
Digital Marketing Best Practices for Financial Services in 2025: Do This, Not That
Dan Natale
January 27, 2025

To stay competitive, financial services firms need to understand and adopt the digital marketing trends that enhance their ability to build genuine connections with their audiences. In this guide, we outline our forecast for best practices to both embrace and avoid across essential marketing dimensions in 2025 and beyond.
Personalization and Analytics
In 2025, basic segmentation will no longer suffice. Clients expect their financial services providers to understand and anticipate their needs with unprecedented precision.
Do This:
- Implement AI-driven analytics to create truly personalized experiences based on individual client behaviors, risk tolerances, and life stages
- Develop dynamic content that automatically adapts to real-time changes in client circumstances or market conditions
- Create segmented messaging paths that evolve with each client’s financial journey
Not That:
- Rely on basic demographic segmentation
- Use one-size-fits-all marketing automation sequences
- Send generic financial advice without considering individual client contexts
Content Creation and Thought Leadership
With the proliferation of AI-generated content, firms that establish genuine authority through original thought leadership pieces, insights, and research will stand out, both to search engines and their audiences.
Do This:
- Produce original research and data-driven insights that showcase your unique expertise
- Create interactive, multimedia educational content including virtual masterclasses and digital magazines
- Partner with credible third-party analysts and academic institutions for authoritative content
- Feature authentic commentary from your seasoned analysts and CIO
Not That:
- Generate generic, AI-written content without human insight
- Publish surface-level blog posts that merely recap widely available information
- Rely solely on text-based content formats
- Copy competitors’ content strategies without adding unique value
Search Engine Marketing
As AI and machine learning reshape search algorithms, success requires adapting to new ranking factors while mastering both technical optimization and user experience.
Do This:
- Implement dynamic SEO strategies that adapt to algorithm changes
- Focus on technical SEO best practices and regular content refinement
- Carefully select high-ROI keywords for paid campaigns
- Measure and optimize paid search campaign performance continuously
Not That:
- Stick to static SEO tactics
- Ignore technical SEO fundamentals
- Bid on broad financial keywords without strategic targeting
- Set and forget your paid search campaigns
Content Distribution
The era of isolated content pieces is over. Success in 2025 requires thinking in terms of integrated content ecosystems that guide and nurture prospects.
Do This:
- Build interconnected content ecosystems across multiple formats and platforms
- Create layered content paths that guide prospects through the sales funnel
- Repurpose core content into multiple formats (video, audio, interactive)
- Enable seamless transitions between different content touchpoints
Not That:
- Publish isolated pieces of content without clear connections
- Maintain separate content silos for different channels
- Use a one-channel approach to content distribution
- Ignore how users navigate between different content pieces
Community Engagement
Trust in financial services increasingly stems from peer validation and community participation rather than traditional marketing messages.
Do This:
- Partner with micro-influencers who have deep expertise in specific financial niches
- Actively participate in and contribute to professional financial communities
- Facilitate user groups and thought leadership roundtables
- Encourage and showcase authentic user-generated content
Not That:
- Focus only on large-scale influencer partnerships
- Broadcast promotional messages to broad audiences
- Treat community platforms as pure advertising channels
- Ignore peer-to-peer recommendations and discussions
Content Formats
Especially with the increasing popularity of platforms like TikTok and forums like Reddit, the way financial information is consumed is evolving rapidly. Firms need to embrace more dynamic and engaging presentation formats to capture and keep their audiences’ attention.
Do This:
- Create interactive data visualizations and dynamic PDFs
- Develop gamified learning modules for complex financial concepts
- Produce short-form “snackable” content for quick insights
- Offer immersive experiences like VR product tours
Not That:
- Rely solely on static documents and traditional formats
- Present complex information without interactive elements
- Ignore the need for quick, digestible content
- Avoid experimenting with new content formats
Create authentic, value-driven experiences that combine human expertise with technological innovation. Focus on building trust through high-quality, original content while leveraging advanced technology to deliver personalized experiences at scale.