Using a financial copywriter makes sense for businesses that have products or services that are in the finance sector or for companies that want to speak to companies that are based in this industry.
In this post, I’m looking at just a few of the ways that a specialist financial copywriter can help and where they differ from a more general type of writer.
A financial copywriter knows the regulatory environment
If your company is a regulated entity then there are some things you can say and some you can’t.
Working in a regulated firm is different to other companies because everyone is aware that the way you treat your customers, the way you market your business and the things you say are all subject to review and can end up with some sizeable fines or nasty publicity.
Professional copywriters who have worked in financial services are fully aware of the need for care and you can expect that they will produce copy that is compliant with all of the local rules and regulations.
You shouldn’t have to find yourself explaining your products to your writer before the project starts either and they should know their way around the FCA website!
You don’t have to explain the products
I’ve never really understood why people employ non-specialists to work on their projects.
For example, I wouldn’t pitch for a job writing technical articles about ASP.NET for the software industry because I simply haven’t got the first idea of where to start.
I’d have to research every article and someone from the company would have to teach me what ASP.NET is for a start!
However, you won’t need to explain the different types of mortgage to me, the difference between whole-of-life and term assurance or what a bridging loan is because I spent years working with these companies.
It just seems a lot easier working with someone who has a grasp of the types of product available.
Copywriting for B2B
If you have a financial product that is useful in the B2B arena then having an expert write your copy helps you to match your output to your audience.
The finance industry speaks in a different way, uses different acronyms and has a language all of its own and so you want someone who can adopt these aspects and use them as a way of forging a better B2B connection.
For companies that provide say, bridging finance or invoice factoring, the ability of a financial copywriter to understand and empathise with the problems that your potential customers have (possibly because they have faced them) is incredibly powerful.
A financial copywriter will ask ‘smart-stupid’ questions
When I worked as a Financial Director my favourite thing to do with a new team was to ask what I called ‘smart-stupid questions’.
These are the sort of basic questions which are obvious to everyone in the company but that might not be obvious to people outside.
I once worked with a business and in my first meeting someone used a three-letter-acronym (which is a personal bugbear for me) and so I asked them what it meant.
Nobody in the room could tell me!
But they were all nodding along like it was obvious a few seconds before.
That’s a smart stupid question, so if you are using jargon or company-specific terms then a really good financial copywriter will be able to tease the real meaning out of it because you don;t want to confuse or confound potential clients.
Professional copywriting with a professional attitude.
I started writing many years ago and one of the things that surprised me was when a client told me why they liked working with me.
“You always deliver by the deadline” they said.
This was a surprise because I thought that everyone respected deadlines but apparently not in the creative industries.
Since then I have worked as a collaborator and a buyer with other financial writers and I can always tell the ones that have a professional background.
Now I am not saying that every financial copywriter that you employ will hit every deadline, every time but I’d argue that you have a better chance of getting the outcome you want.
If you have a financial product then employ a finance professional.
Personally if i had a company that sold dresses then I’d want my stuff written by someone who had some experience in fashion.
Same with financial services.
Additionally, if I was trying to engage with a company that was in the financial services or fintech sectors then I’d want someone who thinks like they do.
It just seems like common sense.
That’s why I would always suggest getting your copy written by someone with a level of expertise and training that will allow them to really communicate with your clients.
If you’d like to find out more then why not message me and we can have a chat about whether I am the right financial copywriter for you.