First Horizon Spotlight: How One Regional Bank is Approaching Marketing in the AI Era

TL;DR First Horizon Bank balances innovation and compliance in marketing by using AI, smart social media tools, and unified tech, enhancing client experience and brand visibility, particularly in the AI-driven search landscape. They partner with Yext and Hearsay to manage listings, messaging, and digital presence, empowering loan officers and increasing data accuracy.

Redefining modern marketing in financial services

In banking, trust is crucial. Regulations are ever-changing, and marketers must navigate this risk and complexity while staying ahead of tech shifts.

First Horizon Bank, a regional bank with 223 branch locations in 11 states across the Southeast, is doing just that by harnessing the power of AI and digital transformation to redefine what modern marketing looks like in financial services.

The bank’s VP of Social Media and Email Marketing, Nick Burgess, sat down with Yext Customer Success Manager, Megan Milbourne, to discuss how his team is striking the balance between compliance and innovation while crafting a more dynamic and connected client experience. Nick reveals that by harnessing the power of AI and digital transformation, First Horizon is redefining what modern marketing looks like in financial services.

Adapting in a time of change: First Horizon’s marketing evolution

Founded over 160 years ago, First Horizon has grown from its Tennessee roots to serve clients across the Southeast and beyond, an effort compounded by its 2022 merger with Iberiabank. With that expansion came a need to unify the brand, transition marketing systems, and respond to the dynamics of an attempted acquisition by TD Bank — all within a few short years.

“Today, our focus is twofold,” Nick shares. “We’re working to elevate brand visibility while strengthening relationships with both new and existing clients — especially across Small Business and Commercial Banking. Our new brand campaign, ‘The Best of Big and Small,’ captures that dual mission.”

Inside the strategy: social media meets full-funnel marketing

As Social Media Director, Nick and his team work across paid, owned, and earned media to maximize impact. “Paid media gives us short-term traction, but it’s the long-term investment in owned and earned channels that really builds trust and depth,” he explains. “Finding the right balance is key.”

Social content is just one part of a broader ecosystem the bank calls First Horizon 360 (FH360), a total client experience that connects touchpoints across digital media, website, CRM, banking centers, and relationship managers for a more seamless client experience.

Nick reveals, “This has been the focus of our marketing evolution. Thanks to leadership from our CMO, Erin Pryor, who has lots of fintech experience, and our Marketing Tech lead, Jason Scott — we’ve been able to connect traditionally siloed systems into a cohesive, tech-enabled journey for clients.”

Navigating AI’s impact on financial services marketing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is undeniably reshaping the marketing landscape, and First Horizon is leaning into the change.

“We created an AI Council to vet partners and tools, and even launched our own internal instance of ChatGPT as a knowledge-sharing resource,” Nick notes. “It’s not just about efficiency — it’s about enabling our teams with the right data and context at the right time.”

This move couldn’t come at a better moment for the financial services brand. The team recently discovered a fabricated offer generated by an AI search tool that cited a nonexistent First Horizon promotion. The experience became a wake-up call, underscoring the need to proactively manage their digital footprint across AI-driven platforms.

Powering search visibility with Yext and Hearsay

As a long-time user of Yext and Hearsay (acquired by Yext in August 2024), First Horizon is building a smarter, more streamlined approach to content management.

“Yext came to us through the Iberia merger, and it immediately solved the problem of managing listings at scale. Hearsay, on the other hand, has helped us connect wealth advisors and loan officers to clients in a compliant, personalized way.”

By combining the power of listings with the value of compliant messaging, First Horizon is streamlining workflows, engaging prospects and clients, and supercharging visibility for their mortgage officers. Microsites on First Horizon’s website sync with Yext Social, powering profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook, and creating a seamless and dynamic digital presence.

Nick affirms, “We’re essentially giving each loan officer their own digital footprint that’s always on and always accurate. It’s a game changer.”

Scaling smarter: challenges, advice, and what’s next

Integrating systems to support FH360 has required rethinking workflows and embracing automation. Understandably, it’s also led to a few growing pains.

Nick’s advice to peers in the industry? “Bring your internal stakeholders — Compliance, Legal, Risk — into the journey from the beginning. It’s the only way to keep momentum while staying aligned.”

Looking ahead, First Horizon is excited about deeper integration between platforms. One standout? Yext Scout, a new tool that unlocks real-time insights into ranking data, especially for AI-driven search.

“Our SEO Director is thrilled about Scout,” Nick reveals. “We’re also looking forward to embedding Yext data into our social media CMS and CRM platforms to close the loop on insights and client feedback.”

Balancing compliance and innovation: First Horizon’s modern marketing journey

First Horizon’s approach proves that it’s possible to be both compliant and cutting-edge. By leaning into digital transformation and AI, unifying digital experiences, and empowering their teams with smart tools, Burgess and his team are showing other financial institutions what’s possible when marketing is embedded into every part of the client journey.

We’re proud to support forward-thinking institutions like First Horizon. We’re also excited to help our community of financial services marketers take advantage of the many opportunities Yext technology offers.


Learn more about how Yext supports wealth and asset management firms, commercial and personal banks, and life and property and casualty insurance agencies.