Case Study: CIC Financial and Cents of Worth
A Shortcut to Being in Control
Highlights
A healthy company with lots of marketing activity already
Launch of a new offering needed a new focus
Smarter marketing has meant doing LESS, but re-using it more effectively
Accountability, a sounding board and a shortcut to getting up to speed
The Client
CIC Financial is a well-established Christchurch-based financial advisory firm, giving personalised financial planning and advice to individuals.
Kieran Sutherland bought the company in 2018 and focused on bringing a fresh approach and providing value to existing clients and gaining new ones. A key approach was to create ‘useful’ content, including regular, friendly, and informative videos, with Kieran aiming to make financial information more accessible.
This fresh approach had already brought significant growth and the expansion of the team.
Building on the CIC offering, Kieran developed Cents of Worth, an online financial wellness programme designed for businesses to offer their team members.
Visit their websites here: https://www.cicfinancial.nz and https://www.centsofworth.co.nz/
The Challenge
Kieran began working with Shorthouse Consulting in 2023 through the Regional Business Partner (RBP) initiative*. He initially wanted support to effectively market Cents of Worth to a new B2B audience of employers, recognising he needed a more structured and strategic approach.
Along the way Kieran also realised he also needed to bring more focus to the CIC Financial approach too.
What We Did
To establish a baseline and prioritise actions, Kieran initially completed a Marketing Audit which helped to identify what was already working and where the key priorities were going forward.
Initial workshops focused on getting the marketing foundations in place for Cents of Worth, with regular coaching to support implementation and address key priorities.
Implementation has been done by Kieran and his in-house marketing coordinator.
We have continued to work together on both CIC Financial and Cents of Worth over time, with a mix of deep-dive workshops, ‘governance & accountability’ sessions and ongoing check-ins and coaching to ensure ongoing support.
Together we:
Created a practical and actionable marketing plan to guide activities
Developed ideal customer profiles to ensure the marketing and sales approach was targeted
Articulated impactful messaging to cut through the noise and capture the attention of busy employers
Identifying the most effective marketing channels to reach the target audience
While Kieran excels at creating valuable videos, we've added structure to the themes and topics to increase impact
Many client engagements are about businesses doing more marketing activity, with Kieran a recommendation was to STOP doing as much! By shifting from solely creating content, to focusing on themes, and strategically recycling and reusing existing marketing materials Kieran has saved time and increased the impact and value of their content
We have also identified the integration of AI into marketing and business operations
The Results
Here’s what Kieran says about things:
I now have a feeling of being in control of marketing
We have moved away from a scatter-gun approach and now have a clear and focused marketing plan
Working together has given me clarity of what is going to work for our business & what I should prioritise
It’s also brought me a realisation, we are doing more than we thought!
I’m now much clearer about WHAT we are doing and WHY we should focus on certain things
Helen brings accountability to me and I like being able to bounce around ideas and tap into her experience, essentially helping me shortcut getting up to speed
* Shorthouse Consulting is a registered service provider to the Regional Business Partner (RBP) Network and you may be eligible for funding support for coaching and training. Find out more at www.regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz, or call Helen on 021 900335.
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