If you’re in the financial services industry, you know that there are often hurdles to overcome when it comes to content marketing.
Consumers aren’t especially trusting of brands when it comes to their finances. And money management isn’t exactly a “hot” topic. It’s easy for people to be repelled by the minutiae of math, for the human voice to be displaced by financial jargon. The result is often humdrum content.
If you feel a bit baffled about how to get people pumped up about finances, the good news is that you can create content that’s truly approachable, engaging, and relevant.
These 3 trailblazers are mixing it up in financial services, injecting imagination and intrigue into their content marketing strategies.
1. Citigroup
It’s one thing to say that your financial firm is firmly rooted yet forward-thinking; it’s another to show it. Citigroup uses a profusion of content to back up every one of their claims.
If you click on Progress on the home page of their website, you can read a series of articles on how Citigroup is partnering with various organizations to change the world.
If you click on Leadership, there are articles that show Citigroup as pioneers past and present. You can read about how Citigroup helped finance the Panama Canal, or how they’ve teamed up with Google and Mastercard to create Google Wallet, making mobile payments speedy.
The content posted on their social media channels reflects the content groupings on their site. To further exemplify what they do in terms of progress, they posted a video on Facebook that shows how they’re working to bolster the economic future for underprivileged youth and included a hashtag they created entitled #Pathways2Progress.
2. FICO
Wondering what’s going on with FICO? You won’t have to look far if you go to their website. While it might take you a few minutes just to figure out where the blog is on many financial sites, on FICO’s site all the latest on what they’re up to is front and center. With headlines like, “Protecting the Planet From Fraud,” and, “FICO + Ebay,” they’ve put themselves in the limelight. It’s their site, so they can do that.
And below all the company hubbub is prominently displayed links to whitepapers and more articles—in case you missed it in their main menu. It’s content galore. But it’s not done willy nilly.
Everything is strategically placed, highly organized, and well-written in order to create an optimal user experience.
Take their blog, for example. It’s content the color of the rainbow. Blog categories are color-coded with symbols using the topics FICO focuses on the most, such as analytics and optimization, and fraud and security.
When it comes to learning more about what FICO offers, visitors to the site have the option to view content as they prefer. They can read an eBook, watch a video, or download a report to learn more, making it super easy for people to understand their finances as well as FICO’s products and services.
3. First Round Capital
While First Round Capital may not offer a vast array of content, their blog is booming and their messaging is effective in that it’s clear and succinct—which is how they landed on the list of the 50 best content marketing companies.
When you go to their blog, entitled “The Review,” what you can expect to read about is defined in one sentence: “Liberating Startup Knowledge to Inspire and Accelerate Action.” There is a button directly below entitled “Our Manifesto.”
This takes you to a page that introduces their blog and promises an unwavering dedication to providing engaging, game-changing articles from industry experts with implementable tactics. This establishes credibility quickly.
What follows is intriguing stories about entrepreneurs and their strategies for success.
Key Content Marketing Strategies for B2B Brands in the Financial Industry
As exemplified by the three companies above, effective content marketing can be used to humanize a seemingly sterile brand and build credibility quickly. The following strategies are used to magnetize potential clients:
- Use content to show rather than tell. This builds credibility.
- Use content to make human connections.
- Categorize content using key company messages.
- Give potential customers the option to view content in the form they prefer.
- Provide ample content, and make sure it’s highly organized.
- Prominently display and drive traffic to articles and blog posts on websites.
With these tactics in place, potential clients will already be familiar with your brand and know your value. And instead of it being arduous and time-consuming, lead generation will be effortless and speedy. Brilliant!