Finance isn’t always fun, but it is nonetheless an important topic for us to discuss. This article teaches you how to speak simply and help economics make sense for your audience.
Ditch the Jargon
Capital markets got you confused? Find private equity perplexing? Chances are your audience does too, so why include jargon terms? Talk about each topic in depth, explaining the ins and outs of what they need to know without the buzzwords.
Don’t take for granted that your audience is familiar with key terms. Without coming across as patronising, give them an easy-to-follow recap just in case. For example, you could be talking about how your consumers could invest their assets. While most of us have a vague understanding of what assets are, a refresher is often useful to get our minds properly engaged with the terminology. Think about phrasing your content like this:
“Thinking about investing your assets? In case you’d like a re-cap, an asset is simply something you or your company owns that is of value. Assets include tangible property (i.e. a property with a physical form such as buildings, equipment and vehicles) and intangible property, and any claims for money owed by others. Assets can include cash, inventories, and property rights.”
Write in simple, clear language
Loquaciousness: That would be garrulousness, verboseness, and effusiveness. Or, in other words, the use of over-complicated words in a bid to come across as possessing superior intelligence. Here’s a funny example of avoidable gibberish:
Simple, clear language: “We used a ruler”
Overcomplicated polysyllabic nonsense: “We utilised a linear distance analyser”
Don’t go out of your way to confuse your audience. If you’re discussing complex financial ideas, explain them in everyday language, avoiding overly-lengthy paragraphs and silly, showoff synonyms.
Many people believe that writing in a formal, academic tone makes you appear more credible. But guess what? Going about writing in this way is likely to lose your readers’ interest, leaving them confused and frustrated.
Moreover, it’s crucial that your audience understand what you’re talking about, especially when you’re giving sensitive financial advice. Speak with authority and don’t mince your words, otherwise, you’ll come across as untrustworthy. Determine what your audience wants to know about and what they may struggle to understand, then, explain thoroughly but concisely in easy-to-digest language.
Regularly update your copy
In the ever-changing world of finance, what applies one day could just as easily be out the next. Figures and facts seem to change overnight in modern days, with skyrocketing inflation and interest rates rapidly increasing.
Stay ahead of the competition and maintain your expertise, authority and trust by ensuring the key facts in your copy are always accurate. Update statistics, dates, policy changes and circumstantial advice depending on the current economic climate.
Determine key questions
How many times have we Googled the same finance questions? Find out what your audience wants to read about before you start writing your content. With some keyword SEO research, you’ll be able to figure out which knowledge gaps and FAQs to base your content on. Ensure to include answers to long-tail keywords and commonly searched questions in your answers too.
By providing solutions to your customer’s problems, misunderstandings and questions, you’ll bolster your reputation with expertise, authority and trust. Meaning you’ll be a reliable source of need-to-know information. Finding the types of queries your audience searches for will also give you a better understanding of the language they use, including misunderstood words/phrases to help set the tone of your content.
Write to FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) Guidelines
Generally, if you’re engaged in some kind of financial service in the UK, then you’ll require FCA authorisation. The FCA’s main purpose is to protect customers, ensuring brands work honestly, fairly and properly.
As part of their guidance, you’ll need to make sure your website copy complies with certain standards. These include the following criteria:
- Ensure clarity and fairness in all communication, never misleading customers and providing honest risk warnings
- Websites must contain information on the Financial Ombudsman Service and provide a link to the website
- No incorrect or outdated information should be permitted on your website or posts
- Any content that encourages (or incentivises) financial activity has the potential to be classed as a financial promotion
- All tweets, posts, etc. need to be considered on their own merits and follow all relevant rules
- With all promotions, brands should make potential investors aware of both the risks and possible benefits
- Record keeping social media content is required. The FCA states that “we expect firms to perform risk management in this area and assess for themselves what they consider ‘significant communications’ to keep records of. When making this assessment firms should bear in mind the need to demonstrate compliance if required to do so, as well as queries and complaints from customers which may require evidence.”
For further information, please refer to the FCA website.
Signpost to further advice
Even if you’ve followed all of our top tips for financial content writing, your reader may still need more information. Tell them how to find out more, considering key areas, subtopics and shoot-offs that they may want to look further into. Let your audience know how they can learn more and make it easy for them to find it! Include links to other related articles from your site, or, add links to helpful third-party resources.
Building referring backlinks is also a great tactic for SEO purposes. Share links to sister sites and trusted partners and see if you can build link-building relationships into your content strategy.
Find out more
For more digital marketing insights, read another of our informative articles on the It Works Media blog. Alternatively, contact us today to find out how we can help you improve your digital marketing strategy.