Content marketing Financial Services: The Key to a winning strategy

Content marketing Financial Services

What is content marketing for financial services?

In the finance industry, using effective content marketing to engage clients and prospects is essential for your financial marketing strategy. The role of content in financial services focuses on creating relevant financial information or product and service details. Consequently, this content is distributed to both current and prospective clients.

Financial services industry content can encompass various formats, such as white papers, blog articles and financial guides.

This content connects with clients through places like websites, email, social media, paid ads, and outside blogs. The primary aim of financial content is to raise awareness, educate people, deliver value via engagement, and ultimately support business growth.

Why is financial services content marketing important?

Content is a widely-used and helpful method that helps financial firms stand out.

Here’s what the data reveals about content marketing:

• Companies with blogs receive 67% more leads than those without.
• 72% of B2B marketers report increased engagement and leads due to content marketing.
• 88% of individuals claim that branded videos persuaded them to purchase a product or service.

Content marketing has many advantages for financial firms. When done right, it can:

• Enhance online visibility. Content strategies help bring in clients and people to your website by sharing helpful information about important subjects. This way, you can grow your online presence on your website and social media accounts.
• Generate more financial leads. Content marketing drives traffic, builds trust, and makes clients feel comfortable purchasing from your business. As a result, this generates more leads and fosters potential connections with clients.
• Increase client loyalty. Client loyalty is crucial for repeat purchases. Informative content helps build trust, making clients more loyal to your brand.
• Boost overall website authority. Creating content improves your brand’s authority and positions it as a thought leader in your industry. This builds trust and establishes your brand as an expert on specific topics.

How content marketing for financial services works

By sharing content, your firm can generate leads, demonstrate your product or service’s value during research, and close sales.

To be most effective, share helpful content at each sales stage, from knowing about it to thinking and buying. This method makes the process easier.

Here’s an overview of how financial firms can leverage content marketing across the sales cycle to engage prospects and boost sales.

Awareness

Awareness stage In the initial stage of the sales process, your content should address your audience’s main concerns. Focus on their pain points, challenges, and questions to engage with them effectively. The content at this stage should be educational and provide how-to advice, saving the selling for later stages.

Ideal content for this stage includes articles, blog posts, guides, videos, newsletters and corporate brochures.

Examples of this include:

• A wealth management firm writes a blog post about planning for retirement at different life stages.
• An insurance firm creates a short video titled “5 Tips for Choosing the Right Insurance Policy.”
• A financial advisory firm creates an e-book called “Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Financial Advisor.”

Consideration

During the consideration stage, content should combine helpful information with marketing. It should educate readers about features or functions they should look for and how these meet their needs. Naturally, your content should emphasise what your business offers.

Suitable content for this stage includes case studies, how-to articles, how-to videos, and checklists or worksheets.

Examples of this include:

• A mortgage brokerage shares a checklist of “10 things to consider when picking a mortgage”.
• A tax preparation service shares case studies about “Common Tax Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.”
• An investment firm showcases successful investment strategies, focusing on its unique benefits. For example, “How to Diversify Your Portfolio for Long-Term Growth”, Or “The Importance of Risk Management in Investing.”

Decision

Decision stage Content marketing plays a crucial role when prospects are close to making a purchase. At this stage, you can concentrate on sales while emphasising why you’re the best choice.

Your primary message should highlight your expertise, knowledge, and the unique benefits of what you sell.

The best content for this stage: case studies, user-generated content, buyer’s guide, product video, a research report

Examples of this include:

• A financial planning firm creates a report showing that clients who follow long-term planning and their advice achieve better ROI.
• A robo-advisor platform urges users to discuss its user-friendly interface, diverse investment options, and excellent client support.

How to get started with financial services content marketing

Getting Started with content marketing might seem daunting, but it can be both manageable and sustainable. Follow these steps to begin your content journey:

Understand your audience

To make focused content, understand your audience’s needs, issues, and likes. Make client personas for each audience group before writing.

Choose the right formats

Select formats based on the sales cycle stage and which ones best showcase your value. This might be in the form of a video, checklist, or written content. Ensure high-quality content by using the right resources and professional proofreading.

Plan distribution channels

Decide where to publish your content: on your website, via email, or in print for events. Consider where your audience will most likely engage and choose appropriate formats for each channel.

Set a realistic schedule

After identifying your target audience and suitable formats, create a 3-6 month plan. Make sure your plan is achievable based on your budget and resources. Monitor how long it takes to create content pieces and include that into your schedule.

Financial services content marketing fuels your business

Content digital marketing serves as a crucial driving force for different marketing aspects of your business. These aspects include social media, ads, and PR, all connected through content strategies.

Here’s how it connects:

1. SEO and content marketing

Financial marketers don’t want to pay for each site visitor because it’s expensive. SEO helps you connect with your audience naturally, without ads, in search results. So, it’s crucial to consider SEO when planning content marketing for small businesses to succeed.

2. Social media marketing and content marketing

Using platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube is crucial for your financial marketing plan. With the help of social media channels, companies can create groups focused on shared interests, like your brand. These sites are also great for sharing content and getting more people to visit your website. Plus, they let you run ads, try out different types of content, and interact with current and potential clients.

3. Advertising and content marketing

Content marketing shares helpful and inspiring information to build a loyal audience and prepare for sales. On the other hand, advertising focuses on promoting products or services when the audience needs them the most.

Keep in mind that content marketing pulls people to your website and content, while advertising pushes your message to the audience. Whereas ads often promote content to get more viewers on your website, helping your advertising plan.

Financial services content marketing strategy

Content strategy for financial services is a plan designed to create and share helpful content. This content should attract and connect with a specific group of people. Ultimately, the purpose is to help your business grow.

Identify your ideal clients and decide what goals you want your content to accomplish. Example goals include increasing awareness of your business and gaining new clients.

Create content, such as blog posts or videos, that answers your audience’s questions. Ensure that your content can be easily found on search engines by using SEO practices. Then, share your content on different platforms like your website, social media, and email newsletters.

Also, talk with your audience by replying to their comments and feedback, which helps build stronger connections. Over time track the success of your content. Analyse website visits and the number of people who take action after seeing your content. Use this data to improve your strategy.

Lastly, stay updated on what’s happening in your industry and change your plan as needed to succeed.

How Goldmine Media can help as your financial services content marketing agency

Attracting prospects is the first step in any marketing strategy. It is a valuable tool with the proper channels and platforms and a clear understanding of your target client persona. In addition, align your content with your prospective and existing client base. As a result, This will help you to attract, maintain, nurture and convert them into clients.

As shown above, Goldmine Media’s team can help you identify the best content for each stage.