askpaul

The objective

Increasing zero-party data through email subscriptions

Irish financial advisory service askpaul had humble beginnings – just a camera, its social channels, and a mission to cut through the jargon and give consumers straightforward financial advice. Since 2016, founder Paul Merriman and his team have pioneered ‘advice equality’ – helping ordinary people become more finance-literate and enabling them to secure their financial future.

askpaul has a strong organic presence across various social media channels. On TikTok alone, it has some 75,000 followers under the handle @askpaul.

Its content style is short-form videos that offer the audience tips on saving, budgeting, mortgages, investments, and more. Due to our increasingly cookie-less world, the need to build zero-party data has never been more important to the long-term success of a small-business, and this is where the challenge lay.

askpaul wanted to come up with a creative solution that would increase its email subscriptions while also boosting brand awareness, and ultimately help it build it's zero-party database. But how do you capture the attention of people on TikTok and turn them from viewers into email subscribers?

The solution

Using In-Feed Ads coupled with engaging creative content

Having successfully tested static images in previous campaigns, askpaul wanted to go a step further and try video format opt-in ads. Its target demographic for this campaign was people aged 25 and older for some ad sets, and 35 and older for others. It focused solely on targeting Irish consumers on TikTok.

Through Custom Audience and In-Feed Ads, it hoped to create targeted content that was engaging, informative, and really translated what its business was all about.

Marketing agency Round13 helped with targeting and distribution, but all of the creative and production was done in-house by askpaul’s five-person marketing team. This was a huge factor in the success of the campaign because the team knew its audience well, and understood the importance of storytelling on TikTok.

The team created a video that focused on important personal finance tasks that people rarely undertake, and paired it with a light-hearted track. The combination of fun, along with actionable financial advice was a winning formula for askpaul as it took the fear out of finance and made it seem more approachable.

Through In-Feed Ads, viewers could visit askpaul’s website and opt in for emails that would educate and inspire them with weekly financial tips sent straight to their inbox. By understanding its audience and providing them with a quick and easy means of subscribing to its emails, askpaul was able to create a successful campaign that increased its database, grew organic followers, and boosted its overall brand awareness.

The results

Turning viewers into email subscribers

During the course of the campaign, askpaul saw a 1.6% growth in its TikTok followers, as well as an increased brand awareness among younger demographics. Some parents have even commented to say they’ve received financial advice from their children as a result of its videos.

Thanks to targeted In-Feed Ads, askpaul’s CPC was reduced by 49% on ads for its target audience. Their conversion rate increased to 27%, and it grew its email database by an incredible 400% during the length of this campaign. Site traffic also increased as people were directed to its website through the ads on TikTok.

Never underestimate the power of great advice coupled with a creative execution and some catchy music.