FraudFindr Case Study
How I helped the FraudFindr team launch a new product with confidence and success.
"Annie gets real RESULTS for her clients. I’d highly recommend working with Annie. Her services are WELL worth the investment and you’ll wonder how you ever did a project without her!"
Matt Olpinski
Founder of Matthew’s Design Co
How do you market a tool that doesn’t exist yet?
When you’re building a new product, knowing how to market it effectively is one of the biggest challenges. After all, if you don’t know who your customers are, how do you know what to build or how to message?
For many founders, this challenge can quickly become a guessing game, a sort of “chicken or the egg” type of situation, but with the FraudFindr team, the opposite was true. After working as a forensic accountant for over a decade, Karen Webber, the founder of FraudFindr (a forensic accounting tool), knew her target audiences inside and out.
Not only that, but she had active relationships with them, ensuring her team (which included me and Matt Olpinski, designer/developer extraordinaire) could get the information needed to design an effective product and marketing site.
Instead of wasting time trying to develop personas or find potential customers, we were able to hit the ground running, starting with research and strategy.
OVERVIEW
Research & Strategy
STEP 1
Before I could create an effective information architecture or copy, I needed to understand the product that was being built, as well as the client’s goals.
To do that, I conducted a strategy workshop where we discussed the tool, how it would work, why it would benefit users, who would be using it, and more.
During these discussions, I learned that the tool would benefit a variety of target audiences, including forensic accountants, law enforcement, those who work in protective services, and even families who were victims of financial exploitation crimes.
Knowing we had to speak to so many different audiences with different needs, I decided to conduct one-on-one interviews with a few members from each of the aforementioned groups.
Doing so allowed me to get a better sense of each cohort, from their day-to-day lives to their styles of communication, work-related goals, challenges, and so much more.
After completing the interviews, I had Matt take me through the product wireframes so I could understand the user experience and exactly how the tool would work.
This helped me bridge the gap between the pre and post-conversion experience which was taken into account as I moved on to the next step: creating the information architecture for the marketing site.
Information Architecture
STEP 2
When launching a new product, messaging is crucial.
Remember, no one knows what this “new thing” is, which means you need to clearly communicate what the product is, what it does, how it works, and who it’s for.
Not only that, but you also need to explain why it’s different from other solutions out there and how it will provide benefit or value to the target audience(s).
Finally, you also need to create a sense of trust, which can be difficult when you don’t have testimonials, star ratings, awards, press, and more.
For these reasons, I chose to include very specific content and pages within the information architecture for the FraudFindr site.
For example, I included sections and pages that explain what the tool is (including descriptions, a “Features” page and a “How it works” page) and strategically wove the product benefits throughout the entire site.
To help visitors qualify themselves, I included sections on who the product was designed for (and how it benefits each group), as well as sections and language that spoke to the product differentiators.
Finally, to infuse a sense of trust throughout the site, I added an “About” page (which helped us tell Karen’s story and showcase her authority/expertise) and wove in copy that demonstrated our deep understanding of the challenges and needs of the target audiences.
Once the information architecture was in a good place, I was able to dive straight into the copywriting phase using research insights and Voice of Customer data as the jumping off point.
Copywriting
STEP 3
Because we took a research-first approach to our project, finding the right words to describe the product came quickly and naturally.
But it wasn’t just about clear descriptions — it was also about finding a “common language” I could use to connect the various target audiences.
For example, I focused on using specific terminology that would resonate with all four audiences (like “fraud,” “victims,” “cases,” “justice,” “exploitation,” etc), and chose specific phrases — like “stop the bleeding,” for example — which was a commonly used phrase that came up during the interview process.
Little language nuances like this can help make the difference between launching a marketing site that feels generic, and one that feels more personal, thoughtful, and most importantly, more persuasive.
Design
STEP 4
As the copy was being written, Matt was busy developing the logo, colors, fonts, and overall brand aesthetic for the FraudFindr brand.
Once the information architecture and copy was complete, Matt had the foundation he needed to create clear wireframes, and then more complete designs featuring illustrations, images of the product, and other visual elements that worked best with the content hierarchy and copy.
Having all of the messaging work complete before fully diving into his process allowed Matt to focus on creating a stellar look and seamless user experience (vs struggling to develop designs around missing copy or pages).
Matt also did a great job of working “around” conversion elements (like longer headlines, bulleted copy, and sections with multiple copy points), which is not something every designer can do.
The result is a marketing site that clearly communicates the product in a way that looks beautiful and modern while also providing a fast and streamlined user experience.
"Well worth the investment!"
“My experience working with Annie was second to none. From our first conversation to the final deliverable, Annie was a pleasure to work with. She communicated clearly and often while being patient and understanding through revision cycles.
Her strategic approach and process was so well established that I was confident in her abilities every step of the way. The best part is that she gets real RESULTS for her clients.
I’d highly recommend working with Annie. Her services are WELL worth the investment and you’ll wonder how you ever did a project without her!”
Matt Olpinski
Founder of Matthew’s Design Co
RESULTS
The FraudFindr team was able to launch with confidence and success
(The app even won an international Web Excellence award!)
