THE POEMS OF TOMORROW. TODAY.
LIQUIDITYBOOK
CLIENT TYPE:
Fintech
Categories:
Brand/Website, Marketing, PR, Content, Outsourced Marketing Department
ONLINE:
BRINGING AN INNOVATIVE FRONT- AND MIDDLE-OFFICE TECH PROVIDER FROM GOOD TO GREAT BY JUMPSTARTING ITS NEXT WAVE OF GROWTH
THE CHALLENGE
LiquidityBook, an OEMS provider with an established foothold in the trading technology space, approached us at a key inflection point in its history. Business was strong, as evidenced by its increasing revenues and a minority investment from a venture capital firm, yet the rapid emergence of well-funded competition with substantial marketing budgets and similar SaaS-based technology strategy – historically a key differentiator for LiquidityBook – demanded a new approach. Furthermore, the firm had performed well using a longstanding, understated brand, but steady client wins, growing headcount and new industry partnerships meant LiquidityBook had outgrown its minimalist approach.
Forefront built us a new brand that is simple, clean and eye-catching while at the same time reflecting the complex, institutional nature of our business.
Kevin Samuel, CEO
THE STRATEGY
LiquidityBook had plans to pursue a variety of tactics to optimize sales and marketing, but its challenges flowed from a common source: its outdated brand. We embarked on a wholesale rebranding project, complete with a new visual profile, logo, website and supporting materials. As with every rebrand we do, the project began with crucial messaging work – the “source code” for all future communications about LiquidityBook. As we learned more about the most important aspects of the business – the founders’ pioneering spirit, the flexibility and configurability of the technology, the robust customer service and transparent, intuitive business model – we realized that the platform’s central value proposition was its ability to address nearly any capital market workflow or system configuration, regardless of where the client sat in the industry. Traders and technologists who constantly complain about rigidity, unresponsiveness, opacity and the like already had a solution available to them – they just needed to be made aware of it. From there, the tagline “The OMS of Tomorrow, Today” came naturally.
Once we nailed down the messaging, we set about illustrating it in a compelling way. We presented a variety of brand design directions to LiquidityBook, each one incorporating a different aspect of the business – open versus institutional, techy versus people-focused, etc. After discussing the creative direction with the executive team and arriving at an ultimate decision, our copywriters and designers got to work.
EXECUTION PHASE 1:
BRAND BUILD
Our efforts paid off in the form of a fully rebranded LiquidityBook. The new logo, revamped website, refreshed messaging and more all serve to do a better job of communicating the firm’s identity, business and unique approach.
The biggest deliverable was the new website, which contrasted sharply with the firm’s previous design. Splashes of vibrant blues and greens throughout point to LiquidityBook’s approach and focus on technology. Meanwhile, diverse sets of interlocking shapes reflect the platform’s modularity. Even the logo emphasizes this flexibility, with recognizable individual elements coming together to produce a single, unified, distinctive image.
The website launch was supported by modernized sales materials and three new case studies, a new form of content for LiquidityBook. Shortly after the brand launch, the new LiquidityBook made its big debut at the STA Market Structure Conference in Washington DC, where its representatives were able to hand out new business cards and distribute a flyer directing attendees to a landing page on the new website, from which they could download a new, impressively designed thought leadership piece.
Forefront developed our brand and website efficiently, on time and in line with all feedback, which allowed us to focus on running our business rather than hand-holding an agency.
Kevin Samuel, CEO
Time and again, Forefront delivers for our business. The ongoing marketing, communications and public relations efforts they spearhead provide LiquidityBook with a great deal of value.
Stephanie Minister,
Managing Director, Connectivity Services
EXECUTION PHASE 2:
ONGOING SUPPORT
Following the launch of the new brand, Forefront continued working with LiquidityBook to support its marketing and PR efforts on an ongoing basis. This included writing and promoting several press releases encompassing key partnerships, new product launches, important executive hires and regional initiatives. One media relations highlight was a successful placement in WatersTechnology, which included several quotes from COO Sayant Chatterjee on the firm’s recent hiring activity and product expertise. These factors helped to legitimize the firm as a serious competitor in the sell-side OEMS space, which had emerged as a major strategic focus for LiquidityBook.
In addition, Forefront executed full-fledged, multifaceted marketing campaigns for two major product launches: LBX Portal (a breakthrough OEMS partnership model) and LBX PMS 2.0 (an enhanced version of the firm’s portfolio management system, made possible by the acquisition of Messer, and the final piece of the puzzle in bringing to market a robust POEMS.). We tapped into every part of our business to help launch these offerings – drafting press releases and thought leadership blogs, designing new webpages, sending email blasts, designing fresh sales collateral and promoting on social media via both organic and paid methods.
These marketing and product positioning efforts helped fuel a growing sales pipeline, where we performed crucial background work as LiquidityBook’s HubSpot partner agency. In addition to managing the implementation and supporting all HubSpot marketing efforts, we set up lead scoring, identifying warm leads for the LiquidityBook sales team to investigate further. We also set up strategic nurture email campaigns to further cultivate leads and provided custom reporting on inbound and outbound marketing efforts to assess and continually optimize performance.
Forefront also helped LiquidityBook secure several industry awards, including “Best Front Office Technology Provider” at the With Intelligence Operations & Service Awards, “Best Implementation at a Sell-Side Firm” at the WatersTechnology Sell-Side Technology Awards and four categories (including “Best Buy-Side OMS” and “Best FIX Engine Provider”) at the TradingTech Insight USA Awards. These accolades further solidified the firm’s position as a leading player in the highly complex, data-driven POEMS landscape.
RESULTS
“We are still a lean firm, so the ability for an agency partner to work independently was crucial. Forefront did just that, building us new brand that is simple, clean and eye-catching while at the same time reflecting the complex, institutional nature of our business. They developed it efficiently, on-time and in line with all feedback, which allowed us to focus on running our business rather than hand-holding an agency.”
— Kevin Samuel, CEO of LiquidityBook.
“Time and again, Forefront delivers for our business. The ongoing marketing, communications and public relations efforts they spearhead provide LiquidityBook with a great deal of value. Across thought leadership content, sales collateral, media relations, social media management, HubSpot administration, maintenance of and strategic enhancements to our website and so much more — all of these keep us fresh and top-of-mind for current and future clients and partners. This is perhaps best illustrated by the steady increase in inbound leads our efforts are generating – they more than doubled in 2023 vs. 2022 – and our firm’s overall sustained growth, even 20 years in.”
— Stephanie Minister, Managing Director, Connectivity Services
and Forefront’s primary contact at LiquidityBook
LIQUIDITYBOOK MEDIA COVERAGE
-
WATERSTECHNOLOGY:
LIQUIDITYBOOK LOOKS TO DISPLACE FIDESSA AS SELL-SIDE OMS OF CHOICE -
THE TRADE NEWS:
LIQUIDITYBOOK ON ITS “EMEA IN FOCUS” INITIATIVE -
TRADERS MAGAZINE:
LIQUIDITYBOOKS NEW PRODUCT TO REDUCE TRADE BREAKS -
WATERSTECHNOLOGY:
LIQUIDITYBOOK NAMES TWITTER VET ANDY CARROLL AS CHIEF ARCHITECT -
SECURITIES FINANCE TIMES:
S3 PARTNERS JOINS FORCES WITH LIQUIDITYBOOK
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