Insights

How strategic PR and Marketing can convert a prospect into a client

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:07:02 GMT

How strategic PR and Marketing can convert a prospect into a client

In an industry such as fintech, which has exceptionally long buying cycles that heavily rely on trust and relationship building, it is common for prospects to not convert on first touch. This is when strategic PR and marketing efforts can help speed up the process by providing visibility, credibility and influence. With proper marketing and PR, you will no longer be spending half the prospect call explaining your company!

Be seen in the right places

Appearing in the right environments, whether that is trade media, industry events, or targeted LinkedIn ecosystems, ensures your brand is introduced in a context that already matters to your audience. At this stage, the goal is simple: when a prospect first comes across your company, they should immediately understand why it is relevant to them.

Building credibility through others

Once awareness is established, the next step you can focus on is building up your credibility.

Prospects are far more engaged by what others say about a company than what the company says about itself. Media coverage, awards, and marketing material (blogs, social media) all act as signals of validation. Alongside this, thought leadership plays an important role not by promoting products, but by demonstrating a clear understanding of market dynamics and client challenges. This shifts the perception from “vendor” to “informed participant in the market.” Having trouble landing your releases in the press? Check out our blog for advice on how to target trade journalists .

Consistency is key

Repetition helps build familiarity. And familiarity can help turn awareness into trust in your company. Prospects need to encounter a company multiple times before forming a view. Each touchpoint, whether through PR, social content, or direct engagement, builds upon the last. That is why consistency across messaging and branding is critical. The narrative presented in media coverage should align with what is seen on LinkedIn, reflected on the website, and echoed in conversations.

Treating PR and marketing as an afterthought

Many companies dilute this process without realising it. PR is treated as output-driven rather than strategic. Messaging becomes inconsistent. Activity is not aligned with commercial objectives and business goals. When deliverables become a list of items that just need to be checked off, it shows in the quality and lack of a goal behind the material. And often, when there is no strategy, there is no clear path for a prospect to take the next step.

Visibility into conversion

Ultimately, PR and marketing work together to help turn a prospect into your next client. PR helps get your name out in the industry and builds credibility through third-party validation. Marketing picks that up, reinforces the message and gives people a clear way to engage with you. We go into this in more detail in our separate blog on how PR and marketing work together .

When the two are aligned, prospects come across your company multiple times, in different places, with a consistent message. And that is what builds momentum.

Instead of starting from scratch every time, each touchpoint adds to the last. By the time a prospect is ready to engage and reach out, they already have a level of familiarity and confidence in what you do.

If you want to know more about how PR and marketing, get in touch with our team.

The Biggest Communications Mistakes Fintech Firms Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:47:56 GMT

The Biggest Communications Mistakes Fintech Firms Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Fintech is one of the most exciting sectors in financial services. It is also one of the most crowded, and one of the most scrutinised. In an industry where trust is the ultimate currency, poor communications can undermine even the most innovative product.

Yet despite the high stakes, many fintech firms continue to make the same avoidable messaging mistakes: from drowning prospects in jargon, to staying silent during a crisis, to building a brand that means nothing to the people it is trying to reach.

As specialist communications advisers to fintechs across trading, RegTech, and capital markets, we see these patterns regularly. Here are the most common communications mistakes we encounter, and what to do instead.

1. Leading with technology instead of customer benefit

It is easy to understand why fintech founders fall into this trap. They have built something genuinely impressive, and they want the world to know it. But leading with technical features tells your audience what you have built, not why it matters to them.

Clients do not buy technology. They buy outcomes. They buy reduced operational risk, faster settlement, better regulatory visibility, and competitive advantage. If your marketing does not connect features to those outcomes quickly and clearly, you lose the reader before you have made your case.

The fix is benefit-first messaging. Before publishing any piece of content or client communication, ask: what problem does this solve for the person reading it? Lead with the answer.

2. Failing to build trust through transparency

Fintech buyers are sophisticated. Whether you are selling to a tier-one bank, a hedge fund, or an exchange, your audience has seen plenty of vendors come and go. They know when they are being managed, and they are sceptical of polished corporate communication that says very little.

Transparency builds trust in ways that spin cannot. That means being upfront about fees, honest about how client data is used, and proactive about incidents when things go wrong. Trying to hide a product outage or bury a change in service terms in the small print will damage relationships far more than the issue itself.

Firms that communicate openly, including when it is uncomfortable, consistently build stronger, longer-lasting client relationships. In a sector where reputation is everything, that is a significant competitive advantage.

3. Inconsistent brand voice across channels

Walk through the marketing touchpoints of many fintech firms and you will encounter a jarring inconsistency. The website is formal and cautious. The LinkedIn page is conversational and punchy. The sales collateral reads like it was written by a different company altogether.

This disconnect matters, particularly in B2B sales cycles where a potential client will interact with your brand multiple times before a decision is made. Inconsistency signals a lack of internal alignment, and that makes buyers nervous.

The solution is a documented tone-of-voice guide. This does not need to be an academic style manual but a practical reference that sets out how your firm communicates, what language it uses, and crucially, what it avoids. Applied consistently across all channels and by all teams, this becomes one of the most cost-effective brand investments you can make.

For more on how to build a cohesive brand identity, see our branding services .

4. Having no crisis communications plan

A data breach, a regulatory action, an extended outage, a senior departure at the wrong moment: any of these can become a communications emergency if you are not prepared.

The firms that handle these moments well are the ones that have done the thinking in advance. They have a pre-built response framework, designated spokespeople, clear escalation paths, and approved messaging for the most likely scenarios. When something happens, they respond quickly, clearly, and with authority.

The firms that handle it badly are the ones that start thinking about communications only after the crisis has broken. By then, the narrative has often already been written by someone else.

Building a crisis communications playbook is not a large investment of time. But failing to have one can cost you clients, regulatory goodwill, and years of brand equity.

5. Trying to talk to everyone at once

One of the clearest signs of a communications strategy that needs attention is messaging so broad it could apply to any fintech in any sector. "We help financial institutions manage risk more efficiently" is technically a claim, but it is not a message. It addresses no one in particular and stands out to no one.

Fintech firms typically serve multiple audiences (compliance officers, CTOs, operations leads, C-suite executives) each with different priorities and different ways of evaluating a solution. Content that tries to speak to all of them simultaneously usually resonates with none of them.

Effective communications require segmented messaging: a clear understanding of each audience, their specific pain-points, and the particular value your firm delivers to them. This does not necessarily mean more content but better-targeted content, developed with an understanding of what each audience actually cares about.

6. Underinvesting in thought leadership

In trust-dependent sectors like financial services and fintech, authority is a commercial asset. Buyers want to work with firms whose people understand the market, have a point of view on where it is heading, and can demonstrate that understanding publicly.

Yet many fintech firms cede that territory to their competitors by default. They produce little content, their executives are invisible in industry conversations, and their firm's perspective on the issues that matter most to their clients goes unheard.

Thought leadership does not require a large content team. A well-placed bylined article in a relevant trade publication, a considered LinkedIn post from a senior figure, or a concise briefing on a regulatory development can all build profile and reinforce credibility in ways that paid advertising simply cannot.

Our media communications services are designed specifically to help fintech firms build visibility in the publications and channels their clients and prospects actually read.

7. Overlooking internal alignment

The best external communications strategy in the world will underperform if your own team is not aligned behind it. Yet internal communications is the area most frequently deprioritised by growing fintech firms, often until it becomes a visible problem.

When employees do not have a clear understanding of the firm's positioning, its value proposition, or how to talk about what it does, that misalignment shows up in client conversations, at industry events, and in the firm's general market presence. And when your people are confident and well-briefed, the opposite is equally true: they become some of your most credible and effective brand advocates.

Internal alignment does not need to be complex. Regular all-hands briefings, a simple messaging document, and clear guidance on how to discuss the firm's work externally can make a material difference to how consistently your brand comes across in the market.

Getting communications right is a growth strategy

These mistakes are common, but none of them are inevitable. What they share is a tendency to treat communications as a support function rather than as a strategic one.

For fintech firms operating in competitive, trust-sensitive markets, that distinction matters. Firms that invest in clear, consistent, and credible communications do not just look better. They build pipelines faster, win mandates more readily, and retain clients more effectively.

If any of the patterns above sound familiar, the good news is that they are all fixable, and often more quickly than you might expect.

Moonlight IQ is a specialist marketing and PR agency for fintech firms , with deep expertise across trading technology, RegTech, commodities, and capital markets. If you would like to discuss your communications strategy, get in touch with our team today .

Whitepaper: Quantifiable Business Impact

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:27:13 GMT

PR & Marketing Whitepaper:

Quantifiable Business Impact

This white paper aggregates market research to showcase the real-world business impacts of PR and marketing.

Brand Awareness: How Much Does It Impact Profits?

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:18:52 GMT

Brand Awareness: How Much Does It Impact Profits?

Brand awareness may sound like a straightforward term, but in reality, it is comprised of different elements. The first one is branding and the creation of a strong brand that all stakeholders are aligned on. The second step is layering PR and marketing on top to help get your brand noticed.

Brand Consistency: The Impacts on Profit

Although design, PR and marketing can be seen as business cost centres, research has looked into the tangible benefits. Brand consistency (a result of branding) has been shown to be a key element in business growth. In fact, brands that stay consistent see as much as twice the profit of those that don’t. If you are wondering why brand consistency would play such a big role in B2B financial technology, it’s simple: as long as people are still making the buying decision, trust and familiarity will take precedent.

Why Public Relations Matters for the B2B Buyers Journey

If you are wondering how you can build trust, here is where PR comes in. Generally, people trust other sources, be it word of mouth or reading about it in a publication, as it is perceived as third-party validation. Research shows that 84% of B2B buyers begin their journey with a referral or by researching the brand. Therefore, the importance of being seen in various places online is twofold. Firstly, if you don’t get in front of your audience, you cannot expect them to know what you do. Secondly, when someone hears about you and they have the intent to purchase, if research is the first point of contact, they better be able to find something about you.

PR is shown to be more effective at building brand awareness than advertising. Visibility alone is not enough; trust, validation and reputation ultimately influence whether a prospect chooses your brand or moves onto the next. Organic media coverage delivers all three at scale, shaping perception long before a sales conversation begins.

The Tangible Benefits of Content Marketing

Research clearly shows that marketing impacts trust, lead generation, and customer loyalty. One of the easiest ways for buyers to get familiar with your brand is through consistent content that matters to your target audience. Content marketing plays a direct role in brand awareness and sales. But not all content is equal. Most B2B marketers know that educational content performs best. This is because people don’t want to be sold to but do want to be helped.

Companies that use blogs see 67% more leads and 55% more website traffic than those that don’t. This shows that even concentrating content marketing efforts on one single platform can have a great impact. When content marketing is done consistently and with purpose, it allows brands to meet their audience where they are in the buying journey, offering value before asking for commitment.

Brand awareness may have many moving parts, but the difference is noticeable. Branding, PR and marketing all work together to help the business be perceived as trustworthy, low risk and knowledgeable, and help minimise sales cycles. If you are wondering how you can accelerate your efforts, get in touch with one of our experts.

Explaining your Tech to Non-Techie Buyers: A B2B Messaging Guide

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:51:33 GMT

Explaining your Tech to Non-Techie Buyers: A B2B Messaging Guide

Does B2B Fintech marketing fail when it is too technical?

If your B2B fintech marketing includes advanced technical details, APIs, and algorithms, without highlighting the outcome and benefits of the product, it may be overwhelming for the decision makers of prospective businesses. Such dense information could be hard to remember and digest, leading to a missed opportunity. Therefore, unless the overemphasis on the technical specifications helps provide information as to ‘why it is essential’, focusing on benefits and how your offering helps clients may be the best strategy.

The role of financial technology comms in shaping buyer trust

According to Gartner research, clarity is important for building credibility for your business among vendors. Clear communication that changes the perceived notion and enhances understanding of a product reduces risk, decision anxiety, and uncertainty. Since such decisions are usually a long-term commitment and involve a big investment, there’s immense scrutiny before landing on a decision.

Do I need to simplify technical concepts in B2B fintech messaging?

A deal could stall if there isn’t enough clarity on the product in the first stage, boiling down to poor marketing and a lack of clear benefits the decision makers can easily identify in the content presented to them, whether that be your website or your product’s one-pager. The overarching answer to this issue is simplifying technical concepts in B2B fintech marketing, but not dumbing them down.

How can you build B2B fintech brand messaging that focuses on business impact?

If the branding and marketing focus less on features and more on benefits, resulting in messaging that resonates with decision makers, it’s often a green light, speeding up the decision process immensely. Similarly, if the messaging is confusing enough for the decision makers to consider how the product could positively impact their business, their trust in the product is already being questioned.

In order to provide clear communication, marketers can use case studies, one-pagers, testimonials and legitimate evidence/facts instead of vague claims. The simplest strategy to verify if the buyers understood your product is to ask yourself, ‘Can a CFO explain the product in one sentence to his committee?’

Common financial technology messaging mistakes

However, to ensure you are sending across the most relevant messaging that targets your audience’s pain points, a few generic mistakes can be avoided:

Starting with the ‘wonders of the technology’ rather than stating the ‘business problem that it solves’.
We must not assume that the buyers understand the internal, highly specific industry language and therefore must contextualise it with an explanation.
Just listing the capabilities or features of the product without explaining what impact it brings to the business.

In B2B fintech, it is essential to eliminate any rising skepticism with strategic messaging. Buyers tend to gain more confidence when the product presents itself as a solution to their pain-points, directly positioning itself as the ‘end-all’ solution for their needs.

Real-World Asset Tokenisation: Opportunity and the Road Ahead

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:06:52 GMT

Real-World Asset Tokenisation: Opportunity and the Road Ahead

Tokenisation: What is it?

You may have heard of the term “Tokenisation” in the last few years. Although initially a more niche topic in the fintech industry, it is now gaining global recognition with institutional players taking notice, as it has contributed to major shifts in the capital markets space.

McKinsey describes tokenisation as “the process of issuing a digital, unique, and anonymous representation of a real thing”. Tokens can represent a variety of assets, including both physical assets, such as real estate or inventory, or intangible assets, such as bonds or equities. Essentially, tokenization is the process of converting ownership of something, into digital tokens that can be traded much more easily.

How tokenization changes the game

With tokenization, comes new market activity and players. Tokenisation can make investing faster and more transparent, while reducing the cost and typical barrier of entry. For one, tokenization enables fractional ownership, allowing more retail investors access to global illiquid markets. By breaking assets down into smaller units that can be traded, tokenisation pushes the door wide open to an exclusive market that was once gatekept, to a broader investor base. While the democratisation of fractional trading is seen as a positive for retail investors, it heavily reshapes how institutional traders come into play.

With digital asset markets approximately being worth upwards of $3 trillion USD, tokenising traditional assets can provide traditional financial firms an excellent way to participate in that growth.

For institutional players, tokenisation changes:

What investors can purchase: tokenisation makes it much easier to invest in assets that were previously difficult to access. This means capital is shifting from public markets into private markets, changing where capital flows. Additionally, this transition affects pricing and liquidity across all asset classes
Asset interactions: financial assets currently sit in separate systems; however, tokenised assets are able to interact more easily with one another
Capital efficiency: with tokenization comes faster settlement, reducing settlement and liquidity risk
Transparency: with a shared digital ledger, there are clear ownership records and real-time visibility providing overall improved transparency into the trade

However, with any new technology, there are risks involved:

Automatic liquidity: a key benefit for 24/7 token trading has been more liquidity, but is that true? As digital assets and tokens are still relatively new for institutional traders, 24/7 tradability is only possible if there is a deep enough pool of buyers/ sellers.
Legal and regulatory uncertainty: there have been questions raised around the legal framework of tokens. As of now, in current cases, traditional assets and offering rules have applied to tokenised assets, but we wonder if tokenised assets will have their own playbook as they become more popularised.
Operational integration: As it is now, there is limited interoperability between blockchain networks and legacy infrastructure, leaving connection to existing settlement systems murky at best.

Real-world applications of tokenised assets

The long-term adoption of tokens could become a core foundation in how financial assets are issued, transferred and serviced, but that is a long way to go. The overall modernisation tokens bring to the market’s infrastructure may be the biggest, most meaningful difference this new technology can offer. Faster settlement, more transparency and ‘always-on’ markets ushers in a new generation to trading. Once the more simplistic adoption of tokens is underway, more complex market activities can take place, making an even bigger impact on the market.

Overall, it is evident that tokenisation of real-world assets is no longer a digital-asset buzzword. Institutional players are seriously exploring this concept, seeking more efficient infrastructure, broader investor access and new ways to structure ownership and transfer. However, at this stage, it is important to view this opportunity with a realistic lens. The technology may improve certain operational aspects, improving market efficiency, transparency and flexibility, but on the other hand, interoperability and legal frameworks are still massive roadblocks that need to be delt with.

For now, market participants can say with certainty that tokenisation is in the horizon, but if or when adoption can be seen as genuine value in a compliant and scalable way is still unclear.

Sources:
https://katten.com/tokenization-of-real-world-assets-opportunities-challenges-and-the-path-ahead https://www.elliptic.co/blockchain-basics/real-world-asset-tokenization-whats-hype-and-whats-not https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/08/tokenization-assets-transform-future-of-finance/ https://www.venly.io/blog/demystifying-rwa-the-benefits-and-trends-in-real-world-asset-tokenization

https://www.ssga.com/uk/en_gb/intermediary/insights/tokenization-of-assets-how-its-reshaping-finance-and-markets

https://www.marketsmedia.com/institutions-expect-to-allocate-5-6-to-tokenized-assets-by-2026/
https://www.elliptic.co/blockchain-basics/real-world-asset-tokenization-whats-hype-and-whats-not
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/08/tokenization-assets-transform-future-of-finance/

Why B2B Fintech Brands Lose Deals Because of Poor Messaging

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:51:02 GMT

Why B2B Fintech Brands Lose Deals Because of Poor Messaging

In complex industries, such as fintech, messaging helps in more ways than just supporting sales. It shapes how a company is viewed and understood in the market.

When messaging is unclear or inconsistent, it weakens market positioning, reduces media visibility and overall can prolong already lengthy buying cycles. To avoid shelving deals, a clear B2B fintech brand messaging strategy with a consistent narrative that supports PR, marketing and sales, must be used.

How does messaging impact the sales process for B2B fintech brands?

Inconsistent messaging across teams: When multiple internal teams pull in different directions, it results in weakened credibility and confusion for prospects, journalists and partners alike.
Underperforming content: Many fintech firms put out content that focuses heavily on features but fails to present a solution for the broader industry challenge being addressed. Without clear context, the company’s expertise and relevance can be difficult to recognise.
Fragmented messaging: A company’s messaging should remain consistent across its website, product materials, media commentary, and marketing assets. This not only goes for designs and colourways, but also tone and voice being used. Fragmentation weakens credibility and makes the brand harder to recognise.
The jargon black hole: While fintech is technically complex, clarity is critical. Messaging that relies heavily on jargon often limits media coverage and reduces accessibility for wider industry audiences.

How to build B2B Fintech brand messaging that seals the deal?

Building trust with strong content: Thought leadership articles build authority by communicating thoughts on current industry trends, predictions, analysis, regulatory changes and technical innovations.
Digital optimisation: The content must not only rank high but also ensure it contains valuable information for clients to skim through during their research on the firm. This helps meet the optimisation metrics essential for getting sourced in AI-generated answers or on generative AI platforms. This can be achieved through marketing materials such as blogs, FAQs and educational resources.
Case studies: Testimonials and direct third-party endorsements do help build up trust. Even better examples can include full case studies that encompass the problem, solution and value, providing full evidence of how your product can be implemented and help client succeed.

How to align internal teams with B2B messaging?

In technical industries such as fintech, messaging is more than just a marketing checkbox, as it directly shapes how a company is seen by the market. When messaging is scattered, inconsistent, or overly technical, it creates confusion, which can ultimately deter prospects, journalists or partners from engaging with the company.

When companies invest in clear and structured messaging, audiences are quickly able to understand the problem your offering solves, as well as the value of the company. Strong insights supported by thoughtful content help reinforce trust and improves visibility in the space,

In competitive landscapes, successful brands are those that communicate their expertise and can directly address pain points. Strategic messaging can play a big role in turning media attention into commercial opportunities!

Why your agency should handle crisis communications

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 13:01:43 GMT

Why your agency should handle crisis communications

Having an agency on hand when crisis hits can be a major benefit. Internally handling a crisis can see emotions run high, mixed messages given to internal teams and clients, and mismanaged press comments. In a time of crisis, you want someone that can handle the situation quickly and effectively.

Why do you need a PR agency when a crisis hits?

An experienced agency’s most valuable asset in a time of crisis is its structured approach. This comes from years of finetuning every detail in their playbook. They understand the many moving parts that need to come together to preserve a brand’s reputation. When internally people are scrambling to do the best they can for tomorrow, your agency is thinking long term.

Depending on the nature of the crisis, proactively engaging with the press may be the best strategy. An agency can prepare your spokesperson to discuss sensitive topics and use established contacts to ensure your refined message reaches the right audience.

Sentiment and mentions tracking

Your agency most surely uses tools to track your brand’s mentions and the sentiment surrounding it. This can be extremely valuable in times of crisis. By monitoring coverage across both press and social media, your PR team can assess reactions and adjust messages in real time.

For social media, your agency can put clear parameters in place for which people in your organisation should be allowed to discuss the issue publicly (hint: it’s only your chosen spokesperson) and the keywords they should use.

Internal communications for crisis management

Transparency with your clients is essential when a crisis hits, but so are the words you use to relay the information. For your agency, wordsmithing is not a burden, it’s an everyday occurrence. They understand the information that should be included, how to make the communication clear, and how to tailor it to each audience segment.

They can also help prepare you and your team for any follow-up questions from, and ideas of how to best handle, affected clients. As the agency is not as close to the issue as you are, the people working to help you can keep a cool head and see to it that you are provided the best outcome possible.

Your professional PR agency will be freeing up your time to be able to fix the issues and reassure stakeholders, while keeping a vigilant eye on your reputation. In a world where the media chatter is quicker at alerting than your tracking systems, continuous monitoring can be the difference between getting ahead of an issue and waking up in the midst of a crisis.

Need a crisis communications plan before the next issue hits? Get in touch with our team to discuss how we help your companies prepare.

5 Signs Your Capital Markets Firm Needs a PR Refresh

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:05:27 GMT

5 Signs Your Capital Markets Firm Needs a PR Refresh

It is no secret that the capital markets landscape is increasingly becoming more competitive and oversaturated. For this reason, it is very important to keep updating your PR strategy to avoid becoming outdated and left behind by the industry. PR should be something flexible, yet strategic - with a strong sense of public relations, capital market firms can foster credibility, trust and authority in the industry.

There can be 5 tell-tale signs that clearly indicate that an update in your PR efforts is due.

1. You’re focusing too much on product press releases

Product announcements, either featuring updates or new launches, are very important and will make up a good part of your communications content calendar. However, if that is the only content being released, it does not reflect well on the company. This can result in long periods of silence between releases, as well as indicate little involvement in the wider market.

Releases focusing on market changes, client wins or broader company news (like award wins, new hires, etc.) provide a more well-rounded narrative around your company and establish it as a key player within the industry.

2. You’re seeing your competitors everywhere

If you’re constantly seeing your direct competitors being quoted in stories about the market, trading innovation and technology trends, that is a sign that your PR needs a major update. Your company should have a dedicated team of capital markets technology spokespeople (C-Suite) that can be positioned as expert voices. By establishing a core group of individuals that can be placed in front of the media, and proactively pitching them, your company can become influential rather than reactively addressing news.

3. Your messaging sounds like everyone else’s

If your capital markets technology firm is sounding very similar to all your competitors, it is time to ramp up your PR. Avoid using filler buzzwords and focus on creating quality content that journalists and prospects would be interested in.

Messaging for capital markets can be quite complex. Therefore, your messaging should be able to simplify specifications into clear benefits without confusing readers.

4. Your PR and growth goals aren’t aligned

You may be releasing announcements, but which publications are covering the releases? The media coverage you may be getting may not be aligning with your target client segments. There are trade publications that focus on covering capital markets technology news, which would most likely have a readership that fits in with your target audience.

Additionally, PR seldom does well on its own. Oftentimes, PR and Marketing/ Sales materials work well together to capture an audience and redirect them to your website or a whitepaper. Integrating events and marketing content with PR efforts creates a more solid foundation for brand recognition. Post your release on LinkedIn. Link a product sheet in a release. It all works together to ultimately grow your company.

5. You’re reacting instead of being strategic

If your releases come only after industry shifts are mainstream and are much more reactive in nature, it is a sign that your PR needs a refresh! As a capital markets technology firm, your company should be at the forefront of innovation, not lagging behind. When you aren’t providing journalists with proactive insights, data-driven stories or forward-looking perspectives, your release may not be newsworthy to them. This damages your relationship and reputation with journalists, causing missed opportunities as they may be more inclined to skip your email if they think you have limited insights to offer.

Capital markets technology PR

Public Relations for a capital markets technology firm should be consistent and varied, providing always-on media with clear narratives. The stories should be a good mixture of market-facing insights, as well as product and company news. This type of PR positions your firm as a market leader, being proactive, rather than a reactive background vendor.

What is the Fintech AI Bubble?

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:22:43 GMT

What is the Fintech AI Bubble?

In early 2026, it may be very well impossible to navigate the fintech space without hearing about the latest way AI is being utilised by the big industry players. Towards the tail end of 2025, amid a flurry of headlines around AI, we also began to hear murmurs of the dreaded “AI bubble.”

What is a bubble?

The AI bubble, reminiscent of the dot-com bubble from the late 90s - early 00s, refers to the growing gap between the level of hype and investment into AI, and the proven business value being delivered. Before the dot-com bubble, the world had seen other bubbles come and go, from railroads in the 1840s to radio in the 1920s.

With no expectation, comes no disappointment

A bubble is not defined by a technology being useless, fraudulent or overly used. Rather, a bubble forms over time when expectations of value outpace the timelines of its value coming into clear fruition. People become overly excited about the potential of what it could be, rather than what it is at this moment. With that, capital is placed based on the narrative momentum rather than the real-world, operational proof of the technology.

What makes the current AI bubble feel different in fintech is not just the pace of innovation, but the sense of urgency attached to adoption for technology vendors . For many firms, AI is no longer seen as an add-on, but instead, something that must be implemented now , or risk your firm falling behind and becoming irrelevant.

At the same time, the way AI is actually being used on the ground is moving more slowly than the headlines suggest. Rolling AI into existing systems and day-to-day workflows is rarely straightforward, especially in areas like fintech where regulation and risk play a central role. While the technology itself continues to develop quickly, real and consistent usage tends to lag behind the expectations created by marketing and media coverage.

What do buyers think?

The immediate consequence of this urgency is unnecessary noise . Clients are faced with an overwhelming amount of AI claims, making it harder to distinguish actual usefulness of the technology from marketing buzz. “AI-powered” has become an all-too-familiar tagline for vendors, which may lose its meaning if every platform and device is powered by AI, now being seen as a baseline rather than a signal of revolutionary technology.

For the big decision-makers in the industry, this environment introduces an additional layer of complexity. Beyond assessing what a platform offers today, buyers are now having to work harder to separate what is actually live from what is still being built. In many cases, this means reading between the lines of product announcements and roadmaps. Over time, this naturally leads to a more cautious response to AI messaging, rather than the excitement seen in earlier stages of adoption.

In fintech especially, where trust and reputation matter, as millions of dollars are on the line, this fatigue can slow decision-making even when AI has the potential to deliver real benefits.

So, what can we expect from the AI bubble?

As the market settles, the way people talk about AI is likely to change. Big, sweeping claims will start to matter less, with more attention paid to whether the technology actually delivers practical value.

Clients will likely spend less time asking whether a platform “uses AI” and more time digging into how it is being used, what problems it genuinely helps solve, and whether it works within their existing processes.

AI capabilities that are clearly communicated, smoothly integrated into products offerings, and tied to specific use cases are much more likely to survive the bubble pop untouched. AI can be just another form of more intelligent automation, typically used in the back- and middle-office in capital markets. We cannot say if this bubble will pop, although all ‘good’ things do eventually come to an end at some point, but regardless, it is clear the hype around AI is slowly forming into caution, as the industry needs to see the technology in action before reacting. In this case, seeing is believing.

What Journalists Actually Want from a Fintech Press Release

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:30:26 GMT

What Journalists Actually Want from a Fintech Press Release

Which fintech press release hits the publish button for a B2B journalist?

According to a Cision report, ‘despite 68% of journalists relying on press releases, 73% journalists say that a quarter or less of the pitches they receive are relevant to them.’ That’s 25% or fewer pitches being relevant enough to get published by journalists. So, you may be wondering what journalists look for in the B2B fintech space?

What does a publish-worthy B2B fintech press release look like?

First comes the ‘Headline’. If the headline reads: “an ‘X’ company launched product ‘Y’”, it’s probably not the best way to sell your press release.

The headline is a one-liner pitch. It must be a sweet spot between revealing the insight without giving away the story and, at the same time, asking the journalist to dig deeper into the broader industry's impact.

The hook then signals to the journalists whether the release is really worth reading. The hook must either address the solution to a prevalent issue, tie the release to current events in the industry, focus on user gain, or quantify the impact it will have on the industry.

The body of the release can follow the traditional ‘inverted pyramid’ structure, often used in journalism, boiling down the least essential details toward the end, and including the most important bits at the very top. But when it comes to B2B fintech PRs, these pointers must be kept in mind:

Thought leadership content (e.g. quotes from the CEO) automatically positions the company as an industry leader
Marketing your company with buzzwords and jargon can undermine the press release’s reception. Rather, journalists prefer concrete numbers - data that can resonate with the audience
The text must be easy to read, concise and clearly structured around a strong new angle to allow journalists to swiftly identify its relevance.

After you’ve drafted a relevant, insightful release, do not ‘spray and pray’ when it comes to distribution, as this press release may not be relevant to every fintech publication. It is important to do background research on a journalist’s beat. They may specialise in institutional trading, retail trading, AI, crypto, buy-side, or sell-side. Choosing the right publication and the right journalist is essential to converting B2B fintech releases to published media.

B2B fintech press release metrics

Lastly, to understand the effectiveness of the drafted press releases, we can assess how relevant the press releases were to journalists by tracking press coverage and collecting press clippings.

If following up with journalists, measuring conversions or drafting the perfect press releases seems overwhelming, boutique, specialist agencies offer the right services to ease the process of getting a fintech press release published.

The “Relations” in Public Relations: Creativity and human connections

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:53:53 GMT

The “Relations” in Public Relations: Creativity and human connections

What comes to mind when you think of “Public Relations”? For many, it’s still press releases, journalists, and a flurry of headlines. But that version of PR feels more like something out of a 90s film than how the industry actually operates today.

In reality, PR is far less about blasting announcements into the void and far more about building meaningful relationships with clients, with journalists, with industry figures, and with the audiences you hope will eventually trust your brand. It’s not a one-dimensional communication channel, but instead, a long-term tool for relevance, credibility, and connection.

And this is where creativity and human relationships come in!

Reclaiming the “Relations” in PR

Public relations isn’t just about what you say. It’s about:

who you’re speaking to
how well you understand them
whether your message connects on a human level.

Especially in B2B and fintech, where decisions are carefully considered and the products can be highly technical, people need more than features to sell them, they need context, clarity, and confidence.

Strong PR meets that need by paying attention to people as people. There is even a bit of psychology needed when it comes to successful PR efforts. Journalists have their own interests and ways of working. Clients have pressures you may not see on the surface. Prospects have questions they may not voice publicly, but cause concerns, nonetheless. When you understand these dynamics, your communication becomes more intuitive and far more effective.

Creativity as a Relationship Tool

Creativity isn’t only about coming up with a catchy campaign idea or an eye-catching headline. In PR, creativity is how you take something complex and turn it into something understandable, relatable, and worth engaging with. Something that provides relevance and additional insights into the ever-evolving industry.

Oftentimes, this might mean:

Reshaping a technical update into a story about impact
Finding an unexpected angle that makes a familiar topic feel new again
Tailoring a pitch so it aligns perfectly with a journalist’s beat and interests.

Creativity also combats one of the biggest problems in B2B communication: sameness!

When every company makes similar promises, with similar values, and similar features, creativity helps you stand out in a way that feels real, and not full of fluffy ‘marketing mumbo jumbo’.

Human Connections Create Better Results

It’s easy to reduce PR to outputs, coverage, interviews and thought leadership; this is a trend we’ve been seeing more and more of over the last year. But one relevant publication reporting on your story, bringing the news right in front of your target audience, is well worth 50 irrelevant publications picking it up.

The difference between a journalist selecting your story or not, is the relationship you’ve fostered with them. It sometimes all comes down to a relationship!

A journalist answers your email because they trust you won’t waste their time
A client shares deeper insight and feedback because they feel heard and understood.

Human connection makes the work smoother, the ideas stronger, and the outcomes more meaningful!

Although not many people know the intricacies and behind-the-scenes of PR work, one thing is clear: public relations, at its best, is the point where creativity and human connection meet.

Need help focusing your PR efforts to make a difference in your company? Contact our experts today.

What B2B Fintech Marketers need to know about the AI search landscape?

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:27 GMT

What B2B Fintech Marketers need to know about the AI search landscape?

The evolving AI landscape marks the ‘shift from GenAI to Agentic AI’ as one of the top trends of 2025. With this, financial firms need to adapt to changing trends, ensuring their pages not only rank higher in search but also appear in the next AI-generated consumer response.

Consumers often review content without visiting multiple pages, via a summarised AI response overview. This leads to zero-click searches. However, there are strategies to position your firm in this AI-revolutionised search sphere.

What strategies should fintech marketers utilise?

Essentially, marketers need to adopt Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Besides traditional SEO strategies, it is important for firms to get themselves cited in AI-generated summaries. Once cited, it makes the firm visible and credible.

But the main question here is: How do marketers achieve that in a pool of a billion financial services firms?

Get rid of superficial or vague content. It must be contextual, precise, authoritative, and in-depth. The more control you gain over your niche, the more likely it is to be referenced in answers. It can be achieved using concrete numbers, survey results, or case studies.
Get published! AI identifies data published by a firm in various publications, positioning you as the industry leader.
Your content must be safe and reliable. Google sifts through content that is considered E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), a framework to ensure quality content is displayed for sensitive topics affecting financial decisions. To increase AI’s trust over your firm’s content, alongside the conventional strategy of increasing backlinks, the brand’s mention across publications, press releases and other media, confirms your firm’s expertise and presence online.

Alongside GEO, another paddle rows the AI boat: AEO or Answer Engine Optimisation. Generally, these are quoted responses or answers to queries on platforms such as ChatGPT or Copilot using a firm’s data.

How to achieve AEO?

Content language must be easy to read and clear.
Structured FAQs: unravelling user queries chronologically and framing structured answers. For instance, “What is AI?” followed by “How to be cited in AI responses?”
Content must also be optimised for conversational and voice search queries. This must mirror human query style in chat interfaces.

AEO and GEO, when balanced simultaneously, help drive effective results. Marketers must also utilise metrics to measure the visibility of their firm.

Navigating the AI landscape

As we look forward to upcoming trends changing how we use to optimise our SEO, GEO and AEO strategies, it is essential to remember that brand visibility comes with domain specialty. However, there are fintech agencies that offer support to process the content, optimise it, and land the websites in AI-generated responses or summaries.

FinTech trends 2026: what to expect - from quantum computing to regulation, and everything in between

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 11:34:57 GMT

FinTech trends 2026: what to expect - from quantum computing to regulation, and everything in between

In 2025, capital markets have experienced volatility, a continued AI boom that has been putting pressure on data centre spaces and supply chains, and cryptocurrencies’ increased acceptance from institutional investors and regulators.

In 2026, we will surely continue seeing interest in AI, both for the potential applications in solutions and for the technology industry supplying hardware for GenAI. We also expect countries to look more closely at financial services’ AI-related regulation as more is understood about its impact. Cybersecurity will continue being a concern for mission-critical applications and beyond, with threat actors continuously improving their capabilities. Risk management will also continue playing an important role as volatility and navigating uncertain grounds continues.

Here are the top 2026 predictions for fintech markets, as well as technology, as provided by specialists:

Artificial Intelligence:

Inference — the running of AI models — will make up two-thirds of AI compute by 2026… most inference will likely still take place in data centers using costly, power-intensive AI chips worth over US$200 billion, rather than on inexpensive chips at the edge.
In 2026, new chipmaking technologies such as high-bandwidth memory co-packaging tools, 3D stacking, plasma etching, and GAA transistors will emerge to meet the demand for GenAI and high-performance computing. At least US$30 billion could be spent on these and other critical technologies.

(Deloitte 2026 Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions: Narrowing the gap between the promise of AI and its reality, 2025)

AI is rapidly gaining traction in the fintech sector, and its adoption is set to expand significantly over the next 12 months. While AI promises major efficiencies for users, concerns are emerging within the insurance industry about potential litigation tied to its growing use.

(European fintech in 2026: Opportunities and risks | CFC | CFC, 2026)

Regulation:

The regulatory landscape is evolving rapidly in Europe, with PSD3 on the horizon, following previous crowdfunding regulation and the ongoing implementation of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).
Rapid artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in financial services is outpacing regulatory oversight. Regulators in the US, EU, UK and Asia-Pacific are taking divergent approaches to AI, with some relying on existing principles and others drafting new rules, creating a complex patchwork for global compliance functions. In response, firms must prioritise regulatory adherence and compliance for AI in each jurisdiction where they operate.
Regulation of stablecoins is advancing quickly with countries pursuing their own paths, although there is some convergence around three key principles: full reserve backing; clear redemption rights; and robust custody and safeguarding of client assets. This fragmented regulation is expected to impact firms’ business models and lead to varying levels of stablecoin adoption across the world.

(CBE, Saidenberg and Goyne, 2025)

Quantum Computing:

Excitement over the technology’s potential within the industry has continued to grow, and in 2026, we can expect to see scaling and operationalising of this mind-bending technology, harnessing the bizarre properties exhibited by matter at the sub-atomic level. This will involve building hybrid compute workflows combining classical and quantum processing, with quantum compute directed at the most complex calculations and optimisation problems. (Lawrence, 2025)
Financial institutions will continue experimenting with quantum computing and IBM believes the delivery of applications with a “quantum advantage” is possible by the end of 2026, when a quantum computer can run a computation more accurately, cheaply or efficiently than a classical computer. (Brodsky, 2025)

Cybersecurity:

Ransomware and other forms of cybercrime continue to cause widespread disruption across Europe, with incidents occurring on a daily basis – even among SMEs. The need for robust cyber resilience and risk management controls has never been greater. As threat actors continue to evolve their techniques, these measures are essential for minimising the impact of potential breaches and protecting business continuity. (European fintech in 2026: Opportunities and risks | CFC | CFC, 2026)
Supervisors are increasingly focused on threats that originate from non-regulated sources, notably critical third-party technology providers. However, jurisdictions are moving at different speeds, with implementation of the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act stepping up through 2026, while in the UK and Canada, key developments are awaited. Legislation in Hong Kong comes into force on 1 January 2026. In the US, oversight of these areas is shared among federal and state agencies and remains a concern. (CBE, Saidenberg and Goyne, 2025)

2026 is set to be another tumultuous year for financial services. There is definite room for innovation, but it will also be an important year for companies to ensure compliance in different jurisdictions. All in all, continued volatility, a race to competitiveness, and ongoing risks will shape the year to come.

Reference list:

Brodsky, S. (2025) Quantum computing shows promising potential in finance, Ibm.com. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/think/news/quantum-computing-shows-potential-in-finance

CBE, C.W., Saidenberg, M. and Goyne, E. (2025) Four regulatory shifts financial firms must watch in 2026, Ey.com. Available at: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/insights/financial-services/four-regulatory-shifts-financial-firms-must-watch-in-2026

Deloitte 2026 Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions: Narrowing the gap between the promise of AI and its reality (2025) Deloitte. Available at: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/about/press-room/2026-tmt-predictions.html

European fintech in 2026: Opportunities and risks | CFC | CFC (2026) CFC. Available at: https://www.cfc.com/en-gb/knowledge/resources/articles/2025/12/european-fintech-in-2026-opportunities-and-risks/

Lawrence, D. (2025) The Difference Between ChatGPT And Generative AI, Bernard Marr. Available at: https://bernardmarr.com/the-7-banking-and-fintech-trends-that-will-define-2026/

Why Capital Markets Technology Vendors Need Clearer Messaging in 2026

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 14:15:50 GMT

Why Capital Markets Technology Vendors Need Clearer Messaging in 2026

Capital markets companies, particularly technology vendors, have experienced significant changes in how prospects evaluate, trust, and commit to technology in 2025. A year characterised by increased volatility, risks associated with AI, long implementation cycles, and vendor lock-ins, has taught buyers to distrust broad or vague claims.

How can clearer messaging help in capital markets?

With increased demand for transparency in capital markets technology comes a need for clarity. It is no longer enough to state vague, catchy claims about what your technology achieves or how. In 2026, B2B brand messaging in Fintech needs to be built around clear evidence and real numbers.

What metrics capital markets buyers look for in vendor messaging

Some examples of numbers you can focus on are:

Percentage improvement in speed or efficiency delivered by your solution
Quantifiable cost savings generated for the client
Implementation timeframes.

Once you can clearly state what you help clients achieve and how, you will already have built more trust and confidence in your brand.

Why traditional Fintech brand strategies no longer work for capital markets buyers

In 2025, we have seen a few shifts. Fintech buyers are more wary of companies that claim their product is end-to-end. This is after learning the hard way that sometimes this just translates to vendor lock-in. Almost all tech companies have claimed they are AI-powered, but people have learned this can just mean inviting a whole load of risk into the company.

Buyers are now looking for solutions and companies they can trust in the long run. This doesn’t just mean that the company will survive for years to come, but that it will innovate and accommodate changing regulatory and operational demands. It has been too long that vendors have relied on performance while forgetting to foster trust, and 2026 will see a change towards transparency and accountability .

Why capital markets prospects struggle to understand Fintech offerings

If you are asking yourself this question, it is time to create an in-depth analysis of your messages. Claims without evidence can easily become red flags in capital markets. Understand your target audience before you begin, use words that resonate, and be clear on what you mean. AI-driven is a good buzzword, but when topics can create unease, don’t leave things to the imagination. Be clear on what you mean, how and where your technology is helping and what level of control clients retain.

Why are capital markets prospects sceptical of technology vendors?

As technology vendors for capital markets become more and more embedded within the wider infrastructure, institutions become more alert to potential risks. Vendors are now creating deep partnerships, but they need to first show their worth and reliability through clear communication and accountability. For capital markets participants, failure is not an option. Vendor companies need to address the potential risks that their technology may pose, and how these risks are managed.

An ambiguous brand message will be perceived as a dangerous investment for capital markets firms. For vendors that wish to succeed, clarifying their value proposition and any external marketing will make the difference. Brand clarity and consistency for Fintechs is not a nice to have any more, it is a business imperative for 2026 .

How to Get the Most Out of Your PR & Marketing Agency Partnership

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:06:50 GMT

How to Get the Most Out of Your PR & Marketing Agency Partnership

When a CEO hires a PR/ Marketing agency, there is a clear underlying expectation which is always the same: “We’re investing in you, so show us results!”. This is valid, but there is a part of the engagement that often goes unsaid: what you provide your PR agency is a big factor in what can be achieved.

Agencies can only work with the information and insights they have access to. At Moonlight IQ, we’ve worked alongside companies of all sizes, early-stage innovators to global firms and all in between. We’ve seen time and time again that the partnerships that deliver the fastest and most meaningful results have one thing in common – firms treat us like a partner, and part of the team, not a third-party service.

When agencies are given access, content and clarity, only then can they build up your branding, produce meaningful and interesting press opportunities and elevate the CEO’s voice in the market. In clear wording: what to expect from your agency and what your agency gets from you, go hand in hand. You can’t expect a baker to make delicious pastries without any flour. And you can’t expect your agency to get you into esteemed publications if you don’t provide any newsworthy insights.

What to expect from a partner agency

An involved agency strategizes, while a passive agency is just about execution. Here is what to expect from an agency like ours:

Strategy first, tactics second

We won’t start pumping out press releases just to check a box. We begin with positioning and messaging. Who are we speaking to? Why should anyone care? What’s the story?

The ability to translate complexity into clarity

Most of our clients solve complicated, technical problems. If your prospects struggle to explain what you do to someone else, we help fix that.

What your agency needs from you

We understand that with so many things on your mind, everything becomes a priority. If you are already making the jump to invest in a professional PR and Marketing team, it is important to set them up with the right tools and continue to support them in order to get your maximum return on investment.

Access

Let your PR and Marketing team speak directly with key people (founders, product leads, sales heads). Their conversations don’t need to be formal, and they can be occasional, once a quarter or when a new update is in the pipeline. These meetings are important to gather timely and relevant insights, directly from the right people.

Context

If you’re planning a big announcement, tell your team early, even if details are still forming. PR that’s informed before something happens is strategic, while PR that finds out afterwards is reactive. Reactive PR usually goes under the radar for the media, as the moment has already passed.

Clarity of priority

PR can create visibility, but without business context, it is difficult to prioritise or plan. Knowing information such as “this next phase is to target buy-side firms’ CTOs in Asia” instead of “we are expanding our client base with this update” helps agencies understand your business goals and do the appropriate research, preparation and messaging in order to reach the correct audience.

Timeliness

When your agency comes to you with an interview request or an article request, you cannot sit on it for 2 weeks and expect the journalist to still be interested. That’s old news! In an industry that is always evolving, being quick to give a quote or approve an article is the difference between a journalist featuring you in their publication and being frustrated by the delayed response.

CEO’s Role

As a busy CEO, you don’t need to approve every sentence. In fact, that may even hinder the process.

You do need to:

Set direction
Empower internal collaboration
Show up when your voice matters

If you’re available for interviews, commentary, and big pieces of thought leadership, your agency can make a big difference in your company’s exposure.

What successful CEOs don’t do:

Treat the agency like a task rabbit
Expect PR to fix unclear messaging
Hold information back and expect creativity to happen in a vacuum
Vanish after kick-off and reappear asking, “Why aren’t we in Bloomberg yet?”

What success looks like

With the right partnership, results can be amplified.

You’ll know it’s working when:

Journalists start coming to you for commentary
Prospects already know who you are before a sales call
Investors reference your thought leadership or interviews

Ready to start seeing the benefits of working with an experienced agency? Contact our experts today.

When should you engage a marketing and PR agency?

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:23:27 GMT

When should you engage a marketing and PR agency?

You may be wondering when it's the best time to engage with an agency, and rightly so. The reality is, there is no one particular "best" time. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve. The business may need help in different areas depending on the stage it is at.

Here are some examples of when you should consider hiring a marketing and PR agency for help:

The business is ready to go live or has just done so: if you do not have your branding in place, which includes look and feel and tone of voice, it is time to find someone who can help you iron out both the big picture and the details. The sooner you have these done, the smoother your brand presentation will feel.
You have been in business for a bit of time, but the sales process hasn't changed: if you are going into rooms where still no one knows about you, it may be time to find an agency that can help you build brand recognition and reputation.
You are growing, but your marketing team of one needs help to maximise results: if your marketing team is very small, they probably need some help to make the most of all channels available. This is where an external agency can help, bringing a playbook into how efforts can be organised and a helping hand for most deliverables.

Although not an exhaustive list, the above is a guide on the different stages at which an agency is an asset. Especially in capital markets, where competition is fierce and creativity can be seen as unprofessional, an experienced agency can help guide you. Having worked with many other clients in your space, they will be able to advise you on the dos and don'ts.

Maximising your budget: How to make your social media more effective

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 14:30:01 GMT

Maximising your budget: How to make your social media more effective

Not every company has a big marketing budget and that isn’t necessarily a problem. We work with businesses that need visibility, credibility, and momentum without burning through their budgets. The trick isn’t spending more, it’s using what you already have in a smarter, more efficient way!

Here’s how we help clients stretch their reach without stretching their budgets.

Use social media with purpose

Most companies feel pressure to constantly post, but posting for the sake of it doesn’t get you very far. There needs to be clear goals set in place for each and every post – whether that’s brand awareness, educating your audience or promoting your newest product features.

LinkedIn Groups:

There are industry groups full of exactly the people you want to reach: investors, clients, partners, and journalists. Instead of sending your communications into the abyss of LinkedIn’s feed, you can join the conversations that are already happening in these specific groups. A useful comment or insight can do far more than another “update” buried on your company page.

Tip: Something to consider when using LinkedIn groups: no one wants to be spammed or constantly peddled with products they may not be interested in (at first). In many of these groups, there are rules put in place where users cannot post to promote or bring awareness to their company / product directly. It is all about providing insightful comments, ideas or industry news that would make other group members want to proactively check out your account.

Let your C-suite do the talking

People engage with people, not companies. A well-positioned leader on LinkedIn can outperform a company page with a bigger budget. That doesn’t mean daily posting or cringey thought leadership…it means:

Sharing quick takes on industry news
Reacting to client, partner, or trade publication content
Framing business updates as leadership stories
Being visible in the right places at the right times.

It builds trust and reach without a big media budget.

Repost, refresh, repeat

You don’t need brand new content for every single post. If something performed well once, you turn it into a new angle, create a visual aspect if it was only text-based, or clip it into something shorter and it can work again.

One good blog, pitch deck, press release or interview can turn into thought leadership content such as:

LinkedIn posts (company + founder profiles)
A short video / carousel post

You don’t need a big budget; you just need to use it well

We’ve helped clients get noticed, attract new business, and land press coverage without huge budgets. When you use what you already have in the right way, smart reuse of content, visible leaders, targeted outreach, and well-timed PR, you can make a small budget go a long way!

If you want help making that happen, that’s exactly what we do.

How Clear Messaging Helps from the Start

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 15:23:09 GMT

How Clear Messaging Helps from the Start

As the founder of a new company, you are already spinning a lot of plates. There is product development, operations, maybe fundraising, and the million little details that come with getting something off the ground. It’s easy to think branding and messaging can wait until later.

But once you have your concept ironed out and you are ready to start conversations with prospects, clear messaging is not just nice to have; it’s essential.

Why messaging matters early

Messaging is the bridge between your idea and the people you want to reach. Without it, you might know exactly what problem you are solving, but your audience won’t. Early on, that disconnect can make every conversation harder than it needs to be.

When your messaging is clear, you:

Explain your business simply. No jargon, no long backstory, just a concise statement that makes sense immediately.
Speak directly to pain points. Instead of listing features, you show that you understand your audience’s problems better than anyone else.
Stand out. In an overcrowded market, being memorable is half the battle. A clear tagline, consistent language, and a recognisable look help you stick in people’s minds.

Think of it as a shortcut

Strong messaging gives you a shortcut to trust. It shows prospects that you’ve done the work to understand them, that you know your value, and that you can deliver. This not only makes your company look polished, but it also makes it easier for others to buy into your vision.

Consider the alternative: if your message is vague or confusing, people will fill in the blanks themselves, often incorrectly. That can cost you opportunities you can’t afford to miss in the early stages.

Branding is more than a logo

Of course, messaging is only one part of your brand. Your logo, website, and visual identity matter too. But these things all work best when they are built on a clear foundation of words. If you know how to explain what you do and why it matters, the rest falls into place much faster.

The buyers’ journey starts with clarity

When someone first hears about your company, they are asking themselves a few quick questions:

What is this?
Why should I care?
How is it different from the other options out there?

Your messaging should answer these before they even need to ask. The clearer and more consistent your answers, the smoother the buyer’s journey becomes.

Start now

Clear messaging early on doesn’t just make your business sound better; it makes it easier to connect with, build trust, and win opportunities. It’s one of the simplest ways to give yourself a head start.

If you’re ready to kickstart your messaging journey, get in contact with us to discuss how we can help!

The Web of Marketing and PR: How it All Works to Get Your Message Across

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:00:26 GMT

The Web of Marketing and PR: How it All Works to Get Your Message Across

As a FinTech founder, you’ve probably felt it before: the pressure to “get your message out there” but not knowing where to start! You may try posting on LinkedIn or posting an announcement / press release on your website. But despite the effort, the impact feels underwhelming and disconnected.

That’s because marketing and PR work as a web, weaving each piece of content, or media coverage, into a greater story that amplifies your brand. When these threads connected, the results are multiplied.

So what are the differences?

Marketing and PR often get lumped together, but they’re not the same thing. Marketing is about reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. This can drive leads, nurture them, and help the sales team close deals.

PR, on the other hand, is about credibility: getting your story told by others, whether that’s journalists, analysts, or influencers, so your brand earns trust rather than just claiming it.

The Threads of the Web

Think of each marketing and PR activity as a thread of the web:

Branding and positioning: these are the core building blocks of your brand story that tie everything together
Thought leadership content: blogs, whitepapers, LinkedIn posts that show you understand the problems your customers face, and that you can provide a solution
Media relations: third-party credibility from journalists and respected trade publications
Digital presence: your website, SEO, and email campaigns get your brand in front of the right audiences
Events and speaking opportunities: the chance to meet prospects and peers in person, while providing your insights to new audiences.

On their own, each thread is fragile. Woven together, they create a strong web that is attention-grabbing and holds it long enough to move someone closer to becoming a customer.

Separately these pieces make sense, but how do they actually work in the field? Here is an example below of a how a bite-sized campaign can help:

You launch a press release about a new product announcement, along with LinkedIn posts leading up to the release, and following the release
A trade publication picks it up
Your C-suite shares the article on LinkedIn, linking to a blog on your site that dives even deeper into the technology
Readers click through to your website and explore your products, and company
Your company attends an industry event, prospects recognise your company name and, finally, reach out to your sales team.

If you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone. That is where experts like us can come in and help you. Contact us today to discuss how to best implement PR and marketing to get your message across to the right audience!

Why an agency with industry expertise is a valuable asset

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:04:04 GMT

Why an agency with industry expertise is a valuable asset

There are many marketing and PR agencies out there doing the same exact thing. But for the FinTech founder, not all of them should be regarded equally. Even if these agencies show incredible results, you really should ask yourself: were these results achieved for companies in a similar space with a similar audience to yours? It is an important question to consider, but why are we asking this?

Firstly, a marketing/PR/communications agency that has been working exclusively in your space will have gained a ton of experience, particularly in your industry and the audience you are trying to target. This means they don’t have to spend hours understanding the most basic technical terms you mention, which saves you time and money. Additionally, they may already have a good idea about your audience’s pain points, needs, and struggles, as they’ve specialised in B2B communications. Comms people who understand you and your company are easily an asset, as they instinctively know how to turn technical jargon into language everyone understands.

Secondly, a company that has worked in the space for many years knows quickly the right people to connect you with to maximise results. They are taking the guesswork out of your communications and putting you in front of the people who can make a difference. They have a clear idea of how your messaging should be developed to stand out in a crowded market and know which publications will listen and amplify what you have to say.

Lastly, on top of their creativity, you can also rely on their expertise. The experience accumulated means they have seen time and time again when something works and when it doesn’t. Your agency has your best interest at heart, and its advice is built on years of experience working with companies in the same space.

We know you understand your products best, but what we bring to the table goes beyond manpower; it is expertise drawn from experience. This is what saves you time, money and headaches, but only if you choose to listen to the experts.

In the end, you wouldn’t take your classic car to be repaired by a specialised electric car mechanic, so why settle for less when it comes to the agency you work with?

Start off on the right foot with the right people. Connect with one of our experts today and see how industry-focused communications can set your company apart!

Increasing Your Presence in the Media: Why Your Voice Matters

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 08:27:03 GMT

Increasing Your Presence in the Media: Why Your Voice Matters

In fintech and capital markets, visibility comes from more than press releases and product updates. It comes from being part of the conversations that shape the industry and providing relevant insights. One of the simplest ways to do this is to have an opinion!

When a regulatory change is announced or market volatility grabs headlines, journalists look for experts who can explain what it means, in layman's terms. Take this as an example: a few months ago, a RegTech start-up CEO shared a quick LinkedIn post breaking down new EU regulations in plain English. Within a week, they were interviewed and quoted in a trade publication. All it took was a timely, informed comment.

The key is not to talk about everything, but to choose moments that matter to your audience and play to your expertise. If you’ve read any of our blogs before, we constantly mention the quality of content vs quantity. If your strength is commodities, focus on developments there. If you know the trading technology space, give your take on latency trends or upcoming exchange changes. Share a point of view, back it up with facts or examples, and keep it accessible and easy to read.

The result of speaking up is more than just quotes in the press. You build credibility, strengthen your reputation, and give potential clients and partners a reason to remember you. Many times, once a journalist knows our clients provide insightful comments, they tend to reach out on their own for our clients to provide quotes.

If you want your expertise to reach the right audience, start by contributing to the conversations already happening. The media and the market reward those who can offer clarity when it is needed most.

At Moonlight IQ, we help fintech and capital markets leaders turn their insight into lasting visibility. Get in touch to find out how we can help you join, and lead, the conversation.

What Marketing and PR Agencies Can Do That DIY Efforts Can't

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 16:09:20 GMT

What Marketing and PR Agencies Can Do That DIY Efforts Can't

DIY-ing your PR and marketing efforts may be tempting, but you will not get the same results as with an agency. Just like your prospects wouldn’t get the same result by piecing together a DIY version of your product, the same goes for your communications; it takes the right tools and expertise to really work.

We have the expertise

PR and marketing agencies have qualities which can only be gained through years of working in the space: experience, contacts, knowledge, and a bird’s-eye view. As specialists, we can do everything a DIY effort tries to, but faster and more efficiently, as we’ve spent years focusing on PR and marketing in your space. With our resources, we can, of course, go above and beyond a DIY effort to achieve even better results.

We know how to engage the media

For example, knowing the industry means knowing what news would be attractive to journalists and how to best angle the story. We also have experience in knowing which journalist or publication is most relevant for the news, increasing the likelihood of them running the story. We have also seen numerous companies in the space go through trial and error with their marketing efforts, so we understand what can really make a difference and what hinders PR and Marketing efforts. We understand the questions a piece of content must answer to be truly valuable, and we can recognise immediately when there is too much jargon for a piece to cut through the noise.

We have the right strategy

Not only that, but experience means having developed a comprehensive playbook. A good agency knows how to make the most out of every piece of content and exactly what steps to take after a rebrand, without spending weeks figuring it out. Just as you know your product like the back of your hand and know exactly what to do when new demands arise, so do agencies.

We make a true difference

It is common for more creative industries to be seen as a nice-to-have rather than a necessity. Take design, for example. If you create your own logo and then ask a professional graphic designer to create one, the difference between the two will be obvious. It’s the same with PR and marketing. Sure, you can do it yourself and you might even see some results, but without a team of specialists on hand to advise you, it will take more time, more effort, and let’s face it, who really has that to spare?

Ready to do PR and Marketing the right way? Reach out to our team today.

Marketing and PR: What is the difference and why you probably need both

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:37:30 GMT

Marketing and PR: What is the difference and why you probably need both

We get this question a lot: “What’s the difference between marketing and PR?”
It’s a fair one, especially in fintech, where both activities often overlap and work toward similar goals.

At a high level, marketing and PR are two sides of the same coin. They both help you get seen, heard, and taken seriously. But they do it in different ways.

Marketing is built to drive action

Marketing is about getting the right message to the right people at the right time, and prompting them to do something.

It includes things like content creation, such as social media posts, blogs for your website, digital ads, emails, and SEO.

It’s measurable, targeted, and often focused on lead generation and conversion. In short, it’s how you get your product in front of the people who might buy it.

PR is built to build trust

PR, on the other hand, is about shaping how people think and feel about your company. What they associate it with and its reputation. It’s about credibility and getting your voice into industry conversations, landing coverage in respected publications and positioning your team as experts.

PR doesn’t always have an immediate call to action, but its impact is powerful. When done well, it makes your audience more likely to trust you when your marketing does reach them.

They work best together

The truth is that most fintech companies need both to succeed. You can have the smartest campaign in the world, but if no one’s ever heard of you, or you’re missing that external credibility, it’s harder to convert interest into action.

Likewise, strong PR without any marketing support can fall flat. You might get the attention, but what’s the next step for someone who’s curious about your solution?

When marketing and PR are aligned, you create a loop:

PR gets you into the right conversations
Marketing gives people a clear path to follow
Together, they build momentum

So, do you need both?

If you’re trying to grow awareness, build trust, and bring in business, then yes, you probably do.

The good news? You don’t need to double your budget. You just need a strategy that connects the dots.

Ready to get started? Speak to one of our experts today!

A Founder’s Step-by-step Guide to Maximise Results from Agencies

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:25:35 GMT

A Founder’s Step-by-step Guide to Maximise Results from Agencies

If you are still thinking of hiring an agency to help with your marketing and PR, or you have just signed with one, you may be wondering: how do I maximise my investment? In part three of our series designed for founders navigating how to best engage with PR and Marketing experts, we’ll show you how to work with an agency in a way that actually delivers and how to know when things are going off track.

Missed parts one and two of our series? Check them out here:

Part one: Five key indicators that you need marketing and PR for your company

Part two: Founders: How Do You Pick a Marketing Agency That Gets Your Vision

Share your goals and expectations

You surely have internal business goals, either short- or long-term. The very first thing you should do is paint a picture of what these are for your agency. Let them know what your vision for the future is and where your company should be in one year. It is important to be honest at this stage. Next, set expectations about how much time you can dedicate to communications activity and what your view of success is in the partnership.

Immerse your agency in your company

Send all available material to the agency you are working with. They need to know as much information about your positioning, your company values, your product, etc., as possible. Only once informed, they will be able to provide valuable insights and recommendations. Encourage them to ask questions about your business and to have briefing calls with your staff. We find that the most important information about a business can be said in passing during these briefing calls! Offering all these materials from the jump creates a solid foundation for your agency.

Listen

Yes, you indeed know your business better than an external partner. But don’t forget that the agency you hired has/had other clients in your space, even some former competitors. This gives them an understanding of what has worked and what hasn’t. This valuable industry knowledge can be a great asset to you. Rely on their experience and expertise on what works and what doesn’t. You may feel that an article is not technical enough, but your agency understands your audience and the journalists who help you get to them.

Be willing to try

Creativity doesn’t live in a place of comfort. If you want your agency to be creative, allow them, even encourage them, to show you the crazy ideas. Then be willing to experiment with ideas you are most comfortable with. Don’t expect great results immediately, especially if you are trying something new. Try, learn from results, refine, then try again!

Be open and honest

Be honest with your agency. If something is not as you expected, try to understand why by talking to them. See them as a partner in the true sense of the word and treat them respectfully and speak to them candidly. This will help you both understand if things need to change, if you are working in the most efficient way possible or if there is still room for improvement. Honest feedback from both parties is important in trying to make processes better.

Getting the most out of your agency is about building a solid relationship grounded in trust, transparency and shared goals. It does not mean clocking in additional hours, to micromanage a new team. When you invest time in aligning your agency with your vision from the start and remain open to creativity and feedback, the results will follow.

Looking for more guidance? Reach out to our experts today to get started

Your product isn’t seeing as much traction anymore. What now?

Fri, 04 Jul 2025 14:48:31 GMT

Your product isn’t seeing as much traction anymore. What now?

You’ve gotten to that dreaded stage, when a product that once had amazing traction is starting to feel a bit slow, like its growth has plateaued. Perhaps the market has shifted. Maybe prospective buyers aren’t converting like they used to. Or maybe your company has evolved, but your messaging hasn’t kept up.

Whatever the reason for stagnation, this is often a sign that it is time to pivot. Not your product necessarily, but how you’re positioning and presenting it to the market. Here is how we recommend approaching it, based on what we’ve seen in our decades-long experience across the fintech space:

1. Start by listening to your potential buyers

Before making any big changes, take a step back and listen to your clients. What are your prospects hesitating on? What do your sales and client success team keep hearing in those introductory calls? Most times, the issue isn’t the product, but how people understand and view it. When your messaging is so focused on the features of your technology, this clouds the benefits it can provide for users. Look for patterns in feedback; if there is a consistent chokepoint in the sales process, these valuable insights are important factors to consider when the time comes to reposition.

2. Refocus the story

Once you have a clear understanding of where the disconnect is, you can sharpen the narrative. Is your messaging still aligned with what your ideal customer cares about currently? If you’ve been in business for a while, the market may have changed and could have moved on from what your organisation originally set out to solve.

Your story and messaging should feel current, relevant and clear. Don’t be afraid to rethink your language or change the way you describe your value. In fintech, companies often default to technical-heavy, corporate speak – but that is not what the current market is looking for. Simplicity often wins.

3. Re-evaluate your audience

Sometimes, a pivot doesn’t need to only focus on how you present your company and product, you can also consider changing who you’re speaking to. Maybe your product resonates more with mid-size brokers than the tier-ones you originally had targeted

Realigning your go-to market approach to fit where the demand actually is can make a huge difference. That includes everything from content and PR to sales enablement and digital targeting.

A strategic pivot is marketing well done.

This is where we can help. A smart pivot doesn’t mean tearing everything down and starting fresh. You can successfully pivot by taking a beat, reframing what already works and reintroducing your product in a way that makes sense, to the correct audience.

Whether it’s evolving your messaging, launching a repositioning campaign or building through leadership that speaks to your new audience, we can help you shape your story and grab the market’s attention again.

Ready to get started? Speak to one of our experts today!

Founders: How do You Pick a Marketing Agency That Gets Your Vision?

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 13:38:14 GMT

Founders: How Do You Pick a Marketing Agency That Gets Your Vision

As a founder, you might find yourself at the point where you feel an extra boost from marketing and PR is in order to continue growing your company. But where do you begin, what should you expect, and are there ways to work with agencies more efficiently to reach your marketing and PR goals? Luckily, after years of working with numerous clients across the industry, we can help guide you on the best practices to implement when searching for your dream agency.

Firstly, think of the different elements you are struggling with. Are you only looking for someone to help with public relations? Perhaps you are at the stage of your business where you would like to update your brand’s messaging and persona. In turn, a general redesign may be needed, which will also need to be reflected in your website’s look and feel. This means a mixture of PR, marketing and website design, with PR and marketing working hand-in-hand to shape your brand. Once you have evaluated what your company needs and recognise the mix of services and consultancy you are looking for, you can start researching companies that align with your requirements.

Next, if your company is in a niche market, such as FinTech or commodities, consider researching agencies that specialise in your industry, in addition to offering the services you need. If they already understand your market and the audience you are catering to, you will have already won half the battle. Consider if geography is an important criterion in choosing your agency. Most agencies today work globally, but time zones may be an important factor for you. If it is not, you will have a bigger pool of agencies to choose from.

By this step, you should have a shortlist of agencies and consultancies you believe will be able to help you by providing the services and expertise you need. At this point, you can begin contacting them and requesting a short introductory call to discuss your needs and to better understand what they can provide. To get the most accurate answers and relevant proposals from them, below are some things you should consider preparing before your intro call:

The main problems you are hoping they can help you solve
Your main goals, both short and long-term
The services you think you might need
Your ideal engagement style with the company (e.g. how many hours you want to allocate to marketing and PR efforts, etc.)

Any agencies you engage with should be able to recommend the best mix of services to effectively support your goals and address your challenges.

You’ve had your calls, and you’re stuck between a few agencies – how do you choose the right option? As the agencies may have similar proposals, price is always a factor to consider when making this decision, but you should also focus on the expertise they provide in your market and for your company’s development stage.

A golden rule to follow in this process is to always be honest. Don’t be afraid to tell the agencies you are talking to if you don’t like something in a proposal, if you think something should change, or if you need another chat before making up your mind. Most of them will respond positively to this and be happy to help.

Some other things you should ask before choosing an agency from your top picks:

How long does onboarding take and what does it consist of?
Do they have a particular process when working with a new company? What is it?
Are they flexible with month-by-month deliverables?

Some of these tips should help you find a company that can genuinely help you and tailor its services to your needs. And if you liked this, our next blog in this series will explore how to make the most of your agency.

Ready to take the next step in your PR and marketing? Contact us to have a short intro call.

Best Practices for B2B Fintech Firms Using Socials

Fri, 30 May 2025 09:49:08 GMT

Best Practices for B2B Fintech Firms Using Socials

In fintech, markets are crowded, sales cycles are long, and if you’re not visible, you’re invisible, no matter how innovative your technology is.

For B2B founders, social media might not feel like a natural fit. It’s easy to think it’s for B2C brands with shiny ads and influencer marketing. But in reality, platforms like LinkedIn and niche forums are where awareness is built, credibility is earned, and partnerships begin!

1. Start With Who You're Trying to Reach

Your audience isn’t everyone under the sun. It’s people in specific roles, CTOs, operations leads, heads of trading, the ‘decision makers’. They spend time on very specific platforms. LinkedIn is a given, but also think about places like BlueSky or more technical fintech subreddits and forums.

The key is simple: show up where your buyers are already learning and engaging. Comment on what they’re talking about. Be helpful, not salesy!

2. Thought Leadership > Marketing Speak

Nobody wants another “disruptive” post that says nothing. Instead, share what you’re seeing in the market. Our Director, John Norris, always says, “content is king” and that goes for any piece of content you choose to put out for your audience.

Post about regulation changes, industry updates, client success stories, or even a smart take on something everyone’s talking about.

Bonus: posts from founders and product leads usually get better engagement than branded company updates. People want to hear from people, not anonymous companies.

3. Talk About What’s Happening — Right Now

Social media is a timely place, where news becomes old in an instant. Whether it’s a new regtech development, latency innovation, or macro news shaking up the markets, join in on the conversation with your two cents.

Reacting in real time (even with just a short post) builds relevance. During conferences, launches, or industry events, it’s a great way to be part of the moment, even if you’re not in the room.

4. Your Product Has a Story — Show It

You don’t need a full ad campaign. A 30-second product demo, a “how it works” sketch, or even a clean chart from your latest whitepaper can go far.

Make it useful, make it clear, and don’t worry about being overly polished.

Social media isn’t about going viral. For B2B fintech firms, it’s about showing up consistently, staying relevant, and giving people a reason to remember you.

Done right, it won’t just build awareness, it can keep your company top of mind for your potential next client. Partnerships, pilots, press coverage. It all starts with being part of the conversation.

Five key indicators that you need marketing and PR for your company

Thu, 15 May 2025 08:39:41 GMT

Five key indicators that you need marketing and PR for your company

As a founder, you often find yourself juggling multiple tasks, from building your product, managing your team, to navigating fundraising, and delivering for customers. During all this, marketing and PR often fall to the bottom of your to-do list. It is easy to assume you’ll tackle visibility once the product is “perfect,” the sales pipeline is full, or your next big milestone is reached.

But the truth is, no matter how innovative your offering is, people can’t engage with what they don’t know or don’t understand. Many founders wait too long to invest in marketing and PR, thinking it’s something to consider after scaling begins. In reality, visibility and narrative-building are what help drive growth in the first place.

So, how do you know when it’s time to turn your attention to marketing and PR?

Below are five signs that indicate your company is ready for a strategic visibility push. If any of these sound familiar, it may be time to rethink your approach and prioritise your brand presence.

Your message isn’t landing

To begin with, you may want to check if your messaging is resonating with your audience. Do they understand your offering? And is this the best possible way to describe your company? If you are seeing that your sales cycle is quite long, it may be time to revisit your messages.

If your prospects are left questioning what you actually do, and leads seem confused by your message, now is the time to clarify it. Start-ups, especially in the FinTech space, come and go, but a solid messaging that focuses on your differentiators and tells the correct story can be a powerful tool in seeing the success and longevity of your company. This will also give you the essential tools to know how to position your brand in a crowded market and supercharge PR storytelling.

The market doesn’t know you

If you are not part of the conversation, you are leaving leads on the table. You may often see your competitors mentioned in the press or brought up in industry conversations. If you are not pushing to be part of these, letting your competitors dominate the space unchallenged can be a risk to your business. They are building brand reputation and trust, while you are incessantly knocking on doors and trying to convince people each time that they can trust you.

PR and marketing can help you claim space in your industry and build authority. How, you ask? Both will help you meet your target audience where they already are. PR will help put your name in publications that they already read and show that you and your business are credible. Marketing will help keep your name in prospects’ minds along the buying decision journey and help you gain their trust.

You are relying too heavily on founder-led sales

At the beginning, it makes perfect sense that you, the founder, are leading most of the sales conversations. You know the product better than anyone and your passion is part of what gets deals closed. But if growth stalls when you are not in the room, that is a red flag.

When every opportunity depends on your time and energy, growth becomes bottlenecked. You can’t scale a business if you have to personally close every deal.

This is where marketing and PR become critical, not just as “support” functions, but as force multipliers. A strong marketing strategy educates your audience, nurtures leads and warms up prospects before they ever speak to sales. PR builds credibility and trust in your absence, making it easier for your team, or even your website, to sell effectively.

Ask yourself:

Can someone who’s never met you explain your value?
Are new leads coming in without direct outreach?
Do prospects already know about you before the first call?

If the answer is “no” or “not yet,” then it is time to build visibility and credibility beyond yourself. That’s what marketing and PR are designed to do.

You have a new launch

Your product is great, and you expect it to be an important piece of the puzzle in the market. In reality, regardless of how unique and beneficial your product may be, visibility is not a given. This also applies to launching funding rounds or partnerships. Cutting through the noise and getting in front of your audience is a must.

Relying on organic reach through social media, for example, is great, but it will all be dependent on your audience size. Instead, you should rely on strategic marketing and PR to help you amplify your message. Having a predetermined plan around content and a press push can have a more significant impact. It will ensure your launch is positioned in front of the correct audience and outside of a bubble that already engages with your company.

You’re attracting the wrong audience (or none at all)

A clear sign that your message isn’t reaching the right people is attracting unqualified leads, having poor engagement on your various channels, and not seeing any interest from the media. Marketing plays a critical role in defining and reaching your ideal audience. It helps you clarify not just what you say, but who you’re saying it to. When done right, marketing aligns your content, campaigns, and channels with the people who are most likely to buy, invest, or advocate for your brand.

PR complements this by connecting your story to the right audience through industry media, strategic partners, and influential voices that can open doors. If you are not attracting the attention your company deserves, it is not a sign to stay quiet. It’s a cue to get intentional about your visibility.

Marketing and PR as growth tools, not a luxury

Marketing and PR are often treated as “nice-to-haves” for later, but they are the infrastructure that supports growth. They help you build trust, generate demand, shorten sales cycles, and attract the right people to your business.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to invest in visibility, you might end up waiting forever. The earlier you build your brand and own your narrative, the more control you have over your growth trajectory.

This blog is the first in a series built specifically for founders on how to best engage with PR and Marketing. If this resonated with you, subscribe to stay ahead, or reach out for a free visibility audit by our team of experts. We’ll help you figure out where you are and where to go next.

Breaking Through the Noise: How Fintech B2B Brands Can Win with Smart Marketing & PR

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:32:10 GMT

Breaking Through the Noise: How Fintech B2B Brands Can Win with Smart Marketing & PR

How can I stand out in such a crowded industry? With new platforms, solutions, and startups launching every week, this question may be on your mind often, as the market is becoming more and more saturated with companies promising faster, smarter, more innovative tech. But here’s the problem: when everyone says the same thing, no one gets heard.

If you’re a fintech business, you’re not just competing on technologically advanced products, you’re competing on clarity, trust, and relevance. And that’s where smart marketing and PR come in.

Step One: Define and Own Your Message

Before you can be seen, you first need to be understood. Fintech buyer journeys aren’t always straightforward, they often involve multiple decision-makers, long timelines, and high stakes. That’s why a strong, consistent message is key.

Start by clearly positioning yourself as a specialist, not a jack-of-all-trades. Buyers don’t want vague claims; they want specific solutions to real problems. Focus your messaging around the pain points your platform solves, not just its features. We cover this communication strategy more in our blog on feature vs. solution-focused marketing .

Next, craft a unique value proposition (UVP) that speaks to your ideal client. What do you offer that others don’t? Why should they care? If your UVP can’t be summed up in a single, compelling sentence, it’s time to revisit it.

Step Two: Build Real Thought Leadership

Being visible isn’t enough. You need to be credible. Thought leadership helps fintech companies do just that!

Publish opinion pieces or practical how-to articles on LinkedIn. Get your executives featured on podcasts, panels, or fintech events. Join industry webinars and actively contribute to conversations on emerging trends.

Don’t underestimate the power of social media, especially LinkedIn. Keep your company page active and help your C-suite leaders grow their own presence. When potential clients see your team sharing ideas and engaging with the industry, it builds trust.

Also, make your insights matter. Use your data to publish reports or whitepapers that address common industry challenges. These assets don’t just show you understand the market, they prove it.

Step Three: Master the Art of Storytelling

There can be a lot of technical jargon when it comes to fintech. APIs, latency, tokenisation... it can be a lot to decipher as a reader. But when you translate complex ideas into clear, easy-to-understand stories, you create content people actually want to read.

Start by simplifying your message. Use everyday language to explain what you do and why it matters. Need help with this one? Check out our guide to turning fintech jargon into interesting stories .

Now that you have narrative stories down pat, you can back them up with real-life examples to drive your points home. Case studies and customer success stories are powerful because they show, not just tell.

And when you have company news to share, think like a journalist. What makes your update relevant to the wider market? How does it tie into a trend or challenge others are facing? That’s the angle the media, and your audience, care about.

Ready to take your brand to the next level? Reach out to one of our specialists today to speak about how a tailored PR/Marketing strategy can help you break through the crowded industry!

Why PR and Marketing Work Better Together for Your Company

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 10:22:38 GMT

Why PR and Marketing Work Better Together for Your Company

In a highly technical industry such as fintech, messaging can quickly become confusing, inconsistent and messy, leading to missed opportunities, and a diluted brand presence. This is why it is important for your PR and marketing to work alongside each other for the best possible outcome. By working together, these two tactics can create a powerful, unified brand experience that drives company awareness, credibility, and customer trust.

Why PR and Marketing Should Work Hand in Hand

PR and marketing have different strengths, but they serve the same ultimate goal, which is to positively shape how your brand is perceived by peers, clients and the greater market.

Marketing builds awareness and drives engagement.
PR strengthens credibility and trust.

When these two efforts aren’t aligned, messaging can become inconsistent, and important opportunities to amplify brand impact can slip through the cracks. But when collaboration happens, the results are far more effective. When PR and marketing work hand-in-hand, they deliver a cohesive, well-positioned brand story across every customer touchpoint. The two must go together for maximum impact!

How to Create a Solid Approach

A strong PR and marketing partnership means supporting each other’s efforts rather than working in parallel. Here’s how:

Consistent messaging across all channels: From press releases to promotional campaigns, everything should reinforce the same brand identity, style and values
Leveraging PR wins in marketing: Media coverage should be leveraged across social media, email marketing, and thought leadership pieces. It should not be a stand-alone piece of content.

Practical Strategies to Bring PR and Marketing Together

If your PR and marketing isn’t aligned yet, here’s where to start:

Develop a shared content and campaign calendar: Ensure PR and marketing efforts are synchronised, supporting the same goals. Both efforts should be focusing on similar themes under an umbrella campaign to ensure messaging doesn’t get confusing or spread too thinly which can dilute the message
Repurpose media coverage: Turn press mentions into social media content, newsletters, and blog posts to extend the impact
Use data to refine messaging: PR can leverage marketing analytics to better understand audience engagement, while marketing can use PR insights to craft compelling and narrative focused campaigns
Plan around industry events and product launches: Ensure both efforts are working together on major announcements for maximum reach and consistent messaging outputs.

The Value of Working with PR & Marketing Experts

Bringing PR and marketing together can be a tough challenge and require many resources and ample time. Partnering with an agency can help bridge the gap and ensure your brand’s messaging is clear, aligned, and impactful – while allowing your team to focus on core operations. To get the most value out of your partnership, it is important to clearly communicate your company goals and gain a mutual trust with your agency. Your agency will shape their strategy around your business goals to deliver better results; trust their expertise, they know what works and how to make your brand stand out! For more best practices to implement when working with an agency, read our blog here: https://www.moonlightiq.com/why-external-perspectives-matter-the-value-of-hiring-a-marketing-pr-agency

By working with experienced PR and marketing specialists, you can:

Clarify and refine your brand message so it resonates with your target audience
Ensure consistency across all touchpoints – from PR and social media to your website and marketing materials
Develop well-planned strategies backed by market insights
Get expert support for campaigns, content, and execution – ensuring everything is well-coordinated and effective.

Integrating PR and marketing can efficiently convey your message and optimise its reach. By creating a seamless brand experience comprising marketing and branding, you can build trust, maximise your company’s media exposure, and ultimately convert brand awareness into real business growth.

Want to refine your messaging, boost visibility, and make a bigger impact? Reach out to one of our experts today!

Does your C-suite need a marketing boost?

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 13:00:01 GMT

Does your C-suite need a marketing boost?

It should come as no surprise that thought leadership has become paramount in recent years. Most surveys conducted in the B2B space show that decision-makers are more likely to engage with a company that creates valuable thought leadership content. In the crowded FinTech market, where standing out is a struggle, what better way to start than by positioning C-suite executives as thought leaders? This marketing approach will help bring a personal touch to your brand while building trust and driving engagement.

Why C-Suite Branding Matters

Research has shown that a CEO’s and a brand’s reputation are intrinsically linked. If this is so, then CEOs have an untapped resource at their fingertips – their own profile. By stepping into the spotlight, executives can help provide a relatable, familiar face and voice for the company, humanising the brand.

CEOs who are seen as trusted sources of industry insight may simplify prospects’ decision-making process. Strong executive leadership doesn’t just inspire confidence, but it can greatly help convert businesses into clients by adding trust and a sense of familiarity to the brand. To put it simply, Steve Jobs was always the champion of his brand, Apple, bringing its story alive through his presence.

Now we live in a world dominated by the online sphere, meaning executives have an added resource at their disposal to reach an even wider audience. In addition to traditional Marketing and PR efforts, social media is taking a centre stage in many MarComms strategies. LinkedIn is the most popular platform for B2B businesses and can be leveraged to generate organic growth. The same goes for media coverage and engagement - with news readily available online 24/7, geography is no longer a constraint. A CEO appearing in the media brings attention to the company as a whole and can be a perfect vehicle to boost your message, company values and future plans.

Aligning Leadership with Strategy

From a marketing and PR perspective, aligning executive content strategy with overall company goals is imperative. When starting this journey, jot down the most important topics you aim to address. These should be aligned with the company’s evergreen messages as well as with market trends that your brand would like to talk about. Then, consider what your company’s goals are for the next year and how you can best leverage the C-suite’s profiles to amplify those messages.

Seeing a CEO actively advocate for the brand will also set an example for employees to do the same, strengthening external visibility while also cultivating a positive internal company culture. More spokespeople can be identified, and marketing teams can help ensure message alignment across the organisation. Perhaps while the company’s CEO focuses on market perspectives and the bigger picture, the Chief Product Officer can focus on topics directly related to the product roadmap.

Media: Showcasing Expertise Through Interviews

Earned media is an asset all brands should leverage, if possible. It helps the company gain credibility and visibility, as well as public traction. By consistently having the brand executive appear in the media discussing timely issues as a subject matter expert, your target audience will increasingly be more aware of the brand and see you as an authority.

If you are wondering how to target the right platforms, research will be your best friend. Your research can help you identify which outlets are generally read by your audience and which topics are most important for each publication. To secure interviews, focus on building relationships with the right journalists. Do your research before you target a journalist and make sure they are interested in the topic you are reaching out with.

For more best practices of how to engage with the media, see our previous blog here .

LinkedIn: The Digital Stage for Thought Leadership

LinkedIn profiles, like any other asset your brand leverages, need to have a consistent look and feel. This means ensuring that the C-suite’s profiles have the following:

Same style, high-quality profile photos
The same cover photo with brand logo
Bios that are consistent in style and format.

Posting consistently is also very important to have ongoing visibility and interactions with your audience. Consider mixing different types of content, from thought pieces to short company updates and infographics. Always think of what you can post that will benefit the reader.

To continue building trust, make sure you are part of the conversation. Respond to comments and participate in discussions to boost visibility. It is also important for you to repost and comment on your company’s business profile to drive engagement to that page.

Directly engage with key stakeholders and build meaningful connections based on shared interests related to relevant market topics. Joining LinkedIn groups in relevant categories is also a great way to connect with audiences and showcase expertise.

For more tips, tricks, and key points to avoid for CEO engagement on LinkedIn, read our previous blog here .

Measuring Impact: Proving the ROI of Executive Branding

Before embarking on this journey, set some key metrics you want to follow to define success. When first building thought leadership profiles, it is best to set an initial benchmark to track social media growth, engagement and media mentions over time. It is important to understand how lead generation and brand recognition metrics are interlinked with CEO thought leadership:

Track the increase in website visits and gated content downloads after executive-led content is published
Monitor lead attribution from blog posts, LinkedIn articles, or PR mentions featuring the CEO
Analyse engagement rates on thought leadership posts (high engagement often correlates with audience trust and potential leads)
Compare sales cycle length and conversion rates for leads who have interacted with CEO content vs. those who haven’t.

Thought leadership is a valuable tool for any brand. It can help build brand differentiation, especially in overcrowded industries such as FinTech. With a strong thought leadership strategy as the basis, C-suite executives can become trusted leaders of their market.

Have you considered developing your own strategy? We can help – get in touch with an expert today.

Meeting Rooms to Homepages – How CEOs Can Use LinkedIn for B2B Brand Growth

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 13:10:19 GMT

Meeting Rooms to Homepages – How CEOs Can Use LinkedIn for B2B Brand Growth

Social media is no longer just for personal connections. It has become an important part of B2B marketing. And in the corporate world, LinkedIn stands out as the go-to platform for building professional relationships, sharing insights, and establishing credibility.

For CEOs, LinkedIn isn’t just another social media channel, but a direct line to investors, clients, partners, and talent. A well-managed LinkedIn presence allows fintech leaders to humanise their company’s brand, shape industry conversations, and build trust in ways traditional marketing simply can’t match!

A Face to the Brand

People trust people more than logos and flashy branding. A CEO who is present , relatable, and authentic on LinkedIn naturally strengthens a company’s reputation. Instead of faceless corporate messaging, leaders can use their own voice to share industry perspectives, company milestones, and personal insights that resonate with their audience.

This shift from bland corporate-speak to colourful personal storytelling allows CEOs to:

Build credibility by sharing expertise and insights
Enhance trust through transparency and openness
Humanize the company by giving it a relatable voice.

When done right, LinkedIn becomes more than a social media platform, it becomes a strategic tool for leadership positioning.

How LinkedIn Drives Business Growth for CEOs

For fintech firms, LinkedIn is where key decision-makers are already having conversations. A CEO’s presence and involvement are important for the company to proactively stay ahead in an evolving market. Below are some main forms of engagements CEOs can adopt while scrolling through LinkedIn timelines:

Thought Leadership & Influence : posting insights on timely and relevant market trends can position you as an industry authority
Stronger Client & Investor Relationships : CEOs can engage with customers, partners, and stakeholders directly, building trust and long-term relationships. Reposting a client’s event announcement or ‘liking’ a partner’s post about their latest offerings shows you are actively involved in the industry
Network Expansion : leveraging LinkedIn’s algorithm allows fintech leaders to extend their reach to the right audience. Always continue connecting to new relevant profiles you may stumble upon, someone in their network may end up being your next client!

How CEOs Can Use LinkedIn Effectively

Not all content performs well on LinkedIn. You need to be strategic in what you post and how you engage. Here’s what works:

Thought leadership posts : share perspectives on industry trends, innovations, and challenges
Company updates : milestones, leadership changes, and strategic shifts should come from you directly, as well as company profiles
Engagement with stakeholders : commenting on key discussions, supporting employees’ posts, and responding to client feedback fosters a two-way dialogue
Journalist engagement : a CEO’s LinkedIn profile can be a valuable tool for media visibility and industry coverage.

Best Practices for CEOs on LinkedIn

A CEO’s LinkedIn should be an extension of their leadership style, authentic, consistent and aligned with company goals. Here are some best practices you should follow:

Be authentic and personable: people engage with real-life stories, not sales pitches
Post consistently, but prioritise quality : regular insights build engagement, but empty posts dilute credibility and your overall message
Balance personal and corporate content : support your team and company culture while maintaining your unique voice
Use a mix of content formats : short-form posts, articles, videos, and behind-the-scenes glimpses create variety and engagement.

What to Avoid

Along with the best practices to focus on, come certain things to avoid when engaging on LinkedIn. Below are some main points to avoid:

Overly promotional content : LinkedIn isn’t an advertising board. Genuine insights resonate more than marketing speak
Only posting corporate announcements : Sales talk doesn’t spark much engagement
Controversial or polarising takes : a CEO’s LinkedIn is tied to the company, so professional boundaries matter
Outdated profiles : keep milestones, job titles, and branding fresh to maintain an up-to-date profile.

Measuring Success

LinkedIn isn’t just about vanity metrics, the available analytics can represent your impact on business. CEOs should regularly track:

Engagement rates : comments and shares indicate real interest
Network growth : expanding connections with key decision-makers
Lead generation : turning LinkedIn interactions into business opportunities.

For fintech CEOs, LinkedIn is more than a social platform. It is a business tool for driving visibility, credibility, and relationships, with many different ways of engagement.

Want to maximize your LinkedIn presence and take your fintech brand to the next level? Moonlight IQ can help! Contact us today to learn more!

Trust and Transparency - The Essential Branding Tool

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:39:26 GMT

Trust and Transparency - The Essential Branding Tool

What makes you trust a company? Is it their promise to you as a client, their proven results? There are many different ways to focus your branding around trust and openness- and for B2B companies, this is an integral part of your brand identity.

Whether you’re selling to banks, investment firms, or enterprises, large and small, they need to know you’re reliable and trustworthy before they even consider your products as a solution for their operations. In an industry that deals with risk, security, and regulations as their bread and butter, companies that prioritise trust and transparency in their branding and communication are the ones that stand out and remain on top.

Why Trust Matters

B2B fintech buyers don’t make impulse decisions nor do they take unnecessary risks. They go through rigorous due diligence before committing to a solution. With high costs and the added complexities of integrating a new solution into their tech stack, they need to have confidence that your product will deliver results.

Many fintech companies offer similar products but trust and transparency set the leaders apart. A reputation for honesty, clear communication, and excellent customer care can make all the difference.

The Challenges of Building Trust

Building trust in a competitive industry may seem like a daunting task. Traditional, established financial firms and banks can naturally be very cautious about new technology. They’ve seen innovations come and go, and they won’t take risks without clear evidence of value and trust in a product. That being said, solutions for financial institutions can be highly technical. If potential clients don’t fully grasp how your product works for them or its benefits, they won’t buy in. Clear communication that is free from jargon and ‘marketing speak’ is important.

In many cases the most powerful tool for marketing is your expertise, so focusing on your proven track record is a great way to build solid trust.

How to Build Trust

Despite the challenges, there are ways you can present your company as a trusted partner for clients. This can be done by being honest and setting realistic expectations about what it means to work with you and your products. Being transparent about what clients can (and can’t) expect and delivering on your promises will help build long-term relationships.

Another way to continue solidifying your reputation as a trustworthy brand is to actively engage with the industry and prominent market figures. You can do so by:

Hosting webinars and participating in panel discussions
Attending, sponsoring, or hosting industry events to reinforce credibility and network with key players.

Unlike B2C brands that can rely on public reviews, B2B fintech companies often have confidentiality agreements. This means you need to find alternative ways to prove your credibility, such as:

Sharing anonymised case studies
Highlighting industry awards and partnerships you’ve won
Publishing expert insights in reputable publications; this may include providing comments, submitting contributed articles or having quotes published following an interview
Using social media, such as LinkedIn, to showcase achievements and thought leadership.

Making Trust Part of Your Brand

Simplify Your Messaging and Humanise Your Brand
Avoid technical jargon and make complex solutions easy to understand. Clients need clear, concise explanations that highlight your value. For more on how to communicate with your audience through carefully crafted stories, check our blog here: Beyond Logos – How to Engage B2B Audiences Through Narrative .

In addition to tailoring your messaging, below are some more suggestions that can help put a ‘face’ to your company:

Strengthen your "About Us" section with real stories, detailed and personable C-suite profiles and photos, as well as team insights
Encourage leadership to be active on social media and engage in industry discussions.

Foster Open Communication

Cultivate an environment of trust with your audience by having readily-available resources to address questions and possible objections. There are several pieces of content you can use to address this:

Create and continually update the FAQ and Q&A section on your website to answer common concerns
Issue a regular newsletter with announcements of updates and new products.

Use Real Data and Results – Focus on Your Specialties

Ditch vague marketing claims—back up your messaging with real-world results, case studies, and measurable outcomes that can prove your technology is the solution clients need to succeed.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, trust and reputation are what may help a client choose to partner with you over a competitor. In the fintech space, decisions are high-stakes and clients don’t take risks lightly. Therefore, trust and transparency can make or break a deal. Focusing on clear communication, real results, and a genuine commitment to your customers is what can make your company stand out among the fierce competition in an analytical and at times very cautious industry.

Want to build trust with your clients?
Get in touch with one of our experts today and let’s start the conversation

The Broker Club partners with Global Agency Moonlight IQ

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:46:04 GMT

The Broker Club partners with Global Agency Moonlight IQ

The Broker Club has announced its partnership with Moonlight IQ, the specialist financial and technology marketing and communications agency, to enhance its marketing and media relations strategy this year. The collaboration marks an important step in further solidifying The Broker Club as an important resource for member-regulated investment firms, providing insights, education and topical debate on relevant topics such as market regulation, governance, risk, compliance, trading and technology. The Broker Club facilitates market collaboration and access to key industry players, with its members also benefiting from exclusive opportunities to network with their peers in The Broker Club community.

With 20+ years of expertise and knowledge, Moonlight IQ has a successful track record of promoting global investment and technology firms, from start-ups to US-quoted majors. This partnership aligns both organisations’ strengths to drive greater engagement and visibility within the finance industry.

The Broker Club membership represents the interests of market participants across all asset classes, with events attended by CEOs, COOs, CTOs and CFOs, in addition to Heads of Compliance and Risk. With such a high-profile membership base, working with The Broker Club is a significant opportunity to support a highly influential trade organisation.

Gavin Williamson, CEO of The Broker Club , commented: “ The Broker Club has had an outstanding 2024, running 50+ events and roundtables, covering a diverse range of industry topics and geographies. We have also launched Women in Broking and expanded our Digital Assets forum, in addition to hosting our largest annual 'The Future of Broking' conference to date. Now is the perfect time to reach a broader audience, and partnering with Moonlight IQ is a natural choice given their deep understanding of the sector and expertise in MarComms. ”

John Norris, Director of Moonlight IQ said: “ For more than two decades we have focused on partnering with banks, brokers and specialist technology providers in the global financial space. I am delighted that The Broker Club has chosen Moonlight to be its media and marketing consultant. Their members represent a good cross-section of clients we’ve proudly supported over the years. ”

With this partnership, The Broker Club and Moonlight IQ aim to promote growth, innovation and collaboration within the financial services industry, driving meaningful connections among market leaders to discuss important topics.

PR and Marketing in 2025: AI, BlueSky & Bite-Sized Content

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:22:05 GMT

PR and Marketing in 2025: AI, BlueSky & Bite-Sized Content

Are your marketing and PR efforts ready to deal with changes in an industry where technology and trends evolve in an instant? In this blog, our Moonlight IQ team will explore predictions for marketing and PR trends in 2025. From AI tools, to the changing landscape of social media, the industry is constantly shifting and evolving. A successful MarComms strategy in this space isn’t about chasing every trend; it’s about using technology effectively while keeping that human touch, which is crucial for amplifying brand messaging.

AI – the Good and the Bad

Just because AI can do something, does not mean it does it well. AI tools aren’t perfect— especially when it comes to capturing nuance. It is proven time and time again that current AI can never replace humans and the way we think and build personable relationships. While we are seeing a rise in AI-generated content being used for external communications, it’s not particularly convincing. For example, we are seeing journalists specifically request “NO AI-GENERATED CONTENT OR PITCHES”, as they can often tell when a pitch lacks a personal touch, and many find AI-generated outreach frustrating.

Rather than using AI for drafting pitches or thinking up campaigns, make the best use of it for more mundane tasks, such as media list building or gathering research. AI can be used to kick-start the creative process of brainstorming or getting some ideas on paper. As any creative knows, starting with a blank sheet is the most time-consuming and difficult part of the process. AI can be a great tool for collecting sources on a topic and streamlining the initial research phases of a project.

Although AI can be seen as the ‘death of creativity,’ how you use it can greatly change that perception. Most marketers believe AI enhances creativity rather than replacing it. Think of it as a way to free up time for the more meaningful aspects of your work, with AI taking care of the more boring, repetitive bits. The goal isn’t to replace human effort but to complement it, letting professionals focus on the areas that require thoughtfulness, skill and experience. In short, AI can’t replicate trust or creativity, two key ingredients in effective marketing and PR, but it can streamline your work.

Changes in Social Media

Death of Twitter(X): Twitter’s influence as a platform for fintech marketers is waning. With an ongoing reputational crisis, users are losing trust in Twitter and concerns around brand safety have caused many professionals to pull back on posting or abandon the platform altogether. BlueSky, a new platform on the scene, is gaining traction as a possible alternative to Twitter, especially for getting in touch with journalists and B2B audiences.

LinkedIn’s Bite-Sized Approach: We are seeing a rise in short-form videos and visuals becoming new content formats for optimised engagement. These posts are easy to consume and easy to share, making them ideal for busy audiences.

Even LinkedIn, long known for its more traditional B2B focus, has embraced short-form content with its ‘Reels’ feature. LinkedIn is the most recognised social media site and app for B2B content, but how people engage with it is changing. We are seeing long posts now being split into shorter, more digestible blogs and videos that grab attention faster. This trend highlights how B2B companies are attempting to make professional content feel more approachable, easier to connect with and more shareable on social media.

Clear and visual storytelling is key to making complex fintech topics accessible. In addition to the type of content, the method used to deliver it is just as important. However, it’s not all about 10-second snappy videos—there’s still a place for longer formats like blogs and articles. The challenge with this trend is finding the right mix for your audience.

2025 and Beyond

The fintech marketing and PR space in 2025 is all about being able to stay flexible. AI tools can make your work more efficient, but can’t replace the creative or human touch that makes communication meaningful. As for the trends seen in social media, it’s about finding the sweet-spot between quick, engaging content and deeper, more thoughtful storytelling.

Get in touch with one of our experts today to start enhancing your marketing and PR for 2025!

Why External Perspectives Matter: The Value of Hiring a Marketing & PR Agency

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:34:59 GMT

Why External Perspectives Matter: The Value of Hiring a Marketing & PR Agency

You know your business better than anyone, but this may be a hindrance at times and can make it a challenge to craft a clear and impactful message. This may result in inconsistent, overly complex communications that simply do not resonate with your target audience.

The solution? Bringing in a fresh pair of eyes – hiring an external Marketing & PR agency can provide fresh perspectives, invaluable expertise, knowledge and strategies that can help propel your company’s communications to new heights.

Importance of a Strong Brand Message

A brand’s message is the foundation of how your company communicates its values, vision and persona to the world. A strong brand message is what can set you apart from competitors in the space – it is more than just words, it is how you present yourself to prospects, clients and peers.

A strong brand message:

Can differentiate your company, products and services in a crowded market and/or create greater visibility.
Builds trust and emotional connections, creating recognition and loyalty with audiences.
Increases business growth by motivating your clients to come back for more and attracting new ones.

However, when messaging is inconsistent or not clear, it often creates confusion and dilutes your position in the market. Audiences may find it difficult to identify what your company stands for, its value in the industry and how your solutions can help them.

Why Companies Struggle with Clear Messaging

Marketing & PR in the financial sector have been gaining more and more popularity over the past several years. As companies embrace these, they often realise that crafting their brand message is more difficult than they first thought. We frequently find companies struggle to answer the simple question of, “What do you do, and what makes you special?” When companies are too close to their own stories, members of their marketing team or C-suite can find it challenging to have an impartial view of the value they bring to customers.

This can lead to the company assuming everyone knows what they know – which is often not the case. Using jargon, highly-technical terms, or internal references may make perfect sense to the company and its team, but it leaves the audience out of the loop and confused. Moreover, companies lacking a clear message may skip over crucial information, as for them it is assumed or obvious. Many times, clients cannot read between the lines, so skipping over these details can dampen your message.

Additionally, marketing teams may over-emphasise certain things that are important internally, such as focusing on features, processes or achievements that matter to the team but do not necessarily resonate with the customers. For example, a team without a clear message may choose to focus on technical aspects and features of a product, instead of how their solutions help solve customer problems. The benefits of solution-focused Marketing & PR have been discussed in greater detail in a previous blog post, which you can read here.

Your agency is like an editor for a novel: no matter how talented and focused the writer is, a professional editor’s perspective is important to refine the story – the same goes for your brand messaging! More than once we’ve had clients say, “Oh, we haven’t thought of it this way,” during a messaging session.

The Advantage of an External View – A Fresh Perspective

Bringing on a Marketing & PR agency can provide valuable benefits that internal teams often cannot achieve on their own. Agencies bring objectivity to the table, offering non-biased views of your company that are not based on preconceived notions or carry emotion. An external perspective allows the agency to see your brand from the customers’ point of view, pinpointing the gaps and new opportunities you may be overlooking. This can also help with strategic positioning of products and services.

With years of industry knowledge and expertise accumulated from working across several sectors, agencies understand how to best get your message across and resonate with your target audience. By using creative, new angles to project your message, agencies can move away from stale and repetitive tactics to produce unique methods and ideas for optimal coverage and marketability. In addition to strategy, agencies can streamline processes such as content creation and earned media outreach, saving time and resources by taking on the heavy lifting. This allows your team to focus on core business operations.

Partnering with a Marketing & PR Agency

Working with an agency can impact the way your team works day-to-day, allowing you to gain:

Clear and refined messages that resonate with your target audience.
Alignment of your brand story, values and persona across channels – PR, website, socials, marketing collateral, press coverage and more.
Well-planned strategies using market insights on how to best position your company.
Professional support in creating campaigns, content and materials, as well as clear implementation plans and scheduling.

When Should You Consider Hiring a Marketing & PR Agency?

There are quite a few clear signs you will see that indicate it is time to hire an agency to help your company.

If you feel as though your brand is outdated or inconsistent, it may be time to seek professional help to realign your communications with the appropriate audience.
Another clear indicator is struggling to connect with your target audiences – whether that is due to gaps in communication, unclear positioning or a lack of engaging and consistent content, this can negatively impact your company.
Entering a new market or launching a new product/service needs strategic methods to maximise visibility and impact.
Your competitors keep popping up in the press, but your name is not there.
Lastly, if your internal team is being stretched way too thin and you find opportunities are passing you by, it may be time to hire outside help to effectively engage with the media and produce marketing materials for your company.

Conclusion

Clear brand messaging is important, but it can often be hard to achieve without an external opinion. An external Marketing & PR agency provides a fresh perspective, creativity and the knowledge needed to expand your messaging to the right audience.

Do you feel like your brand is lacking a clear message? Reach out to our team of experts to help your company reach its potential.

Innovation sometimes needs an explanation – why educating the market is important

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:23:46 GMT

I nnovation sometimes needs an explanation – why educating the market is important

Many FinTech start-ups face the same problem: the products they offer are innovative, but slightly ahead of their time. This is a challenging issue for many firms, as innovation doesn’t automatically mean adoption. In the financial industry, market players are sceptical and cautious of the unknown, especially when there is no clarity of benefits or social proof.

An additional challenge is that it’s often easier to sell the concept of an improvement rather than something truly innovative.

When the market is not sure of how your offering fits into established patterns or improves on traditional methods, only one thing can be done: focus your communications strategy on educating the market. This means taking the time to pinpoint the channels and type of media through which to deliver your message.

Key messages

The first step in educating the market is to make sure your key messages are ironed out and clear. These should focus on the benefits you bring to users first and foremost. To do this, understand your target audience’s pain points and address them one by one. Don’t be afraid to use very direct language when showcasing the benefits of your products. Use metrics where possible to show the percentage by which your product improves someone’s productivity, accuracy or time.

For a well-rounded marketing campaign, consider educating the market through all means available to you:

Website – this is your first official contact with a prospect. Consider the information that person needs to get through to the next page and eventually to hit the contact button.
Social media – post engaging content and break down complexity into simplicity
Press – engage media as part of your educational and brand recognition campaign to address your target audience
Product sheets – use hard data and give details of how your solution helps and what makes it revolutionary
Case studies – showcase real life examples that are relatable to your target audience.

Measuring success

So, your clear goal is now to educate the market, you have your key messages and the means through which you will do it. So how do we measure the success of the campaign? This is a long-term investment, and knowing whether your educational strategies are working allows you to refine and improve your approach.

Metrics for success could include:
Changes in customer/market knowledge
Increases in product adoption
Customer/market feedback
Increased website traffic to educational content
Improved conversion rates from webinars
More engagement on social platforms.

Educating the market is a powerful tool in getting your brand and your message across. Consider assessing how well your company is doing this and whether there is room for improvement. Does your target audience understand your offering and the benefits?

Four Things to Consider for Your FinTech Website: How to Optimise Your Engagement

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 10:50:06 GMT

Four Things to Consider for Your FinTech Website: How to Optimise Your Engagement

Are your analytics telling you that users only spend a few seconds on your website? It may be disappointing to see, but there are important aspects you need to take into consideration when structuring your site to optimise your user engagement. According to a survey by Databox, visitors generally spend just about one and a half minutes on a page before clicking away. With such a limited window, it’s essential to design your website to be as engaging and user-friendly as possible to make the most of every visit. Your website is often the first point of contact future clients will have with your brand - a well-structured, user-friendly website can significantly enhance your brand’s credibility, amplify your message and prompt visitors to seek out your services. In this blog, we’ll explore four things to consider when structuring your B2B FinTech website to encourage user engagement.

1. Clear and Intuitive Navigation

Clear navigation enhances user experience and usability by helping visitors find the information they are looking for quickly and easily, which is crucial in getting them to stay on the site. If finding your services page is like finding a needle in a haystack, your website visitors will not want to stick around.

Simplified Menu Structure: Organise your menu to be straightforward and easy to understand.
Logical Categorisation: Make sure content is organised in a logical way for ease of navigation.
Sticky Navigation Bar: A sticky navigation bar is a fixed navigation menu on a webpage that remains in the same position as the user scrolls down and moves around a site. Implementing this keeps the main navigation accessible as users scroll down the page.
Use of Mega Menus: A mega menu is an expandable menu that displays navigation options to site visitors in a large, rectangular group. Used for more detailed options, mega menus can help users navigate your site without feeling overwhelmed.

2. User-Centric Content

Engaging, informative content that is easy to digest helps to educate prospective clients about your services and to build a strong brand presence. Focusing on user-centric content can be a major differentiating factor for your brand and provides the opportunity to showcase your services and products as the ultimate solution to a client’s pain point.

Clear Product Descriptions: Use concise language and visuals to explain your services – drop the technical jargon and talk about how your services can alleviate your clients’ problems.
Case Studies and Whitepapers: Provide detailed analyses of successful projects and in-depth discussions on complex topics. Real-world examples showcasing your services can help clients see the start, middle and end of how you work with clients to achieve success.
Multimedia Content: Utilise infographics, videos and interactive elements to make complex topics more accessible and easier to understand.
Client Testimonials: Showcase real-life success stories and testimonials to build credibility and trust.

For more about Solution/Customer-centric marketing and why it works check out our blog here .

3. Responsive and Mobile-Friendly Design

With users accessing websites on the move via their mobile devices, your website needs to be accessible and SEO-optimised for user engagement.

Mobile-First Design: Prioritise mobile usability in your initial design process.
Flexibility Grids and Images: Ensure your layout adapts seamlessly to different screen dimensions.
Touch-friendly navigation: Make sure buttons and links are easy to tap on smaller screens.
Cross-Device testing: Regularly test your site across various devices to ensure consistent performance.

4. Strong Calls to Action (CTAs)

Effective CTAs drive conversions and encourage users to interact with your site, leading to increased client engagement and overall business growth.

Strategic Placement: Position CTAs on the homepage, blog posts and service pages to capture user interest. Don’t make users look for these buttons – they should be somewhere obvious and easy to click.
Clear, Action-Oriented Language: Use phrases like “Get Started”, “Learn more” and “Sign Up Now” to prompt action. Being creative with these CTAs is encouraged – by now we’ve all seen the classic “Book Now” or “Contact Us” buttons, so getting creative can leave a good impression on visitors.
Visual Emphasis: Highlight CTAs with contrasting colours and bold text. If you’re having trouble deciding on a colour scheme for your brand and site, check out our blog that touches on colour theory and its impact on consumer psychology here .

Ultimately, optimising your FinTech website for user engagement involves stepping into your visitor’s shoes to ensure they can find and access everything they need effortlessly. Imagine scrolling through your site as a curious new visitor, eager to understand your technology. Can you swiftly locate clear product explanations, or are they hidden away, prompting frustrating searches – or moving away from your website? By using clear and intuitive navigation, creating content tailored for your audience and implementing strong calls to action, you can significantly enhance user experience and retain visitors. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in presenting your brand; all the components work together to drive client engagement and business growth.

Are you looking to revamp or build your B2B FinTech website? Get in touch with one of our experts today to help you through your journey!

Mastering Media Relations: Best Practices While Engaging with Journalists

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 16:24:22 GMT

Mastering Media Relations: Best Practices While Engaging with Journalists

Ever wondered why your competitors often dominate the headlines? The answer lies in mastering media relations. By building strong connections with industry journalists and providing them with relevant and informative insights, you can unlock unparalleled exposure, credibility and authority for your brand. Media coverage from reliable publications is a great way to be seen as a thought leader and trusted source in your industry. This ultimate guide dives deep into the art of media relations in B2B marketing, revealing tips on identifying key journalists, crafting appealing pitches, best practices for research and mastering press interviews.

Media relations serve as the bridge connecting businesses with their target audience through trusted journalistic channels. See them as the middle people between you and your potential clients and peers. In the realm of B2B marketing, where decision-makers are driven by information, securing media coverage can significantly amplify brand visibility and industry perception, influencing purchasing decisions.

Key Publications and Platforms

Identifying the key publications and platforms which are the sources of information for your target audience is essential for an effective media strategy. Whether it's industry-specific publications, leading financial magazines, or influential blogs, knowing where to focus your efforts will yield maximum impact. Additionally, understanding the different types of journalists covering your industry is crucial for effective media outreach. For example, in the FinTech sector, journalists range from tech reporters to finance correspondents and industry-specific bloggers. Tailoring your pitches to suit their interests and beat coverage can greatly enhance your chances of securing meaningful media placements.

Researching Journalists

Research is a fundamental aspect of successful media outreach; however, it can become a time-consuming effort if not approached with precision. Identifying the right journalists and publications, understanding their preferences and recent coverage, and aligning pitches with their interests requires meticulous attention to detail. Without a clear understanding of the media landscape and the specific needs of journalists, you risk wasting valuable time and resources on ineffective outreach efforts.

Moreover, inaccurate or outdated information can lead to missed opportunities. For instance, pitching a story to a journalist who no longer covers the relevant topic or sending irrelevant pitches can result in strained relationships or even your next pitch being ignored. Therefore, investing time and effort in comprehensive research is crucial for building meaningful connections and securing valuable media coverage.

Trends and Topics Journalists are Interested In

Staying ahead of the latest trends and topics that pique journalists' interest is important for crafting timely and relevant pitches. Whether it's disruptive technologies, regulatory changes, or emerging market trends, aligning your pitches with journalists' areas of focus increases the likelihood of getting their attention. Creating more general pitches for industry-wide topics that are already of interest to the journalist that subtly include your technology and expertise is an ideal way to have a journalist notice you among the hundreds of emails they receive daily. Ultimately, the quality of the insights being provided dictates whether a journalist will decide to write an article about it or include your quote in their piece. The saying “garbage in, garbage out” holds very true in journalism; providing informational, relevant and high-quality insights significantly enhances the chances of your comments being picked up. Journalists receive hundreds of pitches/ insights, so ensuring yours stands out through relevance and depth is critical. The more valuable and insightful your input, the better the resulting output in terms of media coverage and engagement.

Overall, an effective pitch is concise, compelling, and tailored to the recipient. It should clearly articulate the newsworthiness of your story, offer unique insights or data, and suggest potential angles for coverage.

Dos and Don'ts of Pitching Journalists

Do respect journalists' time and preferences, provide value in your pitches, and follow up strategically.
Don't spam their inboxes, pitch irrelevant stories, or pester them incessantly.

Importance of Building Long-Term Relationships

Investing in long-term relationships with journalists fosters trust, credibility, and goodwill. Building rapport through consistent engagement and mutual respect increases the likelihood of securing media coverage. A good strategy to adopt is following up. It is essential for keeping your pitches top-of-mind without crossing the line into pestering territory. A well-timed follow-up, coupled with additional information or insights, can reignite journalists' interest in your story.

Best Practices

In addition to the aforementioned strategies, adhering to best practices ensures a smooth and productive media relations process:

Respect deadlines to maintain journalists' trust and professionalism.
Prepare spokespeople to deliver key messages effectively during media interactions.
Provide value through exclusive insights, data and thought leadership pieces.
Be timely in your pitches and responses to journalist inquiries.
Research and target journalists and outlets that align with your brand and message.

Navigating Media Interviews

Prompt and professional handling of interview requests is crucial for maintaining positive media relations. Clear communication, scheduling flexibility, and accommodating journalists' needs all contribute to a seamless interview process. Prior to the interview, it is important to politely verify whether a journalist can provide a quote check. A quote check is a process where you verify that the quotes a journalist plans to use in their article accurately represent what was said during the interview. Quote checks allow the interviewee to make only factual changes before the article is published. Quote checks are proactive approaches which help prevent misunderstanding or misrepresentations.

Once the interview has been scheduled, it is important to prep the spokesperson who will be participating in media interviews. They should be well-versed in key messages you want to convey about your brand and products/ services, anticipate potential questions, and maintain composure under pressure. To ensure your spokespeople feel confident and comfortable in front of the press, it would be worthwhile to arrange a media training session to familiarise them with how the press works, how interviews typically run and what to expect following an interview.

Dos and Don'ts During Media Interviews

Do stay on message, maintain transparency and address questions honestly.
Don't evade questions, speculate or divulge sensitive information without authorisation.

Making Media Work for You

In conclusion, mastering media relations in B2B marketing requires a strategic and nuanced approach. By understanding the importance of media relations, crafting compelling pitches, building lasting relationships with journalists and adhering to best practices, businesses can effectively leverage the power of the media to amplify their brand presence and influence. As the media landscape continues to evolve, adapting and refining your media relations strategies will be key to staying ahead of the curve and achieving long-term success.

Get in touch with one of our experts today and start building lasting relationships with the press.

From Bland to Grand: How to optimise your investment in trade shows

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:16:23 GMT

From Bland to Grand: How to optimise your investment in trade shows

There are numerous trade shows in the financial sector each year catering for companies in various subsectors such as commodities, RegTech, trading technology and many others. Many companies in these markets will attend several events each year as part of their marketing drive. Having a stand can set you back tens of thousands of pounds, so it is very important to ensure you are making the most of it.

‍

Gather all the data

You most probably have an exhaustive list of all events that are applicable to your industry. However, budgets are tight, and you can only choose a few for your company. Having the correct information is incredibly important here – before selecting the events at which you plan to exhibit, make sure you contact event organisers and ask for:

Audience segmentation – by job title and company function
Attendee list from the previous year
Event agenda

Once you have these, you will be able to understand whether the attendees match your target audience and which spokespeople are most suited for a specific event. This way you ensure your budget is focused on meeting potential client companies and their decision makers, as well as giving your brand a strong start by making sure your most relevant spokesperson is there.

Can you get a better deal?

Going back to previous advice in the Financial Marketing: How to Overcome Budget Limits and Demonstrate Impact blog post, don’t just accept the price/package as a given. It is always important to try to negotiate the price or the value you can get from an event. Maybe you have the budget to pay the full package price, but you would prefer a perk that is priced as an extra rather than an included item. Don’t be afraid to ask and negotiate.

Make the most of your stand

We, collectively, don’t have enough fingers to count the number of times we have attended an event and half of the backdrops said nothing relevant about the companies. You paid money for a stand, now make the most out of it by ensuring your brand’s message is clearly stated on the backdrop. Elements to consider:

Is your logo clearly displayed?
Do you have your key, core messages displayed?
Does it say what you do, clearly and succinctly?
Is the writing in the top half of the backdrop where it can be seen easily?

Now your backdrop is ready to go, how about your collateral? Consider whether the printed collateral targets the audience present at the event. Also, if you are thinking of printing anything that was intended for the web, quickly scan the document and make sure “Find out more by clicking here” doesn’t appear on it.

Also, consider if your product should be demoed at the event. If you decide to do so, make sure the representative attending is the best person to do the demo. A combination of the right screen, demo and person presenting will make a difference.

As we all know, events can become overcrowded, and people may attend panels for most of the day. Therefore, you should consider what promotional materials would be most attractive to get people in front of yourstand. Maybe they can be a conversation starter; perhaps there is something traditional from the country your company is from that would peak people’s interest. Whatever it is, think useful and memorable.

‍

Yes, all of the above may seem obvious, but many times these elements are omitted. Does your company miss opportunities because of any of the above points?

From Features to Solutions: a Paradigm Shift in B2B Fintech Marketing

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:03:11 GMT

From Features to Solutions: a Paradigm Shift in B2B Marketing

The FinTech industry stands at the forefront of innovation, offering solutions to complex financial challenges. Yet, amidst the rush to showcase cutting-edge features, companies often overlook a critical aspect: the needs of their clients. Transitioning from a feature-centric to a solution-centric marketing approach is not just about promoting products, it's about understanding and solving your client's problems effectively.

‍

Understanding the Current Landscape

A trend we are seeing in FinTech is the overemphasis on product features. While features are undoubtedly important, they only scratch the surface of what clients truly seek. When companies go all-in on features, they risk missing the mark on what truly matters to their clients. It's as if they're speaking a different language, disconnected from the real needs of the people they're trying to serve. Let’s not forget about company values and messaging either. When features become the main focus, it's easy for companies to lose sight of what they stand for.

Just listing features doesn't really show the full picture of what a company can offer. Clients want solutions – real, tangible answers to their problems. So, by fixating on features, companies might be missing out on the chance to show how their products can make a meaningful difference to their clients' operations and workflows.

‍

Shifting Focus: Benefits of Solution-Centric Marketing

This shift in marketing not only benefits your clients and prospects but provides the answer to marketing issues your firm may be experiencing as well. Below are some main pain-points B2B FinTech companies often encounter:

Limited Customer Understanding: By prioritising product features over customer needs, companies may fail to fully understand their clients' pain-points and requirements. This can result in product marketing that doesn’t adequately address customer challenges or provide the necessary solutions.

Difficulty in Building Trust: Trust is crucial in the FinTech industry, particularly in B2B relationships where financial transactions and sensitive data are involved. A solely product-focused approach may neglect the human element necessary for building trust, such as personalised communication, relationship-building, and demonstrating expertise beyond the product itself. By presenting your product as a solution to an everyday problem the client keeps facing, your company is presented as a knowledgeable partner who can add real value.

Inadequate Market Education: FinTech products often introduce innovative solutions to complex financial problems.However, relying solely on product marketing may lead to a lack of comprehensive market education. Customers may not fully understand the benefits of the product or how it fits into their existing workflows, hindering adoption. This is especially true when a product is highly-innovative, solving a difficult problem, or when introducing a complex concept to the market. Marketing your product as a solution with added benefits, instead of a list of functionalities can help clients see the value of your business.

Vulnerability to Competitive Disruption: In a rapidly-evolving FinTech landscape, companies that only market based on product features may be vulnerable to disruptive innovations from competitors. Without a strong emphasis on understanding customer needs and market trends, they may struggle to present their offerings as a constantly-evolving solution for clients which gives them the right tools as their company develops and grows.

Solution-centric marketing is a strategic shift that places the clients' needs at the forefront. It involves understanding the challenges faced by clients and positions your offerings as the solution to their very real problems. Unlike feature-centric marketing, which often leads to a laundry list of product attributes, a solution-centric approach emphasises the outcomes and benefits that clients can expect when partnering with you. By showcasing the value your solutions bring, you establish a deeper connection with your audience, fostering trust and loyalty in the process.

‍

Strategies for Implementation

Implementing a solution-centric approach begins with comprehensive market research to uncover the pain-points and challenges faced by your target audience. This step isn't just important, it's absolutely essential for ensuring that your solutions and marketing messages hit the mark and truly resonate with your clients.

Shifting your perspective from the provider of a solution to a potential customer can also help provide insights on how to elevate your marketing tactics. This exercise allows firms to put themselves in the shoes of a client and ask “What would be the benefit for my business, if I chose this solution over a competitor’s?” “What do I gain from using this offering, compared to not choosing this product?”. Simple questions like these are easy to gloss over; however, when it comes to deciding if an offering’s value is worth the cost, a clients’ mind would certainly be flooded with these and other, similar questions.

Armed with these insights, marketing professionals can help you craft compelling narratives that showcase the value proposition of your business’s offerings. It's not just about listing features, it's about painting a vivid picture of how the solutions can transform clients' businesses for the better in their everyday operations.

Real world application

Leveraging customer testimonials and success stories, whether through social media, web copy, or detailed case studies, adds an authentic touch to your marketing efforts, reinforcing the benefits of your FinTech solutions in a tangible way. But marketing isn't a solo endeavour, it's a team effort that requires alignment across departments. By collaborating closely with sales and product teams, marketers ensure that your messaging is consistent and that the solutions can be marketed in direct response to customer needs. Competition is fierce and attention spans are short, so it's these meaningful connections with clients and a solutions-oriented approach that can set your company apart and drive lasting success.

Overcoming Challenges

When it comes to transitioning to a solution-centric approach, messaging clarity across all fronts is crucial. One effective tool for achieving this is a messaging document, a comprehensive guide outlining key points and narratives for internal and external communication. By centralising information, this document serves as a roadmap for all teams, ensuring alignment in articulating the company's value proposition.

With a messaging document in place, teams can harmonise their understanding and presentation of the company's solutions, reducing confusion and streamlining communication efforts. This promotes consistency in messaging and reinforces the overarching narrative of the solution-centric approach.

Although transitioning to a solution-centric approach may present challenges such as implementation complexities, proactive communication and training initiatives can help overcome these hurdles. By keeping all stakeholders informed and involved, companies can navigate the shift to solution-oriented marketing easily.

Furthermore, effective communication extends beyond internal channels and it's equally important to communicate the change in marketing to existing clients and prospects. Emphasising the enhanced value proposition and benefits of the solution-centric approach reassures clients of the company's commitment to address their needs and deliver tangible results. Proactively engaging with clients and prospects lays the groundwork for long-term success in the solution-centric era of FinTech.

In a nutshell, the current FinTech scene is all about flashy features, but maybe it's time to change that perspective. It's time to shift the spotlight away from features and towards the solutions that truly matter to clients. After all, in a world where everyone's shouting about their features, standing out means focusing on what really counts – solving problems and making a difference for your client.

By embracing a solution-centric approach, companies can bridge the gap between benefits and features when marketing their solutions, presenting themselves as the partner who will make a significant contribution to their clients’ success. As FinTech continues to evolve, customer-centricity will remain paramount, driving growth, differentiation, and lasting success in the financial technology sector.

Want to switch to a solution-centric approach? Get in touch with us today to start differentiating yourself and become the solution to your clients’ needs.

Beyond Logos: How to Engage B2B Audiences Through Narrative

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:53:10 GMT

Beyond Logos: How to Engage B2B Audiences Through Narrative

Engaging audiences Through Narrative:

Key concepts for Brand Identity

In the bustling world of B2B marketing and PR, capturing the attention and engagement of your audience is more critical than ever. However, achieving this goes beyond merely plastering your logo across various platforms or cramming every keyword in your copy, hoping to gain traction. This blog will dive deeper into crafting a compelling brand identity, exploring key elements such as storytelling, colour theory and branding.

Storytelling: Decoding Jargon

Narrative isn't just for bedtime stories. It's a powerful tool companies use for branding themselves. By weaving compelling narratives, companies can humanise their brands, making complex financial/technological concepts easier to understand. By breaking down technical jargon and at times hard-to-understand data, marketers can uncover a relatable angle that sparks the interest of potential clients and journalists. Perhaps the technical specifications of your solution, once simplified and reiterated into benefits can show clients it is exactly what they need to give them a competitive edge. From case studies to press releases, it is important to learn how to captivate your audience and present your product as the ultimate solution to solve their problems.

Utilising Colour Theory: Company Colours are Crucial

Ever wonder why some brands use certain colours in their logos? It's not just about aesthetics - it's all about consumer psychology. The brain tends to register colour before absorbing any other information (source:Colormatters.com). Moreover, studies have shown that 60% of individuals determine their agreement to a brand’s message solely based on colour (source:Colormatters.com). Different colours can evoke specific emotions and associations, shaping the perception of your brand. For example, warm colours like red and yellow tend to evoke feelings of energy and danger, while cool colours like blue and green evoke feelings of calmness, trust and stability.

According to a study by LogoLounge, 2023 saw a rise of green and blue as the predominant colours being used by companies for their logos. Shades of blue tend to be used often by FinTech companies. It is important to consider looking at colours that are less frequently used within your industry to be able to stand out amongst competitors. By understanding the emotional associations with colours, you can choose what best aligns with the desired emotional response from your target audience.

Below are some less frequently used colours to consider and the emotions they provoke:

Black: While not as prevalent as blue or red, black is often used to convey sophistication and elegance in branding. It is commonly seen in the branding of luxury products and high-end services.
Green: Green is associated with nature, health and sustainability, and it is frequently used in branding for environmentally-friendly and wellness-oriented products.
Orange: Orange is known for its association with enthusiasm and creativity. While less prevalent than other colours, it is still used by brands seeking to stand out and evoke a sense of excitement.

Branding: Finding your company’s personality

The way an audience perceives your company can make or break your marketing and branding. Brand identity can be presented using a variety of “brand personas”. A brand persona is essentially the personality or character that a brand adopts to connect with its target audience. It is used as a way to humanise a brand and provides distinct values, pain points, behaviours and traits that consumers can easily relate to. Brand personas can range from Sincerity, Competence and Sophistication to Ruggedness and Excitement.

One way to solidify your brand’s persona is to utilise tone and voice, which are integral to successful B2B marketing efforts. By establishing a unique tone and voice, brands can differentiate themselves in competitive markets, build trust and credibility with their audience, and enhance their brand recognition. Consistency in tone and voice across all marketing channels ensures clear and cohesive messaging, while also making communications more engaging and memorable.

Narrative: the trifecta of Storytelling, Colour theory and Brand Persona

In the realm of B2B marketing, narrative can be made up of 3 key aspects: storytelling, brand persona and colour theory. Together they form a powerful trifecta, shaping the way companies engage with their clients and how clients perceive companies. Now, how do we bring together the three points mentioned above?

At the core lies storytelling, where creative narratives are developed to transform the mundane and highlight the brand's journey, values and solutions. Through compelling stories, whether it's client work or the evolution of the brand itself, companies humanise their offerings, developing brand recognition and rendering complex concepts digestible and relatable.

Complementing the narrative is colour theory, a silent yet crucial communicator. Colours evoke emotions and perceptions, allowing companies to wield them strategically to enhance brand engagement. From the calming aura of blue to the vibrancy of orange, each hue is carefully chosen to align with the brand persona and evoke the desired response, reinforcing brand recognition and identity across various touch points.

Central to this narrative is the brand persona, the embodiment of the brand's character and values. This persona serves as the guiding force behind every interaction, infusing communications with traits that resonate deeply with clients. Whether it's projecting reliability, innovation, or expertise, the brand persona shapes the tone, style, and overall experience a customer has when interacting with a brand.

LinkedIn stands out as a prime example of narrative-driven B2B engagement, covering all aspects from storytelling and brand persona to the visual aspects of colour theory. LinkedIn has carefully and successfully crafted a dynamic identity of stability and credibility to captivate clients.

By positioning itself as a friendly, knowledgeable source, LinkedIn cultivates a brand identity grounded in reliability and trustworthiness. Through storytelling, it not only engages clients on a deeper level but also relates to clients, sharing similar pain points and experiences. After all, they are a business trying to engage clients, just like every professional on LinkedIn.

In terms of visual identity, every business professional can recognise LinkedIn’s simple, yet iconic logo. As previously mentioned, the colour blue evokes a sense of calmness, trust, and stability – ideal emotions for a company that can help you network, showcase your product and grow your business.

In essence, LinkedIn's mastery of narrative and storytelling sets a high standard for B2B branding, demonstrating the power of narrative to develop meaningful client engagement, long-term brand loyalty and brand recognition.

Challenges and Solutions

Crafting a compelling brand narrative in the finance and technology sector that engages your audience is no easy task. Three main aspects to consider are:

Complexity of B2B Offerings: B2B products and services often involve sophisticated features, intricate functionality, and complex technical specifications. Communicating these complexities in a clear and compelling manner can be a significant challenge. Crafting a narrative that effectively conveys the value proposition while simplifying complex concepts requires a deep understanding of the product or service and its benefits to the target audience. Moreover, B2B buyers have specific industry knowledge and expertise, requiring messaging that speaks to their level of understanding without oversimplifying or patronising. Balancing the need for depth and detail with clarity and accessibility is essential to ensure that the narrative resonates with B2B clients and drives engagement.
Aligning with Audience Needs: B2B audiences encompass a diverse range of people and companies, each with unique needs, preferences, and pain points. From C-suite executives to technical specialists and procurement professionals, understanding and addressing the varying priorities of different audience segments can be challenging. It is important to note that all your communications should also appeal to another audience – journalists. Crafting a narrative that resonates with each requires thorough research, segmentation, and customisation.
Balancing Professionalism and Creativity: B2B branding typically necessitates a balance between professionalism and creativity. While maintaining a professional narrative is essential for establishing credibility and trust, injecting creativity into branding and messaging can help differentiate your company. Finding the right balance between professionalism and creativity can be challenging. Striving to innovate and differentiate while staying true to the brand's values and positioning requires careful consideration and strategic planning.

‍

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving world of B2B marketing and branding, the journey towards crafting a compelling brand narrative that engages your audience is both a challenge and an opportunity. By navigating the complexities of storytelling, colour theory and brand identity, companies can create memorable and distinctive messaging and branding, setting them apart from their competitors. It's a journey that demands creativity, strategic insight, and a deep understanding of audience needs. Yet, it's also a journey filled with potential for differentiation, connection, and growth.

When it comes to unravelling the intricacies of narrative which uses visual and written communication, count on our seasoned expertise to be your trusted guide. With over two decades of experience in crafting compelling branding and messaging, we're here to help you every step of the way.

Get in touch with one of our experts today and start cultivating your brand’s narrative.

Financial Marketing: How to Overcome Budget Limits and Demonstrate Impact

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 12:49:25 GMT

Financial Marketing: How to Overcome Budget Limits and Demonstrate Impact

Financial services marketing can sometimes feel daunting – budget constraints, multiple channels and limited resources are some of the most pressing challenges for CMOs. Your CEO is asking you to demonstrate ROI, while cutting your annual budget, so how do you win in this situation?

Navigating Budget Constraints

If your budget has been cut due to economic uncertainty or as part of firm-wide cost-cutting measures, you are not alone. According to The Financial Brand, a survey of CMOs in the financial services industry has shown that marketing budgets have been cut yearly since the pandemic, with budgets decreasing by almost 3% from 2022 to 2023.

In such times, CMOs need to turn their attention to what is proven to work for the company. To do so, analytics will continue being your best friend. A starting point would be to look at which channels and what type of content have provided the greatest number of conversions. These can be the main focus for your ongoing strategy. Next, evaluate technology and event attendance costs and identify where you could negotiate a deal. Although getting a lower price might not work every time, trying to negotiate can result in cost savings.

Consider high-impact marketing tactics to reach new audiences and benchmark your outcomes against industry standards where appropriate. For example, it is proven that content remains a top tool for engaging audiences. You can assess your audiences’ top pain-points or industry trends and create a blog post that educates and informs. The typical conversion rate here is 5%, so going above 8% means outperforming the industry standard. Another consideration is investing in public perception surveys to measure the effectiveness of your brand awareness campaigns.

Leveraging the Right Technology

Studies show that MarTech spending is diminishing yearly, with Gartner research showing it was at all-time lows of 33% utilisation of total stack capabilities in 2023, down from 58% in 2020. If you are in the FinTech business, you might have talked to your target audience about “consolidating the tech stack” many times. Well, it’s time to consolidate your MarTech stack. Perform an audit of your technology and identify features that overlap or are not being used to be able to downgrade where necessary.

Aggregating data is just as important as consolidating technology. A platform that can house marketing, sales and customer service data allows the marketing department to easily understand where there is room for improvement and what works well. Eliminating data silos will help you collaborate with other departments globally and continuously improve results.

The Importance of Evergreen Content

Nothing is better if you’re short on resources than evergreen content. Start by asking yourself and researching what are some of the questions your audience has always asked. Once you have these, position yourself as a leader in the market by creating content that informs and helps your audience. This information can be delivered via blogs, videos or any other easy to ingest medium, and should be easily updated if necessary.

Now that you have your content, you can start repurposing it across various channels and in different formats. Maybe you distributed a blog post on social media, but you would like to revisit the subject – simply create an infographic with the most relevant information. Think of channels as a web and not as stand-alone platforms. For example, your blog post should include your target keywords to help with SEO, but it can also be turned into a social media post which points back to the website.

Leverage your Partnerships

A cost-effective marketing campaign can be around partnerships as it will help split the resources required. If your company has a series of partners, consider a joint marketing effort to leverage your relationship. Shared marketing initiatives can vary from educational webinars involving both companies, to shared research and articles educating the mutual target audience. It also means both entities can be in charge of different parts of marketing, easing the burden on each company’s resources.

Partnerships are a great way for brands to increase awareness and loyalty. Associating with another good brand gives you validation, and reminding your audience of your connection to these companies will cement you as a leader.

Customer Retention Tactics

Let’s start with a simple truth: everyone wants to feel valued. On a personal level, we engage more, sometimes only, with brands that leave a good impression or reward us for our loyalty. In B2B marketing, things will look different, but the core idea stays the same.

Put your data to work to provide a level of personalisation in your interactions: tailor your communication to your audience based on their past behaviour and interactions. To do this easily, segment your audience on demographics, behaviour, and other relevant criteria. This will help you develop targeted marketing campaigns that address the specific needs and preferences of each segment, increasing the likelihood of customer engagement and retention.

Develop relevant content for your clients, which can include educational content, newsletters, webinars and updates to keep customers engaged and informed. By becoming a trusted source of information, clients will continue to rely on your brand and come back to use your resources time and time again.

Put in place a strategy to gather client feedback which can inform a number of departments on possible improvements: create surveys to understand client sentiment and show their opinions are valued. Another way of engaging with your clients is maintaining a consistent stream of communication through a dedicated newsletter. This will help deliver valuable content directly to their inbox and keep your brand in their minds.

Measuring and Demonstrating ROI

To start with, clearly understand the objectives of your business and create one or two KPIs for each of these. Make sure you use historical data to understand what an ambitious, but not impossible, target may look like. These will allow you to see if you’re on course to achieve your target and report to stakeholders.

Marketers want to demonstrate return on investment (ROI) to stakeholders, but it is also a valuable measurement to help you make informed decisions about allocating resources, adjusting strategies, and scaling successful campaigns. The formula will look something like this: Financial Gain from Marketing Efforts minus Marketing Spend divided to Marketing Spend. To be able to do this, make sure you capture all the costs associated with marketing efforts, such as:

Advertising expenses
Staff time
Software costs
Design and production
Any other incurred costs.

For example, you want to increase web traffic through content. Start by measuring the impact of increased web traffic on your business such as an increase in sales, lead generation, or any other metric tied to your business objectives and assign a monetary value to this increase. Consider all costs associated with creating and promoting the content that contributed to the increase in web traffic. Subtract the total cost of content from the additional revenue or value generated, then divide the result by the cost of content. If your goal is brand awareness rather than direct revenue, you might use non-monetary metrics such as leads generated, customer engagement, or user interactions to calculate value.

Reporting on your achievements is just as important as measuring them. Consider who your audience is, from both functional and personal perspectives to better understand how to present your data. General guidelines include:

Start by providing a concise summary of takeaways for the stakeholders who are unable to spend much time on the report but should be kept in the loop.
Use visualisation where possible to make data easier to digest.
Clearly outline the goals set for each marketing initiative and provide a comprehensive view of goal achievement to help stakeholders understand whether campaigns are meeting objectives.
Provide context for the data by explaining trends, notable observations and improvement opportunities.
Include actionable insights and recommendations to show the relevance and benefit of your work in continuously improving the business.

Do More with Less

In the financial sector, CMOs are challenged to achieve more with less. This involves a blend of data-driven decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and a relentless focus on customer satisfaction. As explored throughout this blog post, a strategic focus on planning, measuring, and optimising will help you allocate budgets efficiently and cut costs where needed. Clear business objectives, well-defined KPIs, and a meticulous calculation of costs associated with marketing efforts unlock accurate ROI measurement and successful reporting.

Share your success stories with us to help guide fellow marketers and join us in shaping the future of marketing efficiency in the financial services industry!

Take the next step by showcasing your company's true benefits

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 11:43:06 GMT

Take the next step by showcasing your company's true benefits

The primary reason a prospective client approaches a vendor, be it a technology or finance vendor, is for the benefits they can get from the specific company. Broadly speaking, this might be saving a company money, helping the client make more money, make ‘life’ easier’ or provide tools to manage risk / meet regulatory requirements. This is why clearly stating benefits throughout the company’s communication is vital in attracting customers. As previously mentioned in our “ Fintech consolidation trend: want more attention from potential acquirers?, ” blog post, a large number of companies describe capabilities as benefits. This, from a communications perspective, is a wasted opportunity of connecting with the audience and catching their attention.

Oftentimes, when companies do not work with external entities on messaging, it is more difficult to distill the most important information. As someone that is involved in the company day-to-day, your perspective will naturally be more in-depth than a person’s who has only just learnt about your company or offering. This can lead to missing the most important points and over looking the real solutions you offer.

As a communications agency with 20+ years of experience, we have gone through numerous messaging sessions with clients. We are now sharing a rough guideline on how to extract benefits and, hopefully, help you communicate your USPs better.

Client pain points – consider which specificproblems you solve for your clients.
Capabilities vs. results – it is not about whatclients can do using your product or service, it is about the results they get.
USPs – what do you offer that no one else does? Howdoes your client benefit from your USPs?

Once you are able to summarise the answers to the above points you should have a rough guide to the benefits that you should use in your communications. Too often companies tell you the things you can do with their technology, which is great, but that’s not enough. Capabilities only go so far, whereas benefits are what truly convinces someone to spend money.

Once you have your benefits list, we advise you continue extracting data to back up your statements and start creating case studies that highlight your contribution to client successes. There are many different content ideas that can evolve from a simple benefits list. If you would like to have a chat, our email inbox is always open enquiries@moonlightiq.com and we always answer our phones +44 20 7250 4770 .

Why Technology Start-ups can Benefit from Professional Communications

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:41:10 GMT

Why Technology Start-ups can Benefit from Professional Communications

With the technology industry becoming increasingly competitive, start-ups in the space need to push their message to the relevant audience to succeed. Just because you have a fantastic new product or service don’t assume that you’ll have buyers queuing. You may be very lucky, but for the most part you will need to tell the market you exist: without that, how will your audience know about you? Public relations and marketing can help you do this, while highlighting the company’s USPs, establishing credibility, and communicating to the market that you know what you’re doing. This is important for companies trying to break into the market, whether it is with a new service or product or an improvement on what’s already out there:

Company/product messaging – the messaging is the basis of all communications. For a tech start-up, it is important to find the niche USPs that will set you apart from the competition, and to distill how you want to be seen by the world.
Building brand awareness – tech start-ups will often have products or services that are unknown to the public. Communications help to build brand awareness and get the word out about the start-up's offering.
Attracting investors – external communications help tech start-ups to attract investors by creating a positive image of the company, demonstrating its potential for growth.

Establishing credibility – tech start-ups need to establish credibility and build trust with their target audience, including prospective customers, investors, partners and potential employees.

An experienced communications agency will know how to take your company from the initial phase of creating the messaging to targeting relevant media outlets and getting your story out there. You will also be able to take advantage of tried and tested ideas that can shorten your prospective customers’decision-making path.

Don't diffuse your messaging

It is important for any company to keep a clear and focused brand message, but more so for start-ups. In essence, a company’s message will move through these stages:

Clarify messaging and tailor it to your target audience– the start of a successful media and industry presence is the messaging.
Build brand visibility – this can will be done through a combination of social media, website, PR and marketing efforts.
Build brand credibility – once people have heard your name, you need to cement your position in the industry and clearly explain your USPs and demonstrate how your company/products/services bring value.
Become a thought leader – show your audience that your company has something to say, that it understands and addresses their pain-points.
Be recognised as an industry leader – your company is known in the market, your opinions valued, and prospects are actively reaching out to you.

A clear and focused message will help your company communicate with potential clients and investors, helping them understand your brand’s purpose and uniqueness. In a highly competitive market, you need to differentiate your business clearly. These are some examples of USPs:

Speed – service or product that either replaces manual processes or is significantly quicker than its competitors.
Access – enabling users to have unprecedented access to valuable information, be it raw data, exchanges, or network of companies.
Quality – a solution that benefits the user through the unmatched quality of offering.
Cost and time savings – increase efficiency or give the users insight into more profitable ways of performing certain tasks.

Save your time

The reality is that, depending on which market you’re targeting,the messaging might need to be much more intricate and nuanced. We have worked with many companies that serve across different verticals within an industry, meaning they have to communicate different USPs and benefits to match each target audience.

This could feel overwhelming and wasteful for someone who does not deal daily with a wide range of campaigns at once, and having communications professionals guide you through this process will make the journey easier. Your communications agency should be able to distill order out of “chaos”, create campaigns and drive new ideas into your plan. As tech start-ups are usually small in size, it also means your people can focus on their expertise and achieve great results.

In essence, technology start-ups can benefit greatly from on boarding a communications agency at the beginning of the process. This would allow the company to have a clear brand from the beginning, bringing clarity to the message seen by the wider industry. The agency will be able to put in place a plan for growing visibility, helping it to becoming a leader in its field.

Wondering how comms pros with sector understanding can make your brand more successful? Wonder no more!

Tue, 09 May 2023 11:36:16 GMT

Wondering how comms pros with sector understanding can make your brand more successful? Wonder no more!

Communicating with the target audience is a crucial part of business success: this is how you connect with prospective clients, get brand recognition and respect within your industry. To be impactful, the communication methods used must follow an effective approach, which includes:

Communicating the company’s USPs.
Content that is jargon-free that the audience can relate to and understand.
Appearing in front of the decision makers.
Creating a strong, positive reputation for the brand and the spokespeople.

In overcrowded industries, such as the FinTech sector which is currently going through a consolidation phase ( as discussed in our previous blog ), it can be difficult to internally assess your differentiators and the true benefits that set you apart from your competitors. Communications professionals can be a great resource in understanding your brand’s messaging and how this can be presented to the right people. However, many comms companies struggle to grasp the complex concepts of the more technical B2B sectors such as finance and technology. A communicator with sector knowledge and experience can be areal asset in devising a successful strategy.

Understanding Industry-Specific Language

If your company operates in technology, commodities and/or financial industries, you would have probably come across or used a communications agency that is puzzled by the details of your industry. At times, months can pass before you realise the message put out into the world by your agency is not the right one for your needs. Or that all the suggestions being made are not quite right, sometimes even completely missing the key points. Many of our clients have experienced this with agencies they have previously used, because of some comms professionals’ inability to understand complex, sector-specific topics.

A communications agency specialising in your sector, which understands highly technical products and services and the industry-specific jargon, brings several benefits to the table:

Onboarding takes less time due to the agency’s expertise and ability to understand your business.
Complex topics are understood quickly and can be translated into relevant and impactful communications for your audience.
Ability to target publications that are important to your audience.
Pertinent feedback on collateral and ease of creating content for the brand.
Curated lists of awards and events for your company.

Essentially, having someone who can understand sector-specific terms when communicating is similar to having someone who speaks the same language as you. All internal and external communications become easier.

Communicating Clearly to Specific Audiences

It is common for companies to address audiences in multiple verticals and geographies. With technical industries, such as trading, the communications team will perform much better and be able to deliver the right messages if they understand the different verticals relevant to the client’s products or services. They will then be able to create the right messages for each segment of the target market.

For example, a company may need to target hedge funds, exchanges, and wealth managers internationally, as well as focusing on CTOs and business people. Each sector, region and position will require messaging specific to each segment’s pain-points. By addressing these in a targeted manner, companies can appeal to prospects and clarify the value of their products and services. Creating tailored communication strategies also entails a deep understanding of each part of the audience’s industry-specific language. A businessperson, such as the CEO, will respond well to high-level messaging, whereas a CTO will benefit from knowing the product specifics.

Accurate communication is extremely important as it:

Helps deliver a clear message to the audience.
Build and improve your reputation in the markets, which is particularly valuable for companies working in sectors that are often under scrutiny.
Helps position the company and spokespeople as industry leaders.
Reaches the correct audiences with messages that resonate.
Builds trust with external stakeholders

Greater Ability to Navigate Industry-Specific Issues

Last, but not least, a communications agency that specialises in your industry will be able to navigate trade-specific issues. These can range from regulatory changes and innovations that may impact the business, to topics that are of interest in your sector. As a result, the agency will be able to provide pertinent, up-to-date, creative content ideas around timely subjects to cement the business’s image and expertise.

It also means that you will receive valuable help with crisis management and acquisitions. Having sector knowledge will help your communications experts understand your company’s goals and the audience in depth. This means they will know where to efficiently target your message and the language which will resonate with your prospective and existing clients, as well as potential acquirers.

Having communications professionals who understand your industry will ease the collaboration in every way: from content creation to strategic communications, your agency will be able to serve your needs faster and with more accuracy. This in turn will help position your brand in the industry and reach your desired audiences. in other words, it will deliver tangible results.

Having been founded by two former Dow Jones professionals with backgrounds in trading and financial product marketing, we have an in-depth understanding of the financial, technology and commodity sectors. If you are interested in discussing how we can help, please contact us .

FinTech consolidation trend: Want more attention from potential acquirers?

Sun, 23 Apr 2023 11:33:34 GMT

FinTech consolidation trend: Want more attention from potential acquirers?

The FinTech sector continues to see start-ups being founded every year and investor interest shows no sign of slowing down. According to KPMG , VC investment in the sector increased by more than 100% in the last two quarters of 2020. A record-breaking $98 billion in fintech investment was recorded in the first half of 2021. This includes mergers and acquisitions, VC and private equity investments.

The consolidation trend

With the FinTech sector increasingly growing and maturing and more start-ups being launched, we are expecting to see continued consolidation. FinTech acquisitions happen for a number of reasons, including:

Competition – with the market becoming more competitive, M&As can be a solution for start-ups to succeed in a crowded market.
Added resources – acquirers can tap into new resources such as talent, technology and customers.
Start-up founders wanting to recoup their investment or make more money and possibly move on to form another company.

At Moonlight, we have seen this trend with numerous clients, across different sectors – FinTech, RegTech, technology, etc. In our 20 years+ of experience in the FinTech communications space, we have worked on many acquisitions. This is one of the paths start-ups generally consider as an option for their journey. However, the question of how a start-up gets on the radar of big companies still needs to be answered.

The path to exposure for FinTech start-ups

The journey of getting noticed by potential acquirers naturally starts internally. You will need to have market knowledge and products that solve real pain-points, but you must extend to external communications. For FinTech markets, it can be challenging to know how to distill information and present the benefits to clients without external help. Building a strong brand reputation within your industry can help open doors for both acquisitions and partnerships. This needs to be supported by marketing strategies:

Developing clear messaging – the start of any external communications strategy is clearly defining your company’s USPs and benefits to users. It is surprising how many FinTech companies fail to communicate the true benefits of their products, instead choosing to focus on capabilities (we will explore this topic more in depth in a future blog post).
Collateral review / creation – the messaging should inform all collateral such as the website, logo, one-pagers and beyond. For companies that already have some of these in place before they work on their messaging, a thorough review needs to be performed, followed by alignment of all content with the outcomes of the messaging session.
Social media – in the digital world, social media needs to be part of the any company’s communications. For B2B businesses, LinkedIn and Twitter can be very powerful tools for engaging with potential clients, partners and industry media, as well as prospective buyers, and showcasing your company’s values.
Leveraging public relations – specialist FinTech PR and communications companies can very quickly grasp technical concepts. We can transmit the necessary information to your target audience through media outreach, increasing brand awareness through coverage.
Participating in industry events and conferences – this includes panel discussions, speaker slots and having a stand at trade shows. Attending relevant events is a great way to network, getting in front of acquirers, possible partners, and potential clients.

The importance of clear communications

For companies to be able to effectively attract clients, partners and acquirers, a clear message is vital. Clarity of communication and targeted media relations will make the difference between successfully building brand reputation and visibility in your sector or fading away into the ‘crowd’.

A communications strategy driven by a company’s USPs and benefits is most effective in placing a FinTech start-up in front of potential acquirers. An all-encompassing strategy – social media, events, awards, public relations, etc. – helps shape brand perception. This means the industry is able to know who you are and what you do.

Due to the very technical and niche nature of the financial sector, we know it is not always easy to find communications specialists who understand what you do. If you are ready to launch or improve your brand, we are here to put our experience to work for you.

COMMODITIES PEOPLE & MOONLIGHT IQ PARTNER TO DELIVER INCREASED VALUE TO COMMODITY/ENERGY TRADING COMMUNITIES

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:31:45 GMT

COMMODITIES PEOPLE & MOONLIGHT IQ PARTNER TO DELIVER INCREASED VALUE TO COMMODITY/ENERGY TRADING COMMUNITIES

Commodities People, the independent centre for commodity and energy markets, and Moonlight IQ, the financial and fintech communications specialist, announce their partnership today. The world of conferences and physical events changed dramatically last year and Commodities People’s successful move to online events and subsequently hybrid conferences has gone far beyond the initial plans. This partnership’s aim is to build on these successes in the commodity and energy trading communities, aid communication, and support the new direction for Commodities People, enhancing future events with specialised advisory on increased media profile and client relations.

With changes to global events in the last year, Commodities People has taken its physical events into a structured online format to benefit companies worldwide. The change resulted in unprecedented attendance from industry participants and an increased and growing interest in the topics discussed by industry leaders. In a survey following Commodity Trading Week, held this June, attendees were asked whether post-pandemic they expect to mainly attend events in-person, online or a mix.65% responded that they would attend a mix, with 19% preferring in person and 16% online. This feedback is helping shape future events, with hybrid formats the clear choice to accommodate all preferences in future.

Moonlight IQ has been supporting the company through its change in focus and participated in its webinar, “How to build a Sales & Marketing strategy with reduced in-person events in Energy & Commodity Trading", helping companies redirect their marketing efforts online. Through working together, the partnership will provide value to event attendees, both virtual and physical, with targeted exposure of brands to press and vice-versa, and increased networking opportunities.

Alla Lapidus,Co-Founder and Director of Moonlight IQ, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Commodities People. At Moonlight, we have worked with leading companies in the commodity sector around the world for more than twenty years and understand the industry well. Now, more than ever, the value of events and communication for all involved in the production, trading and delivery of energy and commodities has taken on a new level of importance. Our partnership will bring benefits across the whole energy and commodity communities as we work with Commodities People to deliver more engagement in these specialist sectors.”

Ben Hillary, Managing Director and Founder of Commodities People, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to partner with Moonlight IQ in helping to further establish Energy and Commodity Trading Week as the world’s leading and most significant events exclusively for the energy and commodity trading communities. The experience of the last 18 months has shown us the critical importance of meeting face to face for developing new and existing relationships, and the enormous potential and value of online events in being able to build networks, learn and benchmark globally and at scale. We look forward to working with Moonlight to drive growth of our existing events, and to fuel growth into Asia and the Americas.”

Moonlight IQ has been working in the financial sector, including commodity markets, for over 20years. Its expertise will bring increased strategy focus for Commodities People, the organisers of pillar industry events Commodity Trading Week and Energy Trading Week. The partnership ensures an open communication stream between organisers, attendees and press, forming an expanding community for first-class knowledge and relationship-building within the commodity and energy trading markets.

The next Commodities People event, Energy Trading Week, will be held in October this year in hybrid format. The in-person gathering will be at the home of current UEFA Champions Chelsea F.C., at Stamford Bridge in London on 5-6 October. The online edition will take place on 11-15October. Find out more at www.energytradingweek.com

MOONLIGHT IQ SECURES FIRST CLIENT IN CHINA

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 11:26:09 GMT

MOONLIGHT IQ SECURES FIRST CLIENT IN CHINA

Moonlight IQ, the global finance and technology communications firm, has announced it has secured its first Chinese client, Winner Futures. Winner Futures is a Direct Market Access (DMA) specialist providing high-speed access to the Chinese equities and futures markets. In 2020 Winner Futures engaged Moonlight to develop the messaging, create branding and build a new website. Not only is this the first client in China for Moonlight but it is also the first joint client with Drebbel, the end-to-end FinTech sales services company with whom Moonlight signed a partnership agreement last year.

In addition to the new website Winner Futures also wanted to rework their core messaging and positioning. The new website explains the company’s unique offering of providing access to all trading and support services for firms in Europe and the US looking to access both futures and equities markets in China.

John Norris, co-founder and director of Moonlight IQ, said: “Although we have many years’ experience of working with clients across Asia it is exciting to secure our first Chinese client. Winner Futures provides the gateway to the Chinese Markets and it has been great to be a part of their business development and to develop their messaging and build the website, enabling access to the Chinese markets for companies around the world.”

Norris added: “It is also a testament to our partnership with Drebbel that our first client came only weeks after securing our partnership, highlighting the need for the holistic offering of marketing/PR and sales within the financial technology market.”

Li Meng, ProgrammeDirector at Winner Futures, said: “It was great to be able to work with Moonlight IQ to build our new website. We needed something that would appeal to a global market and relay our key messages to our potential business partners, and Moonlight IQ were able to deliver this quickly and efficiently.”

‍

Moonlight IQ is a global communications agency offering a wide range of services to an array of international clients in the financial and technology industries. With over 20 years’ experience in the industry, the company provides branding, communications and marketing to ensure that a client’s value and message are effectively communicated. It recently partnered with Drebbel to offer a complete service for clients looking to further their profile in the media whilst increasing sales and revenues.

Winner Futures provides all trading and support services for companies looking to enter the Chinese futures and equities markets. Their unique offering of ultra-low latency co-location and connectivity services along with their first-hand knowledge of the markets and connections with some of the top 10 brokers in China means they provide the fastest and most comprehensive access to the Chinese markets.

HOW TO BUILD A SALES & MARKETING STRATEGY WEBINAR - COMMODITIES PEOPLE

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 11:30:06 GMT

HOW TO BUILD A SALES & MARKETING STRATEGY WEBINAR - COMMODITIES PEOPLE

Learn more about how to build a sales and marketing strategy during a pandemic in the Commodities People webinar recording. Ross Hillitt, Director of Commodities People, is joined by Enverus, Brady and our director, Alla Lapidus, to discuss strategies and channels to reach clients, and how marketing and sales need to be closely linked to make the most of your sales funnel.

FINANCE & TECH COMMS FIRM MOONLIGHT IQ PARTNERS WITH DREBBEL

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 12:24:23 GMT

FINANCE & TECH COMMS FIRM MOONLIGHT IQ PARTNERS WITH DREBBEL

Global finance and technology communications specialist, MoonlightIQ (Moonlight), announced today its new partnership with end-to-end FinTech sales services company, Drebbel. The partnership means the two firms can now offer a complete service for clients looking to increase their profile in the media and with industry influencers, whilst increasing sales and revenues.

The Drebbel and Moonlight combined expertise and experience will provide exceptional representation for clients. The outsourcing of specialist marketing, branding, sales and research has already resulted in effective lead generation, sales and account management. Global companies, both big and small, will benefit from the sector knowledge and unique skill sets of the two companies.

Alla Lapidus, Co-founder and Director of Moonlight IQ, said: “It’s great to be working with Drebbel, as we share a focus on and expertise in what is a highly-complex and specialist sector. The possibility of offering a complete sales, marketing and communications service is a unique proposition in the financial and technology space and something that has been missing from the industry.

Our global reach is wider now with the two companies working side-by-side, and will quickly bring advantages to clients.”

Willem Lambrechts, CEO and Co-Founder of Drebbel, said: “Effective sales needs to be supported by state-of-the-art marketing and communications. A success factor in awareness creation, prospection and sales is the message broadcast to the market and communicated to our prospects and clients. Recent joint successes with Moonlight IQ evidenced they are a perfect fit as a Drebbel partner. They combine profound expertise in PR with solid knowledge and a significant network in the finance sector. They share our values of professionalism and client focus.”

Moonlight IQ is a global agency specialising in financial and technology communications, with more than 20 years’ experience. Led by professionals with a background in trading, product development and communications, Moonlight is and has been helping clients achieve global exposure, with many clients winning prestigious industry awards and eventually being acquired.

Drebbel is an end-to-end sales company focused on the FinTech sector, offering market research and prospection, sales, and ongoing account management. With a network of professionals and industry influencers, it is able to quickly get companies and products in front of the right people. Drebbel’s mission is to provide a seamless, quality sales service to boost revenues and aid companies inconstantly growing and evolving.

Insights

How strategic PR and Marketing can convert a prospect into a client

How strategic PR and Marketing can convert a prospect into a client

Be seen in the right places

Building credibility through others

Consistency is key

Treating PR and marketing as an afterthought

Visibility into conversion

The Biggest Communications Mistakes Fintech Firms Make (and How to Avoid Them)

The Biggest Communications Mistakes Fintech Firms Make (and How to Avoid Them)

1. Leading with technology instead of customer benefit

2. Failing to build trust through transparency

3. Inconsistent brand voice across channels

4. Having no crisis communications plan

5. Trying to talk to everyone at once ﻿

6. Underinvesting in thought leadership

7. Overlooking internal alignment

Getting communications right is a growth strategy

Whitepaper: Quantifiable Business Impact

PR & Marketing Whitepaper:

Quantifiable Business Impact

Brand Awareness: How Much Does It Impact Profits?

Brand Awareness: How Much Does It Impact Profits?

Brand Consistency: The Impacts on Profit

Why Public Relations Matters for the B2B Buyers Journey

The Tangible Benefits of Content Marketing

Explaining your Tech to Non-Techie Buyers: A B2B Messaging Guide

Explaining your Tech to Non-Techie Buyers: A B2B Messaging Guide

Does B2B Fintech marketing fail when it is too technical?

The role of financial technology comms in shaping buyer trust

Do I need to simplify technical concepts in B2B fintech messaging?

How can you build B2B fintech brand messaging that focuses on business impact?

Common financial technology messaging mistakes

Real-World Asset Tokenisation: Opportunity and the Road Ahead

Real-World Asset Tokenisation: Opportunity and the Road Ahead

Tokenisation: What is it?

How tokenization changes the game

Real-world applications of tokenised assets

Why B2B Fintech Brands Lose Deals Because of Poor Messaging

Why B2B Fintech Brands Lose Deals Because of Poor Messaging

How does messaging impact the sales process for B2B fintech brands?

How to build B2B Fintech brand messaging that seals the deal?

How to align internal teams with B2B messaging?

Why your agency should handle crisis communications

Why your agency should handle crisis communications

Why do you need a PR agency when a crisis hits?

Sentiment and mentions tracking

Internal communications for crisis management

5 Signs Your Capital Markets Firm Needs a PR Refresh

5 Signs Your Capital Markets Firm Needs a PR Refresh

1. You’re focusing too much on product press releases

2. You’re seeing your competitors everywhere

3. Your messaging sounds like everyone else’s

4. Your PR and growth goals aren’t aligned

5. You’re reacting instead of being strategic

What is the Fintech AI Bubble?

What is the Fintech AI Bubble?

What is a bubble?

With no expectation, comes no disappointment

What do buyers think?

So, what can we expect from the AI bubble?

What Journalists Actually Want from a Fintech Press Release

What Journalists Actually Want from a Fintech Press Release

Which fintech press release hits the publish button for a B2B journalist?

What does a publish-worthy B2B fintech press release look like?

B2B fintech press release metrics

The “Relations” in Public Relations: Creativity and human connections

The “Relations” in Public Relations: Creativity and human connections

Reclaiming the “Relations” in PR

Creativity as a Relationship Tool

Human Connections Create Better Results

What B2B Fintech Marketers need to know about the AI search landscape?

What B2B Fintech Marketers need to know about the AI search landscape?

What strategies should fintech marketers utilise?

How to achieve AEO?

Navigating the AI landscape

FinTech trends 2026: what to expect - from quantum computing to regulation, and everything in between

FinTech trends 2026: what to expect - from quantum computing to regulation, and everything in between

Artificial Intelligence:

Regulation:

5. Trying to talk to everyone at once

Marketing and PR: What is the difference and why you probably need both

Why PR and Marketing Work Better Together for Your Company