Challenge
Q2 is an Austin-born digital banking challenger brand that serves more than 400 community-focused financial institutions, prominent fintech companies and more than 13 million end users. CHALLENGE Elevate and differentiate a growing financial technology (fintech) brand in a nascent and increasingly saturated industry. Maintain media relations momentum following Q2’s strong IPO in 2014, showcasing the brand’s exponential company growth, burgeoning suite of fintech experts, its unique product offerings and eventually its five strategic acquisitions.
Solution
Differentiate Q2 among its direct competitors by leveraging evergreen, researched-backed resources, unique commentary from Q2’s thought leaders and subject matter experts, and consistent contributed content in top trade publications. Red Fan Communications became a seamless extension of Q2’s expanding marketing department, developing impactful media strategies for dozens of innovative product and acquisition announcements. Launched owned research report in collaboration with Cornerstone Advisors entitled “Fintech Adoption in the U.S.: The Opportunity for Banks and Credit Unions” in alignment with Q2’s corporate, product and brand messaging, utilizing key findings to support multiple campaigns throughout the year. Developed a robust thought leadership platform with the C-suite by building and placing contributed articles in leading publications, curating speaking engagements and securing interviews with top-tier reporters. Created a spokesperson bench to help broaden media angles and thought leadership opportunities. Tapped into Q2 customers as extended spokespeople and brand ambassadors. Cross-referenced sales personas, product roadmaps, ad buys and media trends to capitalize on powerful and relevant content themes across core business units. Aligned media strategy with sales enablement process to spark brand awareness at every layer of the sales funnel.
Results
Red Fan Communications exceeded its campaign goals on Q2’s behalf. The multidimensional campaign, driven heavily by thought leadership content, generated awareness for Q2 and its products in new markets, including consumer lending and fintech markets, two key audiences for the company’s sales team. Contributed content placed by Red Fan Communications consistently drove referral traffic from target publications such as The Financial Brand. Users directed to the Q2 website from The Financial Brand commonly explored multiple pages on the site, and spent upwards of three minutes on the site per session. In 2019, Red Fan Communications also achieved a more than 60% acceptance rate to industry conferences, securing dozens of earned speaking engagements for Q2 thought leaders and subject matter experts. Engagements included placement at some of the most prestigious financial technology conferences, including Money20/20 in Las Vegas. Red Fan Communications’ media relations and thought leadership strategies placed Q2 executives in publications such as Forbes, The Washington Post, The Financial Brand, American Banker, Bank Innovation, The NAFCU Journal, PYMNTS.com, Tearsheet, Credit Union Times and dozens more.
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