A successful finance content marketing strategy starts with a clear objective.
“Too often, content is more of a box-ticking exercise than anything. It doesn’t provide information that’s useful,” says Josh Frith, managing director at The Dubs.
So when it comes to writing a successful finance content marketing strategy, you need to begin with a clear view of what you’re aiming to achieve and the objectives you will measure against. In today’s climate, content is a fundamental element of any finance marketing strategy and a means to start a conversation with customers, rather than interrupting or speaking at them. It’s a cost-effective way to engage on a deeper level than simply serving individuals an advertisement, and when adopting a multi-channel approach, has the power to capture attention, build trust and boost brand credibility.
A simplified approach to finance content marketing strategy
The strategic approach your finance brand takes will differ from one brand to another, influenced by your unique target audience and business objectives. However, there are some universal ingredients when developing a finance content marketing strategy. And while this is a simplification of the strategic process, it gives a flavour for the key ingredients required.
1. Understand your audience
Content centres around customers and if you’re to deliver truly useful information you need to take the time to understand who your customers really are and what they need from your brand.
“ If you’re to deliver truly useful information you need to take the time to understand who your customers really are and what they need from your brand.”
“What do they need? What are they having trouble understanding? What might be useful to them?” says Frith. These are key questions to be asking when identifying your audience personas.
2. Define your goals and objectives
Ask yourself what you want to achieve from your content beyond ‘generating more leads/sales’ – and don’t forget the needs of your audience. Having drilled down into your core objective, this should inform and be a reference point for every piece of content you create.
3. Research
The three fundamental C’s of research are clients, competitors and channels. By thoroughly researching these areas, finance content marketers can gain a holistic view of what’s happening both in and outside of their brand. Having a complete picture of the playing field will help you identify gaps in the market that you can own and in turn have a competitive advantage.
4. Strategy
Armed with a clear picture of your audience and business objectives, and a research-backed understanding of the market, the next step is to think strategically about the role content will play in capturing customer attention and driving them down the funnel. Every piece of content you create needs to serve a purpose, otherwise, you’ll invest time and resources into assets that will simply get lost in the blog smog.
5. Targeted distribution
With a number of social platforms and distribution channels at your disposal, you need to identify the environments where your customers already engage with content, targeting them appropriately to extend your content’s reach. Regardless of the distribution channel you choose, content that dares to be different and commands and captures attention with striking design, and relevant and valuable insights will deliver greater ROI than a traditional advertising campaign.
The measure of success
To identify a strategy’s success is to measure its outcomes. And while vanity metrics have their place and provide a great barometer for content engagement, the true success of your strategy comes down to whether you’ve delivered on your original strategic objectives and the needs of your customers. The key to achieving measurable outcomes is to constantly test, learn and evolve your strategy in real-time.
At The Dubs we have our own unique process and secret sauce for finance content marketing strategy that is scalable across multiple global markets. To learn more about how we can help develop a comprehensive content and distribution strategy for your finance brand, get in touch.
