3 min read
Sally Baker
3 min read
Sally Baker
For this month’s video series, I sat down with Shameer Sachdev, founder and MD of Growth Gorilla, a growth marketing agency specialising in fintech brands.
With expertise spanning paid media, influencer marketing and growth strategy, Shameer offered a candid and tactical perspective on how fintech brands can scale effectively.
You can watch the full conversation here, or read on for the highlights.
We began by tackling the obvious question: what exactly is growth marketing?
For Shameer, growth marketing is defined by experimentation and iteration rather than traditional “set and forget” campaigns.
“Growth marketing versus traditional marketing for me is more about experimentation and testing and validating or disproving hypotheses… it’s a lot more iterative, a lot more fast moving and definitely a lot more data backed.”Watch this segment
Not every business is ready for growth marketing. Shameer was clear that fintechs need three fundamentals in place before they scale:
Without these, growth marketing can become wasted rather than an accelerator.
Watch this segmentHow do you know when a fintech is really ready to scale? Shameer’s signals were simple but important:
“We know a client is serious when they’ve reached out to us and they obviously know what channels that we work in, and they are kind of clear as to what role that channel is going to play in their overall marketing mix versus shopping around for an answer.”
The conversation then moved to influencer marketing. Shameer’s view is that many fintechs see it as a nice-to-have, but when done properly it can be a major growth driver.
Key lessons included:
“Think of your influencers as mini TV channels with their own audiences… Their role is not to get immediate sign ups, that’s the role of other channels.”
When done well, influencer marketing should bring about an increase in organic traffic and brand search volume, and a decrease in acquisition costs across the funnel.
Watch this segmentShameer also highlighted some frequent pitfalls:
On paid media, Shameer contrasted established fintechs with post–Series A challengers.
Which numbers actually count in paid media?
For Shameer, impressions and signups both matter, but context is key. At different stages, you should value them differently.
And when CPA stagnates? That is a red flag to look at brand activity and whether you are investing enough in awareness to expand your funnel.
“Personally speaking, all I really care about is money going in and the acquisition cost in the end of it. And if I’m honest, I think that’s what a CMO should be focusing on.”Watch this segment
We also discussed what to do when an ad is not converting.
Shameer’s advice:
Growth marketing is often seen as B2C, but what about B2B fintechs?
Here, Shameer recommended rethinking the definition of an influencer. For B2B, your influencers are subject matter experts.
“Your influencers become subject matter experts that are working within the industry.”
That means creating content formats like roundtables, podcasts or high-quality video series where experts share their insights. This positions your brand alongside respected voices and opens a direct line to your target customers.
Paid also plays a different role in B2B. Rather than pure acquisition, the goal should be content distribution, ensuring high-quality thought leadership reaches the right audience.
Watch this segmentWe closed with Shameer’s founding principles for starting a marketing function:
Shameer’s approach to growth marketing emphasises:
For fintech marketers, the message is clear. Growth marketing is not about chasing the latest trend. It is about knowing your stage, building the right foundations, and then scaling with clarity and confidence.
👉 Want more practical insights like this? Explore other episodes of Funnel This for conversations with fintech marketing leaders.
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