As part of a new interview series, Matt Hyde, Director of Recruit121 and FinTech Awards Wales, talks to a whole host of professionals in and around Wales’ thriving FinTech Sector.
This week Matt caught up with Lynsey Walden Co- Director from Front Door Communications.
1. Can you tell us more about the core services Front Door Communications offers and how your company differentiates itself in the market?
We are a PR and digital marketing agency offering SEO, content and traditional PR services. In terms of how we differentiate, our clients always seem to like that we have a mix of journalists and former in-house marketing and PR people, which means we come at things slightly differently – Kath (my business partner) is ex-BBC and I’ve always been in-house or with agencies so between us, we cover all perspectives.
2. What are some of the key industries Front Door Communications works with, and how has your involvement in the Fintech sector evolved over time?
We work across a lot of sectors, including banking, insurance comparison, construction and more recently, we’ve been venturing into aircraft seating and catering. We’ve been involved in the FinTech sector since we launched in 2017 and we’ve been lucky to work with start-ups, scale-ups and FinTech Wales as an organisation itself. It’s a great area to be involved in and you feel like you’re always learning something new.
3. How does Front Door Communications support its clients in navigating the rapidly changing landscape of digital communications and PR?
We try to make sure we’re across new developments in digital communications by going to conferences and investing in training – we’re going on an AI training course soon. So we try to lead from the front – but I think in terms of helping to navigate clients, we’re always mindful of making sure it’s the right channel for our clients. So for example, we might not always recommend certain digital channels for some companies, where they may be perfect for other clients. A lot of the businesses we work with don’t always have lots of time and budget to experiment with their marketing so we try to identify the best places where we think they will see results.
4. What have been some of the most significant achievements or milestones for Front Door Communications in recent years?
There’s been loads to be honest – I think being a sponsor of the FinTech Wales awards is a huge one for us as an agency as we’ve never sponsored anything before.
Externally, ChatGPT has been a big one for us and the industry as a whole – we’ve all had to learn how to use it, with the right amount of caution, but also being able to see the benefits for us and our clients.
5. How important is brand storytelling for Fintech companies, and what strategies do you recommend for building a strong brand in this space?
Storytelling is everything – how you came up with the idea, how you got funding for the business, and basically anything that helps people remember who you are and why you did it. One of the most important things to remember is that people will always be the strongest part of your story – so make sure you focus on that and not just the tech side of things.
6. What advice would you give to a Fintech start-up looking to establish a strong media presence early on?
This changes with every client – there’s no one-size-fits all approach sadly. But I think when you’re starting out, if you don’t have a lot of budget, talk to as many agencies as you can as it will help you work out a brand building plan. We often have conversations about PR or social media with start-ups but they actually realise they need to establish themselves in other areas first. I’d say never worry about asking questions and make sure you work out what you need, not what you’re told you need.
7. What inspired Front Door Communications to sponsor the Best Academic Programme category at the Fintech Awards Wales 2024?
We have been an attendee at the awards for a number of years and we always help our clients with their nominations, so it was a natural fit for us. We love the night itself and even though Matt Hyde is a nightmare, we still go along.
8. Finally favourite book you have read and why
I probably should say a book that’s business related and taught me how to be great in business but my favourite book I’ve read is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, an absolute classic with an ending you can’t see coming.
