Live Oak Bank

The Challenge: Supporting Rapid Growth with Limited Resources

In 2018, Live Oak Bank decided to bring PR and media monitoring functions in-house. Simultaneously, the business was growing rapidly. What was once a 400-person organization with $2.5 billion in assets evolved into a business with more than 1,000 employees and over $15 billion in assets. 

At the time, its one-person communications team needed a solution that could monitor brand visibility and support media relations without requiring significant additional headcount.

The Solution: Building a Digital Communications Teammate

Live Oak Bank chose Meltwater to help scale its in-house communications function.

“We were able to do everything that we have been able to do as we grow in the trajectory of the bank while just adding one more person on our team,” says Claire Parker, Chief Communications Officer at Live Oak Bank. “Meltwater helped us build out that capacity.”

The now two-person team uses Meltwater to understand where the Live Oak brand is showing up and what conversations matter most. For a bank without physical branches, that online visibility is critical to ensuring the brand reaches existing and potential customers wherever they are.

With AI-powered brand monitoring and reporting, Live Oak can identify media coverage and mentions that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, the ability to track niche media outlets enables the team to uncover stories that have the potential for wider reach and appeal.

“The data was showing us that if we were pitching stories to hyperlocal outlets first, and national outlets picked them up, we were getting huge ROIs,” Parker explains. In one instance, a story about Live Oak that ran in a local outlet sparked additional coverage in the Wall Street Journal, skyrocketing its visibility nationwide. “That data that Meltwater was able to get us allowed us to be really strategic and focus on local outlets first.” 

Its ease of use has made Meltwater an indispensable part of the Live Oak team's daily workflow.

“Meltwater helps me keep my finger on the pulse every single day,” says Madison Carlos, Live Oak’s Corporate Communications Manager. “The daily digest that hits my inbox in the morning and in the afternoon is exactly what I need.”

With unified capabilities that deliver insights they can act on, the platform functions as a digital teammate, helping a small communications department do more with less.

The Results: Greater Visibility, Better Reporting, and More Strategic Communications

With Meltwater, Live Oak has transformed communications into a strategic function that supports business growth.

Along with uncovering new media opportunities, it’s helped the communications team strengthen relationships with journalists. In one example, the daily media digest helped Carlos discover a mention of the bank in an earnings recap by a Forbes reporter.

Via Meltwater, she quickly found the reporter’s contact information and followed up with them, establishing a new media relationship. A few months later, they reached out about doing a Forbes cover story on Live Oak Bank. “Meltwater helped with that introduction,” Carlos says. “I attribute some significant editorial reach growth to that coverage.”

Meltwater has also improved executive reporting, an essential capability for a data-driven, results-oriented organization.

“Working for a bank, many of our leaders are highly analytical,” Carlos explains. “Meltwater helps us bridge that gap and deliver reports and insights that prove the value of communications in a way that bankers understand.”

Beyond reporting, the platform enables the team to scale alongside the business while staying ahead of industry trends. As Live Oak continues investing in AI and digital innovation, the team sees Meltwater as a key partner for the future.

Live Oak Bank uses Meltwater to amplify its brand story, strengthen media relationships, and support business growth at scale. Request a demo to see how Meltwater can help your organization grow with unified, actionable intelligence.