You are in charge of an important marketing campaign at your financial firm. Perhaps you need to write the copy for a new client brochure, eBook or newsletter. There’s just one problem.
You have writer’s block.
At CreativeAdviser, we have been providing copywriting solutions to financial services for many years and know what this is like. After a while, it can feel like you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for topics for your blog, newsletter or other content platforms.
The good news is, there are lots of ways to punch through this creative quagmire and come up with something that you find interesting to write about, and your clients find compelling to read.
Here are some of the top tips from our financial copywriters about how to move your marketing forward when this happens…
#1 Practice Note-Taking
Granted, this will not solve your immediate problem of writer’s block if you have not been doing it already. Yet keeping a physical notepad (or electronic collection on your smartphone) and frequently writing ideas down can be a powerful way to prevent writer’s block in the future.
Many creative people often say that some of their best work – be it songs, drawings or poetry – often come to them when they are “out and about”. That’s because your subconscious is often mulling over different ideas as you perform menial tasks, such as washing up or picking up the kids from school.
When inspiration strikes in these moments, be ready to write your ideas down in a place where you will not lose or forget them. Do it immediately as well. If you put off writing it down, the chances are you will forget it later as your attention moves to other things.
#2 Follow the News
If you are not already following major news outlets – particularly those which focus on financial events – then you really need to start doing so. This can be a great source of inspiration for your marketing.
For instance, at the time of writing the UK news is currently pouring over Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal which she is soon bringing to Parliament, for a crucial vote on Britain’s future relationship with the EU. It could be that many of your clients are worried about which way the vote could go, and how all of this could affect their investment portfolios. If so, perhaps this is a great subject that you could write about for a newsletter update?
On the other hand, it might be that you already read the news, but you are still stuck for content inspiration. In which case, consider broadening your horizons. For instance, if you only ever really read The Telegraph and Financial Times then perhaps consider reading The Independent and The Guardian as well.
These newspapers will not only often bring a different perspective to the financial topics everyone is talking about. They will often focus on financial topics which other news outlets might have missed or neglected.
Perhaps you agree with much of the content from these news outlets which you do not often read. Or, perhaps you vehemently disagree. Regardless, widening your media consumption can be a great way to fuel inspiration for your own financial content marketing.
#3 Find Your “Creative Zone”
The environment you place yourself in is actually incredibly important when it comes to creating space for creative inspiration. The noise, sights and smells around you can either be invigorating and helpful, or irritating and distracting.
Everyone is different, so do not think that you necessarily have to lock yourself in a room with classical music if you honestly feel that will drive you crazy! It could be, for instance, that getting out of the office and working remotely in a peaceful, local coffee shop with your laptop is the perfect environment for you to focus on your financial marketing content.
Find what works for you, and do not be afraid to carve out the time and space that you need.
#4 Mine Your Experience
Think of what has gone on in your life over the past few days, weeks and months. Has anything interesting, inspiring or exciting happened to you or anyone you know?
For instance, perhaps you recently completed your first half-marathon. This in itself might provide an interesting human interest story for your company blog. However, you could possibly even take things further and talk about the lessons you learned from that experience (e.g. patience and perseverence) – and how these might apply to the service you provide to your clients.
This is not stretching things as much as you might think. In fact, quite often this type of content is the most original kind – because it is built upon YOUR unique experience. It is hard for a competitor to copy, for instance, cause all of this happened to you – not to them.
#5 Talk to People
Strong, personal relationships with clients are important in any industry. However, given the long-term client relationships involved in financial services, it is particularly important here.
Financial advisers tend to know this instinctively, as the role requires regular contact with clients. This might be to inform them about important developments in their investment portfolio or to reassure them in light of potentially-troubling financial news.
The benefit of regular contact with your clients is that this can provide a vital source of content ideas for your financial marketing. For example, are lots of them asking you questions about the Bank of England’s decision to raise interest rates? That could be a good topic to blog on, in that case!
Similarly, are lots of clients worried about how the outcome of an upcoming election might affect their investments? By addressing that concern with your content, you instantly tap into their pain-points and provide compelling value.
