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Kayla Gaspar
Kayla Gaspar
Title: Vice President and Senior Marketing Manager, Belmont Savings Bank
Age: 27
Industry experience: 5 Years
Five years ago, Belmont Savings Bank CEO and UMass Amherst alumni Bob Mahoney reached out to the dean of the Isenberg School of Management to fill a marketing manager role. Kayla Gaspar, a marketing major at UMass at the time, was immediately intrigued by the opportunity to work in marketing, with its balance of the analytical and the emotional, while gaining knowledge in the banking industry and applied. Fast forward to the present day and Gaspar is now a vice president and senior marketing manager at the bank, which was recently acquired by People’s United Bank. Prior to her time at Belmont Savings, Gaspar interned for The Rice Company and was a student consultant for LEGO.
During her time with the bank, Gaspar has overseen a wide range of marketing activities including managing the bank’s website content and assisting with SEO and partnerships to drive qualified visits to the website and convert visits to leads. She has also managed the bank’s social media sites on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, its blog and email newsletters to increase Belmont Savings’ followers and open rates. Additionally, Gaspar has regularly coordinated 60 annual community event partnerships, managed colleague volunteer schedules and overseen the marketing budget.
Banker & Tradesman caught up with Gaspar to discuss her time at the bank and what it is like to work in marketing in the banking industry.
Q: What do you find challenging about your job? What do you find rewarding?
A: The most challenging aspect is acquiring active checking customers. It’s not difficult to offer a good savings or CD rate to get deposits but becoming someone’s primary bank requires more tactical efforts as well as patience. Belmont Savings Bank is a community-focused bank, so I work with a lot of community groups as well as support the Belmont Savings Bank Foundation. The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the impact on the community by supporting these groups.
Q: During your tenure, you revamped marketing at Belmont Savings Bank. What did you do?
A: Over the past few years, we’ve focused more attention and resources in digital marketing. It’s the most interesting area of marketing right now because it offers more refined targeting and robust data to drive decision-making. We’ve experimented with different channels within digital but found the most success within paid search and paid social media. Seeing Facebook contribute to account/application growth was a big turning point. We continue to refine campaigns to reach efficient CPAs compared to the profitability for different accounts. Our ad agency, Boathouse, currently manages these campaigns for us and they do a great job keeping us up-to-date with new digital opportunities.
Q: What is one of the most creative campaigns you have done while at BSB?
A: Half of our branches are in grocery stores, which means we have hundreds of potential prospects within reach every day. We developed an engagement strategy to help capture some of that opportunity. Whether the shopper is a new, existing or future customer, he or she can partake in a digital experience we call “Reveal the Deal.” Users step up to a large touchscreen and have three chances to pick a tile with the most valuable prize hidden behind it. It gives our bankers a chance to connect with shoppers as well as create a positive experience.
Q: Since the Fed started raising interest rates, deposit competition has been increasing. How, if at all, does the marketing department get involved when the bank is trying to retain or bring in new deposits?
A: Absolutely, that’s a big part of what we do! The marketing team should understand what is going on in the market and how competition is reacting. We regularly survey the market and determine if and how to respond. We have an established process that allows us to introduce new products and adjust campaigns quickly. We also work closely with the retail banking department to understand reasons for runoff and develop retention strategies to mitigate it.
Gaspar’s Five Favorite Races in Massachusetts
- Falmouth Road Race – Falmouth
- Spartan Race – Barre
- The Color Run – Foxboro
- Mayflower Brewery Half Marathon – Plymouth
- Becca Pizzi 5K – Belmont
