FinTech marketing on a budget: Maximising ROI with limited resources

The FinTech industry is booming, and with this growth comes intense competition from both existing household names and challenger brands.

For FinTech startups and SMEs with limited budgets, creating an effective marketing strategy may seem challenging. But with the right tactics, you can maximise ROI without breaking the bank. Here are seven budget-friendly marketing tactics you can use that will help you build brand awareness and grow your FinTech business.

Optimise your website for mobile

Today, mobile optimisation is non-negotiable. With people in the UK spending an average of three hours a day on their mobile phones, a website that performs seamlessly on mobile is key.

A mobile-friendly site should:

• load within three seconds
• be easy to navigate, with clear calls to action (CTAs)
• provide a smooth, visually appealing user experience

Google’s algorithm prioritises mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, so investing in mobile optimisation is one of the best ways to improve visibility. This also boosts organic traffic and conversion rates, especially as 58% of online searches occur on mobile.

Iwoca is a perfect example of a website that gives a seamless experience – both on desktop and mobile. The mobile version of the website is very slightly tweaked, giving clear CTAs, but without the clutter that some optimised websites fall into the trap of.

Leverage social media marketing

Social media is an affordable and powerful tool for FinTechs. Your potential customers are likely already on platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram, making it the perfect space to engage them with valuable content.

Instead of spreading your resources thin across every platform, focus on the channels where your target audience spends their time. For example, LinkedIn is a hotspot for B2B FinTech companies, while consumers might be more active on Instagram or TikTok, seeking easy-to-use financial solutions.

A great example of this is Monzo. The brand built much of its success through organic social media engagement. By creating a community-driven presence on consumer platforms like X (previously Twitter) and Instagram, Monzo built a loyal customer base without needing a massive marketing budget.

Create educational financial content

Consumers are actively searching for answers to their financial questions. By creating informative, easy-to-digest content, you establish your FinTech as a trusted resource. Focus on creating blog posts, resource pages, videos, calculators, and infographics that educate your target audience about key financial topics.

Not only does this help build authority, but it also boosts your search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts. Creating content around relevant keywords will increase your chances of ranking higher on Google, driving organic traffic to your site.

This content can also be used across other marketing channels, such as social media and PR – making it work harder for you.

Revolut has built its reputation by doing just this. By creating guides on cryptocurrency, budgeting, and financial planning, it has put content at the heart of its marketing strategy and positioned itself as an expert in digital finance.

Add long term value with SEO

SEO is a powerful tool for FinTechs looking to maximise ROI on a budget. SEO focuses on optimising your website and content to improve search rankings, helping potential customers find you organically. By targeting the right keywords and creating valuable content, FinTech brands can increase website traffic without relying on expensive paid advertising. This makes SEO a cost-effective way to attract relevant leads who are actively searching for fintech solutions.

Digital PR completes the SEO puzzle by complementing technical and on-site SEO by generating high-quality backlinks from relevant and reputable websites, improving search engine authority and visibility. In addition to boosting SEO, digital PR also positions brands as thought leaders by securing features in industry publications, national media, and blogs. This not only builds credibility but also increases brand awareness within your target audience, all while staying within budget. Together, SEO and digital PR provide a strategic, low-cost way to grow a FinTech business.

Every well-known FinTech has utilised the power of SEO to drive awareness in the search engines. However, Simply Business is a great example of a brand that has used all the SEO tools at its disposal to create a solid backlink profile through digital PR and content marketing, and developed a clean, user-friendly website with technical SEO.

Drive demand with email marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective ways to engage and nurture leads. For FinTechs with limited budgets, building an email list early on allows you to stay connected with potential customers, share product updates, and provide valuable financial insights.

It’s vital you segment your audience based on their needs to drive the most value. Whether it’s business owners interested in B2B payment solutions or millennials looking for financial planning apps. Personalising your email campaigns with targeted content will lead to higher open and click-through rates.

One of the biggest digital-only banks, Starling Bank uses email marketing to deliver personalised messages based on users’ habits, such as promoting relevant features for freelancers or sending savings tips to consumers. This personalised approach boosts engagement and drives customer retention.

Collaborate with influencers

Influencer marketing isn’t just for beauty brands. In FinTech, collaborating with trusted industry figures or influencers can help you reach a wider audience and build credibility. Whether through podcast interviews, social media shoutouts, or co-hosting webinars, partnering with experts in finance or tech gives your brand authority and exposes you to new potential customers.

Influencers can range from financial bloggers to respected figures in the FinTech space. Even micro-influencers, with niche but highly engaged audiences, can provide meaningful results without a huge spend.

Xero, a cloud-based accounting software for small businesses has used social platforms like TikTok to promote their solution. By partnering with small business owners in a multitude of sectors, including construction and hair and beauty, the brand has made the platform approachable by breaking down a task that is often feared by small business owners.

Run targeted pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns

While organic marketing efforts are valuable, investing in highly targeted PPC campaigns can also be a game changer for FinTech startups – especially in the short term, while other channels are being built. Search engine ads, like Google Ads and social media ads, such as LinkedIn Ads, allow you to directly target your ideal customer base by demographics, job titles, or search behaviour.

For example, Google Ads can be used to capture high-intent searches like “best business payment app” or “digital bank for freelancers.” When executed well, PPC campaigns can deliver a high ROI by driving immediate traffic and conversions, bringing revenue to your business from the first day.

To stretch your budget further, use a combination of branded and non-branded keywords, and test different ad copy variations. Focusing on a narrow, highly relevant audience can help you maximise results without overspending.

Curve, an app that consolidates all your bank cards into one, successfully used targeted Google Ads to attract users searching for innovative ways to manage their finances. By focusing on key search terms like “card consolidation” and “one card for all banks,” they drove growth, and now boast more than 5 million customers.

If you found this interesting and would like to talk to us about our SEO, PPC and paid media, or digital PR services, get in touch with us.