NMA Vertical Focus: Finance

You might have seen NMA's vertical focus piece on Finance from the 26th August. It's chock full of advertiser points of view from the sector, and raises some interesting discussion points. Our own head, Ian Morgan, was asked to comment on some trends and issues affecting the financial services market, such as social media, consumer interaction, keyword management, and mobile marketing. These are all key issues and ones we're bound to be discussing further in coming months.

Key discussion points:

• The UK financial services industry is back to its fastest growth rate since September 2007 (Source: CBI)
• The financial services industry has been slow to take up social media, due to concerns over regulation and the traditionally conservative nature of finance sector marketing
• Some advertisers have managed to break the mold and lead the way with successful social media campaigns, for both traffic acquisition and brand awareness/engagement
• Consumer appetite for conversation and reassurance is strong, raising a challenge for all financial services advertisers to formulate a response to this demand
• Strategic search management is vital. Keeping abreast of online consumer demand and reacting by appearing against relevant keywords (including longtail) and providing tailored adtext will allow advertisers to gain cost effective leads. Using new ad formats such as Sitelinks will allow better traffic management and help guide users to the most relevant of your products or offers.
• Mobile marketing is a clear opportunity for financial services advertisers. Again, some advertisers have innovated early, whilst others are lagging behind.

We encourage all financial services advertisers to have discussions around these important areas. Innovate where you can, learn from others in your sector, and most importantly, test and learn!