Shameer joined Matthew Todd, Director of Fluent Forward LTD and host of Inside The Scale Up Podcast, to discuss startup scaling strategies, the importance of metrics and understanding when and how to scale.

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Inside The Scale Up is a podcast for tech founders and executives looking to make an impact and learn from their industry peers. Episodes cover everything from developing product market fit, funding and fundraising models to value proposition structure and growth marketing.

Want to listen to the full episode for yourself? Head to Apple Podcasts.

Here are 9 topics they touched on:

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1. Founding a growth fintech marketing agency 
2. Developing a go-to-market strategy for startups
3. Market segmentation, messaging, and go-to-market strategies
4. Common startup marketing mistakes
5. Scaling and expanding your reach
6. Optimising digital marketing campaigns for FinTech companies
7. Data-driven marketing strategies for startups
8. Targeting niche audiences 
9. Hiring for growth

Takeaway #1: Don’t be afraid to spend money on a good copywriter

It's worthwhile, especially when you’re just launching a business, to spend money on a good copywriter to go through your website and make sure it's obvious what your business does and all your messaging makes sense.

Takeaway #2: Establish your unique selling proposition

When launching a new product or service, you need to have a lever — something you do that none of the other competitors do. Are you disrupting the market, or are you just doing something better? Will you take a more fun or educational stance with your messaging? Think about it: what will make your brand stand out?

Takeaway #3: Have a clear picture of the audience you’re trying to reach

There's nothing wrong with testing out a few audiences to see where your traction is. But as soon as you see a directional result, you should double down on that for a while. It's much easier to acquire, say, 1000 users from one particular market segment than trying to achieve 1000 users across four or five. 

Takeaway #4: You can't measure what you can't track

​​It's no coincidence that the most successful brands are very focused on their analytics and tracking, utilising the data that they're acquiring to create relevant products and adapt their messaging while speaking to their customers.

Takeaway #5: Get people in your network to beta-test your product/service

If you have yet to get any customers, your first job is to get as many people from your network to start using your product. For two reasons: one, there's no cost attached to it other than your time, and two, they will give you honest feedback.

Takeaway #6: Don’t be afraid to be a work-in-progress

If you're at the early stages, you can afford to be rough around the edges. You don't need to spend 3000 pounds on a highly polished video ad — some basic static banners will work fine. Your website doesn't need to be built by the best developers on WordPress — a basic website on Webflow is easier to tweak. 

Takeaway #7: Scaling has its own agenda

You’ll know when to scale when you find a channel that works, an audience resonating with your products, and a clear view of what it costs to acquire a customer. You've established a baseline — a barometer for all other channels you want to expand into. 

Find out how to scale on social check out our blog for 3 Proven Ways to Connect With Your Fintech Audience on Social Media.

Takeaway #8: Every channel works to acquire users 

It’s easy to blame the channel when something doesn’t work out. In reality, some channels simply work better than others. You can stand outside Liverpool Street Station with product flyers and maybe get a few users. But it’s time-consuming and does not make sense for your customer acquisition cost, so it’s inefficient. You need to find the right channel for you.

Takeaway #9: It takes time to get the customer journey right

Optimising your audiences and getting the right creative in front of them doesn’t happen overnight. Once you nail the messaging and warm up the algorithms, everything will click. That's when you can start scaling.

Takeaway #10: The expansion journey is like a champagne pyramid

Imagine you stack champagne glasses on top of each other and pour the champagne at the top — the champagne is your budget. The top part is your most efficient audience channel and country. The glasses that sit underneath are a combination of different audiences, channels and countries. Always think about what's the next level of your pyramid and how to get to the bottom.

Takeaway #11: Make the best out of your marketing budget 

Just because you have a lot of money to spend on marketing doesn't mean you need to buy expensive media. Be mindful about how you want to spend your budget — in the current market, it's important to be cost-efficient.

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If you liked this article, make sure you check the 7 Takeaways From The Reinventing Finance Podcast You Shouldn't Miss.

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If you ever need an experienced fintech marketing team to help you go to market, grow, and master market entry, get in touch today to see how we can help.