A fintech startup sees measurable improvements in CPA, LTV and brand sentiment with a data-driven personalized marketing strategy

A fast-growing financial services startup aimed to evolve its go-to-market strategy. Historically, the company’s approach had centered around promoting individual financial products (like loans, credit cards, or investment accounts) rather than aligning with customer life stages or financial needs. The leadership team believed that shifting to a more personalized, need-state-driven marketing strategy could significantly enhance customer engagement and conversion.

The startup partnered with Big Village, a Bright Mountain company, to develop a deeper understanding of its target market—what financial goals customers had, how they made decisions, and what pain points they faced. The objective was to identify and define clear customer segments that were internally consistent and externally distinct. Through this engagement, five key customer segments were uncovered, ranging from early-career professionals looking to build credit to experienced investors seeking wealth management solutions.

To operationalize these insights, Big Village deployed its Audience Extension framework. This included:

1. Media Behavior Insights – Detailed analysis of where and how each segment consumes media to guide channel planning.
2. Digital Segment Profiles – Data-driven digital representations of each segment to inform precise media targeting.
3. Digital Twins – Lookalike models that enable the startup to craft personalized messaging strategies without needing to conduct additional audience research.
4. Customer File Mapping – Integration of segment profiles with the startup’s existing customer database for sizing, targeting, and performance attribution.
   Big Village’s agency team then used these tools to create a communications plan that the client was able to deploy with its in-house media team.

Ultimately, these efforts enabled the company to tailor its strategy to the unique needs of three different market segments, rather than approaching the entire market with a one-size-fits-all strategy.

The strategy yielded significant improvements in outcomes:

• Customer acquisition costs decreased, thanks to more targeted media spend.
• Engagement rates on digital channels rose sharply, driven by more relevant and timely messaging.
• Customer lifetime value increased, supported by improved retention and cross-sell success.
• Brand sentiment and loyalty scores reached new highs, validating the shift to need-based marketing.