Finance Marketing in 2022: How to Make your Brand Stand Out

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This November, experts across the financial industry and related services gathered for the 2021 Finance Magnates’ London Summit. FMLS is an annual conference that covers key finance marketing and fintech topics and it provides a great opportunity to get a pulse for the whole industry.

During this year’s conference, Income Access participated in a panel called “Marketing in 2022: Making Your Voice Heard”, where our VP of Strategy Sarafina Wolde-Gabriel and other panelists shared insights on the future of both B2B and affiliate advertising. Here we will explore their discussion and recap the highlights you’ll want to remember!

Other panelists included: Andrea Badiola Mateos, Moderator and Head of Finance Magnates Cyprus; Martyna Borys-Liszka, Account Director at YAP Global; Ian Sims, Founder of Rightlander; Rachel Varley, Senior Industry Manger at Google; and Andrew Warden, CMO of Semrush.

 

What is Brand Voice and Why is it Important?

If there is one thing to focus on to stand out when advertising, it would be brand voice. Put simply, brand voice is the unique persona of your marketing communications; it is the tone you use with your audience and reflects how you portray your brand’s values.

According to Andrew Warden, the search volumes for “what is brand voice?” and “how to develop a brand voice?” are up 200% and 100% in 2021, respectively. So, what’s triggering this increase and why are businesses and affiliates alike turning to brand voice?

The panel believes it’s because of the long-term results it can bring. “It’s less about the performance of a [brand voice] campaign and more about the awareness that it generates,” Andrea Mateos hints. What does this mean? While you may want to invest in campaigns with instant conversions, like depositing players or clients, prioritizing brand voice helps increase your overall visibility, paving the way for greater conversions in the future.

How do you Build a Brand Voice on Social Media?

 

Social media provides instant access to potentially millions of users who could one day become clients or customers. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to social media marketing.

The panelists agree that personalization is integral to your brand’s social media presence and that a tailored approach is required for meaningful success. As Google’s Rachel Varley advises, “don’t feel that you need to be on every single platform.”

 

Instead, she suggests thinking about your brand’s values and identifying which channels reflect those best. If your audience is composed of people over 40 years old, for example, you wouldn’t want to tell your story on TikTok over LinkedIn or Facebook. In fact, trying to reach people on every platform can dilute your message as your brand voice becomes spread thin. Sticking to a few channels that work can help strengthen your brand’s visibility.

It is also imperative to create content that feels “human” and tells a story, which is what social media users react best to. In many cases, displaying numbers and statistics is less appealing to these users than a person talking about their experience with a brand. If your brand has a currency trading app for example, content like video testimonials or in-app journeys can be extremely compelling and help form a brand voice.

The Influence of Gamification on Brand Voice

Gamification is the process of making a product or service more game-like. Similar to rewarding players for completing tasks and quests, gamification rewards users for their interactions and compels them to continue with a brand.

This is extremely appealing to those who have grown up around elements of gamification their entire lives, like millennials and Gen Zers. As Andrea Mateos puts it, “it’s important that UX [user experience] corresponds nicely with what people are experiencing and expecting.” By meshing gamification with your product or service, you start tapping into this emerging market as your brand voice reflects something familiar to its users.

The Takeaway

Brand voice will be a key factor for most marketing efforts in 2022 and on. In the hopes of standing out from competitors and cementing a loyal audience, businesses and affiliates should start planning ways to identify and integrate brand voice into their advertising.

Remember that your strategy for creating a brand voice should be tailored to fit your audience and not a race to be everywhere at once. It is part of building brand awareness and it will take time to see results. It is important to understand that this sort of marketing may not have instant results, but will lay down the path for better results down the line.

Finally, don’t be shy to explore new ways to establish a brand voice. Whether it be through social media, gamification, and/or more, think about the best ways to connect with your audience and build their trust.

If you want to experience the entire panel, watch the video below!

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