To meet these challenges, your finance brand must develop targeted, omnichannel marketing strategies that address these varied demands and diverse needs. While reaching such a broad audience may seem resource-intensive, when executed strategically personalised engagement can be both efficient and cost-effective.

Here we explore how your finance brand can leverage tailored communication and innovative technology to build long-term relationships, enhance trust, and improve satisfaction across your diverse customer base.

Understanding audience segmentation and diverse needs

Effective engagement starts with a deep understanding of your target customer or client. Audience segmentation is a crucial strategy that involves categorising customers based on key characteristics such as age, career stage, and risk tolerance. According to a report by DemandGen, campaigns that are segmented had 14.31% higher open rates and saw 101% more clicks than non-segmented campaigns.

For finance brands, this means recognising the diverse needs of various demographic groups. Taking super funds for example, younger members who are often just beginning their careers may prioritise high-growth investment options and need education on the importance of early retirement savings.

In contrast, middle-aged members might focus more on stable returns and planning for retirement. To avoid overly generic assumptions based solely on age and other factors, use data-driven tools like segmentation models and behavioural analytics to create more precise, dynamic personas that reflect your member’s unique financial situation and goals.

To develop sophisticated personas, use advanced segmentation models and behavioural analytics tools like HubSpot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, or Segment to analyse engagement patterns and financial goals. Additionally, platforms like Google Analytics and Sprinklr provide deeper insights into customer journeys. These tools help create detailed, actionable profiles that ensure your messaging is not only relevant but deeply aligned with the specific aspirations and concerns of each group.

Tailored messaging across life stages and diverse needs

Once audience segments are clearly defined, the next step is crafting highly personalised messaging that not only speaks to their life stage but also addresses their specific financial behaviours and aspirations. To achieve this, communication strategies should move beyond basic topics and leverage advanced segmentation insights, such as behavioural triggers and psychographics.

For example, a campaign targeting first-time investors could integrate interactive tools such as risk tolerance assessments, personalised investment simulators, and progress trackers that actively engage users in the decision-making process. Additionally, content like personalised financial roadmaps—tailored to each user’s specific financial position and goals—can demystify complex concepts like compound interest, asset allocation, and the time value of money.

On the other hand, messaging for more experienced or retirement-focused members could integrate sophisticated financial planning tools that showcase tailored income strategies, tax optimisation techniques, and risk-adjusted portfolio recommendations. By utilising data analytics and AI-driven insights you can create content that adapts to each member’s unique financial journey, making your communications feel more relevant, timely, and actionable.

A McKinsey study revealed that companies that personalise marketing communication can boost return on investment (ROI) by up to 30% and lift revenues between 5% to 15%.

By utilising tailored content, brands like super funds can enhance the relevance of their communications, making members feel understood and valued. Personalisation goes beyond basic demographic data; it can incorporate behavioural insights and preferences gathered through data analytics to create a more engaging experience.

Omnichannel campaigns

In an age where consumers interact with brands across various platforms, implementing an omnichannel strategy is vital. According to a report by Aberdeen Group, brands that utilise multi-channel strategies retain 89% of their customers compared to 33% for those that only use single-channel approaches.

Your finance brand should utilise omnichannel campaigns to ensure you reach your customers on their preferred platforms, whether via email, social media, mobile apps, or in-person events.

With the growing expectation for digital-first communications, especially in the finance sector, meeting members where they are and providing seamless, multi-platform experiences is key. In fact, in 2023 Aware Super was classed as the “Super Fund of the Future” after it merged 1.1 million members onto one technology platform.

You can boost engagement and loyalty by maintaining a consistent brand voice and delivering relevant, personalised content across these channels. For example, integrating educational webinars, social media posts, in-app notifications, and personalised email newsletters can create a cohesive, streamlined experience.

This approach not only meets the diverse preferences of your audience but also ensures that communication remains timely and accessible, whether members are checking their app during their morning commute or reading an email while planning their retirement.

Building trust through transparency and education

Trust is a cornerstone of successful financial relationships. Your brand can foster trust by emphasising transparency and offering educational tools. For super funds, providing clear information about fees, investment options, and performance helps members make informed decisions about their financial futures.

The need to focus on trust is clearly highlighted by global research highlighted in the Edelman Trust Barometer 2025 which found 60% of respondents now actively feel aggrieved.

Edeman’s President and CEO, Richard Edelman, said the erosion of peoples trust has been “a progression from fears, to polarisation and now into grievance”. Two of the key factors driving this loss of trust was the “lack of quality information” available to people and the belief “my family will not be better off in five years”.

In this environment where trust is a cornerstone to building successful financial relationships, your brand can foster trust by emphasising transparency and offering educational tools. For super funds, providing clear information about fees, investment options, and performance helps members make informed decisions about their financial futures.

Furthermore, educational initiatives such as workshops, online resources, and interactive tools demystify complex financial concepts so members can confidently navigate their choices.

Australia’s largest superannuation fund, AustralianSuper, with more than 3.5 million members and AUD $365 billion assets under management strong in this area, having a dedicated landing page that lists its educational resources. Whether members would prefer to read about how much money they need to retire or join a webinar, everything is positioned easily for members, and a diverse range of topics is explored.

The take-out here is by positioning your brand as a trusted partner in your customers’ financial journeys, finance brands can enhance customer retention and satisfaction.

Utilising AI and personalisation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) now plays a pivotal role in enhancing customer experiences through personalisation. AI-driven tools analyse customer data to provide tailored recommendations and proactive engagement strategies. For example, chatbots powered by natural language processing (NLP) can instantly offer personalised financial advice or answer member queries.

Additionally, predictive analytics can identify potential audience needs before they arise, allowing you to reach out with timely and relevant information. By leveraging AI and personalisation, you can stay ahead of evolving customer expectations, ensuring a responsive and engaging experience.

Superfund success stories of digital engagement

Superannuation funds, as finance brands that cater to a broad cross-section of society, offer a unique example of how to engage diverse customer segments effectively. AustralianSuper’s marketing strategies, for example, have successfully engaged its audience by combining personalised, targeted approaches with impactful media.

According to AustralianSuper’s chief member officer, Rose Kerlin, in an interview with Investment Magazine said the fund had invested heavily in direct channels and new ways to go to market.

“We have invested heavily in member engagement, we have over 30 engagement programs where we personalise our communications,” Kerlin said.

“We’re really focused on providing members trustworthy help and advice and digital enablement,” she added.

In one of its notable marketing strategies, AustralianSuper utilised out-of-home (OOH) advertising strategies to successfully target Australians aged 50+ who are preparing for retirement. The campaign was designed to leverage the power of OOH advertising to increase both awareness and engagement. Using strategically placed billboards across Australia, AustralianSuper reached 72% of the target demographic.

The campaign’s success wasn’t just in visibility but in the impact it generated – 32% of the people reached by the campaign visited the AustralianSuper website or enrolled as new members. This high engagement demonstrated the power of personalised, location-based messaging that resonates with the specific needs of an audience looking for trustworthy retirement planning options.

AustralianSuper also launched the “SuperTalks” series, a content marketing initiative designed to empower members with financial knowledge. The series comprises on-demand, expert-led educational videos that delve into key superannuation and retirement planning topics.

By providing bite-sized, relevant content (typically 20 minutes long), the campaign tapped into the desire for easy-to-consume, personalised financial guidance, helping members make more informed decisions about their financial future.

Both campaigns succeeded because they understood the importance of delivering content and messaging that directly aligned with the needs and interests of AustralianSuper’s audience, fostering trust and engagement through targeted, personalised marketing approaches.

The key to long-term success lies in building trust and delivering personalised experiences that resonate with customers across all life stages. Embracing these strategies will not only enhance customer satisfaction but also secure a competitive advantage in the dynamic world of finance.

Do you need help with client or member engagement? 

To win and retain new business, finance brands need to demonstrate value to clients and members by actively engaging them with useful products, personalised services and educational content to help them better understand financial topics and information relevant to them.

If you need help communicating with your clients or members, then the finance marketing experts at The Dubs Agency would love to speak with you because we can help. Contact Us to start a conversation.

The post Marketing personalisation can boost revenues by 15% appeared first on Financial Marketer.

By leveraging principles like loss aversion, framing effects, and social proof, you can design campaigns that resonate more deeply with investors, driving better engagement and ultimately, more successful outcomes.

Global financial advertising platform Dianomi’s APAC managing director, Julian Peterson, said while behavioural economics can significantly help marketing he warned there are too “too many cases” of campaign effects being overstated.

“Humans can find it hard to overcome our inherent biases, therefore, ads that exploit these can be strong behavioural drivers. Behavioural techniques, such as choice architecture, can also be used for landing page and website design.” Peterson said.

“However, context is important and effects are not always as expected – constant testing and learning will help evaluate the effectiveness of targeting biases with an advertising campaign.” he said.

For those working in financial advertising Peterson suggested the “Save More Tomorrow” program to learn about behavioural economics. At the time of writing more than 15 million Americans are using the Save More Tomorrow approach to save towards their retirement. 

This program was developed by behavioural economics pioneers Shlomo Benartzi and Richard Thaler with three core principles.

People are first asked to commit now to saving more in the future which helps avoid their “present bias”. Secondly savings rates increases are linked to pay rises to minimizes the influence of loss aversion since “take-home pay” does not fall. Thirdly, once people are signed up they remain in the program unless they opt-out. This makes use of inertia.

The power of loss aversion in financial marketing

One of the most potent concepts in behavioural economics is loss aversion, the idea that people fear losses more than they value equivalent gains. In financial marketing, this principle can be harnessed to shift consumer behaviour in subtle but powerful ways.

Research has shown people are significantly more likely to act when faced with the possibility of losing something they already have, rather than the prospect of gaining something new. A case study by Morningstar found 65% of people displayed signs of having stronger responses to losses than equivalent gains (loss aversion).

Financial marketers can apply this by crafting messages that frame inaction as a loss. For instance, “You could miss out on a comfortable retirement by not starting your investment plan today” could be more compelling than simply stating, “Start your investment plan today for a better future.” By strategically framing messages in the context of loss, marketers can tap into deep-seated psychological biases, encouraging consumers to take immediate action.

Framing effects and decision contexts

The concept of framing effects is closely related to loss aversion, where the way information is presented significantly impacts decision-making. Ultimately, understanding and applying framing effects can be a game-changer in your campaign design.

A notable example of this is the framing of fee structures in investment products. Research by Barberis demonstrates consumers are more likely to choose products when fees are presented as a small percentage of their investment rather than as an absolute monetary amount. This subtle shift in framing can make fees appear less daunting, leading to higher conversion rates.

Moreover, framing can be used to influence perceptions of value. For example, consider two investment products: one with a guaranteed return of 3% and another with a potential return of 7% but with higher risk.

By framing the guaranteed return as a way to “protect your capital in uncertain times,” marketers can appeal to risk-averse individuals while framing the higher-risk option as “a chance to significantly grow your wealth” might attract those more comfortable with taking on risk.

To effectively utilise framing effects, financial marketers need to understand the target audience’s risk tolerance and tailor messages accordingly. Testing different frames through A/B testing can also provide insights into which messages resonate most effectively with different segments of the market.

Social proof as a catalyst for action

Social proof, the idea that people look to the behaviour of others to guide their actions, is another powerful tool in the behavioural economics toolkit. In financial marketing, leveraging social proof can help overcome inertia and spur action, particularly in markets where trust and credibility are paramount.

One successful case study comes from Wealthsimple, a robo-advisor platform that improved user engagement by showcasing testimonials and user statistics prominently on its website. One way was by highlighting “over 100,000 investors have chosen Wealthsimple,” the platform effectively leveraged social proof to build trust and encourage new users to sign up.

Social media platforms provide fertile ground for amplifying social proof through user-generated content, where satisfied customers share their positive experiences, further validating the financial products or services being marketed.

Behavioural economics for marketers

To effectively incorporate behavioural economics into financial marketing campaigns, consider the following strategies:

• Segment and personalise: Behavioural economics principles are not one-size-fits-all. Segment your audience based on risk tolerance, investment goals, and other relevant factors, and personalise campaigns to align with these characteristics.
• A/B testing: Continuously experiment with different imagery, loss aversion messages, and social proof techniques to determine what resonates best with your audience. Use data-driven insights to refine your campaigns.
• Storytelling: Weave behavioural insights into compelling narratives.
• Transparent and simple messaging: While behavioural economics can make campaigns more sophisticated, clarity is still paramount. Ensure messages, regardless of how they are framed, remain clear, transparent, and easy to understand.

Behavioural economics: your secret to success

Harnessing the principles of behavioural economics allows your finance brand to move beyond traditional strategies and engage consumers on a deeper psychological level.

As the financial landscape becomes increasingly competitive, financial marketers who integrate these advanced behavioural insights into their marketing efforts will be well-positioned to stand out and succeed.

The post Worried your financial marketing is failing? Use behavioural economics appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Traditionally, B2B marketers target a “Buying Committee” for example in ”cloud services” this includes the IT Decision Maker (ITDM) at the center surrounded by their team.

However, research by LinkedIn’s The B2B Institute and Bain & Company shows this approach is incomplete.

They identified there are two types of B2B buyers in a buying committee:

1. Target Buyers: Product experts (e.g., ITDM, engineers).
2. Hidden Buyers: Process experts (e.g., procurement, finance, legal).

Why are they called ‘Hidden Buyers’?

Because they don’t engage with B2B content.

The Head of Ops isn’t attending your Cloud Summit webinar; and Deal Desk aren’t downloading whitepapers on Cloud Infrastructure. 

Hidden Buyers aren’t interested in the product solution like the Target Buyers are.

This means they are more-or-less hidden from signals B2B brands use to report campaign effectiveness.

Yet, Hidden Buyers are powerful.

They have almost equal amount of decision-making power in a B2B purchasing decision as the ITDM.

With a business case, the Target buyers (ITDM) do the vendor shortlisting for the solution and need the Hidden/Process buyers to agree to the purchase. However, about 50% of B2B deals get killed by these hidden buyers.

Why?

While Target Buyers care most about the products “advanced features”, “transformational potential” and “innovation”; Hidden Buyers care most about “reliable brands”, “peace-of-mind”, and “vendors that are trusted by my peers”.

Hidden buyers don’t kill the deals because the product is not innovative or transformational for the business; they don’t care. 

Instead, deals frequently fall through because Hidden Buyers are risk-averse and unpersuaded. They kill deals because they are in charge of mitigating risk in the company and if they don’t know the vendor, they won’t likely take a chance on them.

This is important because about 40% of all B2B deals don’t go ahead because of lack of agreement. Deals collapse because it was too hard to persuade Hidden buyers to agree.  

In fact, the study found Hidden Buyers are 70% more likely to reject vendors that are not well-known to them and their peers.

What should B2B Marketers do?

1. Understand the B2B buying Committee is larger than first thought. Expand your targeting to include both Target and Hidden Buyers.
2. Invest in marketing your Brand, not just your Product. The study found deals are done more often and faster with vendors who were well-known across the whole buying group than those that were only known to the ITDM.

Investing in that reputational air cover with the hidden buyers ensures that when the deal comes across their desk they say “Yes, I know this company, I’m aware of their reputation”.

Check out the study here: https://lnkd.in/gNyKHxZM

[**Full disclosure: The views and opinion expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not reflect the views or opinions of any organisation or entity.]

The post Reaching hidden influencers of B2B buyer groups appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Understanding the funnel strategy for Women Talk Money

Tactical integration

Fidelity’s Women Talk Money community stands as a testament to the power of strategic funnel tactics in achieving brand objectives. Through a holistic approach that combines content, distribution, and targeted marketing efforts, Fidelity not only educates and empowers women in finance but also cultivates lasting relationships with its audience.

The post Inside Fidelity’s Women Talk Money community appeared first on Financial Marketer.

The better approach is to use this unpredictable period to make strategic marketing investments, based on a thorough analysis of performance and growth areas.

When inflation escalates and central banks hike up interest rates, that’s when we see clients fleeing into safer investments with lower fees – often short-term savings accounts. And asset managers find themselves squeezed from all directions.

Fees fall, there are outflows from active strategies, margins shrink, and the pressure never abates. Even with shifting consumer behaviours, global conflicts and rumours of a recession lingering, firms know they must remain competitive. They must retain existing clients – and constantly seek to grow assets under management.

For some firms, the response to this pressure has been to control costs and improve efficiencies through waves of redundancies, or combining multiple job functions into single roles.

Marketing budgets are also commonly stripped, including content marketing and paid distribution. But there are many cogent arguments for maintaining – or even strategically increasing – marketing budgets in tough times.

Lessons of the past

Time and again, history has shown that businesses reap the rewards when they maintain their marketing efforts through economic downturns. In a study conducted in 1999, companies that decreased their marketing efforts in a recession saw their market share drop by 0.8%. Those that maintained their marketing and advertising levels had an increase of 0.6%, while the companies that increased their advertising enjoyed an increase of 4.3%.

McKinsey research published in 2019 tells a similar story. During the 2008 recession, companies that drove growth during tough economic times achieved above-market total shareholder returns (TSR) for the following ten years.

Stay the course, retain and differentiate

While some of that research pertains to consumer companies, the principles apply equally in asset management. There is solid logic behind the notion that staying the course pays off for firms.

For starters, when other firms pull back on their content marketing and advertising, the “noise” in markets quietens. This gives an opportunity to stand out, gain market share and diversify into new segments.

When firms continue to invest in marketing, their clients feel reassured by their ongoing commitment to their products and services. Bear in mind that your clients’ organisations are also potentially facing economic instability. When you clearly communicate ‘business as usual’ at your end, you reinforce your own stability and reliability, particularly if your competition disappears from view. And you’ll be front of mind when your audience is ready to make a decision.

Getting clear about where to spend

For all of the above reasons, tough economic conditions call for an “investor mindset”. But firms should take an analytical approach. The key is identifying areas where the ROI isn’t great, then reinvesting marketing dollars in high-growth areas, where there’s likely to be better ROI. McKinsey has great advice here. Firms need to examine their various marketing budgets versus performance; look at the marketing messages, channels and types of content that have successfully inspired and informed the audience.

Also consider spreading marketing budget over an end-to-end mix of search, paid social, multiple content marketing formats and native advertising, alongside traditional advertising.

Asset managers should stay visible across the full funnel, from awareness, to consideration, to direct revenue-driving, using tools like search engine marketing (SEM) to support content and drive conversions at the bottom of the funnel. If your competitors are scaling back their digital marketing efforts, it’s a good time to run Google search ads – clients looking for specific brand names and not finding them will see you there as an alternative. (Also, with fewer competitors bidding for advertising real estate, costs per click reduce.)

When running these kinds of campaigns, ensure you’re getting targeting advice from a professional who will analyse relevant data, identify trends and insights to achieve maximum ROI. In a push to save money, some firms are turning to programmatic marketing, using automated bidding and placement platforms that buy and sell digital ad space in real-time. But used in isolation, the results won’t be the same.

Take a fresh look at your content

Firms don’t need to be continually reinventing their content – it’s exhausting and expensive. Think creatively about how you can deliver fresh, impactful content without over-investing. One way is to atomise ‘big rock’ content pieces. Start with a core content piece, e.g., an annual survey, research report or event, that you then build out into a schedule of webinars, live discussions, social media posts and more.

Generally, put fresh eyes on the content you create and make sure it’s not already out there in some form, that it’s on-brand and timely. Money spent on cookie-cutter, tone-deaf, poor-quality content and messaging is wasteful.

It might also be a good time to get back to the basics of your brand, reinforcing your brand promise and the consistency you offer, ensuring all elements in your marketing mix are instantly recognisable.

Winning firms view uncertainty as an opportunity

In the same way that firm-wide efficiencies are being created through investments in technology platforms, a competitive edge and business growth must be supported by investments in marketing. Position your firm for future success by staying where your market can see you, so you can weather economic turbulence and rebound stronger.

The post Asset Manager Marketing Playbook for Trying Times appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Assessing the strategy

Wells Fargo’s Diverse Businesses content marketing strategy is a testament to the power of audience-centricity. It has created a specific blog devoted to a singular audience: diverse small business owners.

At its core, its approach revolves around three key pillars: Running Your Business, Growing Your Business, and Money and Your Business. These pillars are designed to address the immediate needs and concerns of small businesses, offering practical, valuable information.

Audience-centric pillars: Wells Fargo’s success lies in its keen understanding of its audience, primarily small business owners. The content pillars are structured to provide solutions to common challenges faced by these businesses. This strategy showcases the importance of tailoring your content to your target demographic’s specific needs and interests.

Customer feedback as a guide: One of the cornerstones of Wells Fargo’s content strategy is being informed by customer feedback. This customer-centric approach ensures the content remains relevant and useful. It’s a shining example of how finance brands can benefit from continuous feedback loops with their audience to refine and improve their content.

Diversity and inclusion: Wells Fargo’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident throughout its content. It embraces a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, making its content relatable to a broader audience.

Assessing the execution: content and delivery

While the strategic underpinning of Wells Fargo’s Diverse Businesses content is stellar, there’s room for improvement in the execution, especially regarding content style and delivery.

• Engaging delivery: The content’s style leans towards the traditional and somewhat dated. Incorporating more visual, interactive content into the mix such as video content, podcasts, or infographics would help drive engagement and also open up opportunities to build retargeting pools using video. Adopting a variety of content methods can inject new life into your finance brand’s content, hooking audiences in on an engaging story.
• Easy-to-understand content: One of the strong suits of Wells Fargo’s content is its simplicity. It effectively breaks down complex financial concepts into digestible pieces, making it accessible to a broad spread of business owners. However, it could still be enhanced by incorporating more multimedia elements like animations or interactive tools to further demystify financial jargon. Infographics are a fantastic way of delineating complex financial information with studies showing visuals can improve learning and retention by 400%.

Distribution strategy

An integral part of Wells Fargo’s content marketing success lies in its distribution strategy, ensuring its valuable content reaches its target audience effectively.

• Cross-platform approach: Pushing potential clients through the consideration phase is about delivering valuable content often while ensuring every interaction is a positive one. Wells Fargo achieves this via a variety of distribution channels, including its website, social media, email marketing, and partnerships with business organisations. This comprehensive approach ensures its content is shown and accessible everywhere its target audience spends their time.
• Content personalisation: The content is tailored to cater to different segments of its audience. Wells Fargo understands not all businesses have the same needs, and by offering personalised content it increases the chances of engaging its audience effectively. Wells Fargo has done this effectively by creating separate dedicated blogs and sections of its website. In this instance, Diverse Businesses offers value-driven information that’s specific to diverse small business owners that can often be overlooked.

What else Wells Fargo did well

Beyond its delivery and distribution strategy, Wells Fargo’s Diverse Businesses offers several noteworthy lessons for financial marketers.

• Consistency is key: Consistency in delivering valuable, relevant, and accessible content is a crucial factor in maintaining audience engagement.
• Transparency and trust: The finance industry relies heavily on trust. Wells Fargo’s content prioritises transparency and a genuine desire to help its customers. Its video series ‘Amplifying diverse small business voices’, offers diverse small business owners a voice to share the challenges and difficulties facing small business owners.
• Cultural relevance: Wells Fargo’s embrace of diversity and inclusion not only makes ethical sense but also strengthens its brand. Specific articles like ‘Resources to help Black, Asian-American, and Latina women entrepreneurs’ showcases challenges facing minority communities and offers support and solutions. By not delivering generic information for small business owners, Wells Fargo recognises the differences in communities and offers proactive content to benefit them.

Ultimately, Wells Fargo’s success is a testament to the power of content marketing when executed with precision and authenticity.

The post Strategies in the wild: Wells Fargo appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Who is this diverse segment?

There is no one generation, demographic or attitude that describes all mass affluent investors. This group is present in most generations, from Millennials and Gen X to the Silent Generation. Their goals, experiences and behaviours vary significantly. They are ethnically diverse and their wealth comes from a range of sources. Some are accumulating wealth, some aren’t; and accordingly, their retirement horizons can be quite different. 

Studies have shown that this segment is increasingly open to paying for wealth management, though in the past many have been inclined to use digital investing platforms, and many will continue to do so. They are often price conscious and will compare providers’ fees. 

The younger mass affluents expect fast access to information through a variety of delivery channels. There is always a risk they will switch if their needs aren’t being met.

How do asset and wealth managers secure their share of this market and help drive profitability at a time when margins are constantly being squeezed?

The P word

Mass affluents are used to personalisation in their shopping experiences and in the delivery of day-to-day digital services. They’ve been spoiled by providers who know what they might need at any particular time. 

As investors, mass affluents might not feel the need to visit with an adviser in person, but many still want that personal touch. They expect a tailored approach to products, advice, and in the content and analysis they receive. This puts the onus on the wealth professional to get savvy to customers’ personal financial circumstances, risk tolerance and needs. 

Adding value to the relationship is essential. That might be through regular performance reviews of portfolios, highlighting risks and opportunities and re-allocating as required. And through more nuanced content types and distribution. 

Content for the mass affluent

Offering a bland menu of one-size-fits-all insights and analysis through a rigid set of channels won’t cut it with this segment. 

While evergreen content of broad appeal will always have a place, managers also need to create relevant, personalised content aimed at subsets of this audience. Which goes well beyond putting the client’s first name in the email – it’s ultimately about knowing what they need at that time. These smaller sub-audiences will use different products for different purposes at different times and content must be aligned to that, harnessing tags and behaviour-based tracking. 

What stage are they at in their wealth journey – still in accumulation or closer to retirement? Are they looking to increase or reduce risk? Diversify or consolidate? Data, of course, is the key to establishing these subsets and their needs, but it must be gathered without impacting privacy or security. 

Surveys can help you find out who’s feeling underserved with information, and what types of content they prefer. If you can link data from different campaigns to get a unified view of the customer, even better.

With audiences identified, content can be targeted, whether social posts, blogs, infographics or longer-form advice formats, and then distributed to relevant audiences across channels. Email is a simple way to ensure the right people get the right content. 

Personalisation has been heralded as the new way to wow audiences, and with good reason – it can reduce friction in the client journey, engage clients better, deepen relationships and loyalty. Don’t forget though, that personalisation needs to be mapped within a well-considered content strategy.

The post How content helps capture the mass affluent opportunity appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Where asset managers are going wrong

While asset managers have recognised the need for greater focus on ESG and promotion, many aren’t getting it right. Often, when asset managers create content around ESG that’s niche and focused on what investors want its focus is on promoting its own new products or services creating a tone of inauthenticity. This lack of engaging content, alongside an alarming amount of information gaps, reveals ESG is one area asset managers can improve.

Currently, ESG content remains generic with most topics widely over-indexed. To make your content truly shine it’s important to not repeat the same ideas, information and content everyone else is putting out. Overarching topics like climate change and energy are oversaturated whereas specialist topics like deforestation are often overlooked.

These specialised topics and niche areas of interest are where the opportunity lies for financial marketers. Investors want to be educated and gain timely information from a reliable source. Providing an investment angle on ESG topics can help secure your place as an authority in the area and help generate and nurture leads.

What to ask yourself when creating content that hits:

• Is your ESG content reiterating information from broad subject areas or providing specialised information on niche topics?
• Does your content provide unique insights from an asset management perspective?
• Is the information relevant, timely and accurate?

Why ESG content is important

Supplying engaging, relevant and informative ESG content should be a part of every asset manager’s marketing strategy. At the end of the day, consumers are demanding it.

Here are three reasons why it remains important:

• Output in specialist ESG and sustainability media outlets has increased by 76%
• In the last 12 months, there has been a 63% increase in searches globally for ESG-related content
• Additionally, there has been a 36% increase in social media engagement globally around ESG issues

To gain traction, nurture leads and capture an engaged audience, asset managers must prioritise marketing ESG insights.

Remove the disconnect

This disconnect between what content asset managers are supplying versus what investors are demanding (niche topics) offers a unique opportunity for financial marketers. At the end of the day, an information gap is also an opportunity gap.

Identifying the areas where your asset management firm is underdelivering content your audience wants is the first step to removing this disconnect. Utilising analytics, research and first-party data can help in this area.

By creating content on underdelivered topics you can capture an interested audience by demonstrating thought leadership and becoming an authoritative figure within the industry. This can help generate meaningful leads and enable your brand to effectively nurture web visitors.

To ensure you outperform your competitors and stand out from the crowd, your asset management firm needs to reallocate resources and restructure its content calendar to reflect these growth opportunities.

Asset managers getting ESG content right

What does success look like, you ask? These three asset managers produced quality ESG content about specialist topics while remaining authentic and true to its brand’s messaging.

BNP Paribas Asset Managers

BNP Paribas Asset Managers regularly create ESG marketing content on diverse topics, often fulfilling investor demand for underdelivered subjects.

What it’s doing right
BNP Paribas consistently publishes content and offers both critiques on international ESG topics alongside more personal thought leadership such as interviews with its CEO and corporate insights into its sustainability initiatives.

In addition, this content is shared in a variety of formats such as a podcast and short-form videos making it more accessible and fostering engagement.

Robeco
ESG content is a core tenet of Robeco’s content strategy. It’s spread across its social channels and housed on its website, with education being a key component that sets its content apart.

What it’s doing right
Robeco’s ESG marketing content is focused on educating investors on complex topics in a diverse array of areas. Unlike BNP Paribas, Robeco has a strong social media presence in which it shares its ESG content regularly. Focusing on timely topics and newsworthy events, Robeco has adopted a strong always-on content strategy.

Offering video content, podcasts, webinars and educational materials, Robeco ensures its content remains fresh and engaging helping to nurture leads and capture an invested audience.

Schroders
For Schroders, it regularly posts content that directly fills the ESG information gaps Peregrine has identified.

What it’s doing right
Schroders has a diverse range of ESG content, much of which directly fulfills these ‘white spaces’. Presented in a variety of formats, from podcasts to Q&As to videos enables more interest and engagement. Additionally, it provides both a global perspective and a more micro perspective on many topics, offering content that’s more tailored to certain investors.

Like Robeco, it also has a strong social media presence where this content often features. This can help boost engagement and reach a broader audience.

ESG content is not a ‘nice to have’

At the end of the day, investors want ESG insights but many asset managers are continuing to supply the same content without much thought to what its audience wants. Consider what’s newsworthy, what investors are interested in and educational materials that can help.

Rather than looking at the white spaces as areas of failure, view them as opportunities to gain a competitive advantage. Make the most of them and ensure you fulfil investors’ content demands to help build a captured and loyal audience.

The post How to create ESG content that hits target appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Understanding the region

The key to nailing digital marketing in South East Asia is understanding that the region is diverse. Comprising ten individual countries, culture, internet access and technology are at all different stages across the region. Understanding each country’s internet user demographics will help enable your finance brand to create tailored content that reaches our target market.

Below are some things your finance brand needs to consider when creating a digital marketing strategy for South East Asia:

• Vietnam and Indonesia have the youngest internet user population
• Brunei and Singapore have a more mature and richer internet population
• Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia currently has an emerging internet economy that’s growing rapidly
• Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines have a large internet user base with most users aged between 15-24

To do financial marketing well in South East Asia, it’s important to remember that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. You need to carefully consider each country’s individual characteristics and provide marketing content that’s tailored to them.

Three ways to nail digital marketing in South East Asia

To get your digital marketing strategy right, your finance brand needs to understand the nuances of the different communities within each country. South East Asia is a diverse region that requires a diverse financial marketing strategy.

In 2022, the smartphone reigns supreme and is vital to users accessing the internet. This year, around 88% of internet users will be accessing it via their smartphones, with smartphone penetration ranging from a high of 98.8% in Thailand to a low of 81.7% in the Philippines.

This is important to keep in mind for finance brands, as you need to not only ensure your website is mobile-friendly, but you’re also creating marketing content specific to mobile users. A focus on social media and optimising the customer journey to account for the greater use of smartphones is critical to nailing digital marketing in South East Asia.

In terms of digital content marketing, there are a few things to consider to get it right:

• Local language dominates – Investing time and resources into creating hyper-local content that utilises the local language of each country will enable your finance brand to form meaningful relationships and build trust and brand awareness.
• Create content that resonates with the values of the community – Tapping into the cultural and dominant values of each community will ensure your content resonates with audiences and forms authentic connections.
• Traditional media should be a part of a multichannel marketing approach – While digital content is dominant, traditional media remains a highly trusted source for many people living in the South East Asia region. To truly make an impact and make your finance brand a household name, integrating traditional media strategies into your overall financial marketing strategy will give you a competitive edge and ensure your content reaches a wider audience.

What finance brands can learn from marketing in South East Asia

Overall, digital marketing in South East Asia is a lesson in creating content that’s tailored to specific demographics. A one-size-fits-all approach isn’t effective and it’s critical your finance brand understand the unique qualities and nuances of each community in the region.

To truly make an impact in South East Asia and generate leads, your finance brand needs to consider not only the cultural diversity but also how each user accesses the internet and digital content.

The post Finance marketer’s guide to digital marketing in South East Asia appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Finding a niche

Just like with your content and services, finding a niche and catering your financial literacy to a specific target audience can help your finance brand connect with consumers and build loyalty. In fact, 18% of customers who have been offered financial literacy content by their bank have stated they would be more likely to return with additional business.

Consumers want to be educated and they expect to be educated by their finance brands, with 47% of consumers agreeing it’s their bank’s duty to help them make better financial decisions. However, a vast majority of finance brands’ educational content doesn’t cater to specific communities and groups.

Catering your financial literacy content to niche groups can offer your finance brand a competitive edge. With the finance industry becoming saturated with information and challenger brands, providing value-driven content that’s tailored to specific audiences can ensure your brand doesn’t get overlooked.

Head of Strategy and Consulting at Germany’s leading savings bank Sparkasse, Ansis Schön believes, “Building brand equity and trust through supporting customers with their financial literacy is a possibility if brands take their role in educating consumers seriously and take action.”

Your Juno – financial literacy for women and non-binary individuals

Australian finance app, Your Juno, was created to provide financial literacy to women and non-binary individuals. Founders, Margot and Alexia de Broglie, identified that women and non-binary people don’t have access to specific financial advice that accounts for circumstances only these groups experience regularly. With a mission to help improve the gender pay gap by providing financial education, Your Juno offers tailored content in an easy-to-understand way.

What can we learn?

Your Juno provides financial literacy content on topics such as saving, investing, and retirement planning. As their team is made up of financial experts of women and non-binary people, audiences can relate to their advice and content. Relatability is important when it comes to financial literacy content, with 86% of consumers saying authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like.

Wealth8 – closing the racial wealth gap

The UK digital investment app, Wealth8, helps educate members of the Black community in order to make investing more accessible. With the aim of reducing the racial wealth gap, Wealth8 provides relatable and tailored content to improve financial literacy and money management skills.

Providing easy-to-understand blog content and quizzes, Wealth8 offers simple educational content in a way that’s engaging and relevant. Incorporating culture within their content, by including blog posts like ‘History of Black Wealth’, Wealth8 has built a strong and authentic connection with its audience.

What can we learn?

Creating a strong connection through niche, personalised content can only benefit your finance brand. In fact, when customers feel connected to a brand 57% of them will increase their spending with that brand and 76% will buy from them over a competitor.

Bloom Money – educating migrants and refugees

London-based money app, Bloom Money, started with a simple question: how can financial services better serve migrants? Created with community at the centre, Bloom Money understands the unique circumstances and cultural influence of migrant and refugee communities.

Unlike other finance apps, Bloom Money focuses on fostering a community, helping to connect migrants and refugees. With a financial learning hub as a core component of their app, users can educate themselves while finding an online community they can be a part of.

What can we learn?

What Bloom Money does well, is understanding the core values of the group they are serving. Providing practical tools and easy-to-understand financial content, while supporting users to create authentic connections, Bloom Money stands out from the crowd.

Why financial literacy needs to be a part of your content strategy

Financial literacy can’t be an afterthought. Instead, it must be a core component of your finance content marketing strategy. Not only does it build trust and loyalty, but it also helps retain clients with 50% of consumers more likely to consider staying with their bank if it supplied helpful content.

Just like with your regular content marketing, your financial literacy content should be tailored and personalised to specific target audiences. This not only will enable consumers to gain greater value from your content, but it will ensure it doesn’t get lost amongst your competitors.

Find a niche and deliver valuable educational materials that will help empower consumers to make smart financial decisions.

The post Making financial literacy accessible appeared first on Financial Marketer.