AI recommendation Optimisation (AIRO)

A significant shift in search marketing is the move from traditional SEO to AI recommendation optimisation (AIRO). It’s no longer just about getting onto Google’s first page; it’s about ensuring AI engines include your firm as a reference in their answers to queries.

AIRO involves optimising content so it aligns with the algorithms of AI-powered recommendation systems. This means creating high-quality, authoritative content that AI engines deem valuable. For wealth management firms, this could involve producing in-depth analyses, whitepapers, and expert commentary on financial trends and strategies.

Additionally, leveraging structured data and schema markup can help AI engines better understand and index your content. This can improve the chances of your firm being recommended in AI-driven search results.

Voice search: The new frontier in search marketing

Voice search is becoming a significant player in the search marketing arena. As devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple’s Siri become ubiquitous, the way people search for information is changing. For wealth management firms this means optimising content for voice search is important.

Voice search queries tend to be longer and more conversational than text searches. Therefore, structure content t answers specific, nuanced questions. For example, instead of focusing on keywords like “investment strategies,” wealth management firms can target natural language phrases such as “What are the best investment strategies for retirement?”

The rise of voice search also highlights the importance of local SEO. Many voice searches are location-specific, such as “financial advisor near me.” Ensuring your firm’s local listings are accurate and optimised can significantly enhance visibility in voice search results.

AI-powered chatbots: Revolutionising client interaction

AI-powered chatbots are another transformative trend in search marketing. These chatbots leverage artificial intelligence to provide real-time, personalised responses to client queries. For wealth management firms, AI chatbots can serve multiple purposes, from answering basic inquiries to providing complex financial advice.

The key to a successful chatbot is the integration of advanced natural language processing (NLP) capabilities. This allows the chatbot to understand and respond to nuanced financial questions effectively. Furthermore, chatbots can gather valuable data on client preferences and behaviours, which can be used to refine marketing strategies and improve service delivery.

For instance, if a chatbot frequently receives questions about retirement planning, this insight can inform content creation and SEO strategies, ensuring your firm’s website ranks highly for related search terms.

Integrate search with other digital channels

Search marketing is no longer a standalone effort. Integrating search with other digital channels, such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing, makes for a cohesive strategy. This holistic approach ensures all channels work together to enhance visibility and engagement.

For wealth management firms, this means creating a unified message across all platforms. For example, search-optimised blog posts can be promoted on social media and included in email newsletters. This drives web traffic and reinforces your firm’s expertise and thought leadership.

The further integration of search with digital advertising, particularly with platforms like Google Ads and LinkedIn, allows for highly targeted campaigns. These platforms provide sophisticated targeting options based on demographics, interests, and behaviours, helping firms reach high-net-worth individuals more effectively.

Staying ahead of the curve in search marketing

To stay ahead in this evolving landscape, wealth management firms can use a proactive approach to search marketing. This involves continuous learning and adopting emerging trends and technologies. Here are a few steps you can take:

Invest in advanced SEO and content strategies: Focus on long-tail keywords and natural language phrases that align with voice search queries. Produce high-quality, authoritative content that AI engines value.

Implement and optimise AI chatbots: Ensure your chatbots have advanced NLP capabilities and can provide personalised, real-time responses to client queries.

Integrate digital channels: Create a unified marketing strategy leveraging search, social media, email, and digital advertising to maximise visibility and engagement.

Adopt AIRO techniques: Optimise content for AI engines by using structured data and schema markup. Focus on creating content AI systems recognise as authoritative and valuable.

By embracing these trends, you can not only enhance your search marketing efforts but also deliver a superior client experience in an increasingly digital world.

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The rise of programmatic advertising

Programmatic advertising has emerged as one of the vanguard of precision marketing with 86% of overall digital advertising revenue forecasted to be from programmatic ads by 2026. Gone are the days of blanket campaigns and mass outreach efforts; instead, the focus has shifted towards granular audience segmentation and hyper-personalised messaging.

At the core of programmatic ads lies its ability to leverage vast amounts of data. From financial behaviours and demographics to nuanced interests, every data point serves as a pixel in the portrait of the affluent investor.

Real-time optimisation

One of programmatic advertising’s advantages is its capacity for real-time optimisation. This agility enables you to adapt your strategies on the fly, refining targeting parameters and message positioning to maximise relevance and resonance.

Programmatic advertising supports your asset management firm to overcome the limitations of traditional media channels. With the proliferation of digital touchpoints—from social media platforms and websites to mobile apps and connected devices—the opportunities for engagement are boundless. By seamlessly navigating digital touchpoints, you can create cohesive campaigns that cover diverse platforms with continuity.

The MVPs of programmatic advertising in the wealth management sector

1. Retargeting high-value prospects at BlackRock

BlackRock utilises programmatic retargeting to re-engage high-value prospects who have previously interacted with their brand. Through dynamic ad creative and strategic messaging, BlackRock reignites interest and prompts prospects to re-enter the sales funnel.

2. Segment-specific thought leadership at J.P. Morgan Asset Management

J.P. Morgan Asset Management disseminates segment-specific thought leadership content through programmatic advertising, establishing itself as a trusted advisor within the industry. By curating content that speaks directly to the interests and concerns of each demographic cohort, J.P. Morgan Asset Management strengthens its brand authority and fosters deeper connections with its target audience.

Programmatic advertising represents the best of precision targeting. By harnessing data-driven insights and automation, you can forge deeper connections with your target clients and thrive in an era defined by personalisation and precision.

The post The evolution of programmatic advertising appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Understanding regulatory frameworks

The financial services industry operates within a tightly regulated environment, with agencies like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, The Council of Financial Regulators (CFR) in Australia, The European Banking Authority (EBA) in Europe, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US setting stringent guidelines to protect consumers and maintain market integrity. These regulations extend to advertising and marketing activities, requiring financial firms to adhere to strict rules regarding promoting their products and services.

Implications for programmatic advertising strategies

Programmatic advertising offers unparalleled efficiency and precision in targeting audiences, but it also introduces complexities when it comes to regulatory compliance. This is especially transparent when learning that 69% of programmatic advertising buyers feel that they lack transparency. Financial marketers must navigate a maze of rules to ensure their programmatic campaigns comply with regulations governing financial promotions, including:

1. Transparency: Disclosing accurate and relevant information about financial products and services. Ensuring transparency in ad placements and targeting criteria to avoid misleading consumers.
2. Suitability: Tailoring ad content and targeting to match the suitability of financial products for different customer segments. Avoid targeting vulnerable or unsuitable audiences with complex financial products.
3. Data privacy: Adhering to data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPA to safeguard consumer data collected through programmatic advertising. Implementing robust data management practices to protect customer privacy and comply with regulatory requirements.

Navigating compliance requirements for programmatic advertising

To navigate the regulatory landscape effectively, you must adopt proactive compliance strategies:

1. Comprehensive compliance review: Conduct thorough reviews of programmatic ad campaigns to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Establish clear guidelines and procedures for approving ad content and targeting parameters.
2. Collaboration across departments: Foster collaboration between marketing, compliance, and legal teams to align programmatic advertising strategies with regulatory obligations. Ensure compliance considerations are integrated into the planning and execution of programmatic campaigns.
3. Ongoing monitoring and adaptation: Implement robust monitoring mechanisms to track ad placements and performance metrics in real-time. Continuously assess and adapt programmatic advertising strategies to address emerging regulatory concerns or changes in the legal landscape.

Mitigating risks and enhancing transparency

In addition to compliance efforts, you can mitigate risks and enhance transparency in programmatic advertising through:

1. Ad verification technologies: Leveraging ad verification tools and services to ensure ads are displayed in brand-safe environments and comply with regulatory requirements.Monitoring ad placements for fraudulent activity or non-compliant content.
2. Transparency initiatives: Embracing transparency initiatives such as ads.txt and sellers.json to provide greater visibility into the programmatic supply chain and enhance trust with consumers and regulators. Partnering with reputable ad exchanges and publishers to uphold transparency standards and mitigate ad fraud risks.

Best Practices for regulatory compliance and campaign effectiveness

Innovative approaches and best practices can help you strike the delicate balance between regulatory compliance and campaign effectiveness:

1. Audience segmentation and personalisation: Utilise data analytics and machine learning algorithms to segment audiences effectively and personalise ad content based on individual preferences and financial needs. Ensure personalised ads comply with suitability requirements and ethical considerations.
2. Content optimisation: Optimise ad creatives and messaging to resonate with target audiences while adhering to regulatory guidelines. Conduct A/B testing to refine ad content and improve engagement without compromising compliance.
3. Continuous learning and adaptation: Stay abreast of regulatory developments and industry trends through ongoing education and participation in industry forums and associations. Foster a culture of compliance and innovation within the organisation to adapt to evolving regulatory requirements and market dynamics.

To use programmatic advertising effectively, follow the rules, be transparent, and engage consumers while keeping their trust.

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Understanding the dynamics of native advertising in wealth management

Native advertising has emerged as a powerful tool for brands in the financial sector to connect with their target audience. Unlike traditional advertisements, native advertising seamlessly integrates brand messaging into informative and engaging content, fostering trust and credibility among consumers. 25% of consumers are more likely to engage with native advertising over traditional banners and 53% of native ad engagement is positive. Relevant to both B2C and B2B brands, in the wealth management sector – where expertise and reliability are paramount – native advertising can play a pivotal role in building relationships with potential clients.

Speaking to the benefits native advertising offers, head of social media at The Dubs Agency, Tara Cimino says “Native advertising allows brands to integrate tailored content to placements where audiences are already active.”

“By placing native ads on high-traffic platforms or websites, finance brands can increase their visibility and exposure to prospect audiences.”

Examining successful native advertising campaigns

NatWest Invest: NatWest partnered with The Telegraph to create a native advertising campaign focused on personal finance and investment topics. The campaign included sponsored articles and videos providing valuable insights into investment strategies, retirement planning, and financial management. By aligning with The Telegraph’s editorial content and leveraging its credibility, NatWest effectively reached its target audience and captured the awareness of potential clients.

Betterment: Betterment, a leading robo-advisor platform, sponsored a podcast series called “The Better Off Podcast” hosted by Jill Schlesinger, a well-known financial expert. The podcast covers a variety of personal finance topics, including retirement planning, investing, and wealth management. Through authentic conversations and expert interviews, Betterment subtly integrates its robo-advisor services into the content, positioning itself as a valuable resource for listeners seeking financial advice.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA): CBA collaborated with news.com.au, one of Australia’s largest news websites, to create a native advertising campaign titled “Financial Fitness Challenge.” The campaign featured interactive quizzes, articles, and videos to improve financial literacy and empower consumers to make informed financial decisions. By providing practical advice on budgeting, saving, and investing, CBA subtly promoted its banking and financial services to a wide audience pushing clients through the awareness and consideration stages of the marketing funnel.

DBS Bank: DBS Bank launched a native advertising campaign titled “DBS Asian Insights” in partnership with CNBC. The campaign featured sponsored articles, videos, and webinars discussing market trends, investment opportunities, and economic insights in Asia. By leveraging CNBC’s platform and credibility, DBS Bank positioned itself as a trusted advisor for investors seeking information on Asian markets and financial strategies.

Strategies for subtle brand placement

To effectively integrate brand messaging into financial content, your finance brand must employ strategic tactics that prioritise authenticity and relevance.

• Focus on value: Prioritise providing valuable financial insights and expertise to your audience, positioning your brand as a trusted advisor. By addressing the needs and concerns of consumers, your finance brand can establish credibility and build trust over time.
• Seamless integration: Integrate brand messaging naturally within the content without disrupting the flow or appearing overly promotional. Avoiding overt advertisements and focusing on providing value ensures that your brand’s message resonates authentically with the audience.
• Thought leadership: Position your brand as a thought leader in the industry by sharing unique perspectives and insights. By offering innovative solutions to complex financial challenges, your brand can differentiate itself from competitors and attract the attention of potential clients.
• Audience relevance: Tailor content to address the specific needs and interests of your target audience, enhancing engagement and resonance. By understanding the demographics and preferences of your audience, brands can create content that’s both informative and compelling.

An expert’s advice

Continuing our discussion with Cimino she shares her top insights and tips for finance brands wanting to nail native advertising.

“Specific targeting should be implemented so content presented to audiences resonates with them effectively.

“As with all digital advertising, speak to the audiences’ needs, whether it’s financial advice or insights into investment strategies; provide content that adds genuine value to your audience.

“It is also key that your native ads are optimised for mobile. This includes responsive design, fast loading times, and user-friendly formats that cater to mobile users.”

Cimino speaks to the importance of data and tracking, “Implement tracking tools and metrics to monitor the performance of your native advertising campaign.

“Analyse key performance indicators such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversions against other platforms. Use this data to optimise your campaign and make necessary adjustments to improve results over time.”

Her final piece of advice for finance brands is about the importance of placement and brand association. “Placement and brand association is the key to implementing a native strategy. Therefore being able to layer and control placement is essential.”

She explains, “In terms of financial services brands, Dianomi brings us closer to this by having a finserv only ad placement. Recognising the sensitivities in a B2B advertising world and ensuring content is not just present where our audience is, but that our brand is only associated with other brands on that placement is paramount.”

Where native advertising sits in the marketing funnel

At each stage of the marketing funnel, native advertising plays a distinct role in guiding potential clients towards conversion:

• Top of funnel (awareness): Utilise native advertising to increase brand awareness and capture the attention of potential clients. By providing valuable insights and thought-provoking content, your finance brand can attract interest and establish itself as a credible source of information.
• Middle of funnel (consideration): Provide valuable insights and educational content to nurture leads and establish trust and credibility. By offering in-depth analysis and expert advice, your brand can further engage with potential clients and position itself as a trusted advisor in your field.
• Bottom of funnel (conversion): Incorporate subtle calls-to-action within the content to guide prospects towards conversion. Whether signing up for a consultation or exploring financial products, providing clear pathways for action can help drive leads towards conversion and achieve your marketing objectives.

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What is tentpole marketing?

Tentpole marketing, also known as big rock or blockbuster content revolves around creating an annual piece of content that becomes a cornerstone topic, defining your brand’s narrative and establishing its authority in the industry. This type of content is the bedrock of your brand’s annual marketing strategy, providing a focal point for campaigns and a consistent touchpoint for consumers.

The term ‘tentpole’ simply represents how this content holds up your brand’s overarching marketing ‘tent’ throughout the year.

Real examples of finance brands dominating tentpole marketing

1. Barclays Premier League Sponsorship
   Barclays’ long-standing sponsorship of the English Premier League serves as an excellent example of tentpole marketing. This yearly investment not only aligns the brand with a globally watched sports event but also allows Barclays to integrate its financial products seamlessly into the passion and excitement of football.
2. BlackRock: Global Investor Pulse
   BlackRock conducts the “Global Investor Pulse” survey, an extensive research initiative that explores individual investors’ attitudes, behaviors, and challenges. The findings are shared through reports and visually engaging, interactive online platforms, providing BlackRock with a tentpole content piece that enhances its thought leadership and client engagement.
3. ING and the Amsterdam Marathon
   ING’s sponsorship of the Amsterdam Marathon exemplifies the fusion of finance with a healthy and active lifestyle. By associating with a major running event, ING strengthens its brand’s connection with the community and underscores its commitment to wellbeing.
4. NatWest: Student Living Index
   NatWest in the UK publishes an annual “Student Living Index”, a research report that explores the financial behaviours and challenges of university students. Interactive tools designed for students to make informed decisions about their finances, university and student life. The index also breaks down student living costs through graphs, pull-out data and easy-to-understand explanations.
5. DBS Bank and Marina Bay Sands Light Show (Singapore)
   DBS Bank in Singapore collaborates with Marina Bay Sands to create a spectacular light and water show. The event, called “DBS Marina Regatta,” is part of the bank’s efforts to engage with the community and promote its brand through innovative and visually striking experiences.

The benefits of tentpole marketing

• Consistent brand visibility: Annual tentpole content provides a consistent platform for brand exposure, reinforcing messaging and values.
• Establishing authority: Owning a recurring topic positions a brand as an authority in the field, fostering trust and credibility among consumers.
• Cultivating audience anticipation: Successful tentpole content creates anticipation, with audiences eagerly awaiting each year’s release, driving engagement and loyalty.

Best practices for success

• Atomisation for year-round impact: Break down the tentpole content into bite-sized pieces for year-round distribution. This could include blog posts, social media snippets, and multimedia formats to keep the audience engaged throughout the year.
• Strategic distribution: Identify the channels most relevant to your audience and strategically distribute content across platforms. Leverage social media, email marketing and partnerships to maximise reach.

Case study

Working with The Dubs Agency, Aviva Investors’ ‘Little Book of Data’ stands as a shining example of tentpole marketing. Now in its sixth year, this publication has become a sought-after annual release in the finance industry. The success of the ‘Little Book of Data’ can be attributed to several key elements:

• Rich insights and data: The ‘Little Book of Data’ doesn’t just present data; it delivers meaningful insights and trends through storytelling.
• Engaging visuals: The content is visually appealing, making complex data accessible and digestible for a wide audience.
• Consistency and innovation: While maintaining a consistent annual release, Aviva Investors also introduces innovative elements like engaging maps, stunning visuals and exciting graphics to keep the content fresh.

Final thoughts

Tentpole marketing in the finance industry is not merely a strategy; it’s a mindset. Finance brands that embrace this approach, creating content that resonates, educates, and captivates their audience, will find themselves not just riding the waves of industry change but shaping them.

Aviva Investors’ ‘Little Book of Data’ serves as an inspiring example of the power of tentpole marketing—a power that, when harnessed effectively, can propel a brand to new heights year after year.

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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.

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Barbie’s Success

Released in July 2023, the Barbie movie is all anyone can talk about. The film has smashed box office predictions, showcasing it’s not just meme-worthy but a fully-fledged hit, reaching $155 million opening weekend.

One of the reasons the new Barbie film’s marketing campaign has been such a success is its creative approach to repositioning the way we see Barbie. Rather than just utilising traditional print and media advertising, Barbie’s innovative marketing strategy gained vital earned media coverage around the world. Some of these marketing ideas included:

• Utilising Airbnb listings where people could rent a Barbie house
• Dual brand promotion with brands like Crocs and Zara
• Making Google search results sparkle when Googling Barbie
• Ensuring actors like Margot Robbie dressed like her Barbie character on press tours sparking nostalgia and media coverage

This out-of-the-box thinking has proved to be an effective method of marketing, capturing the attention of everyone, whether they are a fan of Barbie or not.

While blockbuster films have more leeway and an easier time of executing creative marketing strategies, it highlights a crucial aspect of marketing – audiences want to be entertained and engaged. Instead of relying on traditional advertising channels, the campaign has used a variety of innovative tactics alongside more traditional marketing approaches, such as product partnerships, social media campaigns, and experiential marketing.

What can financial marketers learn?

By taking inspiration from the Barbie campaign, your finance brand can inject creativity into its marketing efforts and in the process broaden the brand’s image or interactions with your targeted audience.

Understanding your target audience (and those who aren’t)

Another reason why the Barbie movie’s marketing campaign has been such a success is its deep understanding of its target audience. However, the Barbie marketing machine went one step further and utilised effective strategies to capture the attention of those who, until now, thought they had no interest in Barbie.

By tapping into nostalgia, resonating with the audience, and creating pop culture moments like Margot Robbie’s Barbie Premiere looks, this campaign appeals to Barbie fans, the disinterested, and the detractors alike. Additionally, while Barbie marketing was everywhere, it wasn’t the same repeated campaigns, graphics or ideas, meaning content was seen as original, interesting and engaging.

What can financial marketers learn?

Finance brands can adopt a similar approach by identifying the different segments within their target market and tailoring their marketing messages to resonate with each group.

For example, for older Millennials Barbie tapped into their sense of nostalgia of early childhood, whereas for Barbie detractors the feminist lens of the billboard campaigns and slogan of ‘She’s everything. He’s just Ken’ helps to reintroduce the doll and remove the negative stigma surrounding it. Using these examples as inspiration, understanding the motivations, preferences, and pain points of your clients will enable you to create more compelling and relatable campaigns.

While content marketing should be tailored to those you want to attract, thinking outside the box and creating quality content can engage those who aren’t currently in this segment. Creating engaging content that’s original and taps into the zeitgeist can expand your audience and generate leads.

Breaking the Barbie mold

One of the first trailers for Barbie was a unique take on the 2001 A Space Odyssey, where viewers watched little girls in a desert rage and smash dolls against rocks. The scene was so far removed from what you would expect of a Barbie movie trailer it instantly captured the attention of fans and non-fans.

What can financial marketers learn?
Expect the unexpected is a major lesson of Barbie’s marketing strategy. By flipping the script and showcasing scenes and content you wouldn’t expect, it entices audiences to find out more. Consider how your finance brand can break free from the normally ‘rigid’ nature of financial content marketing in fun and creative ways, to set yourself apart from the competition and gain new and engaged audiences.

Multi-platform promotion at its finest

One of the key strengths of the Barbie marketing campaign is its multi-platform promotion. This approach has truly brought the Barbie world to life and ensured audiences were talking about it months before its release. This was achieved by not only utilising the well-trodden channel mix of social, print, television and traditional advertising but also incorporating real-life Barbie experiences such as the Airbnb house and through actors’ clothing choices during press and event coverage.

What can financial marketers learn?

Finance brands can learn from this approach by leveraging various channels to amplify their message and reach a wider audience. By repurposing and atomising content, you can ensure maximum exposure across different platforms. This strategy allows you to deliver a consistent brand message while tailoring the content format to suit the preferences and consumption habits of your target audience.

Mix traditional advertising, like print and billboards, with online content marketing in your campaigns to bring your brand front of mind. Ensure content remains different across platforms, engaging and suited to your audience to ensure engagement remains high.

Take risks

What a lot of viewers have come away thinking is how much the team got away with when it came to the Barbie brand. The storyline heavily makes fun of Mattel executives and plays on the idea of a team of men being in control of what’s commonly seen as a girl’s doll.

What can financial marketers learn?

It’s clear Mattel took a risk with the film and its marketing, however, it’s their ability to make fun of themselves that’s helped this movie succeed. By not taking themselves too seriously and having fun with the brand and marketing – in a calculated way – it’s allowed a whole new audience to form a connection with the product. In a global report by Oracle, it was found 91% of people prefer brands to be funny and 72% would choose a brand that uses humor over the competition.

Barbie’s Collaborations

Barbie’s movie marketing campaign has partnered with a variety of brands, such as Mattel, Xbox, Airbnb, and Nyx Cosmetics. These partnerships have helped to reach a wider audience and generate excitement for the film.

What can financial marketers learn?
Finance brands can follow suit by partnering with other brands that share their target audience. Utilising partnerships to extend brand voice and awareness can be an effective method of gaining a broader organic reach.

But what about B2B brands?

While the Barbie marketing campaign primarily targets B2C consumers, its underlying principles are equally relevant to B2B brands.

By adopting a customer-centric approach and creating engaging content that cuts through to your B2B clients, your finance brand can strengthen its relationships, increase brand loyalty, and generate more business opportunities.

Final thoughts

The Barbie film marketing campaign serves as an unexpected case study for finance brands, offering valuable insights into innovative marketing strategies that can be applied to both B2C and B2B contexts.

Just like Barbie’s evolution and adaptation, finance brands have the opportunity to break from the traditional marketing mold and play around with their marketing approach to potentially engage new audiences and drive results.

The post Barbie’s Marketing Makeover: Lessons for Finance Brands appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Brand awareness: becoming memorable

Building a strong brand image is vital to the long-term success of your asset management firm, but it can take time to achieve. Today, asset managers are fighting for attention in a saturated market and it can be challenging to differentiate your brand from another. However, it’s critical that you do. There are three ways your asset management firm can improve brand awareness and optimise your marketing strategy:

1. Create a distinct brand image – There lacks a variety in how asset managers describe and build their brand image. In a Peregrine study of 100 asset managers, it was found that the same each manager used the same 10 keywords in their brief ‘elevator pitch’. Additionally, according to an analysis by Dun and Brandstreet, 57% of the top asset management firms describe themselves as “client-focused” and “transparent”. Developing a set of core messages and marketing materials that reflect the uniqueness of your brand will go a long way in ensuring your asset management firm stands out from the crowd.
2. Storytelling – Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways your asset management firm can build brand awareness. Storytelling enables your brand to connect with investors and form authentic relationships with them. Incorporating storytelling into your marketing strategy, enables your fund to move away from the bog standard performance angle to one that’s more ‘human’ and includes greater depth.
3. Build an always-on content strategy – At the end of the day, you can’t expect one brand message or piece of content to lead to customer acquisition. It takes time and multiple instances of clients viewing your content for them to remember your brand and associate it with certain things. Focusing on building an always-on content strategy is vital to nurturing leads and building a strong presence within the industry. Recognising and identifying your audience and creating targeted content for them is key. As Andrew Frith, Social Media Director at The Dubs, asserts “an always-on content program is a way to build trust and interest in your finance brand by providing high-quality, useful content on a regular basis.”

Benefits of building brand awareness

• Improves trust – By offering a face and presence to your fund your target clients can trust you more easily.
• Builds brand equity – Creating positive brand equity amongst clients will ensure that they consider your brand first when investing, as well as continue to recognise it more often in articles and associated content.
• Fosters an association – A strong content marketing strategy and brand image can help ensure that when clients think of asset managers or investing they think of your brand first and foremost.

Final tips and tricks for asset managers

At the end of the day, one of your asset management firms’ biggest challenges is building strong brand awareness and a positive brand image. By optimising your content strategy and focusing on building authentic connections with clients and leads, you can begin to improve your brand awareness.

The post How to improve brand awareness for asset managers appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Where to begin

Whether you’re media planning for a large-scale always-on campaign or a small, one-off campaign, your finance brand should start by identifying your goals and target audience. These two steps are critical to ensure you don’t lose sight of exactly what you want to achieve.

“Start by identifying target audiences, and how the message will resonate with those audiences based on demographics,” Sadiye says.

“Use this information to consider how to encourage audiences to engage with the brand. Establish clear goals and key objectives that are realistic to ensure the goals are achievable and within reach.”

How to create a media plan from scratch

Media planning consists of building an efficient marketing strategy that is regularly evaluated and adjusted to ensure it’s optimised to achieve your finance brand’s targets. It’s all about finding the best combination of brand messaging and media channels to achieve your desired objectives.

At the minutiae, a media plan consists of identifying the right message, at the right time, and on the right channel and effective targeting methods that will be most effective in nurturing and converting leads. Combining a variety of media types – earned media, owned media and paid media.

“Once a finance brand has defined its objectives and has a clear idea of target audience, it’s time to determine the target audiences and social platforms, consider content frequency and reach, and analyse and optimise performance throughout the campaign duration,” Sadiye says.

It’s important financial marketers understand that a media plan isn’t a hard and fast document that can’t be altered. Instead, a media plan is designed to be upended. If a specific message, channel or even targeting avenue isn’t performing well, it should be optimised in real time.

“Ultimately, creating a media plan for finance brands consists of formulating a strategy, evaluating its effectiveness and adjusting the execution of the strategy,” shares Sadiye.

The benefits for financial marketers

There are numerous benefits to having and implementing an effective media plan. Ultimately, by creating a media plan your finance brand’s marketing strategy will be more effective in generating leads, nurturing potential clients and pushing them through the acquisition funnel. It can also help you broaden your organic reach and ensure you’re consistently improving brand awareness and achieving key performance metrics.

Sadiye notes, “Benefits of having a media plan for finance brands include improving efficiency, analysis and optimisation, and improved ROI.”

How can financial marketers improve their media plan?

As discussed, a core component of any successful media plan is ensuring your finance brand consistently evaluates it to maximise your success.

Sadiye shares some things to consider when you’re looking to improve your media plan: “Think about broadening and defining the audiences and demographics that are being targeted, and keep testing these audiences to ensure the reach is being utilised.”

She adds, “Consider redefining budget allocation based on performance throughout the campaign duration.”

Ultimately, by failing to plan you are preparing to fail.

The post Creating a digital media plan for financial marketers appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Why finance podcasts should be a part of your content marketing

Investors not only want but need financial education resources. Podcasts are a great format to break down complex financial matters while offering a ‘human’ voice that can help connect with audiences, whether everyday investors or institutional and wholesale investors.

So, what finance brands are doing finance podcasts well?

Finance brands doing podcasts well

Many finance brands have launched podcasts in the past few years, but not all are doing them right. Here are three finance brands who have nailed podcasting:

The Bid by BlackRock

The Bid by BlackRock is focused on breaking down what’s happening in the markets and explaining current issues and trends that may impact investing today and in the future. In 2020, it was in the top 5% of podcasts across categories and remains a largely popular podcast with a 4.7-star rating on Spotify.

Posting once a week, The Bid successfully breaks down complex and timely topics in short podcast episodes that range from 20 to 30 minutes. What makes this podcasts so successful, is the broad range of content they speak about and the expert guests they have to speak about them. This cements BlackRock as an authority in the space.

The AIQ Podcast by Aviva

The AIQ Podcast is focused on explaining complex investment topics so investors can gain a better understanding and apply them. Chatting to some of the leaders in economics, finance and academia, each episode is short around 20 minutes long making it easily digestible for busy investors.

Posting every few months, Aviva has made its finance podcast a pivotal part of its overall content strategy. Unlike other finance brands, Aviva has seamlessly integrated its podcast as a part of its content hub on its website (although you can still stream the podcast on all platforms). This means its content hub houses a variety of fresh content, engaging investors no matter what format of content they want.

Good Money Moves by First Alliance Credit Union

Good Money Moves by First Alliance Credit Union is focused on providing money management tips and advice, to empower consumers to make smart financial decisions. A slightly different focus to Aviva and BlackRock, Good Money Moves provides more simple advice and information targeted towards the everyday person.

With financial stress being so prevalent, Good Money Moves makes it easy to learn how to be better with your money. Highly tailored to its target audience of everyday Americans, this podcast successfully forms connections with audiences through supplying easy to understand and implement financial advice.

What makes a good finance podcast

So, what can we learn from these top three finance podcasts? To have a successful podcast it’s all about creating easy-to-understand content that’s tailored to your target audience.

Here are our top tips for creating a great finance podcast:

• Create episodes you’re passionate about and that your target audience wants
• Select your hosts carefully
• A podcast is an oral medium, to capture the attention you still need to focus on telling a story
• Produce and edit your podcast professionally (no one wants to listen to bad audio quality)
• Create a consistent format people can learn and expect

Overall, now’s as good a time as any to launch a podcast. Gain leads and form more meaningful connections with consumers through starting a finance podcast.

The post 3 brands doing finance podcasts well appeared first on Financial Marketer.