Financial Services Inbound Marketing – How to Get Results

Financial services professionals are always on the lookout for innovative marketing tactics to bring in more clientele. To set themselves apart, they have to think outside the box to create interest in their target audience. This is where financial services inbound marketing comes in because it is a fresher and more innovative way of bringing in new clients. 

Why Should You Use Inbound Marketing for Financial Services?

When it comes to marketing, inbound marketing is the preferred option for financial services companies because it is cost-effective and brings loyal customers. It also  costs 62% less than traditional marketing. 

Inbound marketing is a personalized, digital approach to presenting financial products to a specific audience. Since it is personalized, it will demand time and effort from the marketing team but it is very effective. The main secret of inbound marketing is strategically placing the digital information in front of the people who are looking for them. This results in effective lead generation and increased interest in your target audience. 

Once the leads are qualified and turned into customers, this will lead to an increased return of investment and positive conversion rates. 

Most customers nowadays are sophisticated and tend to do their research before pulling the trigger on purchasing a product or service. The customer experience is better with inbound marketing compared to outbound marketing because the customer is still in control of their journey by opting in and expressing interest to obtain more information. 

Top 10 Ways to Implement Inbound Marketing for Financial Services

There are many different ways that you can implement a financial services inbound marketing campaign. Choosing your preferred approach is dependent on who your audience is and what you want to achieve. The top ten financial services inbound marketing example that you can implement are:

1. Paid Advertising
2. Social Media Interactions
3. Content Marketing
4. Email Marketing
5. Whitepapers
6. Search Engine Optimization
7. Webinars
8. Ebooks
9. Podcasts
10. Case Studies

1. Paid Advertising

Paid advertising through search engines or social media are ads that will appear once specific keywords are searched or targeted to select individuals. This targeted approach is much better than a generic ad that everyone sees because the searcher wants to see this result. 

These ads will enable your company to narrow down the specific demographic that you want to market to. Paid ads can also be in a form of an infographic that is eye-catching and will lead your users to act on it. People already read a lot online so posting a graphic instead of more words will set your company apart. 

2. Social Media interactions

Financial services inbound marketing can also be implemented through a very active social media channel where customers can interact and converse with your company as needed. This means that you will have to assign a social media person or department to constantly monitor the chats or messages that come in every day. 

Prompt replies are important especially in the social media setting because everything is instant. This also sends a message that your company is serious about its clients. It is alarming to note that only 1 of 8 social media messages to brands are being responded to within three days. 

Social media is being used not just for socialization but for business purposes as well. 61% of financial professionals with a social profile use it once a week for their business. 

3. Content Marketing

Online content marketing can be blogs that are found on your company’s website. These are more informational posts rather than selling products. Customers can read these blog posts to gain more knowledge about specific topics. 

Blogs should be full of information. It should also be constantly updated with fresh content and current events examples so that people can relate to it. Another common thing that website owners place in their blogs is a comment function at the end of the blog. This is a great way to generate a discussion and for your users to interact with each other. 

With each comment, make sure that you are following up with a reaction or an answer if the post was a question. This ensures the online community that you value them and you are available for any questions that they might have. 

4. Email Marketing

Emailing your contact list is a great way to keep track of them and keep them engaged with your company. You have to be careful of how many emails you are sending to people. Too many emails can result in a negative impact while too few emails will result in a lower engagement rate. 

Striking the balance and creating a happy medium with the frequency of e-mails is key to an effective email inbound marketing campaign. The best way to manage this is to create scheduled drip emails that are sent out automatically to your client base. This provides a sense of consistency and reminds customers that you are still around. 

5. Whitepapers

A whitepaper is known as an industry guide taken from experts’ viewpoints. Compared to a blog post, a whitepaper is considered more formal and scholarly. People who are interested in reading your whitepaper are usually well-versed in the financial services sector and they are expecting a higher and more in-depth level of knowledge. 

You might think how can a whitepaper lead to financial services inbound marketing. Simple. In exchange for downloading your whitepaper, you can ask for basic contact information like name and email address so that you can add them to your email campaign list. 

6. Search Engine Optimization

SEO is the most popular way of getting your brand out there. This enables your content to be more visible in search engine search results which can increase brand awareness and visibility. With organic search results, your website will be on the first page which will lead your potential customers straight to it effectively. You can optimize the results with specific keywords and once the users search these keywords, they will be led to your website easily. 

7. Webinars

Webinars are crucial with financial services companies because financial information can be complex and takes lengthy explanations to fully explain. Instead of reading a long article full of words, financial services professionals have turned to webinars to explain financial concepts.

Webinars are much more interactive and can hold people’s interest longer compared to a blog post or article. Make your webinars shareable so that users can share or post them on their social media sites for increased exposure. 

Similar to a lecture, you can incorporate your personality and make it fun for your learners to get to know you and the topic that you are talking about. The human element truly shines in webinars so you should keep it engaging and relatable. 

8. eBooks

eBooks are a great tool for inbound marketing because the people who are downloading your eBook are people who are interested in what you have to say and what you are offering. Similar to the whitepaper, eBooks are seen as reference materials about a specific topic. 

These are usually free of charge and can be downloaded easily in exchange for the user’s contact information. If you decide to publish eBooks as part of your marketing strategy you should keep in mind that you are writing a book and this will take time and effort to finish. 

9. Podcasts

Podcasts are gaining popularity by the minute and are seeing increased numbers of listeners year over year. Similar to webinars, podcasts can be used for financial services inbound marketing. The main selling point with podcasts is that they are highly relatable and the human effect makes it more engaging as opposed to reading an eBook or a whitepaper.

You don’t have to have a fancy studio to produce your podcast. As long as you have a mic, a recording device, and a way to upload it, you are good to go. You can also invite industry or product experts to your podcast and turn it into an interview or discussion. 

10. Case Studies

A case study is a real-life example or application of your practices that people can relate to. Having a case study will deepen your customer’s understanding of your products and services. In the world of marketing, case studies are seen as providing buyers with context to determine if they are making a good choice. 

They can be used in inbound marketing by establishing proof that the products that you are offering are valuable. Incorporating case studies in your website is a great way to introduce this idea to your audience and some companies also have them featured on their homepage where they can highlight customers’ testimonials. You can also link them in your call-to-action to further illustrate your point. 

Conclusion

When it comes to marketing in the modern world, financial services inbound marketing is a great tool that will enable you to get quality customers and create personalized experiences for them to ensure loyalty. Since inbound marketing is digital, you will have the capability to reach a wider audience and obtain success for your company.

Mediaboom is a premier online marketing service provider that can help you implement inbound marketing for financial services. What sets our company apart is that we don’t recommend a one-size-fits-all solution for everybody. We get to know your company and your brand. Then, we can pinpoint what sets you apart from other companies. Contact Mediaboom today and get to know how we can help your company be successful.