City Business Library hosted a special evening event dedicated to Fintech. Award-winning branding consultant and event speaker Kaitlin Zhang shares some insight on branding for the FinTech industry.
As FinTech and financial services are competing less and coming together more, 82% of incumbents expect to increase FinTech partnerships in the next 3 – 5 years (PwC, 2017). Branding is certainly important to the consumer, but did you know it’s also key to landing investments and industry partnerships?
In this high growth area where the expected annual ROI has reached 20% on FinTech related projects (PwC, 2017), one of the key differentiators for start-ups is stellar corporate branding and outstanding personal branding of the team. In fact, both FinTech companies and investors such as venture capital firms need to manage their brands and reputation in an increasingly fast paced and attention-deficient world.
Here are 3 branding tips for FinTech start-ups:
- Conduct market research and establish brand positioning
A strong corporate brand should be established from day one. Adequate market research should be conducted to understand what differentiates the product or services from the competitors and what the core value offering is. Wise founders need to remember that promoting this brand message should be a core part of the corporate culture. - Tell compelling stories through your website and pitch deck
First impressions do matter. Investors often start with your website or pitch deck to learn about the company. Both these marketing assets should demonstrate a strong visual identity through the logo, colour scheme and mood. Sleek websites and presentations are a must for innovation-centric businesses. After addressing these 2 basic elements it’s key to work on the company’s reputation both online and offline. It’s worth investing in a SEO and PR campaign to raise awareness with investors as well as customers. - Focus on personal branding and online reputation of the team
Investors are not only interested in a unique and valuable product or service, they are also interested in a team that has a proven track record to turn the tech to profit. Rest assured, they will be Googling the core team member to learn more about them. I have personally seen tech companies with amazing products lose out on funding due to the core team’s lack of visibility on the internet. Learn more about why your personal brand online matters.
About Kaitlin Zhang Branding:
Kaitlin Zhang Branding is a branding consultancy that serves corporate and personal clients in the UK, USA, Canada, China and around the world. The company specialises in brand management, digital marketing and online reputation management. There are two complementary streams of services: corporate branding and personal branding. This dual approach is particularly well suited for companies who want to better utilise the personal brands of their star founders and employees.
Founded in 2016, Kaitlin Zhang branding has grown and now has a team of 20+ who work online and deliver projects for clients around the world. The team has a wide range of experience in venture capital, private equity, property development, luxury consumer goods, import/export and technology start-ups. The team has helped UK tech start-ups raise millions of funding from the UK, USA and China. In 2017, her team worked with one of the top VC firms in China to land over 200 million USD investments and secured extensive press coverage. There is also a dedicated team in China that has an in depth understanding of the marketing environment and helps Chinese companies launch their brands into the western market.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help promote your brand.
Resources:
PwC, (2017). PwC Global Fintech Report 2017. [Online]. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/financial-services/assets/pwc-global-fintech-report-2017.pdf Accessed on 4 June 2018.
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