Marketing for Financial Services

Marketing for financial services is on another level, no doubt. It’s very different to marketing for, say, a coffee brand, for example, because you need to ensure trust is instilled with your audience before anything else. With financial services, you’re not only selling a product, but also asking your audience to trust you enough with their money. And, this is why marketing for financial services requires a certain level of expertise.

The balance here lies between building deep trust with your customers while adhering to all things regulation and rules governing the financial sector. Here, we’ll go through that perfect balance, giving you insight into how to tackle the digital marketing world while winning the trust of your customers.

Why financial services marketing plays a different game

Ultimately, two big factors make marketing for financial services different from the usual type of digital marketing.

1. The high-stakes factor (YMYL): Whenever you publish anything to do with finances on Google, it will fall under the topic of ‘Your money or your life’. Google knows that bad advice can easily ruin a person’s life, so it holds you to account in the highest possible way to ensure accuracy and security.
2. The compliance watchdog: The financial watchdogs are always looking out to make sure that regulations are adhered to in the financial sector. There’s unfortunately no room for error here.

What we’ve noticed is that there’s been a massive shift from the old-school product-focused approach to a more value-focused approach, and this is the key to connecting to your audience today.

Compliance is everything in financial services marketing

So, the point we’re trying to make here is that compliance is everything when it comes to financial services marketing. It is an essential base for everything you do.

Staying safe in the digital fast lane

Okay, so how do you make sure you’re compliant and winning the trust of your customers? Here’s our step-by-step approach.

Vetting every word

First of all, you need to ensure that every piece of information you publish receives the legal thumbs up. This means that your marketing and legal teams need to work together right from the start.

Ad copy danger zones

ALWAYS make sure that your ad copy is on point. You absolutely cannot use language that promises guaranteed returns or is misleading in any way. Our PPC experts know how to structure ad copy and targeting that is legally compliant, and that keeps you out of the danger zone.

Digital paper trails

You need to hold onto all digital paper trails like your life depends on it. Regulators need to see everything, and your marketing tech needs to be set up so that your digital records are automatically archived. This includes every piece of customer communication for auditing purposes.

Earning trust in a sceptical market

Financial customers, especially digital ones,  are always going to be wary of anything to do with being online. They expect competence and transparency, and this is where ensuring Google’s E-E-A-T framework comes into play.

• Experience: You need to come across as having first-hand experience and understanding of the topic you’re talking about. You should be coming across as having personal experience with the topic, and that you can bring unique insights to your customers. Case studies are a great way to show this.
• Expertise: You need to let your audience know that you have the relevant skills and training to back the information you’re publishing. This can be in the form of credentials or detailed author bios.

• Authoritativeness: You need to be recognised as a trustworthy source of information by others in the same industry. This can be showcased with high-quality backlinks and media mentions.

• Trustworthiness: How accurate and secure is your website? This needs to be portrayed in a certain way so that your customers trust that when they visit your website, they aren’t going to be scammed or taken for a ride. So, use HTTPS (SSL certificate) to protect data, especially on financial forms and make sure that you clearly display your contact information on the website so that customers can get in touch with you.

Proving you’re the real deal

Essentially, you need to prove to your customers that you’re the real deal by being transparent.  Generic content doesn’t quite cut it with financial services marketing, and your advice should be written by, or attributed to, licensed professionals. Ensure that their credentials are at the front and centre of your site because this tells Google that your advice is solid.

Be an open book for your customers. You can do this by ensuring your fees, terms and conditions are easy to find on your website and that they are easy to understand, too. Also, people are bound to talk about their financial experience online, so you need to make sure that you handle the hate with reverence and calm. Monitor those Google reviews!

A digital journey that works

In this day and age, your customers will mostly be making their decision online, so your financial services marketing needs to meet them exactly where they are on their customer journey. So, here are a few things to consider:

• High-value “gated” content: Make sure that you’re offering something useful in exchange for an email address. Think personalised tools or an exclusive guide. This will always attract the right kind of lead.

• Educate, don’t pressure: Once you have an email address, your email campaigns should focus on nurturing the relationship by sending information that provides solutions and insights rather than pressuring them into committing.

• Seamless integration (online to offline): Your process from accessing your website to jumping to a discovery call should be effortless and smooth. So, make sure you link those web pages to your physical branch right away.

• Get personal: make sure your customer feels valued and that your financial services marketing is targeted to them.

Ready to create a financial services marketing campaign that converts?

Financial services marketing is going to be your best tool when done right. But it needs a dedicated and specialised approach for it to be successful. Partner with Assisted, and we’ll guide you through the process, from start to finish. We’ll build those E-E-A-T metrics into your website and ensure that your PPC ads check every box.

Ready to establish your authority and capture high-value clients safely? Schedule a call with our specialist team today at Assisted, or get in touch with us at 01788 288020.