If your brand suddenly vanished, would any of your customers really care? This is the existential question that Havas Media Group asked tens of thousands of consumers in a 2021 study. If the question itself seems dark, the answer is darker. Consumers feel that 75% of the world’s brands could vanish tomorrow and life would go on unimpeded. If you’re feeling a twinge of dread, it’s probably warranted because the study concluded that consumers had entered the Age of Cynicism.
At first glance, it does seem like consumers are growing more cynical. But examine the results of the Havas study more closely and it’s clear that there’s more to the story than disappearing brands and brooding consumers. The study also found that consumers are starving for brands that truly make a difference — ones they can trust.
Trust is a difficult thing to earn, and it’s easy to lose — for finance brands especially. But this makes it that much more important to stand out from the competition with content that provides real value and builds a foundation of undeniable credibility.
And it all starts with a copywriter. A finance copywriter, to be exact.
Financial Copywriting, Defined
A financial copywriter is one that specializes in writing engaging content, advertising and other forms of text media for finance products, services, institutions and brands. The intent is to communicate complex financial subjects through clear, engaging content that audiences easily understand. This content educates, engages and persuades audiences by providing them with valuable information and insights on topics of finance.
There are different types of financial copywriting with varying goals. For example, in writing copy for a brochure or white paper covering a specific financial product, a copywriter focuses on selling and persuasion by providing clear, in-depth information about the product while highlighting its benefits.
Meanwhile, on the web, finance copywriters often write content for brand publications. The goal is to build trust with an audience through educational and informational content that provides value to readers.
The Difference Between Financial Copywriting and Other Types of Copywriting
Financial copywriting and other copywriting services share some similarities in that both are forms of persuasive writing aimed at communicating a specific message to a target audience. Which is to say, both are aimed at achieving a specific goal, whether that goal is brand awareness or a specific action.
Copywriting in general requires clarity of thought and an engaging style that keeps people reading. It relies on voice and tone to capture attention and storytelling to hold this focus.
Why Financial Copywriting Requires Experience
Financial content is difficult to write well. It’s hard to write warmly when you’re talking about risk profiles or macroeconomics. It takes a good amount of skill and practice to translate statistics and complexity into human language that lands with an audience.
Half of the equation comes from writing talent. Great copywriters can reduce an intimidating topic into its constituent parts without diluting the details. And they can infuse these parts with crackling energy that ignites engagement. This ability is the essence of great writing, and in domains like tech and finance, it’s a must.
The other half is the requisite knowledge and expertise to write about complex financial concepts. This usually comes from some combination of hands-on industry experience and a degree in finance or economics.
Put simply, a great financial copywriter is comfortable writing about:
- Banks and credit unions: Internal processes, operations and the regulations associated with these institutions
- Brokerages: How they work, the services they provide and investment opportunities along with the associated risks and benefits
- Financial services: Economics, investments, risk profiles, money management and legislation
Finance is a vast industry, and many writers specialize. A traditional finance copywriter might not be well acquainted with fintech concepts such as blockchain tech and cryptocurrencies.
The bottom line is that success doesn’t only come from good writing — it’s good writing with a deep well of knowledge beneath it that provides valuable insights, builds trust and fosters lasting relationships with an audience.
The Risk of Inaccuracies in Finance Copywriting
Factually inaccurate copywriting is costly on several fronts. First off, if you’re giving your audience advice that leads to poor personal financial results, it tarnishes your brand’s reputation. And a brand is nothing if not its reputation. On top of this, there are regulatory concerns.
If you work in finance, you’re probably familiar with organizations like FINRA. What you might not know is that content produced for your brand’s blog has the same strict requirements as a letter sent to a customer. In other words, unless you like incurring big fines for your business, you need a good finance copywriter.
Google’s E-A-T
Beyond existential marketing and expensive regulatory concerns, bad finance copywriting can cripple your brand’s web presence. When Google and other search engines discover low-quality content on a site, they penalize these sites, burying them in search rankings.
Thankfully, Google is perfectly clear on what it deems low quality. Its standard for evaluating content is referred to as E-A-T. As part of the search giant’s ranking algorithm, E-A-T measures a site’s:
- Expertise. Industry-specific content should be authored by industry experts with the appropriate skills and knowledge.
- Authority. Websites should be reliable information sources, with a reputation for informational accuracy.
- Trustworthiness. Websites should be honest and transparent, dedicated to avoiding any kind of misleading information.
It’s in Google’s best interest to provide quality content to those searching the web. Websites that adhere to E-A-T principles are rewarded with higher and higher rankings. Those that don’t are penalized.
Meanwhile, brands in finance are held to an even higher standard. Google uses a classification called Your Money or Your Life, which categorizes sites with the potential to impact a reader’s health or finances. Because the search giant considers these far more impactful than other sites, it penalizes them more severely for low-quality content.
The Bottom Line: You Need Subject Matter Experts
All things considered, it’s clear that there’s only one real option for any brand that wants to rise above this era of mistrust: subject matter expert.
Subject matter experts are those with specific industry expertise, which allows them to ensure complex industry topics are written with authority and deep insight.
Copywriters with financial expertise can craft informative and transparent content that best represents your brand while avoiding regulatory concerns and search penalties — and this translates into more value for your company and your audience.
Find the Best Finance SMEs at Crowd Content
If your brand needs financial content that delivers results, it needs copywriters with finance expertise. If you want to gain and retain your audience’s trust, consider Crowd Content’s team of expert freelance writers for your business’s content and copywriting. Our core team of subject matter experts across finance and tech has helped create millions of words worth of compelling prose for brands who want to build lasting authority. If you’re ready to ease the existentialist dread of audience apathy, get in touch with us today.
