From Solution Provider to Embedded Finance Powerhouse: How SAGE Transformed Ezbob’s Brand and Identity
Ezbob, a pioneering fintech company, started its journey by providing loans to small businesses using their homegrown software platform. At the forefront of embedded finance technology, Ezbob’s ambitions extended further. They aimed to become an embedded finance partner for the largest EU and US banks, serving as their white-labeled solution. Their innovative platform enabled financial institutions and payment companies to offer seamless digital finance solutions to customers. However, despite its cutting-edge technology, Ezbob struggled to resonate with its target audience of large European and US banks.
Goals
Ezbob sought a transformative brand overhaul to achieve the following objectives:
- Rebranding: create a compelling brand identity that aligns with the company’s value proposition and resonates with the target audience.
- Industry leadership: position Ezbob as a trusted thought leader in the embedded finance space.
- Generating business opportunities: create a well-structured lead funnel and sales pipeline on HubSpot, ensuring that leads are effectively nurtured and converted into customers.
Challenge
Ezbob faced significant challenges in penetrating the highly competitive market of large European and US banks. Despite offering a cutting-edge embedded finance platform, the company struggled to effectively communicate its value proposition and differentiate itself from established competitors. Their brand identity, messaging, and even their name failed to resonate with key decision-makers at these institutions, hindering their ability to secure partnerships and scale their business. Additionally, the lack of accurate tracking and reporting tools on HubSpot made it difficult to measure the effectiveness of the lead generation efforts.
Solution
Brand Identity and Messaging Makeover: after conducting deep research on competitors and the market and multiple interviews with the staff and customers, SAGE Marketing developed a clear and compelling brand story that resonated with the target audience, emphasizing the benefits of Ezbob’s technology – the most recognized and trusted facilitator of credit-based embedded products for SMEs. The new brand essence, “Embedded in Reality,” encapsulated the company’s vision of seamlessly integrating financial services into everyday life. The new brand positioning of “lending experts that get you there” effectively communicated their unique value proposition and industry expertise.
Website and Digital Presence: we redesigned Ezbob’s website to reflect the new brand identity and create a seamless user experience. The makeover was significant: the new design was based on the same color palette as the previous Ezbob website to preserve the company legacy, but the messages developed from the brand strategy were much more creative and resonated deeply with the pain points of the audience. The predesign mood board contained 3D elements, embedded and sinking headlines, and reflected the feeling of transparency so important in the finance space. The overall look and feel of the digital assets was very modern and appealing, yet reflecting trust and credibility, which is essential for the B2B finance space where Ezbob operates. The new SEO-based content proved to be useful and appealing, driving an increase in organic traffic.
Enhancing Lead Generation and Conversion with HubSpot and ABM: we optimized Ezbob’s HubSpot database by segmenting leads, scoring them based on potential value, automating the workflows, and putting the sales cycle logic into the lead lifecycle funnel. Seamless CRM integration would ensure a unified view of customer data, ultimately enabling Ezbob to efficiently nurture leads and drive conversions. The ABM approach proved successful in generating new leads, leading to securing 1:1 meetings at the renowned trade show and attracting a high-level finance audience to the exclusive event organized specifically for the show.
Our Role
- Developed a new brand identity and messaging that resonated with the target audience.
- Redesigned the website to improve user experience and align with the new brand identity.
- Implemented a lead funnel and sales pipeline on HubSpot to drive conversions.
- Positioned Ezbob as a trusted thought leader in the embedded finance space.
- Contributed to significant increases in brand awareness and lead generation.
Results
SAGE Marketing’s partnership with Ezbob yielded impressive results:
- The rebranding efforts successfully elevated Ezbob’s brand perception, making it appealing and memorable in the embedded banking and finance market.
- Ezbob experienced a significant increase in brand awareness and recognition among large banks and financial institutions.
- HubSpot optimization ensured a unified view of customer data, ultimately enabling Ezbob to efficiently nurture leads and drive conversions.
About SAGE Marketing
SAGE Marketing, a top global agency, empowers B2B Tech firms to achieve marketing objectives and accelerate growth. We offer CMO-as-a-Service, encompassing strategic planning, branding, digital marketing, content.
