The appetite for content marketing has never been greater in the UK. A 2018 study by the Content Marketing Institute reports that 86% of surveyed businesses use content marketing, and 45% expect to see an increase in their content marketing budget in the next financial year. For a bit of context, here’s how that compares to the appetite for content marketing in Australia.
For financial services businesses, this means adapting to an even busier marketing landscape with a focus on developing content that will cut through the noise and provide solid ROI. However, analysis released by the Financial Times revealed that while financial publishers spend 2.4x more time producing branded content than other sectors, the resulting content performs around 20% below average.
It’s a fast-moving game, so we’ve taken a look at a few of the UK finance businesses that are using content marketing to get real results.
Top financial content marketing example one – Aviva’s Drive Safe Campaign
Insurance firm Aviva began its Drive Safe campaign in 2016. Based on an app that drivers can use to monitor their skills, the campaign encourages motorists to earn a driving score for cornering, braking and accelerating. If they hit the right numbers, they are offered discounts on their Aviva insurance.
While the app provided a great creative platform, it was the content partnerships that Aviva forged with Brake, the road safety charity, which helped to change behaviour and won them a commendation in the Financial Services Forum marketing effectiveness awards.
What can we learn?
This campaign demonstrates the power of leveraging and enhancing existing creative ideas with new, fresh and relevant partner content. You don’t always have to start from scratch.
Top financial content marketing example two – RBS Group’s ContentLive
RBS Group’s ContentLive is a content technology solution that pushes the boundaries in the finance industry.
An online content repository covering all kinds of finance, lifestyle and cybersecurity topics, what makes this platform so special is that it was designed for the frontline staff of the bank to help them have more relevant conversations with their customers.
Upon being asked, 84% of frontline users said that ContentLive has helped them have more meaningful conversations with existing or prospective customers.
What can we learn?
By creating ContentLive, RBS demonstrates how having access to the right content can be empowering when developing human-to-human relationships. Content can strengthen knowledge and confidence for staff as well as customers.
Content can strengthen knowledge and confidence for staff as well as customers.
Top financial content marketing example three – Royal London
Insurance firm Royal London used customer insights to build a content campaign promoting their sponsorship of international one-day cricket in England.
The firm used qualitative surveys and social listening to dictate the topics for a series of 30-second videos, which were promoted on social media at peak cricket-playing times of the year. The campaign increased brand reach and engagement as well as associations between Royal London and their cricket sponsorship.
What can we learn?
This video series demonstrates how building a content campaign from a foundation of detailed research and customer insight can lead to real results.
For more examples of good content marketing in action, check out our UK financial content marketing update.
