North Sydney Fintech — LinkedIn + Google Ads
A fintech platform halved its cost per sign-up by splitting LinkedIn for advisors and Google for SMSF queries.
TL;DR
- Challenge:
- A fintech platform running the same Google campaigns for financial advisors AND SMSF investors — $280 CPA on shared messaging.
- Approach:
- Split audiences: LinkedIn for advisors (compliance-focused), Google for investors (research intent), separate funnels.
- Result:
- Cost per sign-up down 54%, advisor sign-ups +200%, SMSF sign-ups +145%.
Key Results at a Glance
-54%
Cost per sign-up
+200%
Advisor sign-ups
+145%
SMSF investor sign-ups
Client Context
Business Type
Fintech (SMSF investment platform)
Founded
2020
Team Size
32 employees
Market
Australia (advisors + self-directed investors)
Revenue Tier
$6M revenue
Stack Before
HubSpot, Google Ads (shared), no LinkedIn, no audience split
The Challenge
The platform targeted both financial advisors (B2B) and self-directed SMSF investors (B2C). Running the same Google campaigns for both audiences produced irrelevant clicks and a $280 cost per sign-up.
Goals & KPIs
North-Star Metric
Cut cost per account sign-up in half by splitting advisor + investor audiences
Supporting KPIs
Cost per sign-up
Target: Under $150
Advisor sign-ups/month
Target: 15+
SMSF investor sign-ups/month
Target: 50+
LinkedIn advisor ROAS
Target: 5x+
Google investor ROAS
Target: 4x+
Discovery & Research
Audit Findings
- •Same campaign, same landing page for both audiences
- •Compliance content mixed with retail investor content
- •No LinkedIn presence
- •Attribution model didn't separate audiences
- •Messaging tried to serve both = served neither
Baseline Issues
- •$280 cost per sign-up
- •6 advisor sign-ups/month
- •22 SMSF investor sign-ups/month
- •Shared messaging diluting both
Competitor Insight
Top AU fintechs ran audience-split campaigns: LinkedIn for advisors with compliance content, Google for investors with education content.
Audience Insight
Advisors respond to compliance + efficiency; investors respond to control + returns + tax benefits — completely different persuasion frameworks.
Strategy
Core Hypothesis
“If we split audiences with dedicated funnels, cost per sign-up will halve because advisor + investor messaging needs are fundamentally different.”
Positioning Shift
(Advisor) "The SMSF platform your clients trust — full audit trail + compliance". (Investor) "Take control of your super — SMSF made simple".
Channel Mix
LinkedIn — advisors · 40%
B2B decision-makers
Google Search — investors · 40%
Research intent
Retargeting (both) · 15%
Nurture both funnels
Content marketing · 5%
Long-term authority
Our Approach
LinkedIn for financial advisors
Ran LinkedIn Sponsored Content targeting financial advisors, planners, and accountants — with whitepapers and demo offers tailored to their compliance and efficiency needs.
Google for SMSF investors
Targeted Google Search for "SMSF investment platform", "self-managed super fund options", "SMSF property investment" — reaching self-directed investors at the research stage.
Funnel optimisation
Separated landing pages, tracking, and nurture sequences by audience — advisors got compliance-focused content, investors got educational guides and comparison tools.
Phased Roadmap
Weeks 1–4
Audience Split
- →Separate landing pages per audience
- →LinkedIn advisor persona campaigns
- →Google investor education campaigns
- →Attribution model rebuilt
Weeks 5–16
Launch
- →LinkedIn ads for advisors (compliance + audit trail)
- →Google ads for investors (SMSF property, tax)
- →Advisor sign-ups: 6/mo → 14/mo
- →CPA: $280 → $180
Weeks 17–24
Scale
- →Retargeting sequences per audience
- →A/B tested advisor + investor LPs
- →Scaled winning creative
- →Advisor: 18/mo, Investor: 54/mo, CPA: $129
What We Built
The Results
Monthly SMSF Investor Sign-ups
Before vs After — 6 Months
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per sign-up | $280 | $129 | -54% |
| Advisor sign-ups | 6/month | 18/month | +200% |
| SMSF investor sign-ups | 22/month | 54/month | +145% |
“Splitting the audiences was obvious in hindsight. Advisors and investors need completely different messaging.”
Tom C.
CMO, Fintech Platform
Key Insights
- →Splitting audiences was the highest-ROI change — obvious in hindsight
- →LinkedIn advisor campaigns had 5.2x ROAS because messaging matched buyer persona
- →Google investor campaigns closed faster with education content vs product features
- →Attribution model was the operational unlock — you can't split what you don't measure
What's Next
Adding YouTube pre-roll for investor education, launching an advisor certification program, and testing intent-data overlay via Bombora.
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Services Used
Representative case study. Figures illustrate the type of outcomes achievable through these strategies for Australian businesses; individual results vary based on market, budget and starting position.