Using Social Media to
Reach a Younger Market

Challenge

Like many credit unions, Tower Federal Credit Union wanted to deepen relationships with younger members while beginning to build trust with the next generation. Traditional financial institution social media content wasn't creating meaningful engagement or conversation, and it wasn't resonating with younger audiences.

Tower needed a way to:

• Modernize their social media presence without losing credibility
• Make financial education feel approachable and relevant
• Stand out in crowded digital landscape
• Equip their internal team with a sustainable, long-term social strategy

They weren't looking to simply post more, they wanted to post smarter.

"Working with Fi Grow completely transformed our Instagram strategy and exceeded every expectation we had. The FI GROW team gave us the tools and confidence to think differently about social media. They listened to our goals, understood our constraints, and then challenged us to step outside our comfort zone in ways that felt authentic to our brand. Without Fi Grow's guidance, strategic insights, and genuine partnership, we would have never achieved this level of success”. 

Mark Wilensky
Vice President Communications & Brand Marketing

The Solution

Tower partnered with FI GROW Solutions to completely reimagine social media as a space for connection, culture, and education.

Instead of relying on traditional product-centric content, FI GROW helped Tower lean into a more human, trend-aware approach while keeping financial education at the core.

The strategy included:

• Leveraging trending topics, pop culture moments, and viral audio to create timely, relatable content
• Structing content around three clear pillars for consistency and variety:
  • Financial goals & education
  • Practical, everyday financial tips
  • Fun, employee-generated content
• Creating Tori, a custom avatar designed to serve as a friendly, recognizable voice for financial conversations
• Developing interactive campaigns, including giveaways and fraud-prevention education reframed for younger audiences
• Delivering a comprehensive Social Media Brand Guide as an internal playbook
• Providing hands-on training across platforms to empower Tower's team to maximize social tools and trend

This approach ensured Tower wasn't just improving content but building internal confidence and long-term momentum.

The Results

Tower had a strong philosophy going forward that "Contests Grow Follower, Content Keeps Them Around". Tower had a willingness to fully embrace the strategy, supported by leadership and driven by employee participation produced meaningful, measurable results. The strategy was in three phases:

Phase 1: Follower Acquisition

After 3 months of content planning, getting some profile updates and having some consistent posting, there was a social media launch strategy to acquire new followers. Alongside the partnership with Baltimore Orioles and putting together a gift basket giveaway, the goal was to attract local sports fans—a demographically diverse audience that aligned with Tower's community focus. This strategic contest generated over 6,000 views and 1,300 interactions, with more than half the views coming from non-followers. This content boosted the initiative and attracted 1,133 new followers and achieved a remarkable 96% retention rate.

Phase 2: Content Validation
The real test came after the contest. Rather than losing momentum, they immediately engaged the new audience with relevant, timely content. They took a calculated risk by jumping on the Taylor Swift album drop trend—something completely outside traditional comfort zone. The post got 2,300 views validated the new content approach, but more importantly, it generated genuine excitement internally. Their employees became brand ambassadors, sharing content organically within their local network of friends and family. 

Phase 3: Sustained Engagement
Emboldened by this success, Tower's team leaned into creative boldness. They cleverly tied trending topics to our services (Taylor Swift-themed home loan messaging) and launched a fall football tailgating contest that generated over 5,000 views.

Results: In just nine months, they grew from minimal presence to 1,474 followers with over 500,000 reach and a 301% engagement rate!

KPI Highlights

Engagement Growth -

96% Retention Rate

Significant increase in likes, comments, shares, and saves for posts. Content consistently outperformed prior engagement benchmarks.

Audience Growth -   

480% increase in Followers in 9 months

65% in the target audience age range

Sustained follower growth across platforms and increased reach among younger demographics.

This is just the beginning for team Tower, with continuous training and support from FI GROW Solutions we have big plans to turn this growth and following to real conversions and conversations that make an impact!

You can do this for your Financial Institution as well, and we can help!

  Learn more about our Social Media Management and Training Services Here.

Contact us today to discuss and click here to learn more about working with our team! 

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