As generative AI platforms become essential tools for work, research, and consumer queries, marketers in financial services are asking the question: Can you buy your way into the conversation on AI engines? 

This potential shift for finance brands could disrupt established digital ad strategies and offer early-mover opportunities—or force a rethinking of how to gain AI visibility.

Are paid ads available on mainstream AI platforms?

ChatGPT
As of 2025, traditional display or search-style pay-per-click ads are not available within ChatGPT. You cannot pay to have your brand featured explicitly in responses or to appear in the answer feed. 

ChatGPT’s answers are driven by its training data, live web integrations (for pro users), and references to trusted online sources, not sponsorships or paid placements in the Google Ads sense. 

The focus is on not breaking user trust and ensuring answers remain neutral and data-driven.

However, there are indications ChatGPT’s maker OpenAI will include ads in 2026. OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, has shifted from calling advertising a “last resort” to stating, as reported in Mashable “We haven’t done any advertising product yet… I’m not totally against it… I think ads on Instagram are kind of cool… It would take a lot of care to get right,” Altman said.

Reports indicate OpenAI is forecasting major new revenue from “free user monetisation” with ads targeting non-subscription users. The model is expected to borrow mechanisms from Google Ads and Facebook, featuring familiar bidding, targeting, and creative tools.

Google
Google has a couple of approaches being trialled right now. Its AI Mode is similar to ChatGPT where users applying conversational prompt. Inclusion in answers is governed by the model’s algorithms, which reference trusted sources and sites with high topical authority.

At present, advertisers cannot purchase ad placements or sponsored responses directly within AI Mode. There is no bidding system and no ad auction—meaning brands must rely on organic visibility driven by quality content and recognised authority.

On the flipside, AI Overviews appear within the standard Google Search results as summaries generated by AI at the top of the search page and are determined by the algorithm for now.

However, Google has confirmed it is experimenting with sponsored answers inside AI Overviews, blending paid listings with AI summaries.  According to Search Engine Land, Google is running pilot programs where sponsored products or services appear contextually within AI answers, marked with clear labels. 

This hybrid model could redefine paid search by merging generative responses with ad placement, potentially creating the most influential paid media real estate in digital history.

Claude (Anthropic)
There is currently no direct ad product, paid search, or traditional sponsorship within the Claude platform. 

Claude instead has piloted an influencer marketing program, supporting sponsored posts from creators showing how to use Claude for things like LinkedIn workflow tutorials or solving industry challenges. 

These influencer partnerships are shaping how the brand is perceived by professionals, allowing brands to influence conversation indirectly via “influencer adjacencies” rather than direct platform placements.

Anthropic recently launched a web search API for Claude which some marketers are using for search strategy and trend monitoring, but not for paid listing or ads.

Perplexity AI
Perplexity is the first mainstream AI search engine to offer direct, in-platform ad opportunities. In 2025, it’s testing two primary formats:

• Sponsored questions: Appear as follow-up prompts to a user’s query, labelled as “sponsored.” Clicking generates a new response tied to the partner brand’s message.

According to Perplexity’s VP Business Development, Ryan Foutty, “Sponsored follow-up questions are a really incredible brand advertorial. It’s additive because you’re helping users figure out the next question, … (not) just putting something in their face.”

• Media ads: Video placements in the app’s sidebar, visible but not interruptive.

Perplexity’s ad model is built for contextual relevance and charged on a CPM basis. Targeting is based on keyword associations, but ad content cannot alter the platform’s neutral AI-generated answers. 

The system is still in closed beta, but it signals the direction conversational advertising is heading.

Microsoft Co-Pilot, Gemini, and Others
As of September 2025, these platforms do not offer commercial paid sponsorships or native ad placements. Like ChatGPT, they are exploring influencer/ambassador programs and are likely watching Perplexity’s early-mover tests closely.

How can brands get visibility now?
Since direct advertising may not be generally available, most brands are focusing on:

• Building digital authority: Earning mentions in reputable articles, news, and databases that AI models crawl for citations.
• Optimising for AI mentions: Cleaning up schema, ensuring consistent entity linking, and earning references in industry news and expert lists.
• Influencer/integrated content programs: Partnering with thought leaders, creators, and professionals who publish workflows and tips that trigger model responses.

The Head of Paid Media at The Dubs Agency, Tara Cimino, said while finance brands can’t run broad advertising yet on AI search platforms they can optimise their brand to show up in answers.

“Gaining AI visibility should absolutely be a focus of finance brands right now,” Cimino said. “Key to this is prioritising top quality content that gets you trusted mentions and builds brand reputation.”

“Going forward marketing strategies will change too. Pure placement approaches driven by just bid price will have to make room for authority built by authentic content,” Cimono said.

So what comes next?
Paid placement within generative AI is emerging, but the open, self-service ad ecosystems marketers know from Google and Meta remain 1–2 years away for most platforms. 

Perplexity is forging ahead with contextual ad experiments, while OpenAI is preparing to monetise free user ad units by 2026. 

The lessons for financial marketers right now should be to focus on building authoritative, reference-worthy content and exploring influencer partnerships that align with AI discovery models. 

Those who learn to ethically earn AI mentions will have the biggest head start as the new paid media channels mature.

If you liked this article and want to know more contact The Dubs Agency we’d love to help.

[For full disclosure: The author used Perplexity to research this article while the podcast was created using ElevenLabs] 

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Precision targeting for affluent audiences

Effective audience segmentation is the key to any high-performing digital advertising campaign especially when the goal is targeting affluent audiences. For your finance brand, this involves identifying and targeting high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with tailored messaging that resonates with their unique financial needs and preferences.

Speaking with Josh Frith the founder of finance marketing specialists The Dubs Agency said “if you’re chasing campaign engagement and conversions it’s important to set clear goals and KPIs.”

“Use data and analytics tools to gather audience insights and monitor this regularly,” Frith said. ” Research your audience and segment it by key criteria so you deliver personalised and relevant content.” he said. “Experiment with your campaign by A/B testing various elements to hone in on what works for your audience.”

“But don’t lose sight of your brand. Be consistent and aligned with brand messaging and values” Frith said.

Advanced tactics:

• Behavioural and psychographic data analysis: Utilise data analytics tools to segment audiences based on behaviours and psychographic profiles, including investment patterns, financial goals, and lifestyle choices. According to a report, 76% of companies see a major boost in business and customer satisfaction after implementing marketing analytics. Tools like Google Analytics and Adobe Audience Manager can help create detailed audience personas.
• Lookalike and predictive audiences: Deploy lookalike audience models using platforms like Facebook and Instagram. On LinkedIn, you can utilise a similar approach by using their Predictive audience features. These models expand your reach by targeting users who exhibit similar characteristics to your best existing clients, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

Re-engaging high-potential prospects

Retargeting is crucial if you want to nurture leads through a lengthy and complex buying cycle. By re-engaging clients who have previously interacted with your finance brand, you can guide them down the marketing funnel more effectively.

Advanced tactics:

• Sequential retargeting: Implement a sequential retargeting strategy where ads are served in a specific order, progressively educating and engaging the audience. This method ensures potential clients get relevant information at each stage of their decision-making process.
• Cross-device retargeting: Use tracking to retarget users across multiple devices to give a consistent and seamless experience. Platforms like Google Display Network and AdRoll offer robust cross-device retargeting capabilities.

Personalised and adaptive messaging

Dynamic ad creative optimisation allows your finance brand to deliver personalised and adaptive ads, enhancing relevance and engagement ultimately targeting affluent audiences.

Advanced tactics:

• Dynamic creative optimisation (DCO): Use DCO to automatically generate and test multiple ad variations based on audience data. This approach ensures each user sees the most relevant version of your ad, tailored to their preferences and behaviour.
• Real-time personalisation: Implement real-time personalisation strategies to adjust ad content based on user interactions and contextual data. This can be done through platforms like Dynamic Yield and Adobe Target.

First-party data integration for targeting affluent audiences

First-party data integration is key to successful campaign optimisation. Leveraging data directly collected from your clients ultimately allows for more accurate targeting and personalisation. By integrating first-party data from CRM systems, website analytics, and customer feedback, you can create more precise audience segments and deliver highly relevant ad content.

Ongoing cohort analysis and custom audience optimisation

Regularly performing cohort analysis and optimising custom audiences are crucial for maintaining campaign effectiveness. Ongoing analysis of how different customer cohorts behave over time provides valuable insights that can inform future marketing strategies. Custom audience optimisation, on the other hand, involves continuously refining and segmenting audiences based on the latest data to ensure ads remain relevant and effective.

Testing AI-based campaigns vs. manual optimisation strategies

As AI continues to evolve, it’s essential to test AI-based campaigns against manual optimisation strategies to ensure you’re campaign is successful. AI can automate and enhance various aspects of campaign management, from targeting to creative adjustments. However, manual optimisation allows for a more nuanced and strategic approach. By comparing the performance of AI-driven campaigns with manually optimised ones, you can determine the most effective methods for your brand.

Optimising digital advertising campaigns targeting affluent audiences requires a nuanced and data-driven approach. With a recent Forrester poll revealing that 65% of marketing professionals are concerned about data quality, put the time and effort into improving this. Embracing sophisticated campaign optimisation tactics positions your finance brand to better engage high-net-worth clients and achieve sustained growth in a competitive market.

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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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Should your finance brand be on Threads?

New social media apps often come onto the scene, but none have made as big of an impact in such a short amount of time as Threads. Linked to Instagram, Threads broke records by reaching over 150 million users within two weeks before half of these users dropping off almost a week later.

In direct competition with X, Threads allows users to create and share short, ephemeral messages. Still in its early stages of development, this new social media app could be a valuable tool for financial marketers.

When any brand joins a social media app for the first they should always utilise test and learn content marketing at the beginning. As executive creative director of The Dubs, Tristan Fawley explains, “As Threads is currently organic publishing only, any brand presence will be to test and learn.”

He adds, “It’s an opportunity to test how audiences interact on a new platform but my recommendation would be to start small and scale over time once audience engagement data is available.”

Pros and cons for financial marketers

Adopting new social media platforms comes with potential risks as well as a variety of pros and cons. Fawley explains the first few months can be the most risky with new social platforms.

“It’s an opportunity to lead the field, but it comes with potential risk. The verification process is limited to ‘blue tick’ status (taken from Instagram) and doesn’t differentiate between individuals and brands. So, like any platform expansion, measures to minimise brand risk such as increased monitoring should be applied whilst in this early adoption phase.”

Pros:

• First mover advantage: By being an early adopter, your finance brand can gain a competitive advantage by establishing itself as a thought leader in the industry.
• Increased brand awareness: Being on a new platform can help to increase brand awareness and reach a new audience.
• Data-driven insights: New platforms can offer valuable data-driven insights that can help your finance brand to better understand its customers and target its marketing efforts more effectively.
• Testing and learning: New platforms can be a great way to test and learn new marketing strategies. This can help your finance brand to improve its results over time.

Cons:

• Platform failure: There is always the risk a new platform will fail. While Threads broke records for most user signups, engagement metrics plunged within one week, highlighting momentum may have stalled and gone backwards.
• Platform changes: New platforms are constantly evolving, which can make it difficult for financial marketers to keep up. This can lead to missed opportunities and ineffective marketing campaigns.
• Budget: Sometimes it can lead to wasted budget and ineffective use of spend.

What content will thrive on Threads?

According to Fawley X can be a great source of inspiration for Threads marketing content.

“As Threads is a competitor to X it makes sense to treat its content in the same way.” He explains, “Leverage X content first, test and learn what engages with audiences and then tailor it over time.”

Threads offers financial marketers another opportunity to adopt a multi-platform approach when it comes to content marketing. “A multi-platform strategy allows brands to reach audiences in different ways,” shares Fawley. “This leads to opportunities to blend niche and broader targeting, different targeting price points and different ad formats (editorial, video, carousels, etc.). This then allows the data to drive optimisation and increase engagement and cost-efficiency.”

X vs Threads

Amongst the recent controversy with X, Threads poses a nice opportunity for financial marketers to move to a ‘safer’ social platform that’s inherently the same. However, is this a good move?

Threads definitely hasn’t taken over X. X remains the dominant platform but this doesn’t mean financial marketers shouldn’t consider abandoning Threads. With the continued changes of X and controversies after Musk’s take over, Threads is a good option for financial marketers to utilise.

No one has missed the recent controversies at X, but how have they potentially impacted brands on the site? Fawley explains, “They have had an impact, but equally should be seen in the context of any social media platform.” He continues, “Hate speech, for example, isn’t unique to X and there are active ways brands can mitigate risk of their ads appearing alongside less desirable content. In addition, X is continuing to evolve how it downweights hate content.”

When it comes to other alternatives to X Fawley says, “Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram should be considered for B2B audiences. They can deliver very cost effective results and offer similar targeting options to LinkedIn.”

“In addition, blending social with alternative distribution platforms like Dianomi, Outbrain and Google Ads allows for budget optimisation whilst testing new ways to reach audiences,” adds Fawley.

Overall, the decision of whether or not to be an early adopter of any new social media platform is a complex one. There are a number of factors to consider, such as the size of your target audience, your budget, and your marketing goals. If you’re willing to take on the risks and are strategic, being an early adopter can be a great way to gain a competitive advantage and grow your organic audience.

The post What financial marketers need to know about Threads appeared first on Financial Marketer.

The ins and outs of paid advertising

As algorithms change and people spend more time online, it pays to get your paid advertising strategy right. Paid advertising is a method of marketing where you pay for an ad to be displayed on relevant online platforms. Known as pay-per-click, paid advertising methods drive traffic to your site.

As Tara Cimino, Head of Social Media at The Dubs, states, “To decide on the most suitable strategy, it’s essential for finance brands to identify a key outcome.” She continues, “This will set out clear KPIs which will impact the content created, the channels used and budgets allocated.”

According to one study, paid advertisements have a 200% ROI. A paid advertising strategy can help you reach beyond your organic following and target new clients. But it has a number of other benefits:

• Increase brand awareness (ads can increase brand awareness by 80%)
• Improve leads
• Drive higher engagement
• Target specific demographics or geographic locations

There are several different types of paid advertising strategies including:

• Social media
• Paid search
• Display ads
• Native ads

Social media advertising

81% of financial marketers have picked up new leads via social media advertising, making it a great paid media marketing strategy. A paid social media strategy can be effective in amplifying your social content, enabling you to reach your target audience and nurture them down the customer acquisition funnel.

Ensuring you create content right for each social platform is where a successful social media strategy gets tricky. Remember to cater the content and ad to the platform and the audience you’re targeting.

Pros and cons
Social media advertising is a great way to improve brand performance online and reach beyond your organic following. With over 4.9 billion people in the world owning a social media account, it pays to have your brand’s ads visible to them.

Tara explains, “There are many pros to paid advertising, such as enhancing your organic following, generating new leads and scaling to as many markets as possible.”

However, while social media advertising is an effective marketing tactic, there are some areas of concern. If your target audience isn’t on social media or your campaign doesn’t resonate with them it can be a waste of time.

“On the other hand, if the content isn’t resonating with your target audiences or your strategy isn’t well produced or delivered, it could be costly for the business, with low ROI,” shares Tara.

Paid search advertising

Paid search advertising (AKA search engine marketing), is when you pay to have your ad show up on search engine results whether that’s Google, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. It’s one of the most common types of paid advertising strategies and one of the simplest to set up.

While SEO remains critical to any financial marketing strategy, paid search advertising can be beneficial to gaining those necessary clicks. PPC has been seen to generate twice the number of visitors compared to SEO.

Pros and cons
The best aspect of paid search advertising is you can effectively target the right audiences. A great example of this is the ability to remarket your site and brand to people who have previously visited your website, helping to nurture leads and improve brand awareness.

Another aspect is you always are one of the first options in search engine rankings. This can improve your leads and gain traffic to your website. In addition, paid search advertising offers easy analytics so you can track its effectiveness and make the necessary adjustments.

Paid search advertising isn’t perfect, however, and there are drawbacks to consider. The lack of visual accompaniments means your ad can sometimes not be seen of generate the same brand awareness or impact. Further, they can be costly and you have to pay each time a user clicks your ad.

Display ads

Display ads combine text and images that link to a URL where users can find out more information about your finance brand and services. While text with images is the usual go-to for display ads, they can also feature moving images and videos (also known as rich media ads). The most common form of display ads is banner ads.

Pros and cons
Display advertising can ensure your finance brand gets noticed and enable you to connect with prospective clients. It offers precise targeting, reaching the right audience based on demographics and interests.

Further, it increases brand visibility and awareness by appearing on relevant platforms. In addition, it also offers creative flexibility to your finance brand enabling you to showcase your unique value propositions.

Display advertising for finance brands has a couple of caveats to consider. Ad fatigue and accidental clicks are potential challenges, but with engaging creatives and clear visuals, these can be overcome. Ad blockers can also pose some hurdles.

Native ads

When done well, you may not even notice when you’ve seen a native ad. Native ads are designed to blend into the content they are surrounded by. So, if this is on a social platform, they will pose as a regular post while continuing to promote users to click and follow through to your site.

The aim of a native ad is to look organic helping to make it look more authentic and grab the attention of users.

Pros and cons
One of the strongest aspects of native advertising is that by their nature, native ads aren’t intrusive but they can still capture your audience’s attention. Their visual nature and targeted content also enable greater click through rates and audience impact.
“Native advertising can drive better campaign performance when compared with other ad formats, helping drive conversions,” Tara explains. “Native ads can also be contextually targeted towards target audiences, meaning there is a higher chance of interactions and engagement.”

One drawback is it can be difficult to monitor and evaluate their effectiveness. Tara notes, “However, measuring performance can be complex if your campaign goals and audiences are not considered properly from the start.”

The bottom line of paid advertising

In a study by MailChimp, it was identified digital advertising would soon make up 75% of all media spending by 2025. As digital advertising is increasing in importance it’s critical your finance brand understands how best to measure if it’s working.

Tara shares, “To optimise and measure your paid media strategy, you need to consistently analyse your social and website metrics.” She goes on, “Look past platform metrics such as likes, but identify how your media strategy influences web conversion rates to understand what is successful about your strategy and what isn’t.”

Just like with any marketing strategy, it requires constant monitoring to ensure it’s optimised for your KPIs and targets.

The post How to choose the right paid advertising strategy 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.

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Benefits of each media strategy and when to use them

A paid, earned and owned media strategy balances three key marketing objectives: brand awareness, lead generation, and client acquisition and retention. Each strategy works together to ensure your finance brand has a winning shot at not only nurturing and converting clients but also retaining them.

Tara Cimino, Social Media Strategist at The Dubs, notes, “The benefits are endless when it comes to finance brands using paid, earned and owned media.” She explains, “Being seen as a thought leader in the industry will strengthen existing relationships and create new ones, reaching new audiences such as Gen Z, building brand awareness and developing community trust. All of these are key elements to building a social media presence as a finance brand.”

But what are the differences between the three?

• Paid media strategy – This is a marketing strategy that involves advertising your finance brand via paid placements, such as pay-per-click (PPC) or social media advertising. The benefits of a paid media strategy is that it can be scaled quickly and easily.
• Earned media strategy – This is a marketing strategy that involves gaining engagement or promotion through organic means. The benefits of an earned media strategy are that it continues to improve brand awareness, gain leads and convert clients even when your paid media strategy is over.
• Owned media strategy – This is a marketing strategy that involves any content that’s created and distributed via channels your finance brand owns, like social media or your blog. The benefits of an owned media strategy is that your finance brand has full control over the content that’s produced, helping you to create tailored messages that are targeted at specific audiences. In the same way, an owned media strategy lets you respond to events as they happen, helping your content remain timely and useful.

How to get it right

Identifying both your short-term and long-term objectives is critical to finding the right balance. Ensuring you find an equilibrium between long-term brand building and short-term activation will enable your finance brand to create a sustainable marketing strategy that’s successful in generating, nurturing and converting leads. Overall, paid media strategies are overall more effective when supported by both owned and earned marketing campaigns.

“Finance brands can strike a balance between paid, earned and owned media by utilising all areas equally over a period of time.” asserts Tara. “Paid media will reach a large audience quickly, encouraging brand awareness on a larger scale. Earned media comes from recommendations, building credibility and trust which can help reach multiple potential customers. Finally, owned media allows brands to directly control their branding and messaging.”

How to measure the effectiveness of your media strategy

An important part of any marketing strategy is ensuring you are measuring it correctly to identify what’s working and what’s not. There are several things your finance brand can implement and analyse to understand if you’ve achieved a good balance between all three media strategies.

As Tara says, “Measurement of granular data and KPIs, analysis and goal attribution are key to achieving an ideal balance for finance brands.”

Paid media can retarget audiences, it’s easy to measure, and when used in conjunction with earned and owned media, can be more successful.”

Overall, striking the right balance between all three strategies can be difficult, but once achieved can make a huge difference in your overall marketing success.

The post How to balance a paid, earned and owned media strategy appeared first on Financial Marketer.

Ads retargeting: your finance brand’s secret weapon

Targeted and specific, ads retargeting is overall a successful acquisition strategy for finance brands when executed right. In fact, retargeted ads have 10x higher conversion rates than display ads. This is because retargeted ads are much better at identifying consumers that have buying intent from the get-go.

Other reasons why ads retargeting should be a part of your overall financial marketing strategy include:

• 91% of marketers who have used retargeting have found it to perform the same as or better than search, email, or other display ads.
• The click-through rate (CTR) of a retargeted ad is 10x higher than the CTR of a typical display ad.
• 3 out of 5 online viewers notice and consider ads showing products they viewed from another page.
• Website visitors who are retargeted are 43% more likely to be converted.
• 25% of online viewers enjoy seeing retargeted ads.

How your finance brand can nail retargeting

Nailing ads retargeting is all about thinking strategically about the message that is served to users who have visited your website.

Three tips for finance brands to help nail ad retargeting:

• Be relevant – Ensure your advertising material is targeted to your audience and provides helpful information that’s tailored to their needs.
• Segment your audience – Select a specific market segment that aligns with your finance brand’s strategic marketing goals, whether that be acquisition or brand awareness.
• Employ personalisation strategies – Make sure your ads are tied to what the user was browsing on your site, such as a specific product or piece of content. For instance, if a user visits the ESG page on your website, you could serve ESG-related research and insights articles from your content hub or research centre.

How iOS 14.5 has changed ads retargeting strategies

Apple’s newest version of iOS has altered retargeting strategies significantly. This new update has introduced mandatory permission users have to grant to apps and websites to use their personal data. Whereas previously, apps and websites could access this personal data much easier. Owing to these changes, the size of your retargeting audience may decrease and you’ll no longer be able to target users who have denied personal data access via their iOS device.

What changes do you need to make to your finance brand’s ads retargeting strategy:

• Reduce your retargeting of mobile users by device and operating type
• Employ geotargeted advertising strategies
• Utilise other retargeting strategies that don’t rely on device identification such as email retargeting

At the end of the day, ads retargeting is a great method of improving brand awareness and converting clients. By delivering relevant and personalised ads after a client has viewed your site or social media, you are able to effectively nurture leads.

The post How to nail retargeting ads appeared first on Financial Marketer.