Recently, I went through a bit of an identity crisis. I didn’t like any of my clothes, and I was bored with how I looked.

So, I decided to shake things up a bit – start wearing brighter colours, different styles, and bolder jewellery.

I was particularly pleased with a necklace I’d treated myself to; I’d never been much of a jewellery wearer, so this large, chunky statement piece really pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I loved it.

And yet, when my wonderful, supportive friends messaged in our WhatsApp group asking to see a picture, I suddenly felt self-conscious. What if they hate it? What if they think I look stupid? I sent them a barrage of messages saying the necklace probably wouldn’t be to their taste and trying to avoid showing it to them.

Of course, when I did, they were enthusiastic and complimentary.

I’ll never know what they really think of my necklace, but I realised it doesn’t matter. I don’t have to please everyone with my choice of outfits, only the person who matters – me.

It’s the same with marketing. Your content doesn’t have to wow everyone, just your target audience.

Let me explain.

It’s natural to worry about what other people think

We’re hardwired to care about other people’s opinions of us.

Early humans needed tribal acceptance to survive, and even today, our brains can interpret rejection as a threat, which is why it can feel surprisingly painful. A 2011 study published in the scientific journal PNAS found that rejection activates some of the same brain regions involved in physical pain.

As a financial services professional, this might lead you to hesitate before publishing content due to:

• A fear of criticism
• Concern over how well clients, prospects, and peers will receive the content
• Uncertainty about whether you’ve pitched your writing at the right level (neither too basic for professionals nor too complex for clients)
• Worry about appearing too self-promotional
• Unfavourably comparing public engagement with your content to that of competitors
• Assuming silence means people don’t like your content.

Your audience is unlikely to be “everyone”

Generally, a one-size-fits-all approach appeals to no one, rather than everyone.

In contrast, content that’s targeted to a specific audience is more likely to be relevant and genuinely useful, driving engagement and establishing your expertise.

Your audience will be unique to your business needs and goals. For a financial planning firm, it might include people who are:

• Approaching retirement
• Business owners preparing to exit
• Wanting to protect their family against unexpected change
• Navigating major life events, such as divorce or redundancy
• Needing straightforward explanations of complex financial issues
• High net worth and considering how to pass their wealth on tax-efficiently
• Trying to cope financially with a serious medical condition or later-life care costs.

This list is potentially endless, which is why it’s crucial to review your firm’s services and objectives when planning content.

6 questions to help you create content that engages and informs the right people

Before launching into writing, take a moment to consider who you’re writing for and what they need from your content.

Here are six questions that might help:

1. Who are we trying to reach?
2. What does our target audience already know?
3. What questions, concerns, or challenges are they likely to face?
4. What do we want them to learn, feel, or do after reading?
5. How can we make this content relatable and relevant to our audience?
6. What tone, language, format, and examples are likely to resonate?

You might find it useful to organise your content into a few key categories or themes that reflect:

• Your firm’s areas of expertise
• Common questions your target audience might ask
• The different stages of an individual’s financial journey over their lifetime.

This could make it easier to plan a balanced mix of content that covers topics relevant to your audience.

Define your own success criteria

Just as you don’t need to write content to please everyone, not everything you create needs to perform well publicly (likes, comments, shares, views, and so on) or score highly on every possible metric.

Your content can serve many different purposes. Think about what you want to achieve before sitting down to write. Setting clear objectives will help you choose a relevant topic, format, and tone, while giving you a meaningful way to measure success.

Here are a few objectives you might want to consider:

• Educating and informing clients
• Building trust and brand awareness
• Demonstrating your firm’s areas of expertise
• Explaining your firm’s approach and the values behind it
• Addressing common questions, concerns, and pain points
• Starting a conversation by prompting people to get in touch
• Attracting new clients whose needs align with what your firm offers
• Encouraging relevant referrals from existing clients and professional connections.

Remember to listen to your audience; invite feedback and use this to tailor your content more effectively without losing sight of your original purpose or trying to appeal to everyone.

I love my new necklace and wearing it makes me smile. It doesn’t matter whether my friends like it. Similarly, your business will benefit from sharing content that’s valuable to your target audience – even if it might not interest everyone.

Get in touch

If you’re not sure how to tailor your content – or it isn’t reaching the right people – our experienced team of copywriters can help you create engaging content that speaks directly to your target audience.

To find out more, email us at hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300.