BlogDigital Marketing / Inbound Marketing

The Challenges and Solutions of Financial Marketing

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A term that is of late creating a buzz in the market is FinTech. Well, if you are a financial services provider using technology to make your services more efficient, then you are a FinTech company. If not, it is time for you to start using digital marketing at your…

A term that is of late creating a buzz in the market is FinTech. Well, if you are a financial services provider using technology to make your services more efficient, then you are a FinTech company. If not, it is time for you to start using digital marketing at your disposal to market your financial services to your target audience most efficiently and effectively. While digital marketing is changing the way different industries market their products and services, it is yet to transform the finance industry. However, with the advancing internet technology and the evolving digital world, digital marketing has been taking over traditional marketing in a big way. Financial marketers must realise that it is time to exploit this marketing technique and optimally utilise it to market their products and services to their target audience. With financial marketers worldwide talking about the various techniques they can use to market their products and services digitally, they also need to know about the multiple challenges faced and how to overcome them.

1. Gaining and retaining customer trust

Our customers are whom we are working for. Therefore, it is vital to keep customers at the centre of all your digital marketing practices and strategies. Customer satisfaction is of primary importance when it comes to digital marketing because if you are not able to, your competitors will take over your customers in no time. The finance industry has been facing a lot of competition due to the evolution of the digital landscape and internet has made it easy to access information anytime and anywhere. Therefore, financial services providers must focus on reaching out to the consumers where they are readily available.

2. Rise of digital wallets

The rising use of online wallets like Paytm, MobiKwik, FreeCharge and alike, consumers are shifting from using the offline and online services provided by banks to using these mobile wallet applications for making payments or any financial transactions. It is because of the easy usability and data security that is provided by these apps that the consumers prefer using them over the net banking facilities offered by banking institutions. Therefore, banking institutions must work towards improving their consumers' digital experiences by providing more user-friendly and enhanced versions of net banking and mobile application services in order to compete with these online wallet services.

3. Build the ‘best-fit' strategy

Going digital is not an easy task for any financial marketer. It requires a lot of planning, strategising and proper implementation of the digital marketing plans. Marketers need to experiment with the different strategies to derive the best one to meet their business requirements and attract their target audience to generate qualified leads and increase the customer conversion rate. Investing time in devising the best marketing strategy for your business will surely be time-consuming, but the results produced will leave you soaring profits higher than ever.

4. Online competition

The digital world, as we all know, is the virtual world that works on the power of the internet and is infinite, making it a perfectly competitive marketplace. Brands worldwide are facing online competition and striving to attract the consumers' attention to buy their products and services. The online market provides the users with a number of options implying that your website must be responsive and attractive enough to engage the customer and not let them bounce over to the competitor website. The challenges faced by marketers in the digital world can be converted into opportunities if the devised strategies and marketing plans are implemented correctly. If executed efficiently and effectively, digital marketing is not only cost-effective but also yields higher returns thereby increasing ROI and driving revenue and growth. The question is how to overcome these challenges and convert them into opportunities. Let us see how.

5. Responsive design

Your website design should not only be responsive to desktops or personal computers but should also be mobile responsive. This is owing to the technology becoming readily available to the consumer and easy access to everything that is available online. Therefore, your website should be mobile responsive as well given the fact that more than 50% of the consumers access information online and a bad or time-consuming experience will leave them with no other option than to jump to the competitor website.

6. Customer segmentation

With marketing automation software like HubSpot, it has become relatively easier for marketers to segment customer data based on their age, gender, demographics, interests, needs and other such information. The large amounts of data that brands collect regarding their prospects and customers must be utilised to provide them with customised information. Data segmentation and personalised communications with consumers will not only benefit the marketers by generating quality leads and increasing customer conversion but, will also keep your customers retained and build trust in them.

7. Intuitive navigation

It is true that if your website is not easily navigable and your customer is not able to easily search through your website, they are bound to move to your competitors. Therefore, when you consider revamping your website, you should add a ‘Search Box' to enable easy search options for your customers. Moreover, you should make your website navigation intuitive to provide enhanced user experiences. 8. Create awareness and educate customers It is imperative for financial services providers to create awareness by providing detailed product information amongst the consumers since finance is a field that requires knowledge and guidance every time a consumer wants to avail financial products or services. Additionally, marketers must include more content on educating the consumers with information on general topics and trends in the finance industry that can help them in managing their funds and earning returns on their savings and investments.

9. Engaging content

Your website must not contain content only in the form of blogs or textual product information, but it should be a mix of multimedia content like images, graphics, infographics, videos and others, to keep the users engaged. When information displayed is visually appealing, consumers tend to surf more on the same platform than shift to the others. Additionally, all your content should be backed by SEO techniques and should be filled with potential keywords that can help you rank on the Google SERPs.

10. Measure and analyse

Your efforts will be in vain if you are not able to measure the results of your performance and analyse them to improve and perform better. Therefore, it is essential to measure your performance regularly and analyse it to advance and grow constantly. Financial marketers are faced with many challenges, but by using the right tools and techniques to convert these challenges into opportunities, they can take advantage of the constant technological advancements. Also, with the rise in consumers using technology and smart devices to search and access information, it is imperative for financial institutions to go digital and use the platform to its maximum potential.

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    BlogTechnology

    Steps to Building Compelling B2B Website – Your Online Lead Generation Machine

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    A website that is a mere collection of information will not attract your target audience to do business with you. It should be informative and educational, which is why marketers must start restructuring their website and convert it into a lead generation machine. The primary objective of a lead generation…

    A website that is a mere collection of information will not attract your target audience to do business with you. It should be informative and educational, which is why marketers must start restructuring their website and convert it into a lead generation machine. The primary objective of a lead generation website is to convert visitors into potential customers, which is possible only if you target visitors who are genuinely interested in your offering. Turning your website into a lead generation machine using the inbound methodology is indeed a worthwhile investment for every business to reach out to their target audience in the most cost-effective manner. Building a compelling B2B website is not a day’s task. It requires proper planning and strategising to create a website that can efficiently convert your visitors into qualified prospects and in turn, customers. Therefore, while it is important to revamp your website, it is also essential to do it strategically and in an organised manner.

    1. Use content wisely

    Content is the king! The age-old phrase still prevails and is essential for every business to use it effectively when building their B2B website. Content is the root of everything that is visible online, be it text, images or videos, everything is content. Therefore, it is imperative for every website to have a lot of informative and educational content to attract visitors to your website and educate them. It is said that an 80:20 ratio is perfect, 80% content should be for your target audience while 20% should be for promotional purposes. It is not hidden that Google searches you through your content, which means more the content, higher will be your chances of ranking on the Google SERPs.

    2. Exploit your SEO strength

    Every content piece should be backed by SEO-friendly keywords to increase your search possibilities and rankings on the Google SERPs. Therefore, it is essential to perform keyword analysis and identify the potential keywords on which your web pages can rank. Once your keyword list is prepared, the next step is keyword placement and keyword quantity to improve your SEO performance and rank your web pages. Title Tags: The title tag for every web page should be unique and should contain the targeted keywords. Meta Description Tags: It is the information that appears on the Google SERPs just below your page link. A user will click on your link or not entirely depends on the information you provide in this section. Therefore, make it SEO-friendly and compelling enough to lure the visitor to click on your link. Header Content: The headlines in your page content should also contain the relevant keywords. Body Content: The body of your content can contain long-tail keywords, which is why you should insert appropriate keywords to provide information about your brand.

    3. Blogging

    Blogging is the best way to publish a vast amount of content on your website and increase your ability to cover potential search phrases and target keywords to attract traffic. It additionally allows you to produce informative and valuable content for your target audience to entice them with engaging and persuasive content. Blogging helps businesses convert their website into a lead generating machine because of the enormous amount of content that is posted online to increase search volume. Every blog can be interlinked to other blogs to improve page authority and ensure higher search possibilities. Additionally, marketers should attach a CTA to every page to create a chain that the user can follow instead of getting lost in the way.

    4. Calls-to-Action

    Every page of your website should be accompanied by a Call-to-Action or CTA. It is a clickable link that prompts the visitor to take the required action on the particular page. Following a CTA should be a landing page, which should contain an easy-to-fill application form to allow the potential prospect to fill in their information if they wish to deal with you. It is essential to add the right CTAs at the right place so that the user can follow a path and turn into becoming your customer if they so desire.

    5. Use Relevant Tools and Technology

    Your website should not just be a bundle of information put together. It should also contain appropriate tools like a search navigation box, a live chat window, and detailed contact information. Additionally, every business willing to transform their website into a lead generation machine must make efficient use of a content management system, account-based marketing software, marketing automation tools like HubSpot, and other such tools that can be used to build your website.

    6. Focus on high-quality traffic

    When you are building a lead generation website, it is essential to focus on the quality of leads that you generate. It is because the focus on website traffic and conversion is essential and not all traffic will qualify the set standards. Therefore, identify and define the most valuable sources of traffic and improvise those pages to generate more qualified traffic and hence, qualified leads. Therefore, following these steps will undoubtedly facilitate your website transformation into an online lead generation machine. All you need to do is strategise and plan your website redesign process and use the relevant tools and technologies to build your new website. Follow the growth-driven design and see the creation of a user-friendly and technologically advanced website that is ready to face the competition and attract the right leads in the right way at the right time.

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      #ARM’s Journey to Becoming a Silver-Tier Partner

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      Like every success story that you might have heard, this one also started with a man and an idea about something new that he wanted to explore. Ritesh Singh, the Managing Director and co-founder of #ARM Worldwide, a digital marketing enthusiast, and a keen reader, had been reading a lot…

      Like every success story that you might have heard, this one also started with a man and an idea about something new that he wanted to explore. Ritesh Singh, the Managing Director and co-founder of #ARM Worldwide, a digital marketing enthusiast, and a keen reader, had been reading a lot about HubSpot and inbound marketing during those days. It so happened in one of those discussions that took place regularly with his business coach that he decided to partner with HubSpot and start inbound marketing. With all the plans in mind, he started to set up his inbound team and hired the necessary resources needed for the smooth on-boarding of the HubSpot marketing software. However, as they say, good things take time. It took around two months to build a team that was ready to use HubSpot and implement inbound marketing. In no time, the entire team was ARMed with HubSpot certification and Inbound certification because they also say that great things happen in the blink of an eye. #ARM was now a team of 50+ HubSpot certified professionals. This journey of #ARM from a HubSpot user to becoming a Silver-tier partner has not been easy. It has been full of hurdles and obstacles. However, with the combined efforts of the team and Ritesh as the guiding force behind bringing all efforts to life, #ARM has become the first agency in India to become a HubSpot Silver-tier partner in a short span of nine months. Let us take you through this beautiful and fruitful journey! It all started nine months back, in May 2017, with an all-new team ready to explore the world of inbound marketing and use HubSpot to automate its marketing efforts and reach its target audience most efficiently and cost-effectively. The first step was to give the website a complete overhaul. It was done using the HubSpot Growth-Driven Design methodology, which follows a strategic approach towards redesigning a website by launching the highest value web pages first and gradually building the site later so that it is minimal or no loss of valuable customers. After that, #ARM worked on creating a new content strategy for its website and social media platforms that included a content makeover for:
      • Website pages
      • Blogs
      • Social media platforms
      The idea was to create content around the different buyer personas and to help them during all the stages of their buying journey. How? By identifying and addressing their pain points and solving their problems through insightful and informative content. It was done using the inbound approach to attract the target audience, convert them from site visitors to leads and close them by compelling them to become customers by providing solutions to their problems. These customers, when appropriately nurtured using the inbound strategy, can become brand promoters at a later stage. #ARM also worked on social media profile optimisation to reach its target audience where they are most active. The fact that any content creation and publishing activity is incomplete without the intervention of SEO is well-known to #ARM. Therefore, the team at #ARM diligently worked on SEO content optimisation, and all the SEO techniques were religiously followed to optimise the site and social media content from SEO perspective. In the first three months of becoming a HubSpot user, i.e. from May to July 2017, #ARM worked on prospecting its target audience through informative and personalised content pieces like newsletters, emails, etc., to educate them about inbound marketing and the HubSpot Marketing Automation tool. #ARM also realised the need for Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) for its website. CRO is the process of increasing the percentage of visitors to a website that can convert into customers or take the required action on a particular web page (Calls-To-Action or CTAs).

      It was done:

      • By creating persuasive Calls-To-Action (CTAs)
      • By creating compelling landing pages
      • Be generating efficient lead flows, commonly called as pop-ups
      • By using HubSpot to amplify lead conversion

      Achievements:

      There was an enormous increase in the website traffic, which when quantified, showed a growth rate of 400%. The leads captured from these inbound efforts increased by 15 times.

      Conclusion:

      The result of these efforts taken by #ARM Worldwide could now be seen in the entire team that was well-versed with the HubSpot software and had learned the inbound methodology. They had worked together to create a website that was ready to reach out to its target audience with relevant and informative content to spread awareness about inbound marketing and HubSpot – the marketing tool and in turn, generate leads.

      August – October 2017

      Now, the firm foundation of a HubSpot certified inbound marketing team had been laid successfully, and the next target was to generate leads, achieve growth and capture the domestic, as well as the global market. One of the significant events that took place in this phase was ‘Inbound’17’, which is an annual event hosted by HubSpot in the US. Ritesh sought this as an opportunity to learn more about inbound and HubSpot software and how they can be integrated to drive growth. This also gave him an opportunity to strengthen his network by connecting with inbound marketers and HubSpot users from all around the world. It was a fantastic experience for him, and he came back with a bag full of new insights, new strategies and increased knowledge of HubSpot and the inbound methodology to drive growth and revenue and consequently, increase ROI. During this period, the results of the previous period were analysed using the HubSpot Comprehensive Analytics tool, basis which the strategies were redesigned with a revised approach to generate more leads, increase website traffic and convert both these to drive higher sales. Another major observation during this period was that our activities were targeting a mass audience. Therefore, we strengthened our inbound marketing strategy and diverted our activities towards targeting individual buyer personas and providing value to their individual needs by solving their pain points and helping them achieve personal goals. Accordingly, our blog activities and social media strategies were modified, and more targeted content offers like ebooks, blogs, whitepapers, etc., were created to nurture the leads generated. Also, our existing and new customers were nurtured by providing them with content offers customised to meet their interests and preferences and assist them in their buying journey. Personalised content offers were sent to them in the form of emails, newsletters, etc., to enlighten them and strengthen relationships, and in turn, drive them down the sales funnel. This was efficiently done using the HubSpot Workflow tool that helped in creating automated email drips and campaigns. Further, the efforts of the sales and marketing teams were integrated through the HubSpot tool, and these functions were aligned closely. The entire sales funnel, and the deals were set up using the HubSpot Sales tool and were monitored on a regular basis to measure results and improvements.

      Achievements:

      Effective lead nurturing led to customer acquisition and noticeable results were seen. During this period, #ARM also saw an increase in the sales and several customers were closed. To put it in numbers, the rise in website traffic was around 67 percent and leads generated mounted by about 35 times.

      November 2017 – January 2018

      Time had passed, and #ARM had now been efficiently using the combined power of HubSpot and Inbound marketing to generate leads and increase website traffic. While the website was already generating sufficient traffic, the focus of #ARM was moving towards improving the percentage of visitors to lead conversion. Moreover, the primary focus was to generate qualified leads and thus, increase overall ROI. This was done by analysing the activities of the previous period and the overall results generated. The results were mapped using the HubSpot data, and customised reports were made using the HubSpot Reporting tool by business metrics. During this period, #ARM decided to change the approach of targeting its audience using industry-wise data segmentation. The different target industries were identified, and content was created accordingly. The quantity of the content being produced and its frequency was reduced while focusing on creating content that was industry specific and catered to the needs and preferences of the target audience. For this, the Account-Based Marketing strategy was initiated, and content was created considering the different buyer persona, their interests, demographics and other factors. #ARM also leveraged the social media profiles of the top leaders by using their profiles to reach out to the target audience and harness the power of thought leadership to build relationships and in turn, communities with people sharing similar interests. Social selling, which includes salespersons using social media to directly interact with the prospective customers by providing valuable and informative content to solve consumer queries until they are ready to buy. #ARM started social selling using the HubSpot Social Publishing tool for targeting both the domestic and the international market. Additionally, the HubSpot Social Monitoring tool was used efficiently to create personalised and one-to-one engagement with the target audience. These social media marketing efforts taken by #ARM delivered tremendous results and aided in lead generation and sales growth. Moreover, the principal industries were identified that included the finance, education, Information Technology, healthcare and SaaS industries.

      Achievements:

      Noticeable results were seen from the international market as well, and the overall website traffic and leads from the same were generated leading to sales. To quantify, the website traffic increased by 26 percent and the leads generated were 80 times. As we can see, the percentage increase in the website traffic reduced but, the quality of leads had improved leading to a higher lead conversion rate. This can be said to be the result of an active inbound marketing strategy implementation.

      Conclusion:

      The most prominent achievement came in the form of #ARM Worldwide being awarded the title of HubSpot Silver-Tier Partner and in a time span of just nine months, which is the shortest time taken by any HubSpot partner firm. Additionally, #ARM Worldwide has now established an overseas presence by instituting a branch in Singapore to cater to its Singapore clients and drive sales. Domestically, #ARM is now present in 4 cities across India, with its headquarters in the National Capital Region. Moreover, #ARM is now a team of more than 90 HubSpot certified professionals. Their traffic is now growing more than ever, they are generating higher quality leads, and their marketing and sales functions are aligned. All these combined are driving efficiency, getting more customers and sales resulting in an overall increase in ROI. Adopting a marketing automation tool like HubSpot helped #ARM save time, efforts and resources to align and drive sales and marketing efforts efficiently. Also, the inbound marketing strategy was used efficiently to reach the target audience and produce valuable content to solve consumer problems and provide solutions through their services. #ARM Worldwide is growing, will grow and has set its target to become a HubSpot certified Gold Partner.
      Get Your FREE 30-day HubSpot Trial Right Now

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        BlogPR

        Digital PR: Guide to Generating Free Buzz for your Company

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        Public Relations, or PR, is a communication activity with which the company seeks to build a relationship with the public, which is mutually beneficial for both. The fact that it is entirely different from marketing makes it imperative for every brand to give equal importance to this function. While technology…

        Public Relations, or PR, is a communication activity with which the company seeks to build a relationship with the public, which is mutually beneficial for both. The fact that it is entirely different from marketing makes it imperative for every brand to give equal importance to this function. While technology has changed every field and sector in the world, it has also impacted the PR industry in a big way. Therefore, the technological developments have transformed the traditional PR industry into Digital PR. So, what is Digital PR? It is a tactic used by marketers to increase the brand’s online presence by building relationships with content bloggers and online journalists to gain ‘media hits’ and high-quality backlinks. Therefore, backing your marketing efforts with the below mentioned Digital PR tactics can not only build your brand image but, can also help you increase your customer base by generating leads and in turn, drive sales and revenue.

        1. Blogger engagement

        Blogger engagement also called as blogger outreach, is nothing but brands working with bloggers to create authentic content around a brand, product or service, to promote it. Reaching out to bloggers who are already interacting with and influencing your target audience can help businesses benefit from their trust and influence.

        2. Media and blogger relationship

        The activities related to bloggers and media does not end with reaching out to them for brand campaigns but, extends much beyond that. It is also building relationships with them and sustaining them for future endeavours. Therefore, PR professionals must nurture their relations with the content bloggers and media journalists regularly to maintain their relationships.

        3. Influencer marketing

        Influencers are individuals with a vast social media following, who have the power to influence the people with their thought processes and ideologies. They are the best use for marketing your brand or your offering through social media platforms and reaching out to your target audience. Therefore, PR professionals should leverage this marketing tactic for their product or brand promotion campaigns.

        4. Youtuber association

        YouTube is the biggest video platform in the digital world right now and to leave this platform when talking about promoting your brand is just the thing that PR persons should refrain from doing. YouTube is filled with YouTubers who are influencing the people worldwide with their videos and innovative ideas. Therefore, leveraging these YouTubers and partnering with them to promote your brand or products or to reach out to your target audience in the most exciting manner is a must-do for every PR professional.

        5. Measurable and immediate

        As compared to the traditional PR methods, the digital PR activities generate immediate results because the content can be published and distributed as soon as it is created, which takes some time to process, if done the traditional way. Moreover, the results generated from the digital PR efforts are measurable and can be quantified in terms of numbers or reach and the revenue generated. With the advent of smart devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and others, that have enabled ease of access anytime and anywhere to the consumers worldwide, every brand is going digital. Therefore, it is imperative for brands to shift from the traditional PR tactics to digital PR. The biggest advantage it offers is that it makes the content immediately, easily and widely shareable as compared to the conventional methods. Businesses should thus, divert their efforts to practicing digital PR to enhance their brand image and get the most out of it to build goodwill amongst their target audience.

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          BlogDigital Marketing / Inbound Marketing

          Why Indian SMEs and Startups should Start Inbound Marketing?

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          Inbound marketing, as the marketers of tomorrow should already know, is directing your marketing efforts to attract your target audience by providing them with informative content to add value at every stage of their buying journey. It is the opposite of traditional marketing or outbound marketing which involves marketing to…

          Inbound marketing, as the marketers of tomorrow should already know, is directing your marketing efforts to attract your target audience by providing them with informative content to add value at every stage of their buying journey. It is the opposite of traditional marketing or outbound marketing which involves marketing to the masses irrespective of the fact that they are interested in your offering. It includes activities such as cold calling, trade shows, seminars, etc., and is costlier than inbound marketing along with comparatively lower returns on investment. Hence, inbound marketing. It is focused on attracting customers through relevant and helpful content and aims to compel potential customers to find you through channels like a search engine, blogs, and social media. It is a type of marketing that follows a targeted approach to reaching out to your ideal prospects only, generating qualified leads and converting them into customers. Since it is a new concept and not many marketers are aware of this marketing technique, outsourcing your inbound marketing services to an inbound marketing agency in India is the best way to implement this technique. Foresighted marketers know that taking the inbound path is the key to success for all their marketing efforts. Practising inbound as a marketing strategy offers benefits much more than a marketer would know. The most prominent being its cost-effectiveness and the ability to generate higher returns with lower costs involved. With inbound marketing, your efforts are directed only to your target audience resulting in a quality lead generation and a higher percentage of lead conversion into customers. Startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are not backed by substantial financial resources, and therefore, it is crucial for them to save on to the resources as much as possible and focus on higher ROI and minimal costs. Inbound marketing solves this purpose in the most efficient way as it helps manage funds by reducing the allocation towards the marketing function and saving it for other activities while also generating more leads and converting them into customers. The inbound methodology follows a very strategic approach towards converting unknown site visitors into customers and later, brand promoters. It starts with the stage where inbound marketers focus on attracting visitors to the website by creating appealing website pages and informative blogs. Once the reader is convinced with your content and is tempted to deal with you, the next stage is to convert these visitors into potential customers, for which every web page or blog should be accompanied by an intriguing Call-To-Action (CTA). By clicking on a CTA, visitors show their will to become your customers. Additionally, every CTA should result in a landing page which should be compelling enough to persuade the visitor to sign up for your services by filling in the application form displayed on the landing page. Once the prospect fills in the application form, they are now your potential customers, and the next step is to nurture them throughout their buying journey to convert them into customers. However, the inbound process does not end with a visitor becoming a customer and extends much beyond that. This stage of the inbound strategy is called as delight, wherein existing customers are nurtured with valuable content pieces like newsletters, informative emails, etc., to grow them to become brand promoters and patronages. Startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are organisations that are indeed not very established and are not backed by ample amount of funds and resources. Therefore, they need to be smart enough with their marketing efforts and should aim towards minimising costs and yielding higher returns for which they should deploy inbound marketing services. HubSpot is one such marketing software that helps marketers strategically practice inbound marketing. The basic software is available free of cost, and you can upgrade your package to suit your marketing plans and requirements. Conversely, you can hire an inbound marketing agency to help you achieve your inbound goals. To put it simply, inbound marketing is a must-do marketing technique for every startup and SME with benefits that can help you achieve your profit goals by increasing sales and driving revenue. Achieve business goals through pragmatic inbound marketing plans customized to your requirements.

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            BlogContent Marketing

            Why Content Marketing is a must-do for Financial Marketers

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            A fact that will be persistent is that Content is the king! From words to images to videos, everything we speak, read, write or hear, is content. Therefore, creating, publishing and distributing content for the digital target audience is the marketing strategy that financial marketers should incorporate into their marketing…

            A fact that will be persistent is that Content is the king! From words to images to videos, everything we speak, read, write or hear, is content. Therefore, creating, publishing and distributing content for the digital target audience is the marketing strategy that financial marketers should incorporate into their marketing plans. Content marketing is not about promoting your brand. It involves creating awareness amongst your target audience and stimulating their interest towards your products and services. The purpose of content marketing is the sole reason why financial marketers should practice it and use it immensely to market to their target audience. The fact that financial products and services, though widely used by the consumers, still need explanation every time a consumer wants to avail them. This is where content marketing plays a crucial role in building awareness amongst the target audience by creating content that is informative and provides value to the buyer during their buying journey. Financial marketers must practice content marketing to reach out to their target audience by solving their queries through content pieces like blogs, ebooks, videos, etc., and increasing its readability through social media posts. Content marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses not only on content creation but also on amplifying its reach to the target audience. Given below are reasons why it is an essential marketing technique for every financial marketer.

            1. Customer-Centric Marketing

            The past times have seen marketers create content around their products and services. However, with this trend continuing, financial marketers will no longer be able to gauge the attention of the consumers. In today’s time, where the customer is the centre of all business activities like product development and design, financial marketers must realise that their marketing activities should also be customer-centric. The aim is to create marketing that can educate the customers and add value to every stage of their buying journey. Content marketing is the key to creating and publishing content that can deliver value to customers.

            2. Building Trust

            This comes as a result of the previous benefit of content marketing. Needless to say, when financial marketers create informative content to add value to the customer’s buying journey, they enjoy their customers’ patronage. Moreover, when customers feel that they are cared for, and their needs are attended, they build trust in their financial institution and can also look forward to future purchases from the same. Happy and satisfied customers, when appropriately nurtured with valuable content, may move on to become brand promoters and as they say, nothing is better than customers telling your success story!

            3. Educating and Creating Awareness

            It is imperative for financial marketers to include content that educates the consumers and builds awareness amongst them. Content should be created to generate awareness amongst the masses about the products and services offered by banks, financial institutions and insurance companies. The foresighted market players know that consumers who are well aware will prefer a brand that emphasises on educating its customers.

            4. The Rise of Multimedia Content

            Content is no more just a string of words attached to provide information. The scope of content has risen to much more than that. Images and videos are the new content. As financial marketers, you must already be aware of the fact. However, it is essential that you put this to execution and create more content in the form of videos, images, infographics and other such content pieces that are visually more appealing. It is vital for financial marketers to create content of all kinds to cater to the needs and preferences of their prospects and existing customers. Creating videos to spread awareness is something great to start with!

            5. Stand Out from Competition

            Content marketing is the strategy for the marketers of tomorrow. If you wish to stand out and gain an edge over the competition, practising effective content marketing and utilising it to its full potential is the key to success to win the hearts of your potential and present customers. This will naturally come as a combined result of all the benefits mentioned above. Financial marketers must be using content marketing already, but still, there is a need for them to utilise it to its full potential, owing to its cost-effective yet high yielding benefit. Many marketers do not know that content marketing is a marketing technique that’ll generate a higher ROI and reduce the costs involved. Give a strategic direction and formulation to your content marketing plan, and you will see the results in no time.

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              BlogTechnology

              Top 5 UI/ UX Trends 2018

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              The technological advancements happening universally are changing the way the world is looking at everything. Needless to say, when we talk about technology, the first thing that comes to mind is the computers or machines that can write, calculate, talk, and do things that humans can. While the creation of…

              The technological advancements happening universally are changing the way the world is looking at everything. Needless to say, when we talk about technology, the first thing that comes to mind is the computers or machines that can write, calculate, talk, and do things that humans can. While the creation of computers has been a revolution, there is a need to upgrade them with the evolving technology. Much like computers, there were times when consumers used phones for merely communicating with one another. Nonetheless, they have now evolved to become devices that are the supporting hand of any human. Smartphones as we call them, help us to perform all kinds of functions and allow us to access the world with just a click of a button. The evolving technology calls to upgrade such devices with time and provide a user experience that is ever improving. For this, the essential requirement of any user is the interface. The front end as we call it, the User Interface is how a user and a computer interact through the use of various hardware and software. The times ahead will call for improved User Experiences through enhanced User Interface. Both these concepts work in tandem, but there is a slight difference between the two. While User Interface deals with what is visible to the user at the front end, User Experience is a broader term and aims to enhance the experience of the person using the device or application. Indeed, technology has been evolving daily and has been impacting every sphere. The UI and UX are not left behind. Therefore, we have listed down the top 5 trends that will dominate the UI/ UX technologies in 2018.

              1. Focus will be on the User

              When the customer is the centre of all your business efforts, including your product design and delivery, you are bound to soar profits higher than ever. In 2018, brands will primarily focus on creating UI and UX that can provide an enhanced user experience on all devices like computers, laptops, smartphones, etc. Additionally, brands will also work on creating personalised UI/ UX based on the user personas and their journey patterns to meet their tastes and interests.

              2. Easy Usability will be Important

              With everything happening at just the click of a button, consumers these days, are becoming lazy to make efforts in doing anything and everything. Therefore, it becomes imperative to create technologies that are user-friendly and deliver outstanding user experiences.

              3. The Rise of Voice UI

              With voice assistants like Google Talk, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana and Amazon Alexa, we can be assured that searches via voice will rise in 2018. The time where you needed to screen to perform any activity on any device will be gone, and voice-based searches will rule. Also, with automation easing out the process of using furniture and home accessories, consumers will go ‘screenless’, and Voice User Interface will dominate the electronics market enabling users to interact hands-free with technology and gadgets.

              4. Borderless Display

              In 2018, vibrant and colourful palettes will replace the old dull and boring ones giving the user interfaces a new and striking appearance. Also, the palettes will get a new borderless look to replace the old grid concept in mobile interfaces. Additionally, intuitive cards will replace the age-old icon display to present information like text, photos, links or anything regarding a particular subject. Borderless display combined with vibrant, informative cards will form the basis of new interfaces in 2018.

              5. Video and Sound Design

              Every click on your mobile screen, whether to like, write a comment or select an emoji, is accompanied by background sounds in the form of tones or jingles. Such sounds make the user experience all the more pleasant and exciting. With the rapid transformation in the graphic design world and consumers widely preferring to watch videos, video content will replace images. These trends are sure to give the users an improved and vibrant experience. Therefore, UXers should gear up for this year to provide a complete makeover to their User Interfaces to compel the users to use their applications. Adding vibrant colours to your UI and improving the UX altogether is the key to intrigue your users to use your application or software again and again.

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                BlogTechnology

                FinTech trends to watch out

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                FinTech companies are nothing but financial services companies that are backed and supported by technology to deliver financial products and services. They provide financial services by making use of technology and software. FinTech companies are still in their developing stage due to the slow progress of these companies from the…

                FinTech companies are nothing but financial services companies that are backed and supported by technology to deliver financial products and services. They provide financial services by making use of technology and software. FinTech companies are still in their developing stage due to the slow progress of these companies from the traditional methods to the technological ones. However, it’s time for financial marketers to realise that the shift should be done much faster than they expect. With technological advancements changing the digital landscape in a big way and online platforms like Paytm and other FinTech companies facilitating payments and money transfers in the simplest way possible, financial services providers will have to gear up to compete with them. While FinTech has been driving the finance industry in a big way, new trends are approaching this industry in the year 2020. Some of these are: Rise in Wallet usage With the advent of online payment apps like Paytm, Mobikwik, Freecharge, etc., cashless transactions have seen an upsurge. It will continue to rise in 2018. People will continue to use such services and add to the cashless transaction pool, and the use of digital platforms like online wallets for making payments and transactions will increase. Data Analytics and AI will rise Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been affecting every industry and finance industry is not left behind. AI is being used for customer interactions, trading, risk management, fraud detection, etc. AI is also being deployed to automate the back-end tasks. Apart from AI, the finance industry will also use data analytics to cater to consumers’ needs and preferences and provide them with more personalised experiences. Use of blockchain Blockchain is the technology behind the new digital currency we call as a cryptocurrency. Blockchain will not only be used for such digital currencies but, will play a role much more significant than that and will be used in other financial services products as well. Collaboration of banks and FinTech companies Today, banks have started collaborating with FinTech companies to integrate each other’s strengths for providing an enhanced and improved customer service experience. The aim is to provide technologically backed banking facilities to the customers. Privacy and security at priority With cybercrimes affecting the cyberspace and digital consumers facing issues with privacy and security, it becomes imperative for banks and financial institutions to ensure the safety of their data. For this, regulatory bodies are also working on making rules that are stricter and provide enhanced security while also ensuring privacy. Instant payment with UPI and AEPS Newer payment methods like UPI (Unified Payment Interface) and AEPS (Aadhar Enabled Payment System) are facilitating simpler and faster ways of making transactions. Banking will become more open, and the way the people transact and make payments will reform. Rise in use of chatbots The leading market players in the banking industry like HDFC and ICICI have installed chatbots for customer interactions and customer solutions to provide a smooth and hassle-free user experience. In 2020, the quality of chatbots will improve giving rise to enhanced and accurate responses. Further, with an increase in voice search, chatbots will also become voice-enabled and talk to our customers to solve their queries. FinTech companies are proliferating due to consumers adapting to the technology as it is advancing. With the internet available at cheaper rates and smartphones offering a one-stop platform for all the consumer needs, it becomes imperative for the financial services providers to go digital and put technology to its maximum use. Keep these trends in mind to provide your customers with a tech-driven enhanced experience and gain an edge over the competition.

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                  BlogSocial Media Marketing | Content Marketing

                  Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Financial Services

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                  Social media is playing a huge role in making the world a smaller place. Just one click and you get to connect with coworkers, associates and all other stakeholders with minimal effort and no cost. From industry players, marketers, to your customers, all are using the social platforms like Facebook,…

                  Social media is playing a huge role in making the world a smaller place. Just one click and you get to connect with coworkers, associates and all other stakeholders with minimal effort and no cost. From industry players, marketers, to your customers, all are using the social platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc., to connect with the world and know what is happening in the industry. As a result, it becomes imperative to harness the power of social media and leverage it to market your business to your target audience where they are. Though most industries have been using social media immensely to market their business to their target audience, the finance industry is still making its way to it, rather slowly. However, financial marketers must realise the need to use social media to market their products and services to their target audience. It is crucial as your audiences are the most active on these platforms, which makes it easier to attract engagement and convert it into customers. Why financial marketers should start using social media marketing is not just limited to the fact that it helps you connect with people but because it offers benefits much more than one could even imagine. Let us look at what these are: It’s for free The biggest and the best advantage that all social media platforms offer is that they are available free of cost and with practically no costs involved, these platforms provide much broader and easier access to our target audience. Also, with the advent of smartphones and the evolving internet technology, people lately, have been able to access these platforms any time and anywhere, which makes it imperative to deploy this marketing strategy to reach the target audience where they are. Increases visibility Given the extent to which people worldwide are consuming social media platforms, brand presence on these platforms is sure to increase brand visibility. It will not only help raise brand awareness but, will also increase the extent of expertise-based referrals you receive, drive more traffic and in turn, generate more leads. Promotes your content offers Technological advancements are bringing in newer marketing strategies that can be employed to market one’s business. One such approach is content marketing, which as the name suggests, means distributing your content. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc., serve as the best platforms for distributing content offers like blogs, ebooks, whitepapers, etc., that you’ve created for your target audience. It will benefit brands by creating awareness on the one hand, and increasing engagement, on the other. Leverage existing content Today, the meaning and scope of content is not just limited to words put in an article but, includes images, videos, podcasts, infographics, and others. Social media platforms serve as the best way to amplify the content you’ve created for your target audience. You can start by creating a blog for your audience, sharing it on Facebook for a more extensive reach, creating tweets and sharing on Twitter, creating a video around it and sharing on YouTube, and the list can go on and on. Builds credibility and trust While it creates and builds engagement, social media also helps strengthen brand authority by backing your website and content offers. Brands should look for increasing their followers that can help build connections and in turn, improve credibility. Here, platforms like Twitter not only serve as a place to interact with your target audience but also make your customers feel that they’re cared for and attended. Boost organic traffic and SEO rankings Posting quality content on social media regularly will not only boost your organic traffic but will also increase your search engine rankings. The more qualitative content you produce and share, the chances of your followers sharing your content increases. Undoubtedly, the more the links pointing back to your website, the higher will be your search engine rankings. Social sharing is a trend that is spreading far and wide, and it’s time you take leverage of it. Brands worldwide are benefitting from harnessing this marketing strategy in a big way. It’s time for financial marketers to move from traditional marketing to social media marketing because this is the trend of the morrow. Reach your audiences where they are, for free and earn returns higher than ever before.

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                    BlogDigital Marketing / Inbound Marketing

                    Essential Digital Marketing Strategies for Financial Services

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                    The digital space is evolving rapidly with the technological advancements that are taking place. Every industry is shifting its focus from product improvisation to customer satisfaction. The finance industry should also gear up if they want to survive in the market and retain their customers. Amongst all the other sectors,…

                    financial marketing services The digital space is evolving rapidly with the technological advancements that are taking place. Every industry is shifting its focus from product improvisation to customer satisfaction. The finance industry should also gear up if they want to survive in the market and retain their customers. Amongst all the other sectors, it is essential for the finance industry to adapt to this digital transformation as quickly as possible because the ones that do will thrive, while others will have to fight to survive. The digital landscape is progressing daily, which makes it imperative for financial companies to go digital and employ strategies that can help them grow and retain customers. For this, financial service providers should make use of specific digital marketing strategies that can help them maintain their market position and gain an edge over their competition. Financial marketers must realise the need to move from traditional forms of marketing to the newer ones to reach their target market where they are readily available. Customer Retention is the Key With everything happening at the click of a button, customers today expect smooth and hassle-free services from every brand they deal with. Moreover, for the finance industry, where customers are at the pivot of the business, it becomes necessary to retain customers before they move to the competitors. For this, they should provide unmatched customer services and should be available at their beck and call to support and guide them throughout their buying journey. Create Valuable Content It is essential that financial service providers also focus on creating awareness among the consumers. It is necessary because, even though consumers are using financial products, there is still not much awareness and clarity about these products and services. Indeed, brands that will create content that is informative and valuable for their target market will build trust among them and in turn will gain an edge over their competitors. Video is the New Content Evidently, video content has been taking over textual content in a big way, as consumers today find videos more engaging. Therefore, financial companies should emphasise on creating informative video content as it is visually more appealing, attracts higher levels of engagement and creates positive SOV (Share of Voice). Mobile Responsive Design Today, consumers are using smartphones for performing all their tasks, no matter how big or small. Therefore, it is crucial for financial companies to build websites that are mobile responsive. They should work on delivering enhanced and smooth user experience with minimum page load time so that the user does not switch. Finance companies can also consider creating mobile applications to facilitate smooth banking and other financial transactions for the consumers. Inbound Marketing Marketers of tomorrow know that to retain customers, they should produce marketing that customers love. For this, they need to start marketing the inbound way. Inbound marketing is nothing but marketing your products and services to your target audience, using content that is personalised and specially created to address the needs of the buyers during their buying journey. Marketing Automation Marketing automation is one of the best and the most significant marketing strategy that marketers should utilise. It means automating your marketing processes using software like HubSpot, which can help in saving your time and resources that can be better employed for other operations that require human intervention. Social Media Social media provides every industry with the most accessible and most cost-effective platforms to interact with their customers. Financial marketers should exploit social media to its full potential to market their products and services to the target audience. Customer-Centric Retail Banking Finance companies have always been focusing on product innovation to satisfy their customers. However, with the technological advancements and the evolving digital world, finance companies should shift their focus from product innovation to customer-centric products. They should emphasise on creating products and services that can best suit the needs and preferences of the consumers. Incorporating these financial digital marketing strategies into your marketing plans is essential for every financial marketer to attract more customers and retain the existing ones. Customers are at the pivot of every finance industry and focusing on them to create products and services that meet their requirements will surely entice them to prefer you over your competitors. Read Blog-Hike up your Financial Business with Inbound Marketing.  

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