What’s changed heading into 2026 is how quickly those dynamics shift, particularly as AI-driven discovery starts shaping which brands even make a customer’s shortlist before a human ever compares options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This guide covers the channels banks use to acquire new customers, with an emphasis on how affiliate marketing, done right, drives measurable growth without the compliance risk of doing it alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n 5 points cl\u00e9s \u00e0 retenir<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n Customer acquisition for banks and credit unions comes with challenges most other industries don’t face:<\/p>\n Before investing in new tactics, define three things:<\/p>\n From there, four practical steps set your strategy up to succeed:<\/p>\n 1. Know your audience: <\/strong>define your ideal customer and look at where competitors are advertising to understand the competitive landscape and where to start.<\/p>\n 2. Define your customer journey: <\/strong>map how someone goes from hearing about you for the first time to becoming a customer. Understanding key touchpoints helps you reduce disengagement and improve the overall experience.<\/p>\n 3. Optimize your onboarding: <\/strong>five minutes or less is the gold standard for account opening. Make the path obvious, especially on mobile, state fees and eligibility clearly, and include trust signals like FDIC or NCUA messaging and clear security language. Online and mobile channels are now preferred by 76% of consumers, more than eight times the 9% who prefer branch banking (ABA\/Morning Consult, October 2025<\/a>), so a frictionless digital path matters more than ever.<\/p>\n 4. Know your budget: <\/strong>know what you can spend to acquire a new account holder, then track which channels deliver it most efficiently. A clear view of what’s working, and what isn’t, is your roadmap for refining your efforts.<\/p>\n Si vous \u00eates une banque et que vous souhaitez promouvoir des produits de cartes de cr\u00e9dit, lisez notre guide strat\u00e9gique sur les cartes de cr\u00e9dit. acquisition de cartes de cr\u00e9dit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The challenges of acquiring new banking customers, and foundational tips to improve your strategy<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/a><\/p>\n\n Robust acquisition takes a blend of channels, since it typically takes multiple touchpoints before someone converts. Here’s how the five most common ones compare, and what to watch for as you plan for 2026.<\/p>\n A growing number of banks leverage affiliate marketing<\/a> by partnering with publications, influencers, podcasts, and other media to have your their products mentioned or promoted.<\/p>\n Pour :<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons :<\/strong><\/p>\n Direct mail, billboards, local sponsorships, community partnerships, and physical ad placements all fall here. Even some fintechs leaned on direct mail during COVID to stand out. It builds trust, but it’s expensive and hard to measure.<\/p>\n Pour :<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons :<\/strong><\/p>\n Digital ads placed across websites and social channels through platforms like the Google ad network.<\/p>\n Pour :<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons :<\/strong><\/p>\n Paying for ad placement on search results for a given query.<\/p>\n Pour :<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons :<\/strong><\/p>\n Effective for nurturing people already in your funnel, less so as a cold outreach strategy.<\/p>\n Pour :<\/strong><\/p>\n Cons :<\/strong><\/p>\n If you’ve covered the basics and want to push results further, affiliate marketing is a proven digital acquisition channel when it’s done correctly. It can add reach, build brand awareness, and lead directly to conversions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Banking ideas to get new customers: 5 channels compared<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n AI-driven answers increasingly shape which financial brands make a customer’s shortlist before a human ever compares options, and those answers lean on a smaller set of trusted sources. Fintel Connect’s own research found that over 70% of AI-sourced financial content originates from affiliate publishers, not bank websites<\/strong> (Concurrencer pour la visibilit\u00e9 \u00e0 l'\u00e8re de l'IA<\/a>, Fintel Connect). That means affiliate marketing increasingly earns visibility in the places both customers and AI tools use to decide, not just direct conversions.<\/p>\n If you want the basics of getting started, read our guide, comment les banques peuvent utiliser le marketing d'affiliation pour acqu\u00e9rir de nouveaux clients<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Pourquoi le marketing d'affiliation est-il plus important \u00e0 l'\u00e8re de l'IA<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n5 points cl\u00e9s \u00e0 retenir<\/h2>\n
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The challenges of acquiring new banking customers, and foundational tips to improve your strategy<\/h2>\n
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Banking ideas to get new customers: 5 channels compared<\/h2>\n
1. Affiliate marketing<\/h4>\n
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2. Offline channels<\/h4>\n
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3. Programmatic ads<\/h4>\n
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4. Paid search<\/h4>\n
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5. Email<\/h4>\n
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Pourquoi le marketing d'affiliation est-il plus important \u00e0 l'\u00e8re de l'IA<\/h2>\n
![\"able](\"https:\/\/www.fintelconnect.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/banks-cpa-qualifiers.png\")
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