Stop creating content. Start creating customers.
When you’ve got a small team, a small budget and a big growth target, what kind of content is actually worth your time and money?
It’s a question we hear a lot from clients in lending and wealth; the credit unions, non-bank lenders, small banks, investment managers, and financial advisers working hard to grow without a 10-person marketing team or an always-on agency retainer.
You don’t have endless time. You don’t have endless cash. Here’s our take on the content that genuinely delivers bang for buck, and where to spend versus save when every dollar needs to pull its weight.
Spend here: content that converts
You don’t need to outspend the market. You need to out-help it.
The content that works hardest isn’t the flashiest, it’s the clearest. It answers questions. It builds confidence. It helps someone take the next step, even if that step is just “OK, I get it now.”
1. Customer education (but make it tangible)
Financial services are a minefield of jargon. Helping people feel confident, informed and in control builds trust. And trust converts.
What works:
Short explainers (“How refinancing really affects your monthly budget”)
Plain English guides and calculators
Scenario content that makes the abstract feel real
Pro tip:
Clarity and relevance beat slickness every time.
2. Case studies and customer stories
When someone is weighing up a mortgage, switching their lender or choosing an adviser, nothing beats the reassurance of “someone like me did this — and it worked.”
What works:
Specific, honest and human stories
Share the struggle, not just the success. What was the customer stuck on? What decision were they trying to make? Start there, and show how your product or service helped them move forward.
Pro tip:
One case study = five assets. Turn it into a social post, email, landing page, sales deck slide and quote graphic.
3. Always-on explainers and FAQs
This content isn’t glamorous, but it’s quietly high-converting. Why? Because it shows up when people are searching, clicking or stuck.
What works:
Product explainers in simple language
Comparisons (“Fixed vs. variable: which is right for you?”)
Answers to the questions your team gets asked every day
Pro tip:
Add FAQs to your landing pages and watch conversion rates lift.
Save here: content traps to avoid
1. Social content without a job to do
Entertaining memes, inspirational quotes and glossy grid posts. Fun? Maybe. Converting leads? Not so much.
Better: Use social to drive to content with a purpose, like email signups, downloads or webinars. Even better if you can retarget warm traffic later.
2. Content that talks to everyone (and connects with no one)
When you try to write for ‘everyone with money’, you end up helping no one in particular. General advice feels vague. Generic stories feel forgettable.
Better: Pick a real audience and go deep. Speak to first-home buyers in their 30s. Or self-employed borrowers post-COVID. The more specific your content is, the more useful, and findable, it becomes.
3. One-off content with no plan
Publishing one good article and hoping it drives ROI is like strumming one chord on a guitar and calling it a song.
Better: Plan in sprints: one focus area per quarter, multiple formats and a simple way to measure what’s working. Rinse and repeat.
Where should your next $5k go?
If you’ve got a little budget to play with and want to see real traction, here’s what we’d recommend:
An email nurture sequence that turns cold leads warm (or warm leads hot)
A library of snackable explainers like blog + image + short video or animation
One killer case study you can slice five ways
A landing page built to convert, not just inform.
A brand experience audit to make sure you’re not overlooking important moments of truth