating behavioral data, smart marketing, and seamless user experiences across every digital touchpoint, leading financial institutions are setting the new standard in user experience. They act with conviction and have the insight and precision to turn each customer interaction into an opportunity for deeper relationships and sustainable growth.
Making the Case for Marketing Engagement Technology
Financial institutions often encounter significant hurdles when attempting to deliver the personalization and automation account holders expect. Every challenge your institution faces with existing marketing platforms presents a valuable opportunity. Rather than viewing hurdles like fragmented data or limited automation as barriers, consider them signals pointing toward a more effective, integrated future. Investing in marketing technology for financial institutions opens the door to not only solving these challenges but also positioning your institution for a sharper competitive advantage.
A Single Source of Truth for Data
Fragmented data spread across disconnected systems doesn’t have to slow marketing teams down. By unifying data into a cohesive platform, marketers gain a comprehensive view of account holder behaviors, preferences, and financial needs. This centralization enables quick, informed decision-making and ensures that every customer interaction is informed by accurate, timely insights.
Deeply Personalized Targeting
By adopting sophisticated data-driven segmentation and predictive analytics, institutions can accurately identify customer needs and deliver relevant recommendations in real-time. This is an opportunity to be a data-informed digital banker, executing on the Anticipatory Banking approach to deliver financial needs to customers before they are expressed.
Real-Time, Automated Customer Engagement
Customers expect immediate, relevant interactions from their financial institution. With the right automation tools, teams can proactively engage account holders precisely when they’re making critical financial decisions, specifically on the digital channels they prefer the most
Actionable Insights and Clear ROI Tracking
Remove the guesswork from marketing performance. With financial services data analytics, marketers can confidently attribute revenue to specific campaigns, allowing for more strategic budget allocation and informed decision-making. Visibility into return on investment (ROI) not only improves marketing effectiveness, but also builds stakeholder confidence in future investments.
Improved Employee Experience and Productivity
Your marketing team’s experience directly influences campaign effectiveness and customer outcomes. Equipping them with intuitive, easy-to-use platforms reduces administrative friction, enabling marketers to focus more on strategy, creativity, and meaningful customer campaigns.
Actionable Steps for Effective Budget Planning
Key Budget Priorities to Enhance Your Marketing Capabilities
By creating a technology strategy that spans across digital banking and marketing channels, financial institutions can create a seamless experience for both employees and account holders. Your team can drive measurable business outcomes by allocating resources toward these priorities:
- Enhance Data Capabilities: Invest in data lakes, predictive analytics, and AI-driven platforms to gain granular insights that inform strategic decisions.
- Implement Marketing Automation: Allocate resources toward sophisticated automation tools that deliver timely, personalized offers triggered by specific account holder behaviors.
- Optimize Employee Experiences: Equip your staff with intuitive platforms that streamline processes, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives and richer customer interactions.
Making a Compelling Case for Your Marketing Investment
When securing budget approval for marketing technology, clearly articulating the strategic value and anticipated outcomes can significantly strengthen your case. Focus on these key discussion points to present a convincing rationale to leadership:
- Demonstrate Potential ROI: Clearly outline projected revenue increases or cost efficiencies expected from automating previously manual processes. This transforms your budget proposal from an expenditure into a strategic revenue growth investment.
- Plan for Scalability: Explain how current investments set the foundation for future technology integration, reducing long-term costs and positioning your institution to remain agile in a rapidly evolving market with strong competitors.
- Quantify the Risks of Delay: Highlight the financial and competitive risks associated with postponing necessary investments, underscoring the strategic urgency and potential consequences such as lost revenue or wallet share.
Strategizing for Your Growth Goals
The upcoming budget season isn’t simply about distributing financial resources, it’s about strategically investing in technologies that can genuinely transform your institution’s customer experiences and perception in the market. Strategic investments made now in data and marketing technology can position a financial institution to not just compete but to excel in the face of demanding consumer expectations and personalization. Early investment ensures preparedness to proactively anticipate customer needs, meet regulatory requirements, and compete with the most digitally mature financial institutions.
If you’re looking to achieve your goals in 2026 and achieve a high ROI, explore financial services marketing automation to unlock the potential of your customers’ data. Learn more.
