Between “crypto winter”, rising interest rates, and the looming threat of stagflation and recession, the financial markets are…uneasy. Yet there is reason to be optimistic. New challenges make room for new solutions to emerge. While some may come out on top while others fall to the bottom of the heap, there are plenty of fintechs poised to do great things in 2022.
This month’s roundup looks at several different trends making headlines – from funding in fintech to the rise of API-first companies. We also feature our own articles from the month to give you helpful advice and tips on putting your best marketing foot forward if you operate in the fintech space.
While current circumstances seem tenuous, content marketing is a high-ROI way to improve margins – when done well. If you’re looking to launch content marketing at your organization or aiming to produce more consistent, interesting content in 2022, reach out for a free consultation. We’d love to talk through your thoughts and offer some of ours to ensure you get started on the right foot.
In the meantime, here’s a look at some of the most interesting stories around fintech and marketing and…fintech marketing from June.
Top Fintech News from Around the Web
The rise of API-first companies, in fintech and beyond — TechCrunch takes a look at API-first fintechs and other companies, which it describes as “any startup that either delivers its main value proposition via an API — Twilio, say — or is built to use APIs to facilitate a particular data transference — AgentSync, etc.” The definition actually comes from multistage VC firm GGV Capital, which has shown interest in “finding the most promising developer-first software companies commercializing APIs.” As such, GGV has backed companies like Agora, Authing, Mindee, and Pinwheel. According to GGV, API-first companies within its index have raised $12 billion in funding.
2022’s Great FinTech Refocus Will Usher in New Names and Priorities — PYMNTS.com posits that, in some cases, FinTechs were overvalued as 2021 ended, bringing us to the “great FinTech refocus.” What does that mean? Venture capitalists are “shutting off the cash spigot” just as we ride into the inflationary period that is leaving overextended consumers and overfunded FinTechs vulnerable. The result? There will be winners and losers. Jim McCarthy, President of i2c, says “To put it into the context of the beginning of this year, we were kind of playing through some of what I’ll call real disasters that we kind of all skated by, like the WeWork situation [but] in the FinTech space.” So what’s next?
Experts Ask Fintech Founders To Have A 12-18 Months Runway To Stay Afloat Amid Funding Winter — Piggybacking on the article above, this one highlights the global turmoil that has led to a drop off in the number of funding deals for fintechs between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022. What’s more, the funding will continue to be tight for private companies over the next year to year-and-a-half, according to experts. This, the article points out, calls for strict adherence to the philosophy of profitable growth — *not* growth at all costs. While it cautions against being paralyzed with fear, the article does urge fintech founders to focus on finding the right product-market fit.
Despite economic uncertainty, fintech leaders are ready to build — And on a brighter note, fintech prevails. Despite stagflation and recession concerns along with interest rate hikes, there is reason to be hopeful. While uncertainty may be the word of the day when it comes to financial markets, many fintech leaders are optimistic. Recent conferences have pointed to a reinvigorated sense of imagination as tech founders explore new roles for technology in the wake of the pandemic as financial services, banking, and payments continue to evolve. Changes have led to complex challenges — challenges that many fintech leaders believe they are poised to tackle.
Top Content Rewired Posts from June
And of course, here’s a curation of Content Rewired’s top posts from June:
Refresher: How to Create a Strong Fintech Audience Persona — Fintech audience personas are critical for content marketing success. It’s impossible to create effective content without a solid grasp of who it is you’re creating content for — and their needs and wants. Typical audience personas consider your target reader’s challenges, needs, preferred information sources, background/company information, and values. But fintech audience personas are also complicated by other things that impact decision-makers, including purchasing committees and other influencers. If you’re a B2B fintech organization, you need to understand exactly what your audience is looking for and how to add value.
The 3 Keys to an Effective B2B Fintech Content Marketing Strategy — Content marketing is a bit of an art and a science. It can be tempting to lean heavily on the art part, foregoing a strategy in favor of pumping out large volumes of creative. However, if you want to be successful in publishing content in a way that adds value for your audience and compels them to take action, you need to follow a recipe. While each organization may have slight variations on its recipe, certain fundamentals go a long way in ensuring effectiveness so you can keep your fintech content marketing program thriving. Learn the importance of defining your “why,” “who,” and “how” — along with how to use these to create a successful B2B fintech content marketing strategy.
Measuring Fintech Content Marketing ROI — Proving ROI for fintech content marketing can be a challenge. Unlike paid search, where there is a clear path from money spent to clicks, conversions, and leads generated, calculating content marketing ROI can be a winding road. But while paid search may offer a straighter line to calculating fintech marketing ROI, it doesn’t necessarily yield better fintech marketing ROI. Calculating content marketing ROI doesn’t have to be rocket science. Start by looking at the metrics that are most important to your organization. Read more…
Looking for more in-depth fintech marketing tools and content? Check out one of our helpful guides:
