Millennials and Gen Z want ethical investing options as a part of their superannuation. In fact, 88% of Australians expect their money to be invested responsibly, with 22% of Australians under 25 years and 21% of people aged 25-39 years already investing in ethical companies, funds, or super funds, according to the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA). With Millennials and Gen Z set to be customers for the next four to five decades, it pays to get on board with their wants. So, why should your super fund content start prioritising its ethical investment options?
Marketing your ESG commitments has never been more important
Millennials and Gen Z care about the values of the finance brands they work with. More importantly, they care about what their finance brands and super funds are doing to better the planet, whether that’s environmentally, socially or politically. Creating super fund content that markets your ESG commitments has never been more important when trying to get Gen Z and Millennials on board.
“ 88% of Australians expect ethical investing. ”
According to the RIAA, 78% of 18-24 year olds and 84% of 25-39 year olds would consider moving their super if their current fund didn’t align with their values. And with 80% of Australians citing a lack of educational content around ethical investing as a key barrier to making informed decisions, there’s a clear gap to be filled.
So, how can your super fund market its ESG commitments and ethical investing options best?
- Create a story – Share your ESG commitments with your target audience by making investor-related content such as providing key market insights for your ethical funds or how investing ethically can help the world for example. Ensure you share not only what you are doing but the impacts it has on communities.
- Take an omnichannel approach – Make it easy for your target audience to identify your ESG commitments by sharing them across your social platforms and website regularly.
- Share across different content styles – Don’t just write a blog post, or only share a video. Create content in different formats such as video, infographics, thought leadership and more so as to keep the information fresh and reach your entire audience base.
- Ensure your ESG commitments align with your company values – Don’t align your super fund with ESG commitments that are out of place or not a true reflection of your brand. Consumers value authenticity and it’s critical your ESG commitments and ethical investing reflect this.
Ethical superanuuation funds are on the rise
Today, 88% of Australians expect ethical investing, and ethical super funds are on the rise to meet these demands. In fact, assets owned by Responsible Super Fund Leaders grew to a record $783 billion by the end of 2022, up from $743 billion in 2020. Currently, only around 10 out of 53 super funds are considered Responsible Super Fund Leaders (down from 13 in 2021), showcasing an opportunity in the market to provide tailored products to an audience hungry for them.
According to Responsible Investment Association Australasia chief executive, Simon O’Connor, “Australians are rapidly willing to shift their money to be in line with their own beliefs and values and are expecting their superannuation to invest in a way that’s responsible.”
Super fund content doing it right
Future Super, Active Super, and Australian Ethical Super are examples of ethical super funds increasing their popularity amongst Millennials and Gen Z.
Future Super’s content strategy is one example of a super fund effectively marketing its ESG commitments and ethical investment options. Its hard-hitting advertisements alongside its effective social media strategy have helped it grow its engagement amongst Gen Z and Millennials.
With over 10,000 Instagram followers, 30,000 Facebook followers and 3,500 LinkedIn followers Future Super’s content strategy has a winning formula. What makes it stand out isn’t simply the modern design and graphics that grab users’ attention, but the harsh, frank political messaging. Future Super doesn’t shy away from the impacts of climate change, proudly promoting messaging that if we don’t all begin to invest ethically the planet will be destroyed. This messaging alongside the fresh content, omnichannel marketing and always-on content strategy has ensured it’s gained a large and loyal following of Millennials and Gen Zs.
The best part about ensuring your super fund content markets your ESG commitments is that while it targets Millennials and Gen Z in particular, there’s also a growing number of older people wanting their superannuation to be managed ethically. With more people demanding ethical investing it’s more important than ever for your super fund to reflect these desires in both your funds and content marketing.
