Education-first marketing offers 25 business benefits, as listed below.
So, most financial service firms offer some educational content, but very few become trusted (go-to) places for answers to essential money questions.
So, you need Accurate, Balanced, and Compelling (ABC) content, which I can offer as low-cost licensed Insights. Or, where available, work with you to create unique content for your firm.
Yes, my first client told me that the educational content I created with them was the ‘clincher’ for landing TESCO and other FTSE Companies as clients for their services.
Two of my clients were finalists for the prestigious Workplace Savings and Benefits ‘Financial Education Provider’ award – and two others tell me that the content I created for them is described as ‘superb’ by their chartered financial planner clients.
Great educational content boosts your reputation, attracts new clients, and retains those you have; the testimonials here, from consumers and business clients, prove it.
But these are only a few of the 25 benefits of an education-first approach to your marketing.
Click below, on the 25 benefits tab, to learn more.
Click on the tabs below to learn:
You’ll find more reasons why Accurate, Balanced, and Compelling (ABC) educational content is becoming vital to thrive in the Financial Services sector – in tabs 1-6 on my content-to-go page.
Also, if you’d like a colourful slide deck on the 25 ways educational marketing will boost your business, please e-mail me at hello@paulclaireaux.com with the subject line ‘Send me the 25 ways’, and I’ll send you that pack.
You can then tailor that slide deck and use it to promote a project initiative (within your business) to make your firm a ‘go-to’ provider of financial education – regardless of who you work with on the content.
The colourful pack is worth having, but in the meantime, in plain text, here are the:
25 benefits of putting education at the heart of your business.
So, there’s really no question about the enormous benefits of putting educational content at the heart of your business.
The only question for you is whether you’re keen to do it.
Do you want to help more people make the transformation in the image below – because that’s what’s on offer if we do this well.
As in other creative industries (books, films, music), the challenge with this work is that very few firms become loved and trusted (go-to) places for answers to key money questions.
To achieve that status, you must offer Accurate, Balanced and Compelling (ABC) content – and work with the best content creators.
It’s essential to plan these developments carefully.
You could waste tens of thousands of pounds if you get this wrong.
In future insights, I’ll explore the ‘How to’ questions for planning a new (or redesigning an existing) educational hub.
For now, you could head over to this post on the cost of creating a go-to education programme
There, you’ll find explanations of the following:
Once you know you can save c. 90% compared to creating your own content, most of your cost worries disappear, provided that you deliver great content.
Fail to do that, and you’ll damage your brand.
In my experience, offering great content to the right people yields a fantastic return on your investment.
My clients who completed their educational programmes are extremely pleased with the results—as shown above.
I will add a marketing and sales skills workshop to my core services at some point in the future.
So, if that’s of interest, let me know at hello@paulclaireaux.com
Currently, to help firms design and build a unique content program, I undertake a variety of tasks, as shown below:
So, if we worked together, I could help you to:
Five points might interest you here.
You may not need any writing help!
If you enjoy writing, have a lot of spare time to create your own content (it takes a ton of time), and can produce accurate and engaging works for less, at your usual charge-out rates, than you’d pay me, then you do not need my (Insight writing) help.
You may need content consultancy help.
You may find it useful to have some content consultancy support on any of the other 14 tasks listed in the previous tab.
For example, do you need help to develop and record your content ideas, with synopses and links to source materials, so you (or another writer) can develop the ideas into full posts or guides – when you have time?
Or would you find it useful to have a second (external) opinion on your current or planned works?
As you may be aware, if you’re a manager in your business, those who report to you might not feel comfortable (or capable) of giving you the feedback you need on your draft content.
On the other hand, an experienced content creator will give you constructive improvement ideas.
There’s no point asking for feedback if none comes back!
Pay for less content, not more.
Whoever you use for help with the writing, be sure to pay for less content, not more!
You need ideas distilled, not pages filled.
If your writing is not compelling and concise, a good writer could help. So, pay them to reduce the word count, not add to it!
Pay for time – not padding.
Building on the previous point, here’s how I charge for my time.
Valuable writing takes a ‘less is more’ approach.
So, I aim to cut out the words that confuse your messages.
At times, you’ll want your insights to:
Creating content to achieve those things takes time.
So, I charge for the time spent, not the word count, and this approach is common to all good writers.
We don’t charge by the word because that encourages content padding, and that’s not what you want.
My approach to fees gives you a lot of my time for FREE!
I charge by the minute, not by the day. So, I stop the clock when I stop doing intense desk-based work.
I also include detailed timesheets of the tasks I work on – showing the time spent on each task (to the minute) with each monthly invoice.
And my clients love this – because they can see exactly what’s been done for the fees they’ve paid.
How many professional services are this transparent?
This also means you’re not charged for the (c.25%) additional time I spend developing ideas during breaks – to get a coffee, go to the ‘rest room’ (as they say in the US!) or on other breaks, like my daily walk.
Nor do you get charged when I wake up with my mind whirring with answers to your content or marketing challenges.
Seriously?
And it’s during these non-chargeable hours that I often get my best ideas. So, that’s great value for you.
My hourly charge depends on the scale of the contract and the number of hours (of paid work!) we anticipate per month.
We can discuss and agree on terms based on the help you need.
One thing is for sure: according to VouchedFor data, my typical current hourly fees are less than those charged by an ‘average’ IFA.
And I’ve yet to meet an average IFA who can create consumer facing content to my ABC standards.
That said, if you are (or you have access to) a financial planner who can create content of similar quality to mine at a similar pace, then you really don’t need my help!
If building a new (or enhancing an existing) educational library interests you – and you feel you might need some help, let’s have a chat.
You can E-mail me here with any questions.
Don’t worry that I might have answered them here.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to fire away, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can book a meeting directly into my diary here, and we’ll chat to explore your options for building (or enhancing) your educational library.
It doesn’t matter if we don’t end up working together.
I’m keen to help you establish your educational project and avoid the costly mistakes I see many people make!
The world needs more people helping others to make better financial decisions.
So, let’s make your business a ‘go-to’ place for those answers.
All the best for now.
Paul Claireaux