How to develop a successful content strategy for a financial services organisation
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Developing and implementing an effective content strategy for a financial institution requires a specific understanding and skill set.
Most of us know the key elements of a content strategy for a generic business.
For example:
Set your objective
Know your audience
Craft your core message(s)
Define your brand voice and tone
Identify the types of content you will create (and the channels you will use)
Develop your content calendar
Create your content
Publish your content
Promote and amplify your content
Evaluate the effectiveness of your content.
However, in a specific industry sector such as financial services, your content strategy requires a degree of nuance.
The financial services industry differs from others in terms of its broad, diverse target audience, the heightened requirement to build trust and credibility, regulatory compliance issues and the need to decipher complex concepts.
Target audience
Money impacts everyone. So, the target audience for financial services is wide, including young people beginning to save and invest, middle-aged people planning for retirement, high-net-worth individuals and a variety of businesses.
Companies in other sectors can sometimes get away with targeting a broad audience, the members of which may share similar interests. In financial services, you need to segment the audience carefully, considering factors such as demographics, income, financial literacy, financial objectives and risk tolerance. You can then tailor your content to specific needs.
Financial services audiences also crave the expertise of professionals who understand money management. This presents you with an opportunity to create content that explains financial concepts, delivers practical tips and guides customers toward informed decisions.
Trust
People take money seriously. It’s a serious, sensitive subject for most of us. Few of us will accept financial advice from someone until they effectively demonstrate their knowledge and integrity.
So, a financial services content strategy must prioritise building trust and credibility through transparent communication, authoritative expertise and a commitment to ethical practices.
The development and dissemination of thought leadership content – that demonstrates an in-depth understanding of industry trends and delivers valuable insights – is essential.
This will require publishing thoughtful articles, white papers and webinars with industry experts that target specific audience segment needs.
Risk and compliance
Financial services content must help customers and prospects assess risks and evaluate investment opportunities by addressing risk management principles, investment strategies and diversification techniques.
Given the highly regulated financial services environment, compliance is a key consideration. Your content must always comply with strict regulations and advertising standards, in terms of accuracy, transparency and information disclosure. In this context, it may need a legal review to ensure you avoid publishing information that may mislead.
Additionally, you may have to add disclaimers, risk warnings and legal disclosures to ensure compliance and risk mitigation.
Complexity
Financial services can be complex, with institutions delivering many different services, such as day-to-day saving and transaction accounts, lending, credit cards, electronic fund transfer, internet banking, investment management, underwriting, structured finance, securities research, brokerage, private banking, foreign exchange and insurance.
As a result, you may be required to develop educational content and resources that translate detailed concepts and practices into plain English content that audiences can understand and act upon.
This might include financial literacy guides, budgeting tips and home loan calculators, demonstrating your commitment to empowering customers and adding significant value.
Success factors
An effective content strategy for a financial services brand will integrate various approaches, such as:
Personalised content: leveraging data that helps you customise content to individual needs and preferences.
Storytelling: including real-life scenarios, case studies and customer journeys.
Educational content: addressing typical financial questions, explaining financial products and providing guides to services and processes.
Consistency: delivering a congruent, authentic message across all customer touchpoints and aligning sales and marketing activities.
Above all, your financial services content strategy must demonstrate a commitment to delivering relevant, valuable, engaging content across multiple channels to create meaningful connections in a competitive marketplace.
When you need help with content writing or content strategy, please contact me any time.