Increasing Subscriptions with Financial Services Marketing – Branding and Website for SentimenTrader

Increased Subscriptions with Financial Services Marketing – Branding and Website for SentimenTrader

The challenge SentimenTrader faced as a financial services research firm

When SentimenTrader first came to us, they weren’t a new company trying to break into the market — they had been a respected name in investment research and financial services marketing for over two decades. Their proprietary indicators and market models were used by portfolio managers, traders, and financial advisors around the world. Yet, despite their credibility, they faced a challenge that many B2B and SaaS-style firms encounter: the gap between complex products and clear customer adoption.

Their tools were powerful but intimidating to new users. Their brand felt dated. Their website had the information but not the flow that converted trials into subscriptions. And while they had global reach, the way they explained their platform simply wasn’t connecting with the next generation of digital-first investors.

That’s where our team at Setsail stepped in. We knew the opportunity wasn’t just to “refresh” the brand — it was to translate years of expertise into a cohesive story and customer journey that could scale.

Our financial services marketing strategy to drive subscriptions

From the start, we framed this project as a full-funnel marketing initiative. It wasn’t about doing a logo in isolation or building a website for the sake of aesthetics. We wanted every piece — branding, explainer videos, website design — to work together to achieve one core result: increased subscriptions.

We positioned our strategy around three pillars:

1. Build Trust Through Brand Clarity
   Financial services companies live and die on credibility. If users don’t trust the look and feel of your brand, they won’t pay for your insights.
2. Simplify Complex Products
   We needed to take 3,000+ proprietary indicators and show their value in a way that didn’t overwhelm. Videos became our way to do that.
3. Design for Conversion
   Every design decision on the website was measured against one question: will this help more users start a trial, upgrade to a subscription, or stay engaged?

Branding and video production for a financial services platform

The creative phase was where our Vancouver-based team really rolled up our sleeves. We started with brand workshops to unpack SentimenTrader’s history, audience, and positioning. We spoke with their analysts and reviewed years of archived research. We asked: what do professional traders and advisors really need to see when they land on your site?

We then explored multiple identity directions. The challenge was striking the right balance: not too flashy (this isn’t a consumer app), but not too academic (subscription businesses need to feel accessible). The final design system leaned into modern typography, crisp data-inspired visuals, and a restrained financial colour palette that gave weight without feeling cold.

For the explainer videos, our studio team storyboarded narratives that showed a user’s journey: what it looks like to go from confusion to clarity with SentimenTrader’s tools. We used real screenshots, animated overlays, and voiceover to walk through models like the Smart Money Confidence Index. Our guiding principle was: one concept per video, no jargon, value first.

Finally, we mapped out the website. The old site was dense — too many links, too many options. We restructured it around the six pillars of their methodology (Sentiment, Trend, Seasonality, Macro, Patterns, Breadth). Each section became a mini-landing page, complete with visuals, explanations, and a CTA that pushed toward free trial or subscription.

Website design and explainer video services for SentimenTrader

The full scope of work included:

• Brand Identity Design – updated logo, colour palette, typography system, brand guidelines.
• Product Explainer Video Series – 3 core videos, each under 2 minutes, focused on clarity and storytelling.
• Email Marketing – taking care of the migration from the old to the new system, upgrade flows, downgrade flows, and introducing nurturing campaigns over time
• Conversion-Focused Website – redesigned on a modern CMS, optimized for performance, trial sign-ups, and subscriptions.
• Content Support – structured copywriting and visuals that highlighted authority while simplifying language.

We tied everything back to measurable actions. Each design choice, each video, each page element was reviewed against KPIs: trial conversion, subscription sign-ups, and engagement with key reports.

Results from branding and website development for financial services marketing

The results spoke clearly. After launch:

• Subscription sign-ups increased significantly in the first quarter, driven by clearer funnels and simplified messaging.
• Explainer videos reduced support tickets by making it easier for new users to understand the tools on their own.
• The brand refresh received positive feedback from both long-term institutional clients and new retail subscribers.
• The website’s trial-to-paid conversion rate improved — meaning the design wasn’t just aesthetic, it directly drove revenue.

In the words of their team: “For the first time, we feel like our platform is understood at a glance. Setsail helped us look like the company we’ve always been, and the numbers are showing it.”

For us, this was proof that the same principles we apply for clients in branding, video production, and website development translate across industries — whether it’s tourism, SaaS, or financial services.

How financial services companies can grow with branding and digital marketing

This project reinforced a key lesson we often share with clients: the biggest barrier to growth is usually clarity, not capability. SentimenTrader already had the tools, models, and credibility. What they needed was a brand and digital presence that told their story in a way users could act on.

The next step for them is scaling content. Their platform produces endless insights, and now with a clear brand and site, they can expand through SEO, email marketing, and webinars. We’re continuing to advise on content strategy, including optimizing long-form reports for search and syndication.

For other financial services companies and SaaS firms, the takeaway is this: investing in brand, video, and website design isn’t about “looking good.” It’s about making your value obvious enough that prospects convert faster. That’s where ROI lives.

Closing Cue

Our team is proud of the work we delivered for SentimenTrader — not because it was flashy, but because it delivered measurable business impact. If you’re in financial services, fintech, or SaaS, and you need a partner who can simplify complex products into marketing that converts, let’s talk.