The financial industry is highly competitive and heavily regulated, making effective marketing both essential and challenging. A financial services content marketing agency specialises in helping financial institutions create and distribute valuable content that drives business growth. But what exactly does that process look like? How does an agency navigate compliance concerns, establish thought leadership, and generate measurable ROI for its clients? To answer these questions, we sat down with Contentworks Agency Director Charlotte Day for a deep dive into the world of financial services marketing.
How does Contentworks Agency serve the finance sector?
Contentworks Agency specialises in delivering comprehensive content marketing solutions tailored for the financial sector, including banks, forex brokers, and fintech companies. Our services encompass strategic consulting, financial analysis, content creation, social media management, pay-per-click advertising, public relations, and reputation management. With a team of financial services writers, we produce compliant content that aligns with various industry regulations. Our deep understanding of the finance industry enables us to work seamlessly with internal marketing, compliance, and legal departments, providing fully managed content marketing solutions that drive engagement and growth.
Why is marketing important for financial services?
Marketing is important for all brands, and I can’t think of a sector that doesn’t lean into marketing in some way. However, marketing is crucial for financial services due to it being a highly competitive and rapidly evolving space. In the forex industry for example, there are 14.7 million active online traders. That sounds like a lot but there are also thousands of brokers fighting to target them. Given the complexity of financial products, effective marketing educates, simplifies decision-making, and demonstrates trust and reliability.
How can small finance brands compete on marketing?
We see a lot of finance/fintech startups with lower budgets looking in awe at established brands and wondering how they can compete. Like for like they can’t because established brands have sizeable budgets, resources, SEO traction and an existing audience following. Instead for small brands, we need to think strategically. Small to mid-size financial companies spend €10,000+ average a month on digital marketing. In terms of percentages, the industry standard is 7-10% of revenue spent on marketing.
Small financial brands and startups can compete with big brands by leveraging highly targeted content, less popular keyword targeting, uniquely creative digital marketing and alternative audience demographics and regions. Creativity also sets small finance brands apart as they may be less clogged down by processes and approvals that prohibit compelling and innovative campaigns.
How do financial marketers stay compliant with regulations?
Financial marketers must pay attention to the regulatory landscape to ensure all content remains compliant while still being engaging. At Contentworks Agency, we stay ahead of industry regulations by closely following global financial regulators, including:
- S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
- European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA – UK)
- Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
- Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)
To promote compliance, we produce monthly regulatory roundups that summarise key updates impacting forex, banking and payments. This allows our clients to stay informed and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly. Additionally, we actively attend financial events, keeping us connected with regulatory changes, industry discussions, and best practices. By staying ahead of compliance requirements, we can create powerful content while avoiding legal risks and penalties.
What are the key compliance challenges in financial marketing?
There are inherent challenges associated with financial marketing which is why financial brands do choose a financial services content marketing agency. Challenges include adhering to strict regulatory guidelines, ensuring transparency and accuracy, and balancing compliance with creativity. Regulators like the SEC, FCA, ESMA, and ASIC require financial promotions to be fair, clear, and not misleading, making it essential to avoid exaggerated claims or false promises. Data privacy laws, such as GDPR and CCPA, add another layer of complexity, requiring careful handling of customer information in marketing campaigns. Additionally, social media compliance means being mindful about posts, interactions and collaboration with influencers. Plus, social media platforms also have their own sets of guidelines and restrictions for finance brands to navigate. The challenges lie in publishing persuasive content while ensuring every piece meets regulatory standards.
How do you handle the compliance approval process?
At Contentworks Agency, we follow a structured process to ensure all financial content meets regulatory standards before publication. We send content in advance to compliance teams for review, allowing sufficient time for legal checks and necessary revisions. Every piece of content is tracked and documented, ensuring full transparency and an audit trail for regulatory purposes. For urgent, time-sensitive content, such as market updates or breaking financial news, we have fast-tracked procedures in place, working closely with compliance officers to expedite approvals. Our streamlined approach minimises delays while ensuring that all content remains compliant, professional, and aligned with financial industry standards.
Do your clients worry about their online reputation?
Yes, a lot of clients come to us with online reputation concerns. It could be that they have a negative online reputation caused by reviews, forums or bad PR. Or it could simply mean that they have no reputation at all because they are new or never invested in marketing. We assess each client and strategise accordingly because there is no one size fits all solution. We will monitor our clients’ online presence, track brand mentions, customer reviews, and social media conversations, allowing them to address potential reputation risks proactively. Then through SEO, content marketing, PR and thought leadership, we position positive content to bury negative news stories. In times of crisis or negative press, we also develop strategic responses, issue press releases, and engage in proactive public relations to minimise brand damage. In finance, reputation is your most valuable currency, vital for weathering market storms.
How can financial businesses build trust with their audiences?
Of course, it goes without saying that their business practices should be ethical. It’s hard to paper over huge cracks with PR otherwise! However, financial businesses can establish trust by producing well-researched, compliance-approved content that simplifies complex topics and provides real value to their audience. Thought leadership articles, whitepapers, and explainer videos position brands as industry experts, while transparent, honest communication fosters long-term relationships. Additionally, leveraging employee advocacy, customer testimonials, and case studies helps humanise financial brands and build emotional connections. Transparency is a grey area for many finance brands who strive to be transparent but also fail to get director level buy-in. In the age of AI we are seeing fake team photos, ChatGPT generated reviews and content which in the longterm does not inspire trust.
Why should finance brands hire a financial services marketing agency?
Brands should work with agencies that have an in-depth working knowledge of their sector. Ask me about governance in the pharmaceutical or food sectors and I couldn’t tell you. But we know the financial services arena very well and closely follow key updates. In the financial space it’s understanding jargon and terminology, compliance, processes, regulators and market moves. Additionally, it’s having a solid understanding of an investor or trader psyche, how to market effectively to them and how to bring creativity to different regions. For the client this means minimal time explaining things because we just get it. And in the fast moving world of finance, that’s key.
At Contentworks Agency, we specialise in financial services marketing from forex and banking through to fintech, insurance and payments. We stay ahead of global financial regulations, ensuring all content is compelling and fully compliant. Book a free Zoom call with our team.
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