Overview
As a fast-paced, dynamic organisation that feels like a start up despite being over a decade old, The Payments Association required refined marketing strategies to support membership growth and high-impact events.
Acting as their fractional marketing director, I've had the privilege of overseeing the marketing team while building out the necessary processes and strategies to elevate the brand's presence and deliver measurable results.
Richard Jones, Head of Events Marketing
Rachel is an absolute joy to work with, nothing is too much trouble and she attacks all tasks with a fantastic energy.
On top of this Rachel has taught me a lot and at the same time is a great person to bounce ideas off and brainstorm. I could not recommend Rachel enough and enjoy my time working with her.
Challenges
I am helping The Payments Association overcome fragmented marketing processes, inconsistent social media strategies, and a lack of structured campaign management, enabling more efficient and effective marketing operations.
01.
Lack of structured marketing processes
The team needed defined procedures for content creation, approval and execution across marketing campaigns and internal teams.
02.
Fragmented social media efforts
Social media activities were scattered, with multiple team members posting content in an ad-hoc fashion, leading to inconsistent messaging and engagement.
03.
Overreliance on email communications
The association heavily depended on email as the primary communication channel, limiting their ability to engage members effectively and causing email fatigue.
04.
Siloed working & lack of marketing foresight
Ideas & campaigns are often developed in isolation by different teams, with little to no thought or planning around marketing strategy until the launch stage, resulting in missed opportunities.
05.
Complexity in managing campaigns
With multiple marketing assets like podcasts, webinars and whitepapers there was a need for unified campaign management to ensure consistency.
Solutions & strategic approach
Implementing structured marketing processes
To address the lack of clear marketing procedures, I introduced a set of standardised processes for campaign planning, content creation, and approval.
This ensured every marketing activity followed a cohesive workflow, aligning internal teams and improving efficiency.
These processes provided clarity around roles, timelines, and expectations for campaign execution.
Overhauling social media strategy
Social media required a complete shift from reactive, ad-hoc posts to a strategic, goal-driven approach.
I implemented a comprehensive social media content calendar and an approval process, ensuring consistency in messaging across three key platforms.
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The strategy aligned all internal teams, guiding them from a "free-for-all" posting to a unified approach that boosted engagement and built brand authority.
Diversifying communication channels
Recognising the association's overreliance on email, I helped shift the focus to a more balanced, omnichannel approach.
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By integrating social media, webinars, podcasts, and targeted content marketing, we expanded our touchpoints and created multiple ways to engage with members and prospects.
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This not only reduced email fatigue but also improved overall member satisfaction by delivering more varied and engaging content.
Breaking down silos and standardising planning
To tackle the siloed working approach, I facilitated cross-department collaboration early in the campaign ideation process.
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I initiated project kick-off calls where marketing were involved from the start, ensuring alignment on objectives and strategy well before launch.
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This allowed for more foresight and better-prepared campaigns, leading to stronger, more integrated marketing efforts.
Standarising campaign management
With the complexity of managing multiple content streams (e.g., podcasts, webinars, whitepapers), I developed a unified campaign management process.
This streamlined the workflow across all mediums, ensuring that every piece of content—from concept to delivery—followed the same strategic framework.
The result was greater consistency, clearer messaging, and smoother execution for every initiative.
Campaign development & execution
I oversaw and successfully launched a number of high-profile campaigns including (but not limited to);
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The Top 50 Payments People: A campaign that highlighted key individuals in the payments industry
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APP Fraud Documentary Premiere: A significant event that raised awareness about the growing issue of APP fraud.
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Payments Review & Whitepaper campaigns: These initiatives boosted thought leadership and engaged both members and wider industry audiences.
Results
The results are ongoing as I continue to work with The Payments Association (and hope to for a while yet to come), however, some of the positive improvements we have seen are listed below.
Improved efficiency and alignment
Stronger social media presence
Diversified engagement channels
Increased campaign impact
Consistent campaign management across channels
With clear marketing processes in place, the marketing team became more aligned and efficient, leading to faster turnaround times and better-coordinated campaigns.
The standardised workflows provided clarity and direction across the board, ensuring that all teams were working toward shared goals.
The new social media strategy significantly boosted engagement and reach across the association's key platforms.
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With a more consistent and cohesive posting schedule, we saw a marked increase in interaction from members and industry professionals alike, establishing The Payments Association as a thought leader in the space.
By reducing the over-reliance on email and introducing a more balanced approach with social, webinars, and podcasts, member engagement diversified.
This not only alleviated email fatigue but also allowed the association to connect with its audience across multiple touchpoints, resulting in a more engaged and satisfied member base.
The pre-launch planning and cross-team collaboration fostered stronger and more strategic campaigns.
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By involving marketing early in the process, campaigns were better thought-out and executed with greater precision, leading to more successful product launches, higher event attendance, and increased brand awareness.
The unified campaign management process led to more consistent messaging and smoother execution across various content streams.
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Podcasts, webinars, whitepapers, and training sessions all followed a standard approach, improving the quality and effectiveness of marketing efforts across the organisation.