What Content Gaps Do Your Finance Audience Want Filled?

A research project by Sarah Blakely at The SEO Folk has unveiled a significant discrepancy in asset managers' content offerings compared to their audience's preferences. Bridging these information gaps in the financial sector is crucial for building stronger connections with your audience, generating leads, and guiding them through the conversion process. 

The question remains: How can your financial brand discern the content your audience truly desires? Where are the gaps and how can you fill them?

The Extent of Information Gaps in the Finance Sector

Our research revealed that the topics financial audiences most desired were not being adequately provided for by financial brands. For instance, we found that although clients display a significant interest in ETFs, they accounted for just 6.06% of the articles produced by global asset managers.

This issue extends beyond asset managers and plagues the entire financial industry. Addressing these information gaps should be a top priority for all financial brands. By identifying and delivering content that aligns with your audience's preferences, you can attract an engaged audience and create more valuable leads.

In essence, information gaps represent untapped opportunities. But how can you identify them?

Identifying Information Gaps

An information gap may manifest in two ways. There may be a discrepancy between the information a finance brand's core audience is looking for and the information the finance brand is currently putting out there. Understanding the content and information needs of your target audience is something most financial businesses and brands are already across, but it can be refined further by examining the specific search behavior of the target audience.

The first step in identifying an information gap involves discovering the core search topics that pique your target audience's interest. Subsequently, employing an SEO platform, you can expand upon these core topics through a 'broad match' analysis.

This process will uncover the array of associated search terms that your target audience is actively searching for and the potential search volumes associated with these broad matches. This equips financial brands to plan their content effectively and create material that addresses these broad match topics and search themes that may have been overlooked.

Another technique for pinpointing information gaps involves conducting a 'gap analysis.'

A gap analysis enables financial brands to identify the searchable content they have in common with their competitors and, more critically, to determine what searchable content their competitors are ranking for on search engines, while they are not. 

Once again, an SEO platform facilitates this research, enabling financial brands to address potential information gaps in their existing content.

Selecting the Right Content Format

Choosing the appropriate content format is a pivotal component of a successful marketing strategy. Relying solely on one format, such as white papers or video content, is not the most effective approach to content marketing.

According to Sarah Blakely, Marketing Manager at The SEO Folk, "People have diverse content consumption preferences, including visual, auditory, and textual. As marketers, it's crucial for us to acknowledge and cater to these preferences."

Given that B2B finance brands typically target a relatively small audience, making assumptions about their preferred content format is risky. Therefore, it is essential to present content in a variety of formats, such as podcasts, editorials, blogs, and videos.

In the grand scheme of things, creating a diverse array of content that resonates with your audience is key. You don't have to make every piece of content drastically different from the others. For instance, a white paper published on your website can be repurposed into short video content, infographics, and social media imagery. Embrace creativity and adapt to the specific platform you're utilizing.

Expert Advice to Enhance Your Content

If you are still grappling with identifying your information gaps, consider returning to the basics.

"When you find yourself stuck, revisiting the fundamentals and developing a buyer persona can be immensely helpful. Imagine the typical client you aim to reach in vivid detail: their name, age, profession, likes, and dislikes," Blakely recommends.

"Next, pose questions like: What challenges does this person's industry face? What products or features would make them feel heard by your brand?"

While it may appear daunting, it's essential not to overcomplicate the content creation process. Remember that information gaps represent opportunities, so investing time to learn and discover them is worthwhile.

For help with your SEO content needs get in touch, and we can talk about our range of offerings.