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.

The best way to keep your clients happy and loyal? Do the right thing and know your responsibilities. In fact, just like a social media strategy, a privacy and security strategy should be a key part of your brand. With that in mind, here’s an overview of what’s been happening over the past 12 months, and what you need to know to stay up-to-date.

The Digital Service Act: the future of marketing

If you’re advertising to customers in the European Union, you need to be across the Digital Service Act, which was launched late last year. Based on how online platforms distribute information, this act has a couple of purposes. Regarding companies such as Google and Meta, the objective is to hold them accountable for the content that’s on their site. And for consumers, the act will better protect their online rights and ensure that advertisers behave ethically.

In marketing, the most significant change will come in how you can target consumers in the EU. The act prohibits online ads that target consumers based on sensitive personal data. This can mean things like religion, sexual preferences or political beliefs. It will also give consumers more information on the ads they are being shown – including if and why an ad is targeting them specifically.

By empowering consumers, these new rules should have a big impact on transparency and visibility within advertising. Now, those in the EU will be informed on why they’re being targeted by an ad and who paid for it. Additionally, they’ll now be able to see whether content is sponsored or organically posted.

Changes in privacy law around the globe

Data breaches are becoming more and more common in the digital age – which is why countries are introducing harsh new penalties for companies that don’t protect consumer data. In the United Kingdom, the 2018 Data Protection Act controls how consumer data can be used by customers. It decrees that, should a data breach happen, consumers need to be notified within 72 hours. By reacting quickly, it means that those affected by the breach can take action to protect themselves and change any details, passwords or sensitive information that was compromised in the data breach.

Australia is an interesting example of how companies are reacting to data breaches, their impact on consumers, and how governments are changing relevant laws. With 2022’s massive breaches of Medibank and Optus – two brands trusted by millions of Australians – privacy and the protection of user data came into the public spotlight. After these leaks were made public, the Australian government launched into action, announcing tougher penalties for companies who didn’t take appropriate care of their customer details. While the previous maximum penalty was $2.22 million, under the new bill, this increased to either:

• $50 million
• 3 x the value of any benefit obtained through the misuse of information
• 30% of a company’s adjusted turnover in the relevant period

Despite these beefed-up penalties and the risks of not taking care of customer data, many companies weren’t ready. According to a report by advisory firm Arktic Fox, only 41% of brands claimed they were prepared for the new measures. Similarly, just 23% were focused on improving things over the coming 18 months. These statistics are damning – especially when building trust is such an important part of branding.

See opportunities where others don’t (or won’t)

We know that finance brands should focus on trust in times of crisis. And the same philosophy applies here – it’s all about customer confidence in your brand.

Instead of treating them as a chore or a boring thing you have to tick off, why not treat privacy and security as an opportunity to differentiate your business? It could be a fantastic advantage that solidifies your niche in the financial field. After all, according to Cisco, nearly a third of consumers have stopped doing business with a brand that isn’t up to snuff in the privacy and security arena. And if your brand isn’t serious about protecting data, you could be next.

But by taking a proactive approach, you can avoid losing customers, and even attract new ones. In fact, according to that same Cisco report, for every dollar that companies invest in privacy, they see a $2.70 return. In a similar vein, a study by the Harvard Business Review actually showed that being upfront about how customer data is used for ad targeting actually increases click through rates.

These examples prove that privacy and security don’t have to be boring parts of doing business, and that paying attention to them is a great way to increase profits and attract customers – especially in the B2B sector.

The post In focus: privacy and data compliance appeared first on Financial Marketer.

What’s the deal with client retention?

While generating leads and onboarding new clients is an essential aspect of financial marketing, something that’s overlooked is client retention. Retaining clients is an important investment for finance brands and is critical for growth. According to a study by Bain and Company, a 5% increase in customer retention produces a 25% increase in profits.

According to research, the average customer attrition rate among retail financial institutions per year is 15%. While not as high of an attrition rate as other industries, the more clients you retain the greater your bottom line.

How content marketing has helped MoneyMe succeed

According to Richard Bray, Chief Marketing Officer at MoneyMe, content marketing has been an effective strategy to retain clients. For Richard, “MoneyMe’s customers are youthfully ambitious and digitally-savvy, meaning they want to be equipped with the right tools, knowledge and decision-making power to make smart financial decisions.”

“To us, content is king as it provides our customers with the knowledge to understand things like credit score and how this impacts their borrowing capacity and even their interest rates,” Richard says.

A core tenet of MoneyMe’s content strategy is assuming their clients aren’t financially savvy and always prefer the long approach to clearly explaining the process and financial terminology. While the financial advisers dealing with HNWIs may consider their clients more financially literate, Richard explains, “Making things easy, intuitive, informative and giving the customer a sense of knowledge empowerment is critical to our overall approach.”

An important way to retain clients through content marketing is by ensuring communication channels remain open and your finance brand focuses on delivering useful content to clients.

Richard says this approach to content marketing has been extremely effective. “We have seen amazing results with free tools such as our credit score tool which helps people understand their financial position.

“We currently see around 10,000 people checking their score each month which is a mix of both new and existing clients.”

When asked whether content marketing has helped MoneyMe retain clients Richard confirms, “Yes, it makes MoneyMe a trusted adviser and brand they can rely on as a go-to source for information.”

He explains that MoneyMe began a customer newsletter specific to real estate agents that offers three to four relevant articles. “We started a customer newsletter around 6 months ago and continually see open rates above 21% and opt-out rates below 0.3%.”

“After getting feedback from the real estate agents, they find value in these conversation starter topics and broader knowledge on global and national real estate topics that are outside their local real estate knowledge is valuable.”

By creating content that’s relevant, informative and value-driven MoneyMe has found that clients continue to keep their brand front of mind and remain working with them long-term.

Three ways content can help retain clients

When it comes to creating a content strategy that retains clients, there are three questions you should ask yourself:

• Is your content educational?
• Are you utilising an omnichannel approach?
• Is your content personalised and providing value to your current clients?

At the end of the day, educational and personalised content is king. If your content’s not providing value or offering information on relevant issues, then clients will no longer feel seen by your finance brand.

According to Richard, the content that performs best for MoneyMe is content that is useful and provides them with tips, tricks and hacks.

“The world of finance can be seen as somewhat boring so keeping it short and sweet is best,“ Richard says.

Often, the key to effective financial content marketing is not to try and sell your brand to clients but instead inform, educate and entertain them in order to build brand trust and awareness. By providing your clients with useful information you continue to serve them and cater to their needs.

Another important aspect of effective content marketing is ensuring you adopt an omnichannel approach. Not every client will be receiving your content on one channel. Rather, clients are spread across various communication channels, whether that’s social media, email or website. Owing to this, it’s important you cater to your clients wherever they find you.

Tailoring your content to the platform it’s being presented on is an important aspect of omnichannel marketing and one that will make or break your content strategy. Consider who your target audience is on each platform. Often, those who view your X may be different from your audience on Instagram and so on.

For Richard, MoneyMe utilises a variety of platforms to present its content.

“80% of our D2C users use our app, so we are now putting more content there so they can click and read in that environment rather than having them leave to a blog environment.

“We have recently invested in Braze, a marketing automation marketing platform. This allows us to send communications via emails, SMS, push notification, webhooks and more. We are still using a lot of email and SMS marketing, too.”

Final words

If your goal is to retain clients (and it should be), your content marketing needs to support this. Remember to provide value-driven content that’s educational, informative and catered to your audience.

A word of advice from Richard on what finance brands should remember: “Relevance, relatability and writing from personal experiences are ways in which to nail your content marketing strategy.”

When done right, content marketing is an important tool that can be used to support client retention.

The post How to use content marketing to retain clients appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Why trust should be a priority for finance brands

Building trust can convert leads, improve loyalty and maintain retention, but it can often be difficult to foster. Finance organisations are often facing an uphill battle when it comes to developing trust with Edelman finding that only around 64% of survey respondents trust banks, insurers and wealth managers in 2020.

To gain trust your finance brand needs to operate with transparency and authenticity, especially during periods of crisis. In fact, 94% of people are loyal to companies that operate with transparency.

For finance brands, operating with transparency and authenticity is about being open and honest with consumers about what’s occurring at your organisation. It’s important when creating transparent and authentic content that your finance brand does so simply and easily, so everything is easy to understand. Making sure consumers understand everything that’s going on is at the heart of building trust.

The dos and don’ts of crisis communication

Crisis communication can be a tough beast to tackle. While you need to be transparent and authentic, you also need to balance overwhelming consumers with complex information that maybe isn’t relevant. While a lot of finance brands got good practice in crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world continues effective communication strategies remain a critical component of your overall content strategy.

Here are three ways to nail crisis communication and gain trust in periods of stress:

• Deliver relevant information – Information that offers unity and stability is key to developing trust and easing consumers’ concerns.
• Provide accurate and reliable data – Information provided to consumers must always be accurate and reliable; your finance brand should become a place consumers can turn to, to find out important information they can trust.
• Present timely information – Information should be provided as quickly as possible in periods of stress, so your finance brand becomes a hub of accurate and relevant information consumers can rely on.
• Deliver personalised communication – Utilise AI technology and provide tailored information that is relevant to the individual consumer.

What finance brands can learn about how to gain trust

While crises are stressful, they do offer finance brands the opportunity to build trust, loyalty and meaningful relationships with consumers. Crisis communication is about delivering accurate information in a transparent and authentic manner. By placing the consumer’s needs first, your finance brand can communicate effectively in times of stress.

The post Why finance brands should focus on trust in times of stress appeared first on Financial Marketer.

According to research by HSBC, there has been a sharp 5% increase in UK mobile banking habits due to the pandemic, with people preferring online platforms and contactless payments. UK banking habits have adapted to the pandemic with customers migrating to online platforms over in-person branches and adapting to contactless payment systems. Adapting to these changes means your finance brand must re-evaluate its digital platforms to ensure consumers can continue to access and enjoy a fulfilling customer experience. To add to this, COVID-19 has affected UK banking habits by altering customer relationships. Today, consumers are wanting greater flexibility, security, and education to combat the pervasive uncertainty throughout the UK and the world. While last year COVID-19 may have felt like a momentary experience, nowadays we know it’s here to stay, making it critical finance brands adapt and pivot to consumers’ changed behaviours if they want to remain competitive.

UK banking habits are going digital

While physical stores remain a necessity for finance brands, more and more customers are preferring to bank online. This large-scale shift to digital platforms means if your finance brand didn’t prioritise its online banking experience previously, it’s time to do so. In fact, in 2020 76% of British adults and 83% of small and medium businesses used online banking.

While the online banking experience is one aspect finance brands should be looking to strengthen and improve, another aspect is their digital marketing strategy. Ofcom’s Online Nation 2021 Report, found the UK spends more time online than most of Europe. With so many people spending time online, finance brands need to seize the opportunity to gain a greater digital presence, generate more web traffic, and target more potential clients. To do so you should:

• Ensure your finance brand is utilising digital platforms and online spaces where your target audience spends time.
• Create partner content that targets the values of your audience and helps generate greater trust and awareness.
• Create content that reflects your audience’s interests to generate meaningful and positive impressions on consumers.

Customer relationships are changing

While previously banks and customers may have experienced quite a formal relationship, today that’s changed. Customers today expect and want more from their financial services and the pandemic has simply crystallised this need. With the pandemic increasing customer anxiety, instability, and uncertainty, UK banking habits have subsequently altered. Now people are expecting and calling on finance brands banks to offer greater flexibility, security, and education to get through these times – and if these areas aren’t delivered your finance brand needs to recognise the reputational risks.

Improving communication with customers and providing educational resources are great ways of ensuring your finance brand is giving the support customers expect. By empowering them to make smart financial decisions, during a time of great financial stress, this will generate greater trust and loyalty. During times like these, your finance brand is on the frontline of supporting people – whether that’s delivering stimulus payments, helping to rework financial plans or managing their investments in a time of volatility – it’s important to demonstrate that you’re there to support customers and clients and put their needs first.

Contactless payments are the way forward

If the pandemic has done anything, it’s made people acutely aware of what they touch. UK banking habits have responded with contactless payments increasing in prevalence. In fact, there has been a 57% reduction in cash used in the UK, with a 7% rise in credit cards, a 10% rise in debit cards, and a 14% rise in online payment tools. To add to this, UK finance experts believe by 2030 only 9% of payments will be made using cash. Because UK banking habits are adapting to contactless payments it’s critical your finance brand considers how it can continue to deliver a full customer experience.

Looking to the way neobanks fulfill customers’ expectations is one-way finance brands can adapt to UK banking habits. Starling Bank and Monzo are the two leading neobanks in the UK currently. With both neobanks having a large social media presence, an adaptive and personalised user experience, easy communication channels, and a range of gamified elements, these banks have ensured customers are satisfied with their contactless experiences.

UK banking habits are changing for the long-term

It’s clear UK banking habits have changed for the long-term and it’s never been more important for finance brands to understand their customers’ behaviours and adapt to them, not only to satisfy customer needs but also to maintain a competitive edge. While some aspects of financial services have changed, the importance of the customer experience hasn’t – your finance brand simply needs to adapt to these changing times.

The post How COVID has changed UK banking habits for the future appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Finance brands looking after the mental health of the next gen

Research shows mental health has hit certain age groups particularly hard during the pandemic. According to a survey called ‘The Brave Face of Gen Z’, 73% of Gen Z are experiencing elevated stress levels due to the pandemic. Business Insider reported that since the pandemic hit, young people are suffering from loneliness, money stress, and burnout in the workplace. “Because of longer work hours and stagnant wages, millennials suffer from higher rates of burnout than other generations. Many of them have even quit their jobs for mental-health reasons.” Financial marketers need to step up and make sure mental health is top of the content agenda to support young employees or there may be a skills gap in the not-so-distant future.

Citi was one of the first banks to announce it was addressing employee financial stress in addition to the other challenges during the pandemic. To support lower income employees, many of whom are made up of gen Z workers, Citi announced it would give employees that earn less than $60,000, $1,000 each to help them cope. This led a chain reaction in the US with Capital One, JPMorgan Chase & Co, U.S. Bancorp and more giving special bonuses to lower-paid and frontline employees. 

While many brands may perceive mental health as a personal realm outside their remit, there’s a clear role for global finance brands to play in supporting customers, clients and employees’  mental health and financial wellbeing during the pandemic.

Finance brands creating tools to unlock financial wellbeing

Australian retail bank, Commbank launched an app feature for customers called the Coronavirus Money Plan off the back of research that found, “44% of Australians are greatly concerned about the future impact of coronavirus, particularly in regards to their health and finances.” The retail bank delivered tools for customers to better understand their finances as well as helping them identify government benefits they may be entitled to. Financial marketers should take note that Commbank is directing customers towards sites to save on utility bills, debt helplines and other external sites to help improve financial wellbeing. By directing users to genuinely helpful content owned by other brands, Commbank is demonstrating its commitment to supporting customers, rather than pushing its own products. 

Full disclosure, The Dubs has been working with the team at Commbank to help promote the Coronavirus Money Plan app’s features and help Australians feel more in control of their finances. 

Finance brands putting their money where their mouth is

With the United Nations highlighting the urgent need to “increase investment in services for mental health”, financial institutions need to rise to their responsibility to support customers, sometimes putting their money where their mouth is. The UK’s Lloyds Banking Group’s charity partnership with Mental Health UK does just that. The partnership promotes awareness of the link between mental health and money problems, encouraging discussion between customers and colleagues while raising at least £2million per year. With this raised cash, Lloyds Banking Group has gone on to develop the UK’s first Mental Health and Money Advice service showing financial marketers around the world that clear, practical advice can support people experiencing issues with mental health and money.

Financial marketers have a duty to their customers and clients to produce content, resources and tools that will help them during the pandemic and beyond. We don’t know when this will all end but we do know that with the right support, financial marketers can deliver confidence and security like no other brand. For help creating the right content and resources to support customers, get in touch. 

The post The finance brands stepping up to address mental health appeared first on Financial Marketer.

In a period of such upheaval and uncertainty, both consumers and brands are being forced to adapt. With customers looking to finance brands for support and confidence, financial marketers and business development teams need to evolve their strategies and strike the balance between what is important for customers now as well as the brand in the long-term. While many finance brands may re-align their short-term priorities away from marketing efforts, consequently causing long-term reduction in market share, now is the time to increase communication and maintain engagement with customers and clients. To power through a recession, financial brands need to be trusted advisers rather than service providers, the solution can be found in recovery branding.

What is recovery branding?

Recovery branding involves altering the brand identity to a familiar, trusted brand that is safe, reliable, and comforting during a time of uncertainty. Reassuring messages that reinforce an emotional connection with the brand and demonstrate empathy are especially vital.

As financial marketers, we don’t operate on the same wavelength as our retail counterparts by offering discounts and coupons. An operating model where you can’t simply offer a one-off deal, the complexities of financial products and services mean finance brands need to look for other ways to offer value to customers and clients in a way that helps not hinders a brand once things return to “normal”. The key is two-part: marketing that takes into consideration a customer’s emotional reaction to the economic environment and creating content that addresses the specific needs of our audience by offering value they can leverage to pull themselves through the hard times.

Finance content marketing through a recession and COVID-19 recovery

If finance brands want customers to continue to engage rather than retract, you should:

• Tailor content towards necessity vs. selling luxury // Remember, a recession affects minds before wallets – it’s turning on the news to witness other people get laid off that causes consumers to reduce spending. As financial marketers, our job is to create a psychological relationship between uncertainty and the importance of managing financial assets and services, rather than marketing the overembellished features.
• Introduce a “fighter brand” // While top-of-mind brands shouldn’t move their brands down-market during a recession, they can introduce a “fighter brand,” a discounted version of the premium offering sold under a different name and backed by minimal advertising. Intended to fight back against budget competitors, fighter brands can help to destroy cut-price competition. When the recession ends, the fighter brand can either be quietly withdrawn or continue as a value-add in the overall product line.
• Empathise with your audience // When our clients hurt, we hurt too. Radically transparent brands win during recessions as they are repositioned as vulnerable and empathetic. Create short-term marketing pieces like whitepapers and social media pieces that drive in the punch without alienating the long-term marketing campaign.

The Financial Marketer is an industry publication that addresses the nuances and unique challenges of financial marketing, drawing on our experience at The Dubs, research and industry experts to provide tactics and relevant solutions to marketers. If you’re a financial marketer and would like to contribute to the publication, get in touch.

The post Readying your finance content marketing for recovery appeared first on Financial Marketer.

We turn to apps for nearly everything, from ordering food to finding our way, and even finding love.

Dealing with our finances is no exception. In 2018, 3.4 billion finance apps were downloaded globally, representing a 75% increase since 2016.

But if you want your finance brand to be a part of your customers’ daily mobile interactions, it’s not just a case of having an app, it needs to be stitched into your finance content marketing strategy—with emphasis on the word ‘strategy’. Most brands have an app of some kind, but how many of them explore its limits—so the app not only delivers a service but also forms part of a smart finance content strategy? 

Here we look at how finance brands can go beyond the basic service function of a finance app.

Connect your finance app to your content marketing

This might sound obvious, but a lot of finance brands aren’t doing it. The easiest way to make your app part of your finance content marketing strategy is connecting it directly with content. Ideally, this content should be personalised for each user, according to their financial situation and behaviour. 

The ING banking app does this neatly with a section labelled ‘My Offers’, which offers a tightly-curated, ever-changing selection of content, covering everything from home loans to insurance, and superannuation. The user can apply for products on the spot or visit the ING website to learn more. 

Send your finance app on a mission

For many finance brands, the app often acts as a handy, all-round service provider. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be given its own special mission—a mission that aligns with your finance content marketing goals. 
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For example, Wealthsimple is an investment app with a simple aim: the democratisation of tools previously available to only the wealthiest. Users can not only invest money on a low-fee basis, but also benefit from the reinvestment of dividends, tax-loss harvesting and rebalancing—all done automatically through artificial intelligence.

Gamifying and educating with your finance app

If you’re struggling with the age-old challenge of how to make finance content desirable and interesting, then you could consider gamifying an app. This means transforming everyday activities, like saving and budgeting, which many find dull and difficult, into fun and educational hobbies. 

As you might expect, fintechs have been leading the way. Among the most popular is Long Game, which invites users to open a savings account, via Blue Ridge Bank, in order to play lottery-style games, like spin to win, as well as real-life games, like meeting set savings targets. 

These games involve no financial risk, and allow total wins of up to 1 million—in dollars and cryptocurrency, while teaching users how to save. 

Optimising customer service with a human dimension

Deliver outstanding customer service and extend your app’s capabilities by adding a human dimension. This is an excellent way of building trust, by making users feel as though they haven’t been abandoned to the robots. Plus, it means that when users have technical difficulties or complex questions, help is available immediately.

Take inspiration from the Albert personal finance app. It offers Albert Genius, which for a small monthly fee lets the user ask questions over text message to a human financial adviser. Such questions may cover nearly any financial issue imaginable, from buying a car to starting a family, and advisers base their responses on a mix of algorithms and their own years of experience. 

Ready to add an app to your finance content marketing mix—or take your existing finance app from a service to a strategy? From app design and development to a supporting content strategy, we can help. 

The post Is your finance app a service or a strategy? appeared first on Financial Marketer.

It’s also because customers are becoming savvier about their money. 

Customers want finance brands to be transparent (even radically transparent), about everything from credit card fees to the finer details of insurance policies. Plus, they want their spending to reflect their values, whether they’re choosing a savings account or swapping super funds. 

But the question of trust in financial services is by no means new. Ranked as one of the least trusted industries in the world in the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, financial services has upped its game, ranking eighth in the 2020 Barometer—ahead of content and entertainment, and fast casual and quick service restaurants. 

Here, we explore the current state of trust in financial services and delve into the content marketing strategies that are most effective in winning, building and keeping trust. 

The growing importance of trust

According to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust is increasingly influential on customers’ behaviour. 46% of participants trust most of the brands they buy or use, in comparison with 34% in 2019. 

For those considering buying a new brand or becoming a loyal customer, whether or not they trust the company that owns the brand or the brand that makes the product is the second most important attribute—following price and affordability. Meanwhile, 70% report that trusting a brand is more important today than in the past.  

At the same time, the benefits of winning customers’ trust are becoming more and more evident. Of the people who trust a brand to a high level, 75% will take one or more of the following actions: 

• Buying the brand, even if it isn’t the cheapest;
• Buying the brand exclusively, for the product desired; and
• Immediately checking out the brand’s new products.

Trust is earned, not bought

Where trust in brands is on the up, interest in advertising is on the down. Globally, around 7 in 10 people use one or more advertising avoidance strategies on the Internet, while around 5 in 10 have changed their media habits to see less advertising; 48% use ad blocking technology, 46% have found a way to avoid nearly all ads and 45% pay for a streaming service. 

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This means that rather than relying solely on ads—which cease to have any value once the spend dries up—finance brands should reach people through quality organic content that’s consistent, accurate, useful and reflective of the brand’s values. 

For recent examples, look to Nationwide’s #TogetheragainstHate finance content marketing campaign, as well as USAA Bank’s educational blog posts, which have been dominating search engines. 

Trust speaks many languages

Levels of trust in the financial services industry vary wildly from country to country. The nation with the highest rate is China, where 91% of participants trust financial services, while the lowest rate is in Germany, at just 51%. In the UK, trust is at 60% and, in the US, 64%. 

It makes sense for finance brands to design their financial services marketing content accordingly. For example, in China, brands might work to maintain trust, while in Germany, they might focus on building it. 

Find inspiration in Aberdeen Standard Investments’ global content program, which provides tailored content for audiences in no fewer than 20 nations, and AllianceBernstein EMEA, whose localised approach to content delivery across Europe has achieved engagement rates 200% higher than industry benchmarks—both of whom we can proudly say are our clients. 

Age matters when it comes to trust in financial services

Trust levels in finance brands also vary between age groups—albeit to a much lesser degree than they do between countries. Globally, the age bracket with the highest level of trust is 35-44 at 68%, followed by 18-34% at 67% and 55+ at 66%.

Where millennials are skeptical about jargon-heavy finance talk, preferring streamlined, digital-first experiences such as micro-investment apps, the over 50s have had enough of finance brands that try to force them into over-the-hill boxes—given that they’re feeling much younger than their age and succeeding big time at start ups. 

Ready to build trust through smart, targeted financial services content marketing? Get in touch.

The post Why trust in financial services is on the rise appeared first on Financial Marketer.

It’s sometimes necessary to delve into the more difficult aspects of money—from financial abuse, to problem gambling, and preparing for illness, accidents and death. 

While it might seem easier to steer well clear of these topics, there’s both an opportunity and a duty to be fulfilled here. Finance brands can support vulnerable customers by delivering compassionate content that addresses their concerns and offers connections with the community. 

Here, we take a look at finance brands around the world tacking sensitive topics in finance content marketing with tact.

Finance content that tackles the sensitive topic of financial abuse

In Australia, 15.7% of women and 7.1% of men have experienced financial abuse, as have 90% of those who seek help for domestic violence.

In the US, seniors lose at least $2.6 billion a year to financial abuse, and yet only one in 44 cases is reported, and in the UK, 1- 2% of people aged over 65 have suffered it.

Australia’s Commonwealth Bank has intensified its commitment to those who suffer financial abuse with New Chapter, an innovative program that includes services, support, resources and research. So far, the bank has launched the Community Wellbeing team, which expects to help more than 125,000 customers over the next five years, and funded the Good Shepherd’s Financial Independence Hub, which provides coaching and interest-free loans.

While it might seem easier to steer well clear of sensitive topics in finance content marketing, there’s both an opportunity and a duty to be fulfilled here.

Finance content that deals with gambling addiction

One in 143 people in England identify as problem gamblers, while one in 28 are at low or moderate risk of developing a problem with gambling. 

Meanwhile, Australians lose more money to gambling per capita than any other nation in the world—at $1,200+ per person per year.

The UK’s NatWest bank has addressed this concern head on with the Gambling Block, a feature within the NatWest app which enables customers to lock their accounts from gambling transactions, and an accompanying online hub, which offers advice, such as how to self-exclude from gambling venues and websites, and links to services, including the National Gambling Helpline. 

In 2020, NatWest is going further with the nationwide rollout of a scheme that provides customers with in-branch access to gambling counsellors, delivered in partnership with GamCare.

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Finance content that deals with illnesses, accidents and death

When it comes to finance content that addresses illnesses, accidents and death, insurance brands are the leading examples. After all, they deal with these difficult matters daily.

In the United States, AIG has been helping customers by simplifying life insurance with clever, animated videos that break down the application process into clear, achievable steps, while Ameritas has been demonstrating the importance of life insurance through videos that tell personal stories of loss, such as this one about Remi Hahn who lost her husband at the age of 41 to a rare form of cancer, and this one about Dr Ken Byrd who was left with a total and permanent disability following a plane crash.

In Australia, TAL Insurance uses its Slice of Life blog to strike the balance between educating customers on the more technical and serious side of life insurance and encouraging Australians to live a safe and protected life to the full with engaging lifestyle content. [Full disclaimer: TAL is one of our clients]

When it comes to tackling sensitive topics in finance content marketing it’s a tactful art that we’re well-versed in at The Dubs. Get in touch. 

The post How to tackle sensitive topics in finance content marketing appeared first on Financial Marketer.