Whether you’re a freelance writer who recently took on a finance-based client or you manage a financial firm and have been charged with taking care of the blog, one thing is certain: Content marketing in such a technical niche can be a challenge. As content marketing continues to evolve, the rules of marketing have shifted. This type of marketing needs to be engaging, half entertaining and half informative, tell a story, and also play nice by the latest search engine optimization (SEO) rules. Without partnering with a Geelong SEO expert or someone who really understands the different elements that make a website rank on Google, it can be almost impossible to reach your target audience through Google search. In other words, it’s like being tasked to find a glittery unicorn in Manhattan.

The good news is that when taken from the right angle, financial news and information is actually naturally rich with stories. Take retirement planning for example, which is something everyone should be focusing on regardless of their age. There are plenty of options to share stories from retirees, tap into the fears and hopes that everyone has about their golden years, and offer insights from a variety of perspectives. Finances can be naturally exciting if you use the right angle.

For content marketing and finance, here are a few rules to abide by:

1. Keyword variants are your friends

SEO is highly reliant on relevant keywords, and those can change on a daily basis. Try using Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool to find the latest keywords related to your industry. Simply type in something like “401(K) planning” and you’ll get a list of related keywords and phrases that people are also searching for along with it. It will help bolster your rankings and more your content (and website) up the search engine results.

2. Never pitch

Consumers can sniff out a hard sell or pitch better than you think. In fact, this is one of the old marketing techniques Wix encourages everyone to ditch in the digital era. There was a time and place for these kinds of tactics, but it’s not with content marketing and it’s not online. Your content marketing should follow the rules of native advertising and appear at all times like it’s meant to serve your customers. You can still include a call to action at the end, but make it seem like a supplement (not the point of the whole piece).

3. Less is more

Nobody has time or energy to read a lengthy post about anything, much less something as stressful as finances. The UK’s Independent recently reported that there are now more smartphones than people in the world, so it’s clear the mobile readiness movement has arrived. Keep in mind that your readers are probably scrolling through news feeds while waiting in line for coffee or sitting on a bus. Embrace white space, keep paragraphs short, and remove any fluff. Your content marketing should be easy to digest.

4. Link well

Authority outbound and inbound links aren’t just helpful to your consumers, but they’re another critical aspect of SEO. You’re in total control of any links you provide in your content marketing, but make sure they’re either to internal pages of your own site(s) or to complementary sites (not direct competitors). Remember that links push people away from the content they’re on, so it should ultimately work in your favor.

5. Share, share, share

You can’t just create the content and walk away from it. You need to make it shareable with easy to spot buttons (like “Share on Facebook”) but also share it yourself. Post your content on your social media presence, in e-newsletters and the like.

It’s content plus marketing, not just one or the other. When married together well, it can be a great way to drive your business.

Categories: General