Nick Kastner

Director of Brand & Digital Strategy

Professional Headshot of Nick Kastner

Nick is our resident brand and digital guru – leading strategies for our clients that positively impact every area of their business. His focus is helping clients build consistent and meaningful brand messaging and leveraging the digital marketplace to drive real results for clients. 

Nick works closely with everyone on the team to implement strategies that will help clients grow and is the architect for many of Forum’s strategic marketing frameworks. He also interacts directly with clients whose focus is primarily digital and/or brand consistency and has utilized that expertise with several impressive organizations – including a number with national and international scope. Prior to joining Forum, Nick worked extensively in the agency space as well as in bank and higher education marketing. He is a published author for ABA Bank Marketing and has also published a peer-reviewed journal article on the adoption of the agile framework to the management of non-IT knowledge workers.

After a short stint pursuing music, Nick received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (Concentration in Marketing) and his Master of Business Administration in Managerial Leadership from Piedmont University. He also holds active certifications in Google Ads Display, Google Ads Video, Google Ads Search, Google Analytics Individual Qualification and Hubspot Inbound Certification and is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and Certified Agile Marketing Specialist. He currently serves as Vice President of the Piedmont University Alumni Advisory Board and has served on boards across northeast Georgia including Habitat for Humanity of Hall County (marketing chair), Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce (marketing committee), Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (board chair), Family Resource Center of Northeast Georgia and the John Jarrard Foundation (marketing chair). 

Additional to his work at Forum, Nick continues to serve as an adjunct instructor at the University of North Georgia’ Mike Cottrell College of Business teaching in both undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Nick serves as president of the Piedmont University Alumni Association. He is a 2012 Leadership Hall graduate, has won awards from the University System of Georgia, Piedmont University and American Bankers Association and served as strategy lead on industry awards ranging from the Webbys to the Hermes Creative Awards. He and his family are members of Riverbend Church where Nick serves as a deacon; he and his wife Brandy also serve as small group leaders.

Honors & Awards

2017 Outstanding Process Improvement Award: Increased Effectiveness and Efficiency (Bronze) | University System of Georgia Chancellor's Service Excellence Awards

2016 Presidential Innovation Award | University of North Georgia

2007 Piedmont Alumni Pacesetter Award | Piedmont University

2006 James H. Donnelly Award of Excellence | American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing and Management
Articles and Publications

The Bank Marketer's Agile Manifesto | ABA Bank Marketing Magazine

Adapting the Agile Framework to the Management of Non-IT Knowledge Workers (co-author) | International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research
Presentations & Podcasts

Sneakers & Strategies Podcast

Marketing in a Time of Uncertainty: 2021 Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce Seminar
Inventive. Focused. Lover of movies, music, and C.S. Lewis.
illustration of cartoon like character being shocked illustrating what happens to search rankings after a new website

I’m launching a new website. What will happen to my search rankings?

Nick KastnerAugust 8, 2023
This is a question we get asked quite frequently – and it’s not because we don’t know the answer – but it’s because “it depends.” Understanding what happens to...
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