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One might argue that the industry best suited for content marketing is the financial and banking industry. After all, people are frequently looking for information about money and what to do with it. They want to know how to pay down their debts, save for the future, and reach their financial goals. So, how does a bank provide that information to consumers and stand out from the competition? With bank content marketing, that’s how. Banks and financial institutions use content marketing to develop trust-filled relationships with their customers.

Bank Content Marketing 101

Many people hear the phrase “content marketing” and immediately think “blog.” But there’s more to content marketing than blogging. In fact, the earliest forms of content marketing pre-date the internet and the concept of blogs.

There are a few additional reasons why content marketing is more than just blogging. For one thing, a blog is an example of content. You can produce a post for a blog. But, if you aren’t doing anything to promote it, you’re not using content marketing.

Bank Content Marketing Strategy

A key part of bank content marketing is strategy — the “how” and “why” behind your content marketing campaign. You’re creating a blog, podcasts, videos, or other pieces of content. But how will you get them out into the world? What do you hope to have happen after people get their hands on your content? These are two of the big questions bank content marketers need to answer.

Understanding and identifying your audience is another crucial component of bank content marketing. Who does your bank want to reach with its content? Your audience doesn’t have to be the same for every piece of content, but every piece of content should be created with a specific audience member in mind.

One last component of bank content marketing is measurement. How do you know if you’re reaching your goals, or if your content is working out? You need to track it. Pay attention to how many people are reading or viewing the content you produce. Then make note of what they do next. Do they open an account with your bank, or get in touch to learn more? Or are people clicking away from the page without taking any positive action?

Tracking responses to your content can help you see where things might have gone off of the rails, and help you make adjustments for the future.

Benefits of Bank Content Marketing

Beyond inviting people to check out your financial institution’s services and providing people with information they need, why should your bank embrace content marketing? The answer is trust. In an era of fake news and misinformation, establishing trust with your consumers is key.

Trust is of particular importance to banks and financial institutions, as they are the institutions people are most likely to be uncertain about. According to the 2018 Edelman Global Trust Barometer, the financial services industry was the least trusted of all business industries.

When a bank produces informative and useful content, it’s able to build a relationship with consumers, and leverage that relationship to improve its reputation and standing in the eyes of the public.

Examples of Bank Content Marketing

Bank content marketing can take many forms, from content hubs full of videos and informative articles to online courses that explain financial concepts to people. What matters most is that a bank does something to differentiate its content from the rest, and that the content provides a real value to consumers.

Take a look at a few successful examples of bank content marketing, and learn from some of the best.

Ally Bank Content Marketing

Ally Bank

Ally Bank is a completely online bank that’s made a name for itself through “disruptor” strategies. The bank has a reputation for coming up with creative ways to get people to think long and hard about their money. One example was a game called Ally Big Save, which only worked during the commercials of the NFL big championship game. In the midst of the football game, Ally’s app was downloaded 65,000 times, and more than a million people visited the game’s microsite.

Ally hasn’t stopped content marketing after the big football game. The bank has set up a “learn” section on its website that links to informative money-related articles. It also has a series of financial courses, called Wallet Wise, that walk people through the steps of making better money choices and building better money habits.

Bank of America Bank Content Marketing Example

Bank of America Better Money Habits

Bank of America has partnered with Khan Academy, a non-profit organization, to help educate the public about money and finances. The Better Money Habits hub is divided into three sections. The first lets people choose content based on their goals, the second lets them choose content based on their stage in life, and the third features content from Khan Academy.

Santander Bank Content Marketing Examples

Santander Bank Prosper and Thrive

Santander Bank’s Prosper and Thrive looks like a glossy magazine, except that it’s entirely digital. The content hub is aimed at millennials — specifically people just getting started financially who might have a lot of questions when it comes to money. Sample articles on the site include tips on building a wardrobe on a budget, and tips for buying a home for the first time.

During the first year after its launch, Prosper and Thrive proved successful. More than one million people visited the site, leading to more than 1,000 email newsletter sign-ups and 200,000 engagements on social media.

How Your Bank Can Get Started With Content Marketing

If reading about banks that have successfully used content marketing has inspired you to give it a try, what are the next steps you should take?

Set a Goal

First things first, it’s important have a goal in mind. What do you hope to gain from content marketing? Do you want to attract new customers, have people open new accounts with your bank, or something else?

Research Your Audience

Next, do some research and learn more about your target audience. What are their goals? What do they already know about banks and personal finances? At this stage, it’s also helpful to take a look around at the competition and see what they are doing. You don’t want to copy your competition, but you do want to produce content that’s much better and much more useful.

Find a Partner

Now come the logistics. Who are you going to hire to create the content and handle all the other aspects of content marketing? You can put together an in-house team, or you can outsource your content marketing to an agency or marketplace.

Start Production

Finally, it’s time to produce and publish your content, and then track its performance. Did your content marketing exceed expectations, or is it not performing as well as you had hoped? In either case, you can go back and make adjustments based on your results.

Even if people don’t automatically open an account with your financial institution after coming across your content, you’re still paving the way for a long-lasting, trust-filled relationship.