Content marketing is a proven method for attracting new visitors to your business by creating, publishing, and distributing content to a targeted audience. You can do this using a variety of content types, including blog posts, social media posts, e-books, white papers, videos, podcasts, and more.
That applies to the financial services sector as well, though some of the industry regulatory and market specifics call for extra care. Still, done right, a content strategy can drive new business in finance just as in any other industry. Here's how.
Content marketing aims to generate interest in your website by distributing content that people want to read and share. The more people read your content and share it with your network, the more likely it is to rank in Google's search engine results pages (SERPs).
If you're not concerned about ranking in SERPs, you should be. Studies show that 68% of online experiences start with an online search and 131% of consumers are likely to make a purchase immediately after reading a piece of educational content.
So, when your target client is starting to think about finding investors, getting insurance, talking to a financial advisor, or doing anything else in the finance realm, the first thing they'll probably do is type their question into Google.
Companies that consistently publish content are more likely to rank on the first page of search results. For example, one study from HubSpot found that companies that published 16 times a month had 3.5 times more traffic than those that only posted once a week.
This is critical because 75% of people never scroll as far as page two. People also skip past ads, with a whopping 86% of people cruising right on by paid ads to click on the first organic search result that shows up.
Before you dive into creating content, recognize that, as part of the financial industry, you can't just write anything and call it a day. The primary challenge that financial services face compared to other sectors is the need to follow regulatory guidelines when communicating with the general public.
That doesn't mean content marketing is impossible for financial companies. It just means that you need to be particularly strategic in your planning.
Having a concrete content strategy will ensure that you're following all the required regulations. It will also help you identify what types of content your target audience wants to read and share with their networks.
Here's your game plan for solidifying your content marketing strategy.
1. Identify your audience
We refer to this stage as crafting a buyer persona in the marketing world. The persona represents a specific person who you speak to as you write your content. You can have multiple personas to represent your different target audiences and their needs.
So, as an example, an insurance agent might have a buyer persona of Married Molly, who is 36 years old, married with two kids, and living in the suburbs. She will have very different needs from Retired Richard, who is 75 years old, widowed, and living in a retirement home.
2. Clarify your goals
Why are you writing content (besides generating traffic)? The general answer is to educate your audience and build trust. But each piece of content should have its own goal, such as driving traffic to your website, encouraging readers to call you, or buying something.
Having clear goals in mind will help you ensure that the content you spend time writing, publishing, and distributing will benefit your audience.
3. Determine your channels
It seems like a new social media channel comes online every month. Instead of trying to keep up with all of them, focus only on the social media channels that your clients are the most likely to use.
Also, remember that one piece of content can serve multiple purposes. So, go ahead and publish your blog content on your social channels and in your weekly emails. Expand on it for an e-book or white paper to use as a lead magnet. You don't need to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to write.
4. Track your metrics
Your audience will love some of the content you publish. They'll ignore others. That's all part of the deal. Track your analytics so you know what does and doesn't work as you fine-tune your strategy.
5. Establish a workflow
Everyone involved in your content marketing strategy needs a clearly defined role. They also need to know what deadlines they are working toward. Having a documented workflow keeps everyone on track and helps with accountability.
Need Help with Your Financial Content Marketing Strategy? Let's Talk! Content marketing is a proven way to get more traffic to your website and, as a result, more clients for your business. But it takes some time to get it done right. We're here to help! If you're ready to level up your financial content, we want to talk to you. Contact us for a free content audit.
