The best content doesn’t win. The best-promoted content wins.
Content Marketing has come a long way from its early days when creating quality content was enough to generate traffic. There are plenty of “good” blogs these days that regularly churn out “quality” content but that does not mean they are successful. In fact, there are over two million blogs published on the internet daily and in order to stand out in this sea of content, you need to not just create “outstanding” content but also optimise it with tools like SEO, keywords, and positioning.
Writing a good blog is easy; the hard part is getting it noticed. To stay ahead of the competition, you need to be able to generate organic traffic via the Google search engine. The first step to getting clicks via Google is analysing your competitors’ content. Secondly, you need to find what people are searching for and producing your blog as the solution. The best way to do so is by finding keywords that are easier to rank on. Google rewards valuable content, but more so when the publication is an authority on the subject. Thus, you do not need to write about every subject under the sun and instead focus on your expertise. If you are a fintech blog then pick a stream of finance topics that you know better than everyone else. Create a cluster of such keywords. This cluster of keywords is called “pillar pages” which are essential for not just SEO optimization but they also make website navigation hassle-free.
These are the topics that your blog will be known for and once you’ve established your niche, follow it by getting the basics right. By that we mean, make minimal spelling errors, ensure readability, main consistency of tone, hyperlink previous blogs, insert images, optimise SEO keywords, and write a crisp author bio. Always make sure you start your blogs with intriguing headlines that compel a reader to click on your link and end the blog with a call to action that encourages people to follow up on your advice or revisit the blog again. You can also use the CTA to establish an intimate rapport with your readers.
Following the above guidelines will give your blog a professional makeover and establish you as a credible source of a niche subject, whether it is “fintech” or “tech” content.
Over 75% of the content that is published never earns a single link or social share.
Whether you’re writing a fintech blog or publishing a make-up tutorial, knowing your audience is the key to every successful content marketing campaign. Once you start optimising your content with blogging tools like SEO and keyword planner, analyse data about your audience. Analytic tools like Google Analytics and Hubspot have made it easy for content creators to know their audience. Once you know who visits your website, increasing daily active users and retaining them will become much easier.
Establishing a tone that suits your audience is vital in this regard. Make the reader your friend and make them feel like you “care” for their needs with the tone and content of your writing. Take clues for fintech giants like Zerodha, who have developed a special website and app called “Zerodha Varsity” to educate their users about the stock market and investing solutions. They know that the bulk of their users are new-age investors, with limited knowledge but a hunger to learn about investing. Thus, Zerodha Varsity not just publishes blogs that teach them about investing but also offers certificate courses to reward them for their learning. This feedback loop establishes Zerodha as a trustworthy and credible guide for their investing journey.
Similarly tech start-up Unacademy has created hordes of “free” content to make online learning more accessible for all, and in turn, interest readers in buying their customised learning courses. Scripbox, a fintech startup, is raising awareness about financial freedom by creating targeted content for people in their early 30s. Their content series, titled “frequently unanswered questions” and “news that matter” offer users customer contextually relevant content and convince the user to buy their “investment plans” by showing utility.
Exploring additional avenues for publication is vital for successful content marketing campaigns. Paid ad campaigns are quite effective in bringing attention to your brand. Use influencers to reach niche audiences, and harness the power of video content to increase retention.
It’s 2021, and only writing blogs won’t just cut it out for your fintech brand. A wholesome content marketing strategy - that integrates videos, ads, podcasts, cross-platform articles, and well-targeted influencer marketing - is the need of the hour. In fact, a well spread out internet presence is indispensable for any tech and fintech brand, as most of their users are strictly on the internet. Thus, a well-versed strategy that involves new age engagement platforms like Discord, Clubhouse, Patreon, and Tik-Tok amongst others is vital for your consistent growth along with regular content creation on established platforms Instagram and Twitter. Videos can generate awareness and ensure user retention for your brand with greater effectiveness than written content these days; make sure you harness the power of its reach. Remember, you are a fintech content creator first and product second. Thus, your competition is not other fintech brands, but fintech content creators and influencers. In order to generate an audience like influencers, you must think like one. Thus, establishing prolonged partnerships with fintech influencers and involving them in your content strategy can also be an effective way to reach new audiences. Use authored articles, newsletters, emailers, video collaborations, and guest blogging to optimize your content furthermore.
These avenues are effective not just in generating engaging content, but also in improving visibility within the content community and building long term partnerships for the future.
To integrate the above guidelines, you can take clues from marketing campaigns of brands like GrowApp, Cred, and WhiteHatJr. Grow App has created a library of USC videos to influence its audience’s investing decisions. They use influencers and average users to create PTC videos about financial advice that are more personalised and cheaper than highly-produced content. Advertising is a powerful tool for persuasion and brands like Cred and WhiteHatJr. have cracked that code to garner phenomenal brand awareness. By employing an internet savvy team, which is well-versed with the online lingo, these brands have levied the persona of non-fictional characters to create whacky fictional ads with incredible recall value. These ads are hard to forget, and thus they make their brands unforgettable too.
Content marketing in 2021 has evolved from creating valuable content to improving engagement and visibility on the internet. Building quality content is a requisite but getting clicks is the ultimate goal. Use the power of new platforms, cross-platform engagement, and creative collaborations to achieve these goals for your brand. The blueprint for success is already available. Follow the fine print, be consistent, and await the magnificent results that follow.