Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund
For grow america
A loan program needed a human-centered brand & marketing plan.
This program takes a personal, equitable approach to lending. We helped it reach deep into communities.
Branding
We built the Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund’s logo look and feel to be welcoming but still professional. The logo and patterns evoke the “steps” that small businesses make as they grow. The palette balances blues — more traditionally used by lenders — with warm, bright secondary colors.
Microsite
The microsite served as a Boost Fund information hub and application portal. It provided straightforward program information and easy-to-follow guidance for business owners as they considered applying for a loan. The site offered tutorial videos, was fully ADA-compliant and was accessible in six languages — all to reduce barriers preventing prospective borrowers from applying.
Partner toolkit
The Connecticut Small Boost Fund was a product of collaboration — a public-private partnership between the state of Connecticut and private sponsors, supported by nonprofit community lenders. We created a partner toolkit to help these collaborators and other community-based organizations share information about the program within their own networks. Available in six languages, the toolkit included program brochures, talking points, FAQ documents, presentation decks, and other pieces — making it easier for partners to start more effective conversations with business owners.
Borrower story videos
Through interviews with Connecticut business owners, we learned that people wanted to hear about loan products from other business owners. Our series of borrower-story videos let potential applicants hear from other Connecticut business owners who’d secured quality, low-interest Boost Fund loans with good terms — and who’d seen their businesses grow as a result.
Earned media
Strategic press releases and pitches helped us tell the fund’s story through news outlets that people in our audience read, listened to and watched. In total, six outlets published eight stories throughout Connecticut — building program visibility and credibility.
Partner program
Paid and organic partnerships with community lenders, community-based organizations, community-owned media and others also helped us build trust and credibility as they shared information about the Boost Fund throughout Connecticut. We engaged these partners to act as trusted message carriers in their communities, tailoring partner toolkit materials to share with their audiences.
Paid media
We also developed a targeted paid media buy strategy to reach small businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer full-time employees. The buy included video ads and display ads on digital news sites and other sites used by members of our intended audience. It also included mailers sent to businesses in areas where people were more likely to be unbanked or underbanked, plus ads in community-owned newspapers serving diverse audiences.