Gloria Idowu is a Marketing and Communications Strategist alongside other interests, whose experience in the Fintech industry has equipped her with skills that are vital to her career even outside Fintech. In this interview, Gloria shares insights into her journey, her experiences handling complex customer communications in the fast-paced Fintech sector, and her advice for aspiring marketers.
Hi Gloria. It’s great to have you here. Please introduce yourself.
Hello, my name is Gloria, and I am a Marketing and Communications Strategist with an academic background in Public Relations and Advertising. I currently work as a Marketing Associate at a tech startup. Outside of work, I’m passionate about Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4 and 5 and always look for opportunities to support initiatives aligned with these goals. I also write a newsletter where I occasionally share my thoughts with my readers.
Great! Briefly take us on how your career journey has been as a marketing and communications strategist so far.
It’s been a learning curve. I started as a content writer, and over the years, I’ve taken on responsibilities such as planning, marketing and communications campaigns, organizing events, focusing on content marketing, and exploring brand storytelling. These responsibilities haven’t always been easy—they’ve required a lot of learning, unlearning, and relearning. However, I’m truly grateful for the journey so far because each challenge has shaped me into the strategist I am today.
It is well. What inspired your transition to the Fintech space?
It wasn’t a planned transition. The first offer I got in the tech industry was from a fintech company.
Ohh, and how has being in the Fintech industry impacted your career so far?
Being in the Fintech industry was a transformative experience that taught me how to combine human psychology with communication. Since fintech revolves around money—a sensitive topic for most people—it is closely tied to emotions like trust, fear, and aspirations. As a marketing and communications strategist, I learned to leverage these emotions when crafting campaigns and messaging to make them more impactful.
I also learned to put myself in my customers’ shoes when crafting messages and campaigns. This approach allowed me to create communications that resonated deeply, addressed pain points, and built trust.
While working in the Fintech industry, I developed key skills such as customer empathy, adaptability, and data-driven decision-making. These skills have proven invaluable, even as I work outside the fintech Industry today.
Understanding what customers want can be hard. Is there any process or technique that helped with that during your time in the Fintech space?
I relied on a few key processes to bridge that gap. One technique was “putting myself in the customer’s shoes,” which involved approaching campaigns and messaging from their perspective to ensure relevance and empathy.
I also had direct one-on-one conversations with customers to better understand their needs. These informal chats were incredibly helpful, and I genuinely enjoyed them. Since they weren’t planned, customers felt more comfortable sharing their thoughts without feeling pressured or boxed in.
Collaborating with the customer service team was another effective method. I used these interactions to gain insights into common customer concerns and the issues they faced, helping me identify ways to address them from a marketing and communications perspective.
Additionally, we regularly sent out surveys to gather broader feedback and identify patterns in customer behavior. These processes provided me with a comprehensive understanding of customer needs and helped shape strategies to serve them more effectively.
That’s wonderful! Looks like you had a great experience during your time there.
Yeah, I did. It laid the foundation for my career journey in tech.
I can see that. With both tech-savvy and digital novices running to Fintech solutions to make managing finances easier for themselves, did you ever encounter any huge negative social media feedback as a communications strategist?
Yes yes
The double yes says a lot
I mean, it’s Fintech. People don’t joke about their finances. They won’t hesitate to call you out if they have any issues.
Honestly, life is already hard enough.
Can you tell us what happened and how you were able to handle the situation(s)?
We experienced a downtime that affected multiple transactions, leading to customers expressing their frustration on Twitter. In response, I sent personalized emails to the affected customers, explaining the situation and assuring them that we were working with the engineering team to resolve the issue.
Once the problem was resolved, we followed up with both an email and a direct message to apologize for the downtime and reassure them that we would do our best to prevent a recurrence. For customers who were significantly impacted, I think we sent merch as a gesture of goodwill to make it up to them and rebuild trust.
Wow! The merch was a very nice move. At least, they understand people behind fintech products are humans too.
I believe the key to handling such situations is honest and empathetic communication. While customers may not always be ‘right’ in a literal sense, I view the phrase as a reminder to prioritize customer experience and truly understand their perspective.
This ties back to the principle of putting myself in the customers’ shoes. When faced with a situation like this, I ask myself, ‘If I were in their position, how would I want the company to respond?’ I then take action based on that answer.
Hmm. Welldone, Gloria.
Thank you!
You’re enthusiastic about product marketing. Does Fintech play a role in that?
Not at all. I’ve been a generalist for a while now and I decided to focus on product marketing because it allows me to leverage both my academic background and my professional experience.
Ohh I understand. How’s it coming along so far?
I’ve been taking courses on Product Marketing, which has given me a solid theoretical foundation. However, I’m still working as a generalist and haven’t yet found a role that focuses specifically on product marketing. I’m actively working toward transitioning into that niche and looking for opportunities where I can apply what I’ve learned.
We wish you goodluck on your journey. What do you love most about your experience in Fintech?
Hmmm. What do I love most?
What I loved most about my experience in Fintech was the opportunity to be part of an industry that’s driving real change in how people manage and access their money. The fast-paced environment pushed me to think creatively and stay adaptable. I also enjoyed the constant learning and innovation, which kept me engaged and motivated to find new ways to connect with customers and meet their needs.
Finally, for marketers aspiring to enter the fintech space, what advice would you give based on your experience?
Don’t do it. Fintech is hard (laughs)
Ahh (joins in laughter). So you wouldn’t like to return to fintech?
On a serious note, my advice would be to embrace continuous learning and master your craft. Get to know your field inside out, and don’t be afraid to experiment and apply what you learn. Focus on practical, hands-on learning rather than just theoretical knowledge.
Identify industry experts and connect with them on the platforms where they share their insights. The value in following these experts is that their advice is grounded in real-world experience, which is more relevant and easier to implement.
Another important tip is to avoid overwhelming yourself with irrelevant information. Stay focused on what truly matters to your journey. For instance, if you’re just getting started in Content Marketing, you don’t need to be taking courses on go-to marketing strategy. Prioritize learning that directly aligns with your goals and the stage you’re at in your career.
– Inside Tech is a weekly series where we interview fintech operators and gain insight into what’s it’s like working in the fintech sector and exploring other topics with them.
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