Why a Creative Agency Can Elevate an Investment Marketer’s Content Strategy

Large companies, especially investment management firms, generally have sizeable marketing departments. They often have separate teams for marketing to different channels, different products and strategies, for digital and offline, for events, advertising, brand, press and social media. I could go on.

So why do in house marketing teams need creative agencies? What value do they bring, particularly to content strategy? After all, who knows their company’s products and services better than the in-house marketing team?

Well, as the founder of Copylab for the past (nearly) 20 years, I’ve seen a consistent narrative from clients about why they bring us (and companies like us) in to help with their content strategy.

“You give us fresh pair of eyes”

This is the most common reason. External teams bring a new perspective and innovative ideas that can lead to more creative and effective content strategies. That’s clearly beneficial in the financial services market, which is frankly saturated with me-too content.

“You’re subject matter experts”

Sometimes the marketing team doesn’t have the technical product or investment expertise. And, of course, they can get that from the product specialists or fund managers. But if a product team is lightly staffed or under pressure with business-as-usual work, an external expert can add real value.

“You’ve got both the creative AND SME skills”

The Venn diagram intersection of technical expertise and creativity is where the magic happens. A specialist content strategy from a skilled investment marketing agency can make all the difference in the crowded space.

“You bring us content strategy expertise”

Outsourcing gives in-house teams access to specialist professionals who specialise in content strategy. This is a skillset that’s often not kept in house, especially in small and medium sized departments. A content strategy expert will deliver high-quality, innovative, and effective content that performs well and engages with your audience. And they do so with a strong governance framework encompassing structure, process, management buy-in and accountability. Speaking of which…

“You keep us accountable”

How often do you see a blog that’s not been updated for three months (especially in a smaller company)? It looks bad. The best results – an engaged group of expectant readers, listeners and viewers – come from a consistent, rich seam of insightful written, audio and video content. That requires commitment, even when your business-as-usual workload is off the charts. External suppliers help you maintain momentum because frankly, unlike staff members, they don’t get paid if they don’t do the work!

“You’re a cost effective option”

It can be more cost-effective to outsource certain marketing functions than to expand the internal team, especially in areas that require highly specialized skills. Although hourly rates may seem higher than an in-house option, the flexibility of a content management agency means clients can scale up and down their spend easier, or bring in different skillsets (podcasters, infographic developers, private-credit specialists, crypto gurus) at different times.