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Market like a Fintech is a podcast by Mint Studios and the Fintech Marketing Hub, on a mission to find out what marketing strategies and tactics the top fintech companies in the industry use to acquire real customers, build a brand and grow revenue.
Araminta Robertson: When it comes to
complex B2B marketing cycles, multiple
years, multiple stakeholders, it's
easy to forget that ultimately you're
still targeting humans just like us.
And these are people who want to meet who
they're working with, that also have a
family, and they also care about having a
good time and enjoying the work they do.
And it's true that in the world of
AI and things becoming more global
and remote, it's really tempting
to automate everything and make
a lot of the work happen online.
But we really underestimate the
power of doing stuff in person.
Even if it's clunkier, it's
more expensive, it's messy.
It's the upside is kind
of huge in a way that.
Hard to explain, and I'd say this is
especially true in content marketing,
which by nature is online and isolated
reading is something you have to do
in your own time and, and away from
people or concentrated on one thing.
So how can you bring a human element to
content and B2B marketing in general.
This is a topic that we explore in
today's episode with the Goal Herring
VP brand and communications at fus.
Nicole has extensive experience in
FinTech and financial services, having
worked for well-known FinTech brand
like SumUp, as well as agencies.
And she's now been at
Infuse for over two years.
If you haven't heard of Infuse, they
are an issuer processor based in
Finland and they operate as a strategic
partner for global payment card programs
with customers, including companies
like Lio, memo Bank, and All Pay.
In this episode we talk about
the role of content IF use where
si, CY sales cycles are massive.
Their strategy of making snackable
videos and distributing via LinkedIn,
how they use the human element, how
they introduce it in their marketing
with dinners, uh, through their podcast
and their island and Fuse Island.
And then finally, how they incorporate
their Finn identity to stand out and
how that helps them make connections.
Enjoy the episode.
Great.
Before we dive into our conversation with
Nicole, let me share five key insights
that every marketer should keep in mind:
⢠How to leverage data analytics to
better understand customer behavior
and optimize marketing strategies - By
analyzing customer interactions and
engagement patterns, you can create
more targeted and effective campaigns
that resonate with your audience.
⢠Why building authentic relationships
with your audience leads to higher
brand loyalty and long-term success
- In today's digital age, genuine
connections matter more than ever, as
customers seek brands they can trust
and relate to on a personal level.
⢠What role content personalization plays
in increasing engagement and conversion
rates - By delivering tailored content
experiences, you can significantly
improve how your audience interacts with
and responds to your marketing messages.
⢠How to effectively use social media
platforms to amplify your brand message
and reach new audiences - Strategic social
media presence allows you to engage with
your target market where they already
spend their time, creating meaningful
touchpoints throughout their journey.
⢠Why staying updated with the latest
marketing technology trends is crucial
for maintaining a competitive edge - The
marketing landscape evolves rapidly,
and keeping pace with new tools and
technologies ensures your strategies
remain effective and forward-thinking.
Now, let's hear from Nicole
about how she puts some of these
principles into practice at Enfuce.
Well, I'd love to start with tell
me a bit about your day-to-day and
what you're doing at Enfuce and
also how does content fit into that?
How are you touching content
on your day-to-day job?
Nicole Heringer: I think
content is, a cornerstone of
what the NPS marketing team.
Develops, whether that's video,
whether that's podcast, whether that's
blog or even our webinar program.
For me, my day to day usually
is never the same day twice.
It really depends what's going on.
Whether I'm filming with a team,
sometimes in the Oland Islands or in
London, or we're prepping for an event,
it could be completely different.
But the core of of, , the week is
always, team check in curating what
we're working on at the moment, what
is our content flow right now, what's
in edits, what's in ideation phase,
and really making sure the pipeline of
really great stuff is always moving.
We're small but like very mighty team.
So it's a lot of alignment to make sure,
everything is going as smooth as possible.
Araminta Robertson: Nice.
And we'll talk a little bit about
like, what that looks like in practice.
But before that I'd love to learn,
you're in a space where you're
targeting high value companies.
It's long sales cycles.
It's quite a different world to like,
I dunno, targeting SMBs or something.
And so what is the role of content
when you're targeting these types
of companies and how does that fit
into your wider marketing strategy?
Nicole Heringer: Well,
yeah, , this is a thing, right?
You know, the kind of work NFU
does is an issue, a processor.
It's not a thing that you're just going
to, , go online and say, I'm gonna
click and I'm gonna buy one of those.
You know, it's, it's not
the world we live in.
The sales cycles are massive.
But content is a central growth lever.
It's not a support function, , it
drives inbound demand.
It also is a brand builder for us.
It supports the sales funnel, so it's
absolutely crucial to everything we do.
In the marketing space, whether that's
trying to educate people, whether it is
trying to, cement our brand proposition
or even account based engagement.
Araminta Robertson: okay, so
how say you're getting started
with a new target customer.
What is that first point of contact?
Like, how would you, does
content play a role there?
Like what is the typical,
I guess, buying journey?
Just so we understand a little bit what
that looks like from, for marketing?
Nicole Heringer: know, it does vary from
customer to customer and what vertical
we're talking and how they find us.
we're big on understanding that
journey as it plays out customer,
over customer, they could find us.
At a show, they could
find us by a website.
It is a mixed bag and it is using
as many data sources as we can to
figure out how it is they find us.
And it is also understanding who really
is this, ICP and really making sure like
what we're creating, no matter what it
is, it's relevant, it's high quality,
and the information is up to date.
So, content for us is
a massive team sport.
Not just within marketing,
but beyond, right?
It takes into account our friends over
on the product team really understanding
what our friends and sales need and making
sure all of these dots are connected.
Because if our journey internally
is broken, the customer journey
is gonna look a hot mess.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
Yeah, definitely.
So let's talk about the types
of content that you're creating.
'cause it sounds like there's
a, there's really a wide range.
You've got video, you've got podcasts,
and there's so much to to work on there.
So what's the type of content
that you're creating, how does
that fit into that buyer journey?
Is there one type of content
that's specifically for
the beginning, for example?
And what are the channels
as well where those happen?
Nicole Heringer: Yeah, exactly.
LinkedIn is quite crucial to us, which
is why we do generate a fair bit of
video, but that video of course, doesn't
just live on social in an organic sense.
It's also a sales tool.
We have a.
A short video format called the
MICUs Minute, where our head
of onboarding breaks down his
name is MICUs, hence the name.
Breaks down, one of our
offerings in 60 seconds or less.
And when you think of things like bin
sponsorship, it's a big, you know,
ask to say, Hey, can you explain this?
But that becomes great snackable
content that works really well online,
but also is something that our sales
team can send out to prospects who
are like, Hey, I wanna know more about
this or this, do you have something
on the revolving credit proposition?
So it is making sure that we
have multi-use pieces of content.
We are smaller.
We're not a massive
marketing team of dozens.
So everything we do has to have
a purpose both to the business,
but also to our audiences.
Araminta Robertson:
That's really interesting.
Let's talk a bit more about that video.
where can I find them on your website?
Are they on your website?
Those short
Nicole Heringer: Some are on the
website, they are on our YouTube.
I'll send you over some links.
And they live in our LinkedIn as well.
So we do a series of those.
We've also recently started sort of a myth
busters series which is especially grade.
Our chief risk officer has been breaking
down some different compliance myths as
well as one of our lead engineers and one
of our co-founders talking about some of
the like trickier technical myths around.
Processing the cloud.
We were the first to process
payments in the cloud.
A lot of people make assumptions
about that, so we're like, why
don't we create some fun videos,
to dispel some of this nonsense?
Right.
Araminta Robertson:
No, that's really cool.
Yeah.
I'm looking at your YouTube now, So
what made you decide to go into video?
Because I feel like in my experience,
a lot of FinTech companies want
to do video, but it's expensive
and it takes a lot of resources.
It's complicated.
So what was your process
behind making that decision?
Let's invest in video.
And what have you seen
as a result of that?
It sounds like you're using it
across lots of different ways,
which is obviously amazing.
But yeah.
How have you seen that response, I guess?
Nicole Heringer: Yeah, I think there
is the assumption that it is expensive.
I think it is about knowing how to do
it in a cost effective way, but why
and how we started it, I believe it was
2023, we went to Money 2020 when we had,
were launching our, our brand evolution.
So we became the nfu, you know, today,
you know, happiness built in, bold
aurora colors, blah, blah, blah.
And we.
Shot a few pieces of video
and we tested it out.
That was sort of our test and
learn and it performed so well.
We decided, okay, , let's see
what else this can do for us.
So it's always a test and learn.
And it is really sitting
down and planning out what.
what channel do for us?
So in some cases, video has served a great
purpose as an explainer, medium as a brand
builder, even in an employer brand sense,
we have, you know, our end Enfucesers
in focus and internally people love it.
It's a great recruitment tool so
that people can get to know who
works here, what kind of journey.
What kind of culture
is it to be an Enfuce?
So it has become a great
multi-purpose medium.
We work with an external video provider.
We're not big enough that we
have, you know, a video team
chilling in Helsinki or something.
But we have found a really
great way to be able to do that.
We write.
The content in house, we plan it
quarter over quarter, so I always
know when we're gonna go film.
And we're really lucky that we
have some end futures who have
spectacular charisma on camera.
So, that's a bonus because I have
been in places where I've tried
video and it has failed because
either you don't have the content or
you don't have the people to bring.
The material to life.
And that's the thing, I think part
of our brand is that happiness
built in that approachability and
having the right people has also
supported making video work for us.
Araminta Robertson:
Yeah, very interesting.
so it sounds like very multipurpose.
Of course.
Beginning of the journey,
someone doesn't understand bid
sponsorship, something like that.
So that's really fantastic
for like top of the funnel.
And then maybe once they're
further down the funnel, you're
having conversations with them.
do you encourage your
salespeople to use video?
Because this is a challenge I think
a lot of companies have, which is
there's all this great content.
How do we get the sales team
to push it or to use it?
How have you managed that?
Nicole Heringer: it is
keeping them informed.
It is looping them in, but it's
also developing content that
is further down the journey.
We have started some, what we call
narrative case studies with our
customers and partners that are a
bit further down where we will sit.
With one of our customers.
For example, we recently did one with
Octopus electro verse and with shuttle
where we explored the relationship.
So it's a four chapter video so
you can watch each individually.
And one is hearing from the customer,
one is hearing from our co CEO, Denise
about what was the challenge being solved.
And there's also one where they
will speak side by side in the
same as a conversation about.
Were there challenges?
'cause we're not the brand who's gonna
pretend everything's perfect all the
time, but we will solve challenges
and we are great at collaboration.
So we bring that out.
You know, we wanted to bring something
a little different to that lower funnel
piece that still had personality and
also gives people that aha moment,
like, oh, okay, this is what it's
like to actually work with nfs.
This is how they're gonna
solve, for X, Y, and Z.
So,, it is.
That way and, and actually that the
narrative case study came out of
conversations with our customer success
team and our sales team around what do
they need, , what do people wanna hear
when you're in discussions with them?
So, we've recorded four of these
so far and, it is a test and learn
before we do the next batch to see
what resonates and what doesn't.
But so far so good.
So it is, also figuring
out with each medium.
How To bring it through the
funnel, and also what can you
do with each piece of content.
So those narrative case studies
can also become fodder for building
out blogs and written content.
So, again, being small and mighty,
you have to leverage everything
you have in the toolbox, right?
So, if you have great video,
what can we do with it?
You have a great podcast
recording and a transcript.
What else can you build with that?
Araminta Robertson: Yeah, yeah, Yeah.
I watched the one with Cleo and I was
also quite impressed with how detailed
it was and how they were willing to
say, yeah, there were issues, but
we were able to handle them because
ultimately everyone knows there's
problems with every product that you buy.
And it doesn't matter if you
buy on Amazon or whatever it is.
And that's just the
natural way things are.
So instead of like hiding away
from it, you're essentially saying,
it's okay, we can talk about it.
And I think in a way that
kind of breaks down barriers.
Would you say?
That's right.
Nicole Heringer: Absolutely.
we pride ourselves on being
straight talking and no nonsense.
And that also includes
being, being honest.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
so I thought it was really cool
the case study, so I agree.
I think it makes a lot of sense and
especially with something that's such a
big integration, like processing, like
this is not a three month integration.
This is like multi-year sometimes, right?
it's part of the product
of your customer, right?
And so there's a lot of, I
guess, risk in the sense.
And so seeing that other customers
have implemented it and all
that is a big part of like.
Reducing that risk and
feeling more confident.
So it makes sense that case studies
is a really big part of that.
okay, so we've talked a bit about video,
so lots going on there, which is great.
And I think what you said as well,
which is interesting is you kind of
start with I guess the channel or the
type of content that is the hardest
to do in a way, which is video.
And then from there you can kind
of waterfall and repurpose it into
lots of other types of content.
That is like a little bit easier
because turning an article into a video.
That's like a lot of work where turning
a video into an article is a lot less.
So it sounds like video.
I don't know.
Tell me about your thinking there.
Do you kind of start with video and then
work your way through everything else?
Or what are some other channels
that work alongside that?
Nicole Heringer: Video definitely
flows easily into written
content, especially with AI tools.
The other one that lends itself nicely
through that is, of course, podcast,
Sometimes in a reverse way.
I'll read something that, for example,
our product marketing team has
produced and I'll get super excited.
I'll be like, we need to do a podcast
about this, or we need to do this, or,
you know, we're very much those Yes.
And people where we'll
be talking about content.
We have a monthly content council where,
where everybody reviews what they're
working on and you get those really great
magic moments where you're like, Ooh,
okay, I'm filming over here next month.
What if we bring in whichever
customer we're gonna talk about this?
Because we always wanna sort of.
Layer it right to, make that journey
as round and whole as possible.
So sometimes you can do it in the reverse,
but in terms of planning, sometimes
the video does come first or the pod.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
Yeah.
it makes sense.
Well, and this brings me on
to nicely to like strategy.
So walk me through a bit of your process
in terms of creating the content strategy.
And that's just, that's not just written,
I mean, that's across everything.
'cause it sounds like there's a mix
of flexibility every month, but also
do you have an overarching strategy?
How do you think about that?
Nicole Heringer: Quarterly, we have sort
of a, a playbook of what we want to tackle
in terms of themes and topics, key points,
stuff we wanna dial up or dial down.
And that's when it gets really
collaborative across sales, across,
various subject matter experts.
you can't do the kind of
content we do without speaking
to the people who really know.
Everything in the weeds, I will never
proclaim to be a bin sponsorship expert
but I know who the people are that
I can, call up and have a chat with.
Right?
And that's what's really important.
But we go through a
quarterly planning cycle.
We refine monthly.
We, of course, do monthly reporting to
see what works and what doesn't, because
just because video worked for these
short little product explainers over here
doesn't mean the next format's gonna work.
So it is a lot of testing and iterating
for us because the thing is, is that
we're not in the position that we can
afford to keep generating content.
If nobody's seeing it, I can make the most
beautiful artistic thing in the world.
It really doesn't matter if the only
person who's seeing it is my cousin.
And we are a bit ruthless when it
comes to that, where it's just like,
okay, cool, we need to shelve this.
This is not working.
But that over there, that's working.
So let's do some more
of that next quarter.
Araminta Robertson: So it sounds
like yeah, testing, tracking,
reporting is a big part of that.
So of course, my next question
is, what are you looking for?
Because the thing is that with
something like, I don't know, SEO,
you can quickly see conversions,
new customers every month.
This is not the situation here
because sales cycles are so long.
So what are the kind of
metrics that you're using to
try and answer that question?
Is it working or not?
Nicole Heringer: That's a, big
question and a wide question.
Right.
we are lucky that in some cases you do
hear, , sort of the qualitative feedback
that, oh, okay, this brand experience.
really contributed to a customer
understanding that , we're not
just some little Finn FinTech.
And this kind of opened their
eyes to our positioning.
But of course there's also the
hardcore stuff, as you mentioned, it
is tracking the SEO, it is tracking
your web traffic, and annoying the
social media manager about how did
this perform or how did that perform.
It's also, dream data and
just understanding where
things are actually coming in.
it's really.
Multipurpose how we look at
success in the tracking, right?
Because it is the quantitative
and the qualitative.
I think both are important.
It depends what each piece
of content is designed to do.
Whether it is designed as a
brand builder or whether it's,
a lead gender, for example.
In which case you wanna have,
the right people there, but a lot
of these things aren't gonna be.
Measured in the thousands and so forth.
Some of it, it is that richer one-to-one,
and this is the beauty of a BM, is,
you're not talking , to the masses, right?
You are super targeted.
So it is also, regularly having
those touch points with sales
and just understanding, okay,
what's doing what, what are the
opportunities that came out of this?
And sometimes with some things,
it's gonna take a while.
Money 2020 was back in June.
We were there, we had a booth.
We had loads of people around, did
some cool stuff on a qualitative level.
We believe it worked, but it's
gonna take a while to see how those
leads and opportunities pan out.
But we kind of build,
our planning into that.
We know that this is not
Araminta Robertson: Yeah, definitely.
Can you tell me a bit more
about your A BM process?
Because obviously different
people have different approaches.
They use pods with salespeople and
this, that, and the next thing.
So what is your kind of approach to a BM?
How do you work closely with
the sales team to make that
kind of, to make it happen?
Nicole Heringer: it's deeply strategic.
It is that, that alignment piece.
So it is that understanding who it is,
where they are, and what do they need,
And bringing them in, whether it's
curating, our Aurora dinners, 'cause
we have a dinner series and this is one
of the things that have replaced some
of our bigger external markets events.
Like we used to go to a lot of
shows, have a booth everywhere.
But we've started just really going
a bit more intimate, smaller persona,
because the thing is, is that.
If you're not talking to everybody
and their dog, you really need
those more intimate interactions.
So for example, back in, I believe
it was March or April, we had
a dinner in London, gorgeous.
20, handpicked guests alongside
some members of our commercial team.
We did, you know, it was very beautiful,
very,, reflection of the brand in
terms of the, this Nordic ness.
We built some amazing floral
structures, very unusual space.
It was like a former riding
school in the center of London.
So we want it to be these
memorable experiences.
So you get that.
Wow.
Right.
You know, similarly, we've
done a dinner on a rooftop farm
in the center of Copenhagen.
I will never understand how our director
of regional marketing finds these places.
But it is always well worthy.
And that's the thing, like that's
when the qualitative feedback.
Trumps all of the SEO because you
hear from that one person where it's
just like, oh my gosh, this dinner was
amazing because I've had people walk up
to us at, at other events, it's like,
Hey, I don't know if you remember me.
I met you at the dinner.
You had a Munich and blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah.
And they come, they rock up to us at
money 2020 with this wonderful memory
of this, and they wanna chat again.
So they stop and they stay and they
have a chat with our commercial folks.
So it is a different way of thinking, but
I think this is the thing about a BM is
that It's a different approach altogether.
It's not traditional marketing where it's
like, Hey, here's a really great guide.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah, no, totally.
And I think this theme came up
again and again at the conference
where you spoke a few weeks ago.
The, especially with AI and I think
just remote work and just technology in
general, more and more people are craving
in person or human kind of interactions.
And so the dinner stuff, I've heard
a few people or companies also do
this more and more, and they're
saying that similar things, which
is, it's working really well.
And I think it makes a lot
of sense because ultimately.
To stand out a little bit from everyone
else, you kind of have to build that
human relation and that's why at the end
of the day, people you're targeting, no
matter what their title, and no matter
how senior they are, there's still people
who love to go to a nice dinner and speak
with other people in their industry.
That's not gonna change ever unless
we start targeting robots, which is
another conversation for another day,
Nicole Heringer: Oh gosh.
Araminta Robertson: which
could happen as well.
But for the moment,
there's still humans and.
And why not lean into
that human side of things?
So, I think it makes a lot of
sense and it's really interesting
and cool how you're doing it.
Would you, just out of curiosity, like
would you use those dinners as a way
to maybe start imagine you've got a new
target customer that you wanna acquire
obviously, or start working with.
Would you use those dinners as a
way to, like the first touch point?
What would you say is the best
first touch point that you've
seen works in these A BM programs?
Nicole Heringer: Oh gosh.
I don't know if it would
necessarily be the first.
I don't think we would just ring
someone up and bring them to a dinner.
I think this is where the, the dynamic
working with sales is really important
because, they have to tell us where
somebody already is in that journey.
Right?
And usually it is someone who's had
some form of introduction to us.
This is also the beauty of,
I think, you know, when you
have a strong commercial team.
They know people , and it's also FinTech
You know, everybody kind of
knows everybody to an extent.
So, I would have to argue with a, a
lot of the time with what really is the
first touchpoint with the brand because
sometimes people have seen our logo
or they've seen our social, or like
randomly people be like, oh, I saw your
ESG report with the wacky animals on it.
And you're just like, oh, okay, cool.
so it is.
I would say dinner's probably
not the absolute first, but
it can be fairly early stage.
And also what's great about the dinners
where they are fairly intimate, we
don't tend to photograph or film
them, is that someone who may not feel
comfortable swinging by our booth at a
public event because they don't want.
You know, people to know they're
looking for another provider.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
They feel a bit more comfortable coming
because it's one of those things that,
you know, it's private, it's a bit closer.
It also means they're more likely to
have, , a meaningful conversation with
the people they want to, as opposed
to, absolute event chaos where maybe
you get like a high, high, high and
there's 8 million things happening.
The other advantages with these
dinners is we really try to create
an experience that you're gonna want.
To come out for the evening.
I think we're also at a point with events
that there's so many post COVID that
we're getting a little bit of fatigue.
So like, even for me, for me to leave
my house and, get on the Uber or
something I need, it needs to be worth
Araminta Robertson: to be worth it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, that makes sense.
Yeah, totally.
So, so let's talk a bit about the
other cool things that you're doing.
So, during the conference you talked
about the sauna, which I thought was
really cool, and also the podcast.
So tell us a bit more about all
these like, interesting marketing
kind of efforts and activities
that you're doing and how you're
seeing that impacts your marketing.
Nicole Heringer: Sure.
The podcast, the podcast was
something I even spoke about.
I believe in my very first interview
with Vanessa, our CMOI love podcasts.
And I love them, especially when you work
with people who have strong personalities.
And I'm very lucky that we have
two co-CEOs who are both brilliant
women in their careers, but they
also have dynamic personalities.
They have opinions.
And I had seen that when I was preparing
for my interview two and a half years
ago, you know, loads of podcasts and
stuff with Monica and Denise in them.
I'm like, Ooh, they are interesting.
And I had pitched, what if we
did, what if we did a podcast?
And, sure enough, after I was hired a few
weeks in, I had pitched this as part of
my first thinking about like, what am I
gonna do with this brand, with our comms?
And Denise said.
Can I host it?
And it kind of started out that way.
And then we started ideating around
what does the show look like?
And, being a finished foreign company.
Sauna is a massive part of Nordic
culture, especially Finnish culture.
It is so rooted in who they are
and what they do, and just that
sense of calm and wellbeing that
they derive from it is phenomenal.
And it kind of became, as we
were moving towards that first
money 2020 we were doing in 2023
you know, with the rebrand was.
what if we have a sauna studio and
you talk to your event provider
and they're like, we can build
that kind of wacky, kind of fun.
And, it kind of became our thing.
And of course, Sonos are hot and
then you kind of, you know, tease
it out a bit and you're like, okay,
in the hot seat, this kind of works.
This feels like us.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And you know, where we had gone
into that very first event with the
podcast, we hadn't rebranded yet.
Nobody really knew.
Who we were, I feel like at that point
we're still the best kept secret.
It was paEnfucel to get the first
guests, because people were like en
Enfucese what's en Enfucese, you know?
And then we kind of rocked up
with that big booth with the Sauna
studio and people would come see it
and, it's authentic to the point.
We have a real finished
stone oven in there.
and the pine boards, the whole thing.
And, you know, we started with
a few customers coming by.
We had someone wonderful from our
customer, SEB embedded, who came
by and was one of our early guests.
And, so we started there.
And we released the episodes and
after, six to eight months,, you
had listeners all over the place.
You had listeners from 20 different
countries, which is crazy to me.
You know, it happened quite quickly.
It evolves wonderfully.
And then you start getting
more and more guests.
So the next time you rock up to money
2020, the following year, you have
spectacular guests, you have tics coming
by, you have David Birch coming by,
and all these wonderful, People , in
the industry who talk of their game.
Wonderful voices, wonderful opinions.
Yeah, it kind of just evolved
into its own thing, its own show.
Again, we recorded again this
year more spectacular guests.
And then in between we also
recorded some of our own events
at one of our dinners in London.
partway through the evening we had
a podcast recording of sort of the
entertainment portion of the dinner.
And it was cool because those,
20, 25 guests got to listen in
before that episode was edited
and put out into the world.
So it's kind of exclusive.
We do.
A unrecorded q and a in that case.
So it it's a bit of a, a special
episode when we do those ones.
Araminta Robertson: Nice.
And how have you seen that impact on
your marketing or on your brand overall?
Do you find that it's easier to open
conversations or maybe build that trust?
What have you seen has
been the positive impact?
Nicole Heringer: It is definitely
a door opener and a little bit of
a sweetener, if you will, because
sometimes if someone's in conversation
with you, whether it's a potential
partner or a prospect or just someone
you want to position yourselves with a
little bit more, it's always wonderful.
To say, Hey, do you wanna come be a guest?
And it keeps the conversation rolling,
right?
And this is also why some
of our interview-based video
series works really well.
' cause people can, you know, pop on by.
And that's also great with existing
customers and partners because you
keep that relationship warm and cozy.
They know you value their
perspective, their experience,
their position in the industry.
And you know, it's just a
nice moment to reconnect.
So yeah, it is a door opener.
It is also that little bit of sweetness.
And also, when we turn these
pieces into content that we use
across our various channels, it
also positions us as conversation
drivers and, experts in our area.
So does also have that brand
echo, which is magical.
And, you know, originally how this was
conceived, but it kind of became something
bigger than that, which is, you know.
as a marketer, something wonderful and
special, and you see something just
kind of grow beyond your expectations.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
And one thing that I'm hearing, and I'm
seeing this as well across many companies,
is the importance of having, because you
have so many different kind of channels,
activities going on, you've got the video,
you've got podcasts, you've got reports.
It allows you to have lots of these
different touch points and engage your.
prospects as well as current customers.
How do you manage that with a lean team?
Because I think that it's, it is great.
It, I think lots of companies would
dream to have a podcast and to be
able to do all this, but then I have
a few friends who have started along
this process and then they're like,
oh my God, it was so much work.
It's just really hard.
So how have you managed that with a
lean team, and I'm curious also to
hear how you're maybe using AI and
all that to improve those processes.
Nicole Heringer: This is really
where it comes down to ruthlessly
prioritizing what you're gonna do, and
understanding what value things will have.
Because maybe if we are shorthanded
at the moment, we can't do as
many videos this quarter, or we
can't do this, but what we do.
Choose to do.
If we believe in the purpose,
we find a way, right?
And this is where our friend AI is
magical in terms of, helping you, Stop
the creative output in a massive way
in terms of not just generating slop
content, because that drives me insane.
As someone who consumes a massive
amount of media nothing drives me
to distraction more than when I'm
like reading something like, Ooh,
you did not write that my friend.
Araminta Robertson: You
just stop reading, right?
'cause
Nicole Heringer: Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
And you kind of roll your eyes and
then also when that happens, you
don't go back to their content,
you're just like, Ooh, okay.
No.
So we use it more, in some cases,
AI as an idea generator in terms of,
what are top topics in compliance.
And then we refine that out and we.
Work with internal experts to figure
out, okay, how is this relevant to us?
is this actually interesting
or is it a bit basic?
and refining the topics,
refining what we do.
AI is also.
Absolutely magical for someone like me
who's highly visual, but maybe if I'm
pitching something to my CMO she can't
see inside my brain, which is probably
a good thing for everyone, but it helps
me be able to, to bring something out.
When we were doing um, creating
a stand for a show, I had a
very specific idea in mind.
I'm explaining to her the various
references, which kind of sound
absurd when you say them out
loud, which was like, Nordic and
Scandinavian design, a little bit of
com de garal, a little bit of Apple
Store, but also Folky Nordic Cabin.
And you know, this woman was
looking at me like, is she okay?
But what I did was sat with, the AI
tool and started putting together a
few references and I built a mood board
Then it turned out, oh, I get it.
I love it.
And then when you show that
mood board to your stand
designer, they're like, oh, okay.
I like it.
This is how it actually
could work in real life.
And then of course, a few
months later, there it is.
And it actually does look like
what started off as,, a flash
in the back of your mind.
And when we didn't have those tools,
a lot of things got killed early,
early on in the creative process.
So, you know, it does help,
ideas come into the world a bit.
It also helps, , take transcripts, make
it into magical blogs and so forth.
But I still stand by the fact people
still need to intervene and review
it and make sure like it, it feels
like people talking to people.
' cause I think if we overlook that for the
sake of speed and just like churning up
more and more, more, it doesn't matter.
You've made empty words.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah, definitely.
I think I was gonna ask you about
reports actually, and also webinars.
I know you've, you do quite a few.
And it's interesting because
depending a little bit on who I talk
to, some people are like, webinars
are, they work really well for us.
Others are like.
Nah, not, we've stopped
doing them reports.
Same for some people, it's
like, worked really well.
So I'm curious about how have both
of those worked for you, but also how
do you make a report that's genuinely
interesting and useful and not just.
I don't wanna say AI slop, but a lot of
it is generic, and like, very high level.
And, we help our clients create
reports and stuff, and so that's
what we're always trying to avoid.
But yeah.
What are your thoughts on that?
And How are you making those
two channels work, I guess?
Nicole Heringer: Yeah, so
I'll start with webinar.
Webinars have been working well for us.
We, have started doing them again
quite heavily about a year ago.
But again, that is based on, you
know, a need that was identified.
With our, alongside our commercial
team and our, product marketing
folks to understand, what, could we
talk more about and how do we bring
this to life in an interesting way.
And, we're really, really picky
about what topics we cover
because it has to be relevant.
So it has to be, relevant to the
kind of folks we wanna target.
It has to be relevant to the wider
industry and it has to have a perspective
that is the same as every other webinar.
'cause one of the things that I'm
always asking when we're, we're
talking about what are we gonna do
for the next one is, okay, but what
is that everybody else doing on that?
You know, if we're doing something
compliance related, we can't do the same
thing that you are doing or you know,
whoever down the road is doing because.
Why would I attend yours and you
know, it's, it is standing out in
the sea of sameness and having those
conversations that matter and also
making sure you have the right people.
I've been to so many webinars over the
years where, wonderful, knowledgeable
people, but not the most engaging.
Araminta Robertson: how
do you do that then?
How do you encourage your
speakers to be engaging?
Nicole Heringer: You know,
it's not even encouraging them.
It's also making sure it's people
who feel comfortable in that format.
Not every format is for everyone.
Some people, they're great at
giving you a wonderful interview
that you can turn to a blog.
Some people feel comfortable,
doing something like this.
Other people, they love stage,
they don't wanna touch video.
So it is working with your stakeholders
who are also your spokespeople on
what is the right medium for them.
I encountered years ago,
someone , who literally, when
you, you put them on camera for
something, they look, terrorized.
So you're just like, woo, okay.
This is why you can't just say you are a
senior in a position and you're an expert.
Let's just shove you in front of
the camera or shove you on a panel.
No, you have to be really mindful
that different things
work for different people.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah, definitely.
And the other one was reports.
Nicole Heringer: Yes, reports.
Reports are great in that, you
know, it is that like deep dive.
I feel like once you're through
the door, and you wanna know more
and more and more and you wanna get
super granular, they're wonderful.
But only if they're tailored
to the right audience because
I think there's nothing more I.
Frustrating for your audience.
Then, they download the thing,
they're looking through it.
It's like, you know, however many pages.
They don't find what they're looking for.
So it's really understanding what kind
of questions are sales being asked?
What kind of questions do the solution
consultants hear all the time?
What is really like.
Bugging the customer that
they need to know about.
And also even understanding on the product
and solution level, you know, what is the
nitty gritty, what is the value behind
this, and why do we need to talk about it?
and we are not in the position that we
can make, a hundred different reports.
So it is cherry picking what
matters the most to us right now.
So if our priority is, looking at the
fleet mobility or the banking vertical
right now, then what content do we need
to pull this quarter and put together?
So it all compliments each other.
, We try not to do.
Regurgitation of same, same, same.
Whilst we will use one piece of content
to level up the other, it is trying
to do it in a smart way so that if you
read all the same things about one of
our fleet products for example, there's
always a little something extra for
you with each part in the journey.
So you don't feel like, oh gosh, I
listened to that podcast and then I got
the report and it was the same thing.
Like, what's the point?
it is that you wanna
avoid content fatigue.
Araminta Robertson: I guess that's a
counterpoint to the whole repurposing.
Like it's good to repurpose, but
also make sure it's a bit different.
No.
Nicole Heringer: Exactly it is
that, well that's when curation
is important and that is where you
understand, what am I really saying?
What is each piece
doing in terms of value?
Is it meeting, you know,
the audience at eye level?
Whether that's a prospect, whether
that's an existing customer, what
are they getting out of it and why?
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
Nicole Heringer: speaking to them to,
to see, hey, how was that webinar?
How was that, what did
you take away from that?
Araminta Robertson: So how do you
get a bit of that feedback back?
So obviously curation, selecting the right
topics, that means having really strong
understanding of your target customer.
What does that flow look like?
Are you talking regularly
to your sales team?
How are you getting feedback from your
customers and prospects on what they like?
Nicole Heringer: it is
having those conversations.
It is.
Being close with the folks in
the commercial organization,
that is absolutely critical.
I think the minute marketing
lives in a silo is the minute,
marketing has failed miserably.
So we're very lucky that we have a very
collaborative commercial organization
that really understands the value
that marketing can drive for them.
In other ways, it's great
just to talk to the people.
That are part of the content,
understanding what someone who's
seen the webinar felt asking them.
And this is the great thing, and
I'm very lucky that I do attend
some of our events, so I do get
From people.
Because, you know, I, I think, we
sometimes forget it's content for
people, which means you need to
understand what the people want.
Araminta Robertson: I find
it so interesting how it's
often Yeah, I agree with you.
Especially the conference
we did a few weeks ago.
It was just.
So nice to just meet
everyone and be able to chat.
Like the flow of information
is so much faster in person.
We often forget when you're
so used to a synchronous.
So there's an interesting like
use case for doing events.
Literally, it's just to talk and hear
what people are thinking and saying
there's nothing can replace that really.
So, Yeah.
It's really crazy.
So the last thing I'd love to, to touch
on is your island, which is very cool.
tell us a bit about the think, I mean,
I watched your video, so I know a little
bit myself, the context, but for the
listeners what was the thinking behind the
island and how are you using it currently?
Like, how have you seen the impact of it?
Nowadays with it in practice,
I guess it's being used now.
Nicole Heringer: Yes.
So En Island is an actual physical
island in the Oland Archipelago.
So Oland is an autonomous territory that.
geographically between Sweden and Finland.
Sorry, just explaining it because a
lot of people have no clue where it is.
I'm talking about several of our
co-founders are actually from there.
We have an office in the Oland
Islands there was this magical
moment last summer when Vanessa,
our CMO was at the management
offsite and they had visited IVCO.
The Champagne brand has
an island down there.
They had, gone by that on a boat
and something starts to happening.
He was like.
We should have an island.
And then it becomes, what
if we did have an island?
And, and Vanessa and myself and
our, director of events and regional
marketing we're having a chat like,
what would NPUs Island look like?
And it sort of started to evolve.
And the magical thing about the
Oland Archipelago is that there's
thousands of islands down there.
And we found one and we kind of have built
this magical place that is really, the
embodiment of Fus culture, which of course
is, sort of has that Nordic touchstone.
So the island has a sauna house,
it has a little cabin, it has
loads of space for communal dining.
It is absolutely
breathtaking and beautiful.
I spent a few days there back in May
and, awestruck would be a great way to
describe the experience, but in terms
of what it actually does for business,
not just a cute thing that we have, it's
a space for workshopping and developing
relationships sort of at the next level.
So we have.
Some customer visits planned,
some partner visits planned.
One of our teams had an offsite there this
week to sort of build out their roadmap.
So it is a place, I think , to level up.
your relationships, your thinking
you know, it's not just a
place to go have nice times.
It is absolutely beautiful.
So, yes, you will have a nice time if you
go but it is a way of taking experiential
marketing to a whole other level.
there are guests that will be coming
to the island this summer who have.
Possibly never been to the Nordic
except, but it certainly have
not been to the Archipelago.
Certainly haven't experienced this
sort of Finnish cottage culture
of just sort of going away from it
all to, a private special place.
Where you can think, where you
can talk and have conversations
that you might not have.
So, if you think about how often
we all do workshops with, customers
or prospects and or even our own
teams, sometimes maybe you'll meet
in person, you'll meet at a coworking
space or whatever, and it's fine.
It's not memorable maybe, but This
has a specialness to it and it really
reflects sort of the happiness built
in promise that the fuss brand and
fuss as an entity, really stands for.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah,
no, it sounds beautiful.
I would love to visit if I'm in the area.
I don't know how often I would be,
but um, it sounds like a really good
place to have those conversations.
And it's also another touch
point, and I don't know if
it works to entice prospects.
You can be like.
If you wanna have a conversation,
come here and we'll do it in a
sauna and in a beautiful location.
I imagine that helps as well.
But yeah, it's again, like what we
discussed earlier, a little bit, at the
end as a human, , you like being in a
beautiful area and the people you're
targeting are still people who love that.
so that will make it
more memorable in a way.
And it's a funny way how.
a branding thing can make a really big
impact to like acquisition and revenue.
It's just all like, it's just
harder to track, I guess,
but it clearly works, right?
Nicole Heringer: Exactly.
This is the thing.
I think brand is often misunderstood.
It is just seen as, you know,
shapes and colors and cute logos
or maybe fun things and events.
But if you do it right and
you do it with purpose.
It can have so much impact.
And experience is, I think the magic
for me and why I love the amount of,
freedom and creativity I can have at Muse
is that that human side is understood
and the experience and the need to like
really engage on a meaningful level.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
Nice.
Well we will add the link to the video
that shows the island in the show notes.
But yeah, it looks really beautiful.
It looks really nice place.
So my last question for you
is, what is a piece of content
that you are the proudest of?
Creating
Nicole Heringer: gosh.
Oh gosh.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
I would say my absolute
favorite is the podcast.
The podcast
Araminta Robertson:
Any particular episode?
I.
Nicole Heringer: Ooh.
I love all our guests equally, but I
do love two episodes that we've done.
Actually our only repeat
guest so far , is Lita Tics.
And Lita is fabulous and she
had an amazing conversation last
year with both Monica and Denise.
something that is both funny and
insightful and just the banter is
magical and , she came back again this
year to chat with Denise and it's just.
It's great stuff.
You know, when you have smart people
who are just engaged and then have
a bit of a dynamic and a chemistry,
it's just so wonderful to listen to.
So yeah, those two episodes
I would say are, amongst my
favorites, but overall it's just.
Great having these conversations
with people with, wonderful insights.
So much to tell both about,
life, FinTech business.
And I love that I'm driven by stories
and I love, hearing what people really
think and with this format, I feel
like people are really comfortable.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah.
Nicole Heringer: to it.
Araminta Robertson: Very nice.
I'll go listen to it.
How often do you publish?
Is it on a weekly basis or?
Nicole Heringer: I would say
monthly to every six weeks.
Araminta Robertson: Yeah,
that's what we do as well.
'cause it's a bit more
manageable if not, it's crazy.
Nicole Heringer: Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.
So this is why we, we are not at
that weekly, you know, I, I love
the shows that can do, two episodes
a week, all the power to them.
We're just not there yet.
Araminta Robertson: You have
to be full-time doing that.
I don't know how they do it, to be honest.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
Definitely.
Amazing.
Well, thanks so much Nicole.
I really appreciate you jumping on
and going into detail about your
strategy and all the different
activities that you're doing.
I think it's really, I agree with you
like what you said about the founders
being, understanding the human aspect.
I think that's what's Enfucesed
really nails and really does super
well and it's really clear that
it's working in an a BM kind of way.
So that's really interesting.
But yeah, thank you so much for coming on.
I appreciate it.
Nicole Heringer: Thank you for having me.
Araminta Robertson:
Thank you for listening.
You can find show notes and information
about guests at fintechmarketinghub.
com forward slash podcast.
And finally, huge thanks to Orama.
tv for producing this podcast.
We look forward to having
you on our next episode.