I’ve written thousands of financial marketing emails and webpages, and these are the basic tenets I come back to again and again to make sure my copy is strong, clear, engaging and actionable. Some of these ideas may sound simple, but you’d be surprised how often they’re overlooked or forgotten in the day-to-day frenzy of financial marketing. 

Focus on the problem, not the product.

Imagine speaking with someone who starts every story with “I” and “me” . . . they don’t even seem to care about you. It’s all about them and how great they are. Now imagine talking to someone who’s a good listener. They’re interested in what you have to say and want to know your thoughts and feelings. Who are you going to be friends with?

It’s the same idea with marketing copy. Rather than listing out product features and talking about your business, your copy should talk about your audience, how you understand their problems or concerns, and how you solve them. This is how you make an emotional connection that resonates. This is copywriting 101.

Before: We offer installment loans with competitive fixed rates.

After: Rest easy with a steady monthly payment that won’t go up.

Tell people what to do next (and how to do it).

Because you know the process inside and out, it’s easy to forget that someone on the outside has no idea how it works. The perfect campaign can be undermined by omitting the most crucial detail – the next step. Should someone check the rates, get preapproved, schedule an appointment, or something else? 

Likewise, make sure your calls to action are descriptive. This is especially relevant for digital channels – users need to know what happens when they click a button. Will they be taken to a form to apply? If so, the button copy should say so. The more confident a user can be in knowing what happens next, the more likely they are to click.

Clear calls to action are important in other media as well. A direct mail piece with a phone number – what happens when you call? Do you get a phone tree? A person’s voicemail? Do you need to call during business hours? Anticipate potential questions by providing the details upfront, so your audience can take action with confidence.

Before: Click here

After: Apply for an auto loan

Avoid complexity and internal jargon.

It’s important to assume your audience has no idea what you’re talking about. Ever. Especially when it comes to financial content.

Watch out for abbreviations, acronyms and complex terms and concepts. Maybe you understand them inside and out, but the average person probably doesn’t remember the difference between LTV and DTI and PMI. Explain everything and explain it multiple times. Remember, the average reader is skimming your content at best. If they miss your first explanation of what loan-to-value is, let’s hope you explain it again further down the page.

Likewise, watch out for internal jargon (those abbreviations and insider terms) – it has a tendency to make its way into external marketing copy. For example, say your customers only know it as “My Online Banking”, you and your coworkers always abbreviate it as “MOB” in work projects. That’s fine. Just make sure your marketing campaigns never mention “MOB”. Your audience won’t have a clue what you’re talking about (and might think you’re about to start a riot).

Before: No PMI required for qualifying first-time buyers of primary residences.

After: Buying your first home? You may not need to pay the extra insurance that’s usually required.

Aim for a 9th-grade reading level or easier.

The average American reading level hovers around 7th grade, so if a 12-year-old couldn’t comfortably read your copy, it might be time to try again. (Although, because financial content tends to include more complex terminology, I give myself a break and aim for a 9th grade reading level.)

Above all, aim for clarity. If you have a chance to use a shorter, simpler word or phrase, use it. Even when your audience is familiar with the topic (B2B, for example), simplicity still wins. People are still people – with short attention spans and a thousand other things on their mind, and you don’t want to risk a headline that takes two read-throughs to understand, because you might not get that second look. Your audience may have already moved on.

Whenever I want to double check my reading level, I use a readability calculator like Flesch Kincaid. And if you’re using generative AI to help with copywriting, be sure to include the target grade level in your prompting. 

Before: Achieve financial freedom with a debt consolidation loan.

After: Pay off your credit cards faster.

Make it unique to your brand.

If you’re not careful, marketing copy can sound generic and bland. When you say “it’s fast, easy and will help you meet your goals” – you could be talking about a personal loan or laundry detergent. 

This is where your brand personality comes into play, including tone and voice guidelines. If you have strong branding, you know when and how to turn the dials to sound like your financial institution. You know how to use humor and emotion, and you understand how to leverage your unique value props (what you offer that nobody else does) to connect with your target audience. 

When executed correctly, the right branding means your audience doesn’t even have to see your logo to know who’s speaking to them. And that level of brand sophistication translates into more meaningful and effective marketing.

Not sure about your branding – or not sure if you even have a brand?

We can help. Contact us and ask about our PPPV workshop – a game-changing, in-person event to clarify your purpose, promise, principles and values.