Growth Lending wanted to raise brand awareness and strengthen its online visibility in a competitive specialist finance market.
PR Agency One was appointed to deliver a programme of creative, deal-led PR designed to drive measurable visibility, authority and commercial impact.
The brief required more than press office delivery alone. It demanded a structured approach that could convert commercial activity into sustained visibility, stronger market positioning and measurable brand growth.
What We Did
To support Growth Lending’s brand and business objectives, we developed an integrated communications programme that transformed funding activity into consistent media visibility, search authority and sector relevance.
The programme combined a regular flow of funding announcements with structured thought leadership designed to position Growth Lending as a credible, informed voice on SME growth, confidence and alternative finance.
Organisational objectives
- Build brand awareness for Growth Lending among target business audiences
- Increase visibility in relevant regional, trade and business media
- Strengthen Growth Lending’s reputation as a funding partner for ambitious SMEs
- Support commercial growth by increasing familiarity and credibility in the market
Communications objectives
- Generate regular earned media coverage from successful finance deals
- Tailor media outreach to the sectors and locations relevant to funded businesses
- Develop thought leadership campaigns aligned to SME growth and funding challenges
- Increase online visibility through editorial links and improved organic performance
- Reinforce key brand messages consistently across all coverage
Our Campaign
To deliver these objectives, PR Agency One developed an ongoing communications programme that combined proactive press office activity with campaign-led thought leadership.
Key elements included:
- Weekly press releases built around completed finance deals and growth milestones
- Tailored media targeting across regional, trade and sector-specific publications
- Story development that positioned Growth Lending not simply as a lender, but as an enabler of SME ambition. This repositioning ensured coverage reflected Growth Lending’s strategic role in enabling growth, rather than treating it as a transactional finance provider.
- The creation of the Geared For Growth campaign, exploring SME attitudes to growth against a backdrop of geopolitical and economic uncertainty
- A complementary campaign focused on alternative finance, helping Growth Lending comment on wider market trends and funding needs
- Expanded press office support designed to sustain momentum, increase message consistency and broaden media reach over time
This approach ensured the programme was not reliant on a single story, reducing risk while sustaining a consistent drumbeat of high-quality media visibility. Deal-led announcements created a regular drumbeat of visibility, while thematic campaigns added authority, relevance and a broader strategic narrative around SME growth and business finance.
The results
Within 12 months, the programme delivered strong and measurable impact across awareness, visibility and digital performance.
- 335 media placements secured in 12 months
- 100% inclusion of key messaging across coverage
- 81% increase in brand awareness
- 12% increase in organic website traffic driven by improved search visibility and referral authority
- 49 editorial links secured
- Average domain authority of 45 across linked coverage
These results helped strengthen Growth Lending’s market presence, improve discoverability and build a more authoritative profile in the specialist finance space.
Impact, measurement and business contribution
Performance was tracked across visibility, authority and digital outcomes, ensuring PR activity aligned with measurable business impact rather than media output alone. The programme helped position Growth Lending as a visible and credible supporter of SME growth, rather than simply a provider of finance.
By combining consistent press office execution with more thematic, insight-led campaigns, PR Agency One created a communications platform that supported both short-term visibility and longer-term reputation building. Regular deal announcements demonstrated momentum and relevance in the market, while thought leadership campaigns enabled Growth Lending to speak to broader commercial pressures affecting SMEs and the role of alternative finance in unlocking growth.
The outcome was much greater than just media volume, but meaningful visibility that strengthened brand recognition, improved discoverability and supported commercial engagement with SMEs and intermediaries. Coverage consistently communicated Growth Lending’s core messages, improved online authority through quality editorial links and contributed to stronger brand recognition among target audiences.
Overall, the campaign delivered measurable gains in awareness, search visibility and market presence, helping Growth Lending build a stronger profile in a crowded and competitive funding landscape.
