“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking,” said Albert Einstein. “It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
This is as true of finance content marketing as it is of the Theory of Relativity.
If your content world is ready for a shake-up, then it’s time to revolutionise your approach and hone in on what it truly means to think like a finance content marketer.
To think like a finance content marketer is to think like your audience
“The most important thing is to think like the audience you’re trying to reach,” says Josh Frith, managing director at The Dubs. “What do they need? What are they having trouble understanding? What might be useful to them?
“If you get that right, then everything you create will come from the right place.”
“ The most important thing is to think like the audience you’re trying to reach.”
There are many ways to find out how your people are thinking, from smart data strategies, to running webinars, to inviting customers to create their own stories.
To think like a finance content marketer is to think like a newsroom
Newsrooms were around long before finance content marketers. They know a thing or two about catchy headlines and intriguing stories. Instead of reinventing the wheel, think like a journalist would, which means drawing on tried-and-tested techniques.
“Be accurate, write clearly, and structure your content so that you cover the important points early,” says Frith. “For readers who want to go deeper, offer long-form content.”
Inspiration lies in Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Thinking Aloud, ANZ’s BlueNotes and Barclay Bank’s current affairs-driven stories. [Full disclosure – Aberdeen Standard Investments is a client of The Dubs].
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To think like a finance content marketer is to blow away the blog smog
Blog smog is a poetic description for all the dull content on the Internet that puts readers to sleep. As a general rule of thumb, it’s poorly written, offers little of interest and inspires next to no one.
Effective finance content shines through the blog smog like a beacon of hope — with clear sentences, compelling ideas and useful information.
“Most finance brands have content of some shape or form, to varying degrees of sophistication,” says Frith. “They cover similar topics and generally do an okay job.
“But, too often, content is more of a box-ticking exercise than anything. It doesn’t provide information that’s useful or builds understanding or moves the reader along in some way.”
Finance brands that have blazed a path through the blog smog include Aviva Investors with its stylish content hub AIQ Magazine, NerdWallet with its unconventional listicles; and OppenheimerFunds with its cutting-edge biometric research. [Full disclosure – Aviva Investors is a client of The Dubs].
Ready to think like a finance content marketer? Get in touch or subscribe to our industry publication the Financial Marketer.
