La production and dissemination of content on the web in the financial services industry is opening up a world of possibilities that financial institutions have long ignored. In the last year, the initiatives of content marketing (this is the name of such corporate strategies) in this area have increased significantly.
An answer to the sudden change of direction of a world, the financial world, usually very resistant to change, can certainly be found in the data on Affluent clientele (investors with assets between $100.000 and $1 million) recently shared by LinkedIn. Indeed, according to the study, 87% of Affluent Customers are active on social media and, of this, nearly half are “involved” e actively responds to the actions and content shared by the social accounts of financial institutions.
To attract customers more and more companies are engaged in production and dissemination of content on the web. There are many cases that have proved up to the challenge.
An analysis published by Contently, entitled Bank on Content, presents 9 cases that illustrate the potential of the channel for the world of finance. Here are some useful lessons that emerge from them content marketing strategies.
. It is necessary know your target audience to personalize the contents and avoid them getting lost in the enormous flow of information on the web. Citibank is one of the realities that has best interpreted this principle by promoting, as early as 2000, one of the longest-running campaigns in the savings industry: Women and Co. The campaign was intended to strengthen the relationship with customers woman providing resources forfinancial education. In 2012, the initiative, in collaboration with Linkedin, became a group dedicated to the professional network of women, Connect: Professional Women's Network (currently the group boasts 201.400 followers).
. Another key element for a successful content marketing strategy is the production and dissemination of content that understands useful information independent of the promotional message and which, among other things, lead the reader to share them. In this case, prominent realities are Minte Kapitall who, through their blogs (mint life and KapitallWire), provide quality posts that are always updated and in line with current trends.
. For content marketing to capture an audience, be effective, and build trust in the brand, the company must be original and different. Often, to be original it is enough to bring out the character and essence of the company, just as it has done Loyalty Investment with the production and dissemination of podcasts through which it shares market analysis and forecasts. The idea promoted by is also interesting Fisher Investments, which involves the reader by allowing him to vote on the posts published on the Blog MarketMinder.
. A content marketing strategy must be fun and, as he demonstrated Blackrock, finance can be too. The company deals with financial issues through Songs, interviews with the man on the street and a wise use of video lesson. Another project that will prove effective is the game Beat the benchmark di Loyalty Investment. In this case, the company spreads its contents through marketing strategies Gamification (the use of typical game dynamics in different contexts). The game has an imprint educationalwell described by the company's own words: “Do you want to learn the basics of investing without having to read a long, dry textbook? ".
The future of content marketing
Surely on the horizon we see more creative use of the huge amount of data managed by financial institutions (infographics, transversal research, video lesson, etc.), a focus onfinancial education promoted through the multimedia of the digital channel and, certainly, an improvement of web and social communication techniques through collaborations with web agency specialized in the finance sector. It is necessary that the contents to be disseminated are suitable for the channel used, that the format and language deviate from the traditional model of financial contents and that the new methods of communication on the web are exploited.
