Revolutionizing Private Markets with Blockchain Technology | Shurong Li from Tokeny

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us out on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Shurong Li from Tokeny, head of marketing. How are you doing today, Shurong?

Shurong Li: Very good. Thanks for having me today, and I’m excited to share some insights from my side.

Ernesto: Definitely. Well, I’m sure our listeners are tuning in, wondering what Tokeny is all about. So, Shurong, in your own words, tell us a little bit more.

Shurong: Yeah, sure. So, Tokeny provides an enterprise-grade tokenization platform for financial institutions to issue, transfer, and distribute securities easily on blockchain. In other words, to help the audience understand, think of us like Shopify, which provides an easy-to-launch platform for financial institutions to set up their online shops. However, instead of selling goods or clothes, these financial products allow people to invest in assets from anywhere, as long as they’re eligible, with a smooth digital experience.

Ernesto: Got it. That’s awesome to hear. Now our listeners can get a better understanding of Tokeny. What would you say is the key problem that you help your clients solve?

Shurong: Our target is the private markets. In the capital markets, you have public and private markets. We’re focusing on the private markets, which involve assets like private equity that you can’t find in public markets, such as stock exchanges. Companies raise funds through these instruments, but they’re hard to find and verify, so investors usually rely on fund managers who conduct research and invest on their behalf.

Unlike public markets, where you can buy a stock in seconds, the private markets are much more complicated. Ownership is often recorded in Excel files across different parties, and this leads to inefficiencies because everyone has to reconcile their data manually. This process can take weeks, or even months. It’s also expensive, which makes it difficult for retail investors to access these opportunities.

Blockchain changes this by acting like a shared, immutable infrastructure—almost like a Google Excel sheet—that all parties can access. Tokeny provides a unified platform where investors can log in, go through the KYC process, and purchase assets with just a few clicks. The whole process is streamlined, making these investments much more accessible and efficient.

Ernesto: Definitely, that makes a lot of sense. So, how do people usually find out about Tokeny? Is there a top client acquisition channel for you guys?

Shurong: We have three main channels. First, there’s word of mouth and referrals from partners, clients, and users. The second is digital channels like organic search, social media, and paid advertising. The third is events, where we gain visibility and connect with people, which also drives more word of mouth.

Ernesto: Okay, awesome. And for those tuned in today, they can check you out at tokeny.com. How important is the website for client acquisition?

Shurong: It’s our main channel. No matter where the client hears about us, whether through word of mouth, digital advertising, or social media, they always end up on our website. We’ve been building content since the beginning, positioning ourselves as thought leaders and educating the market. Our website provides a lot of resources that help visitors understand why tokenization and blockchain are beneficial and how to use them.

Ernesto: Great to hear. Do you have any tools or tips you’d recommend to our listeners for website lead generation?

Shurong: We keep it straightforward. We use a CMS system that generates leads, and all the data is stored in one place. This allows us to analyze where the data is coming from, which channels are performing well, and where we need to improve.

Ernesto: Good tips! Now, let’s switch gears a bit. Shurong, as head of marketing at Tokeny, what are some of the key tasks you focus on day-to-day?

Shurong: Every day is different, but there are three main areas: First, I focus on gathering market insights to stay updated. Second, I review KPIs, marketing channel performance, and campaign progress to ensure everything is on track, making adjustments as needed. Lastly, as a startup, I still get my hands dirty with execution—creating content, managing projects, and overseeing tasks like website redesigns and reports.

Ernesto: That sounds busy! How do you stay up to date with marketing trends and strategies?

Shurong: LinkedIn is my go-to platform. I connect with relevant people and set notifications for those who share valuable insights. My team and I also use Slack to share and discuss new trends we come across.

Ernesto: Perfect. Let’s jump into our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready?

Shurong: Yeah, sure.

Ernesto: Great! What is the last book you read?

Shurong: I recently read The Ride Home by Chris Jackson. It’s about blockchain and how it will shape the future of the internet. Since I’m focused on investment, the book provided great insights into making these assets more accessible.

Ernesto: Excellent. If there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d fix for your role as a marketer today?

Shurong: I would love a unified dashboard for marketing data. It’s time-consuming to pull data from multiple platforms and manually reconcile it. Having everything in one place would save time and let me focus on strategy.

Ernesto: That sounds ideal. Next, what’s one repetitive task you would automate?

Shurong: Publishing content across multiple platforms with one click! Right now, we have to send newsletters to our audience, post on the website, and distribute across social channels—all manually. Automating this would save a lot of time.

Ernesto: Definitely. You’ve had an interesting journey from engineering to marketing. What advice would you give yourself if you were to restart your marketing career today?

Shurong: I would start writing content earlier. When I joined Tokeny, I focused on simpler tasks, but once I started creating content, it deepened my understanding of the industry. It was a game changer, and I wish I had done it sooner.

Ernesto: Great advice. Before we wrap up, what’s the one thing listeners should remember about Tokeny?

Shurong: Think of us as a no-code platform that helps you upgrade from Web 2 to Web 3.

Ernesto: Perfect. You heard it here first! You can check them out at tokeny.com. Thanks so much for being with us today, Shurong. And thanks to our listeners for tuning in. I’m looking forward to our next episode on Pathmonk Presents. Thanks again, Shurong.

Shurong: Thank you very much. Have a great day!