Tuesday’s 2018-2019 Federal Budget announcement put forward changes to funding and tax that will affect Australian individuals and businesses alike.
While plenty of information about the budget is available in the press, many Australians will also seek expert advice from their financial service providers.
We looked at the different ways that banks approached the budget, searching for the best examples of engaging, clear and expert content to guide customers through the new information.
Breaking down the budget
Since one of the golden rules of effective content creation is timeliness, most financial businesses produced budget analysis within 12 hours of the announcement.
What is interesting is how this complex information is being packaged into pieces of content that are easily digestible for the customer.
A particularly strong example of a clearly presented budget analysis is Commonwealth Bank’s budget landing page.
The subsections of the landing page are simple yet effective. They allow users to easily navigate to the information that will be most relevant to them, with each section providing tailored blog posts that offer the customer greater detail and advice.
This simple method of dividing analysis into content chunks not only makes things easier for the customer, but it also helps to create strong themes for further budget collateral such as social media posts or videos.
Using infographics to show the bigger picture
National Australia Bank used clear, on-brand infographics to explain what the budget means for both individuals and businesses.
By using simple images and focusing on the facts, infographics help readers get a top-line idea of what the budget means for them, distilling lots of information into one image.
Infographics also make for an eye-catching social media post and are perfect to encourage organic social sharing across platforms such as LinkedIn or X.
Making the budget real
One technique used by several banks is to create content that emulates real-life questions their customers will be asking in the wake of the announcement.
For example, Westpac has zeroed in on the proposed tax cuts, creating a blog on whether to spend or to save them. While ANZ has created blog and video content detailing what the budget will mean for SMEs.
By focusing on telling the story of how the budget will affect people and businesses in ‘real life’, banks are able to engage with their customers and provide something that genuinely adds value. Anticipating customer questions and creating appropriate blog content also ensures greater SEO.
One technique used by several banks is to create content that emulates real-life questions their customers will be asking in the wake of the announcement.
A content opportunity, not just ‘housekeeping’
A budget announcement creates a fantastic opportunity for any finance business to engage with its customers and use topical content to capture people’s attention. Writing up the budget should be so much more than just content ‘housekeeping’.
From a brand-building perspective, banks have the chance to offer real value and guidance to their customers, building an ongoing relationship as a trusted advisor.
Our takeaways for creating great budget content:
- Clarity is key – Keep insights tight and relevant.
- Content should be timely – Most people will be looking up the effects of the budget in the few days following the event. Make sure yours is the content they find.
- Use images – While the budget is all about the figures, using images helps people understand and remember information, as well as encouraging them to share it.
- Make it real – Customers are looking to understand how these announcements will affect their real lives. The more customer insight you can use when creating your content, the better.
