As a Financial Services Company, making the decision between outsource marketing efforts and keeping them internal can be a challenge.
Why Sales Cycle Length Shapes Growth
In B2B industries, growth is closely tied to how quickly decisions move forward.
Sales cycles stretch when buyers need more time to understand the problem, evaluate options, and feel confident in the outcome. That time adds pressure to internal teams, slows pipeline velocity, and creates uncertainty in forecasting.
When the process becomes more efficient, conversations progress with clarity, expectations are aligned earlier, and decisions carry more confidence.
That is where digital marketing plays a meaningful role.
At Digital Storyteller, the work centers on helping financial services companies create that kind of momentum across their pipeline. Law firms, HR consultants, commercial real estate groups, wealth advisors, and insurance firms all operate in environments where decisions carry weight. Buyers take their time, and the process involves multiple touchpoints before any conversation begins.
Marketing has the ability to shape that experience long before sales gets involved.
What a Sales Cycle Actually Includes
A sales cycle is the full journey from first exposure to a signed agreement and beyond.
Key Stages in a B2B Sales Cycle
- Initial awareness through content, referrals, or search
- Early research and internal discussions
- Evaluation of providers and solutions
- Direct conversations with sales teams
- Final decision and onboarding
Each stage carries its own set of questions. Buyers are looking for clarity around outcomes, process, risk, and long-term fit. When those questions remain unanswered, timelines extend.
When those questions are addressed early, the process becomes more fluid.
How Digital Marketing Shortens B2B Sales Cycles
Digital marketing works by preparing buyers before the first conversation ever happens.
Instead of entering a sales call with limited context, prospects arrive with a baseline understanding of your approach, your expertise, and how you think. That foundation changes the tone of the conversation and allows it to move forward with more direction.
Content That Builds Decision Confidence
Content plays a central role in helping buyers move forward.
Blog posts, videos, and educational resources give prospects a place to explore questions at their own pace. Over time, this creates familiarity and reinforces credibility.
As content accumulates, it begins to support multiple stages of the sales cycle simultaneously. Early-stage readers gain awareness, while later-stage buyers use the same resources to validate their decisions.
Email That Maintains Momentum
Email creates consistency across longer sales timelines.
Buyers in financial services often revisit decisions over weeks or months. Strategic email campaigns keep your firm present during that process, providing relevant insights without requiring immediate action.
This continuity helps maintain engagement and keeps conversations moving forward when the timing is right.
Websites That Support the Buying Process
Your website acts as a central hub for evaluation.
Prospects use it to understand your services, explore your perspective, and assess whether your firm aligns with their needs. Structure, clarity, and usability all influence how quickly someone can find what they are looking for.
A well-built site reduces friction and allows buyers to move through information in a way that feels natural.
SEO That Aligns with Buyer Intent
Search visibility connects your firm with buyers who are actively looking for solutions.
When your content appears in those moments, it becomes part of the research process. Over time, this positions your firm within the consideration set before any outreach occurs.
That early alignment helps accelerate the path from discovery to conversation.
Social Media That Reinforces Familiarity
Consistent social presence builds recognition over time.
Buyers may encounter your insights multiple times before engaging directly. Each interaction contributes to a sense of familiarity, which makes future conversations more approachable.
This ongoing visibility supports trust and keeps your firm top of mind during longer decision cycles.
Branding That Creates Consistency
Brand consistency brings all of these elements together.
Clear messaging, aligned visuals, and a defined point of view help buyers understand what your firm represents. When that experience remains consistent across channels, it strengthens recognition and reduces hesitation.
Why Financial Services Marketing Requires a Different Approach
Financial decisions carry long-term implications.
Buyers evaluate risk, consider multiple stakeholders, and take time to validate their choices. Marketing in this space requires depth, clarity, and consistency across every touchpoint.
Each interaction contributes to how confident a buyer feels moving forward. That confidence builds gradually through repeated exposure to useful, relevant information.
Building a Marketing System That Moves Deals Forward
Shorter sales cycles are the result of alignment across multiple channels.
Email, content, SEO, website experience, and social media each play a role in shaping how buyers move through the process. When these elements work together, they create a system that supports decision-making from the first interaction through final conversations.
Over time, that system compounds. Buyers arrive more informed, conversations become more focused, and decisions progress with greater clarity.
If your current marketing efforts are not contributing to that momentum, there is an opportunity to refine how each piece supports the larger process.
Connect with the Digital Storyteller team to build a strategy that keeps your pipeline moving forward with purpose.
B2B companies often look at B2C brands and assume the gap is budget, creativity, or platform choice.
It is not.
The real difference between B2B and B2C marketing is not where you show up. It is how buyers make decisions, how risk is evaluated, and how trust is built long before a sales conversation ever happens.
In 2026, B2B buyers behave more like consumers when researching, but they buy like risk managers when deciding. That distinction is where most B2B marketing breaks down.
This guide breaks down how B2B marketing truly differs from B2C marketing today, why copying consumer tactics rarely works, and why organic content has become the foundation of high-performing B2B growth.
What Is B2B Marketing Today?
B2B marketing is the process of attracting, educating, and converting other businesses into buyers.
But modern B2B marketing is no longer just about demand generation. It is about de-risking decisions.
Most B2B purchases involve:
- Multiple stakeholders with competing priorities
- Longer evaluation periods
- Internal justification after the decision is made
- Higher perceived downside if the wrong choice is made
As a result, B2B marketing must do more than generate interest. It must establish credibility, demonstrate expertise, and answer objections before sales ever gets involved.
In 2026, B2B marketing succeeds when it supports how buyers actually evaluate risk, not when it chases visibility for its own sake.
What Is B2C Marketing Today?
B2C marketing focuses on selling products or services directly to individual consumers.
While B2C strategies have matured significantly, the buying environment is fundamentally different:
- Decisions are usually made by one person
- The emotional payoff is immediate
- The financial and reputational risk is lower
- The sales cycle is short or nonexistent
B2C marketing optimizes for speed, impulse, and scale. B2B marketing optimizes for confidence, validation, and internal alignment.
Both use emotion and logic. The difference is how much risk the buyer carries after saying yes.
The Real Difference Between B2B and B2C Marketing
The traditional comparisons still apply, but they are incomplete. Here is how the difference actually shows up in 2026.
Decision Structure
B2C marketing targets a single buyer.
B2B marketing targets a group, often silently and asynchronously.
Your content must work for executives, operators, finance, and compliance, sometimes all at once.
Risk Profile
A bad B2C purchase is inconvenient.
A bad B2B purchase can cost someone their job.
That changes everything about messaging, proof, and pacing.
Sales Cycle
B2C marketing drives transactions.
B2B marketing supports conversations.
If your marketing cannot stand on its own without a sales rep explaining it, it is not doing its job.
Content Expectations
B2C content entertains and persuades.
B2B content educates and reassures.
Buyers are not just asking “Do I want this?” They are asking “Can I defend this decision internally?”
Why B2B Brands Struggle When They Copy B2C Tactics
Many B2B companies fail not because they lack effort, but because they optimize for the wrong outcome.
Common mistakes include:
- Chasing reach instead of relevance
- Running ads before building trust
- Prioritizing brand voice over buyer clarity
- Measuring success by traffic instead of sales alignment
In B2B, attention without credibility does not convert. It creates friction.
Why Organic Content Is the Foundation of B2B Marketing in 2026
Organic content is no longer the slow alternative to paid marketing. It is the system that makes everything else work.
Strong organic content:
- Shapes buyer understanding before sales is contacted
- Answers objections before they are raised
- Builds trust across long buying cycles
- Improves paid performance by qualifying traffic
- Supports AI-driven discovery and search visibility
In a world where buyers research anonymously, organic content is often the first and most influential sales conversation you have.
Paid campaigns amplify momentum. Organic content creates it.
Why We Focus on B2B Financial Services at Digital Storyteller
We work with B2B financial services companies because the stakes are higher and the margin for error is smaller.
Financial services marketing must balance:
- Regulatory and compliance constraints
- Long sales cycles and high trust thresholds
- Complex offerings that cannot be simplified without risk
- Buyers who value clarity over hype
Our approach prioritizes organic visibility, buyer education, and credibility before acceleration. Not because it is safer, but because it works.
When your marketing mirrors how decisions are actually made, growth becomes more predictable.
A Final Word
B2B and B2C marketing are not opposites. They simply solve different problems.
B2C marketing helps people decide faster. B2B marketing helps people decide safely.
If your marketing strategy does not reflect that reality, no amount of spend will fix it.
Interested in finding out more? Read on to learn about the ROI of organic digital marketing (yes, it can be measured!) Then, get in touch with our team to schedule your FREE Brand Storytelling Session.
Sometimes timing really is everything.
About four years ago, we had the opportunity to work with Mike Bourne while he was at Atéssa Benefits. At the time, he was exploring an idea that felt both bold and exciting, stepping away from exclusively serving massive employer groups and bringing that same large-plan expertise to small business owners.
With decades of experience in the retirement plan space, Mike saw a gap. Smaller to mid-sized businesses were not always getting the strategic, high-level guidance that large plans receive. He wanted to change that. We could tell from the beginning that he was energized by the possibility of doing something different.
As we do with all of our website and content clients, we started with a Brand Storytelling session. We dug into the passion behind the shift in demographic, the expanded services, and the long-term vision. From there, we began building a new site.
A year later, it was still in development.
Internally, not everyone shared the same enthusiasm for change, and the project stalled. It was the first time we had ever had a client not go live. It taught us an important lesson about ensuring all key stakeholders are aligned before significant marketing work begins.
Lesson learned. Relationship intact. We parted ways on good terms.
Until…
A year ago, Mike, Alison, and Rachel reached back out. They were launching a new brand, one that finally reflected the vision Mike had years earlier. A firm built specifically to serve small business owners. A firm focused on high-touch service, exceptional results, and doing things their way.
And we were genuinely grateful they came back to us.
We started fresh with a new Brand Storytelling session, this time with all three partners. They already had the name Mirador, but we collaborated on everything else: logo, brandmark, messaging, brand archetype, and the overall look and feel. We shaped how Mirador would show up in the world.
This time, the site launched.
From there, we moved into what we do best: organic digital marketing.
Blogs, video content, email campaigns, LinkedIn outreach, YouTube optimization, social posts, and backend SEO. Everything working together to tell their story consistently and authentically.
One year in, they are already seeing results. Clients have come directly from their outreach efforts, specifically from their videos. That matters.
Organic marketing takes time. It is not instant. But it compounds. It builds trust. And when your content is rooted in real conversations and real expertise, especially on video, it cannot be mistaken for something generic or AI-generated. It is clearly, unmistakably yours.
We wanted to highlight Mirador because they are doing meaningful work for small business owners. Because they are a collaborative, engaged client who invests in their own success. And yes, because backlinks matter too.
Most of all, it is a reminder that sometimes the first attempt is just preparation for the real launch. And when the timing is right, everything aligns.
Check out the Mirador Retirement Solutions Website here: https://miradorplans.com follow them on LinkedIn here: https://linkedin.com/company/mirador-retirement-solutions/ and reach out to tehm if your business wants to create the kind of retirement plan that attracts and retains the very best people while saving money for your own retirement. Check out Mike’s video on what a DB/DC plan is and how it works for Business owners here: https://www.youtube.com/@MiradorRetirement
Want more local clients? Of course you do! Local SEO, a powerful and often underutilized tool, can significantly boost your visibility to nearby potential customers.
Imagine your potential clients Googling “best tax advisors near me” or “top financial planners in town.” You want them to find you, right?
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Here’s how you can use Local SEO to make sure your website gets noticed and more clients show up at your door.
What Is Local SEO And How Does It Work?
Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about improving your online presence to attract more local customers. Think of it as a way to help your business get noticed when people search for services near them. For example, if someone types “best financial advisor near me” into Google, you want your business to pop up.
Here’s how it works:
- Google My Business Signals: This is your business’s resume on Google. Make sure it’s up-to-date with your name, address, and phone number (NAP).
- On-Page Signals: This is your website’s way of saying, “Hey, I’m local!” Include your NAP and sprinkle in some local keywords.
- Online Reviews: Good reviews are like gold stars for your business. They help you climb the Google ranks and attract more clients.
- Citations: These are like shout-outs about your business on other websites. Make sure they mention your NAP.
- Behavioral Signals: Things like how often people click on your site or call you from their phones.
- Social Signals: All the likes, shares, and comments on your social media help, too.
Why Local SEO Is Important For Your Business
Local SEO is a big deal because it helps your business shine in local searches. When people search for financial services nearby, they’re usually ready to pick someone fast. By getting your Local SEO game on, you’ll attract these eager clients, boost your foot traffic, and see those sales numbers rise.
7 Easy Tips to Master Local SEO
- Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
- Claim Your Listing: If you haven’t done this yet, go to Google My Business and claim your listing.
- Complete Your Profile: Add all relevant details like your business name, address, phone number, website, and hours.
- Choose the Right Categories: Pick categories that best fit your services.
- Add Photos and Videos: Visuals can make your listing more engaging.
- Encourage Reviews: Ask happy clients to leave reviews and make sure to respond to them.
- Optimize with Local Keywords
- Conduct Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find local keywords for your business.
- Incorporate Keywords Naturally: Use these keywords in your site’s titles, descriptions, and content.
- Create Location-Based Content: Write blog posts or create pages focusing on local topics.
- Add Local Schema Markup: This helps search engines understand your business’s location better.
- Build Local Citations and Listings
- Submit to Local Directories: List your business on directories like Yelp and industry-specific sites.
- Check for NAP Consistency: Ensure your business details are the same across all listings.
- Use Data Aggregators: Tools like Moz Local can help manage and update your listings.
- Create High-Quality Local Content
- Blog About Local Events and News: Share insights on local happenings relevant to your industry.
- Highlight Local Customer Stories: Feature testimonials or case studies from local clients.
- Develop Local Resource Pages: Create guides or pages with useful local information.
- Optimize for Mobile and Voice Search
- Ensure Mobile-Friendliness: Make sure your website works well on mobile devices.
- Focus on Local Intent Keywords: Optimize for keywords used in voice searches, like “near me” queries.
- Speed Up Your Website: A fast-loading site improves user experience and rankings.
- Leverage Social Media for Local Engagement
- Engage with Local Audiences: Connect with local clients and participate in community discussions.
- Promote Local Content: Share local blog posts and events on social media.
- Use Location Tags and Hashtags: Tag your location and use local hashtags to increase visibility.
- Monitor and Measure Your Local SEO Performance
- Use Google Analytics: Track how local search is driving traffic to your site.
- Check Google Search Console: Monitor your site’s performance and fix any issues.
- Track Rankings with Local SEO Tools: Tools like Moz or BrightLocal can help you keep tabs on your local SEO success.
Summing Up
Local SEO can be a game-changer for bringing clients into your financial services business. Follow these tips, boost your online visibility, and watch as more clients find their way to your door.
Need a Little Help With Your SEO?
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this SEO talk? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. After all, if Google were easy, everyone would be ranking number one!
Enter Digital Storyteller (that’s us.)
Our outsourced digital marketing agency is here to help create content, optimize your site, and make you more relevant to search engines on all social fronts. To develop an organic content marketing strategy with the SEO you need to make your business thrive, reach out to our diverse team of marketing experts today!
So you’re wondering what type of marketing you should implement for your business? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
The two biggest types of marketing are outsourced and in-house. Both want to promote your business to the best of their ability, but they have a few big differences. Learn more about the differences between outsourced and in-house marketing below!
It would feel morally wrong to write an article about storytelling and not tell you how our company came to be… Digital Storyteller starts with our Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Amanda Rogers.
In 1997, when the actors union was on strike, Amanda taught herself how to code from a book. (Yes, these were the days before WordPress, Squarespace, and WIX—scary times…)
Anyway, Amanda’s martial arts teacher was an 8th degree blackbelt teaching amazing Tang Soo Do in New York City—and had only five students. Amanda knew he needed a website—so she taught herself to write HTML, CSS, and Javascript to try to help him build a studio.
A year later when Amanda moved to Los Angeles, the studio was thriving. In fact, 80% of the students came to him through the website. She was hooked.
After a few twists and turns, Digital Storyteller was born—an organic digital marketing agency in Encinitas, California.
Today, the team has grown from one to nearly 15. On our team, we’ve got content specialists, social media experts, a client success manager, SEO team, as well as a website and graphic design team to continue what Amanda started.
That’s our story.
If you haven’t already recognized the importance of storytelling within a business, we’ll continue on for you. Better yet, we snagged the CEO and Owner of Digital Storyteller to chat about storytelling on camera, Andrew Marr.
What is Storytelling?
At its core, storytelling is (you guessed it!) about telling stories. Yoast tells us that storytelling is “about using stories to engage your audience, or to make something more clear.”
As humans, we’re wired for story. From each of our early days, it’s likely we recall our parents and the people around us sharing and telling stories. We love to read books and see movies and musicals—why? Because people are addicted to stories.
But what does storytelling look like when it comes to marketing for your business? When it comes to marketing for financial services companies, we see storytelling as making what you do and the services you provide:
- Relatable
- Easy to understand by your audience
Why is Storytelling Important in Marketing?
Storytelling builds trust. Here are some of the stories you can share in your marketing strategy as well as how you can share them:
- Share your stories on your website
- Share your origin story
- Share how you’ve grown
- Share the challenges your business has faced (How did you overcome these challenges? Did any positives come out?)
- Share how you help your clients (A lot of companies don’t share how they help their clients. Come on, boast a little!)
As the old adage goes, sharing is caring… Communicating your story with your audience.
A Word of Advice from Our CEO and Owner
So, how important is it to share your company story with your digital followers? (i.e. prospects, people in similar industries, current clients, etc.)
According to Andrew, it’s extremely important if you want to build trust and if you want to build a following. We believe in the power of storytelling. In fact, we start all of our partnerships with a Brand Storytelling Session.
Picture this: You go onto a website. For ease, let’s say it’s a digital marketing agency. You’re looking at their services, considering partnering with this company but you don’t find anything about their story.
There’s nothing about their employees or how the company came to be. Does that make you want to partner with that company even more? No, of course it doesn’t. That’s not the way things go.
For those who feel like it’s weird to talk about yourself or what you bring to the table as a business, for fear of coming off as arrogant or boastful, think about it… It’s your website. That’s kind of the point!
Let go of the taboo you were taught in grade school, that it’s bad to talk about yourself.
In business, it’s important that you share your success stories and tell people how you help them.
Lastly, share your company culture. People want to know what it’s like to work with you. People wanna know if your employees are happy. Are they going to do a great job for them if they decide to partner with you? Share stories, story after story.
Interested in learning how to build more trust with your prospects and clients? Check out this article on how pricing transparency builds trust.
The use of social media in financial services is often disputed. Some believe that social media does not hold the same value for business-to-business (B2B) brands as it does in the business-to-consumer (B2C) market.
This, however, is not the case.
While it may be true that B2C companies are often more successful on social media than B2B companies, there are still a multitude of various reasons why building a social media presence benefits a financial services company.
Take it from our Social Media Team at Digital Storyteller: “A marketing strategy without social media is like a margarita without tequila. No one wants that!”
In this article, we’re detailing the key benefits of using social media marketing for financial services companies.
1. Strengthen Existing Relationships
One of the greatest benefits for all businesses to developing a social media presence is to strengthen their existing client relationships.
This may refer to:
- Engaging with existing or past clients, or
- Nurturing relationships with contacts that have yet to become clients
Either way, social media networks provide a platform to maintain relationships.
Email marketing and consistent calls are of course another option to nurture relationships! These methods, however, have the potential to get irritating rather quickly.
While blasting your clients’ inboxes with emails may lead them to the dreaded unsubscribe button, they may not feel the need to take such drastic measures when their level of engagement is the casual viewing of sporadic Instagram posts.
Social media provides a relaxed addition to your existing client nurturing process while additionally providing a platform to develop new relationships.
2. Build Trust
In the same way that Google evaluates content for SEO purposes, viewers evaluate clients based on their authority and expertise. Developing a depth of content on social platforms provides potential clients an opportunity to review your level of expertise within your field.
Over time, existing clientele and prospective clients will likely begin to follow your accounts and engage with your content. Engagement with your content shows that you have a proven following and support system that trusts your business.
Read on to learn more about Instagram engagement.
3. Provide Customer Support
Social media has turned into an easy, new line of communication.
It has become common for consumers to utilize social media to gain support and answers from companies rather than going through their traditional customer service channels. Various social media platforms provide space where clients are comfortable and familiar.
It is easier for a client to tag, tweet, or comment on a company’s latest post than it is to sit on hold with the customer service line for hours trying to solicit help… No, thanks!
Companies love to see their favorite clients and prospects engaging with them on a personal level through social media. Brands that engage and respond to their clients on social media have overall higher customer satisfaction ratings.
It’s 2022, your clients are on social media—and your competitors are, too.
The truth of the matter is: Brands are expected to have a social presence.
Giving your clients an additional outlet to contact you offers them the support and guidance they’re looking for.
After all, your product or service already serves to solve a problem that they’re facing. Why not fix another one by making yourself more accessible?
4. Humanize Your Brand
In a sense, this goes along with the previously mentioned need for customer support. Making your brand available on social media is like positioning yourself as their friend. Social media platforms were created to connect friends and share experiences, so why can’t the same be the case with brands?!
Social platforms allow your brand to share a behind-the-scenes look at the people that make your brand what it is. For example, our co-founders, Andrew Marr and Amanda Rogers, each have their series of relevant videos that we share weekly.
Not only do these videos “share the secret sauce” behind our brand, but they also give our viewers insight into the faces behind the brand! Plus, who doesn’t love a chardonnay review!?
The same may also be the case with your brand. Finding a way to interact with your clients on an informal basis allows them to consider you a friend or peer. It creates a relationship of trust and mutual respect: Two things you definitely want in your client relationships.
5. Gain Insight
Lastly, being engaged on social media allows your brand to gain insight. Be it consumer or competitive insights, social media functions as a reporting platform.
The way that consumers engage with your social media account can tell you about their buying behavior, likes, dislikes, and needs.
Instagram, for example, has transitioned its functionality to operate similarly to a search engine for users. Tracking the views of your page, accounts reached, post likes, comments, shares, and saves can provide significant insight into how your brand is performing.
Read on for our article “What is Going on With the Instagram Algorithm!?”
Similar claims can be said about your competitors. One of the benefits of public social media accounts is that you can track insight into your competitors’ content. As they provide content for their followers, you have a front-row seat to see what they’re doing!
A Final Word
If your brand is already on social media, there are additional ways to ensure that you are optimizing your channels. This is particularly the case for financial services companies interacting on social media.
Check out this article for additional tips on the use of social media for financial services companies!
Are you a business owner? If the answer is yes, please tell us you’re incorporating video into your digital marketing strategy… If you’re not, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
Why? Because video is crucial to showcasing your brand and ultimately, getting more clients. And what business owner doesn’t want more clients? After you’re done with this article, circle back to find out how to attract the right clients.
But for now, we’ve got Andrew Marr, Owner and CEO of Digital Storyteller on camera to discuss the importance of using video in your digital marketing strategy.
Let’s hear what this ranting Scot has to say.
Why is Video Important to My Digital Marketing Strategy?
So, why is video important? At Digital Storyteller, we love our metrics and statistics. (Our awesome SEO manager, Devin Aubert, however, is on another level when it comes to statistics love!)
This considered, we thought we’d demonstrate the importance and popularity of video with some stats from Techjury. Let’s take a look at the booming industry. Did you know…
- “Video is the number 1 source of information for 66% of people.
- Over 500 million people watch Facebook videos every day.
- More than 75% of all video views come from mobile devices.
- The global video market was valued at $39.61 billion in 2018…” (Imagine where it’s at now!?)
- “YouTubers upload 300 hours of video content to the platform every minute.
- 93% of businesses gain new customers as a result of branded video content.”
The point is so many individuals watch videos nowadays.
In fact, our owner and CEO Andrew admits to watching at least 50 to 100 short videos a day through Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Hey, it’s where his enjoyment sits!
But it’s not just cute puppy videos that grab his attention, Andrew reminds us.
“I learn from video. Most clients in the financial services world, the clients that we work with, have a hard time with video, and understandably so…”
Why? Truth is, it’s hard to sit in front of the camera and talk, especially about ourselves!
Today, Andrew says, your digital marketing strategy must include not only long-form blogs, newsletters, white papers, etc. but also videos. Why? If not, you’re missing out on a huge group of viewers, and therefore, prospects.
How Can I Get Started?
So, if you’re a business owner, you might be wondering… “How do I get started with this video stuff?”
Don’t worry, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
All you need in terms of video length is 30 seconds to a minute.
“But what do I talk about?!” Don’t worry—Think about the questions you receive over and over as a business owner.
For Andrew, these questions include the following:
- Why should I outsource my marketing?
- How long does it take to see an ROI when it comes to organic marketing?
- Why does Digital Storyteller specialize in financial services?
- How much does your marketing cost?
- What is organic content marketing?
So, think: What are the five main recurring questions you get? Then, sit down and answer those questions.
Make your videos short and to the point.
If you’re not answering a question that you frequently get from clients, consider telling a story instead. You can tell a story about…
- How your business helped a client
- Someone on your team
You can even ask a client to record a video testimonial for you if you’re not quite ready to jump in front of the camera yourself! Here’s how to ask for a client testimonial.
Still Not Convinced?
Video is social media’s favorite form of content right now. By using video, you will increase your traffic, up your engagement, AND people will simply get to know you better by seeing your face, hearing you talk, and getting to know your personality!
Read on for more information about boosting your engagement via video in our article “Want to Connect with Your Prospects? Use Video.”
How to Record a Great Video
Need more guidance? Not sure what to wear in the video? Or, how to position your camera? Read our article “How to Record a Great Zoom Testimonial” for all the answers you seek.
PS: These tips apply just as well to non-Zoom video recordings! Happy recording!
Frequently, our clients ask us, “Should I ask for testimonials?” or, “Do people even read testimonials?” and, “Should we do video testimonials?”
The short answer to all of these questions is… YES!
The bottom line is that we receive a lot of questions around the idea of other people (past or current clients!) talking about what you do as a business and how you help people.
So, how do you request a client testimonial? Listen to our CEO, Andrew Marr, speak more about how to ask for a video testimonial.
Why Are Testimonials Important?
Don’t lie, you’ve spent time on Yelp or scoured Google reviews… The truth is, as we all know it, a review can make or break someone’s decision to partner with your business.
Use this fact to your advantage. This means you should showcase clients you’ve helped and those you’ve created great partnerships with (because your business is awesome!)
Collecting and displaying testimonials for the world to see helps prospects know how great it is to work with you. After all, Boast found that 72% of consumers say positive testimonials help increase their trust in a business.
Testimonials are powerful, and video testimonials are especially imperative to tell the story of how you helped people.
Many of us grew up in a culture of not asking for help and not talking about ourselves. Video testimonials, however, go against the grain.
When you ask a client to contribute a testimonial for your business, what you’re essentially asking is, “Please, will you talk about us? Will you talk about how we helped you?”
(Hint: These questions are super consequential to those reading—or watching—your testimonial!)
Different questions you can ask your clients to help guide the testimonial are:
- How did we solve a problem for you?
- How did we help you save money?
- What was working with us like?
- Why do you like working with us?
- How can others benefit from partnering with us?
If you ask your client for a video testimonial, remind them that it doesn’t need to be very long at all. Ideally, the video should be very short, 30 seconds to one minute. Keep it straight to the point.
The clients might need some coaching, but it’s very easily done.
Lucky for you, we have an entire article that you can send to your clients to prep them titled, “How to Record a Great Zoom Testimonial.” Check it out!
Once you have the video, put it everywhere. We recommend testimonials live on your website, in blog posts, on LinkedIn, and more. Tell the world how you help people. Hell, shout it from the rooftops!
We’re sure that the clients that you did help will be more than happy to do this for you.
The Right Way to Ask for Client Testimonials
Don’t make things complicated. It’s just five simple steps.
- You have to ask for a testimonial to get one. Think about it… When was the last time you gave a testimonial unprompted? You can ask clients whom you’ve partnered with for years, a new client who is excited to partner with you, the list goes on!
- Create an easy form fill for your clients to fill out their experience with you. Strike while the iron’s hot and ask for the testimonial during or right after the conclusion of your partnership (these days you can also ask for a testimonial through a short text message).
- Offer an incentive. Think outside of the box of gifts! An incentive can be more brand recognition on your website.
- Post the testimonial (with a nice headshot) on your website.
- Check out our testimonials page on our website for more inspiration.
So, you’re a business owner looking to get more clients? (Trust us, you’re not the only one!)
Every business owner ever:
But hold on – before you go all Heidi Klum on us and start looking to get MORE clients… Have you taken a minute to consider how to attract the right clients? Yes, the right clients. After all, you don’t want to be marketing your products and/or services to every person you walk by…
Not sure where to start? Lucky for you, we’ve got Andrew Marr, CEO and Owner of Digital Storyteller on camera to chat about how to attract the right clients.
Let’s see what he has to say.
Who is Your Ideal Client?
Clients, for any business owner, are obviously extremely important. Without clients, you’d have no business! (But you already knew that).
This considered, building a successful business and getting more clients is most likely one of your primary goals as a business owner.
Before we jump the gun and talk about getting more clients, however, it’s important to first discuss who the right clients are for you. How can you attract the right clients to your business?
Identifying the Perfect Client
The question isn’t, “Do you want more clients?” Of course, you do! The number one thing is, have you identified your perfect client?
Then, after you’ve identified your ideal client, think: Are you willing to create strategies around that particular client?
Our Perfect Client at Digital Storyteller
At Digital Storyteller, we focus on marketing for financial services companies. The realm of financial services ranges from commercial insurance to wealth advisories, commercial real estate firms, the list goes on.
While we love whisky, chardonnay, puppies, and tacos, we don’t market for companies that have anything to do with these elements. Why not? Because we’ve identified our perfect client (financial services clients) and unfortunately, whisky, chardonnay, puppies, and tacos have nothing to do with this industry (a little sad, right?)
We know it’s difficult not to accept whatever business walks through the door. It’s important, however, to hone in on who your ideal client is and not accept anyone else apart from this target audience.
So, to attract more clients, you have to first, figure out who your perfect client is. Put your energy and resources into that.
Interested in meeting one of our ideal clients? Check out this spotlight we did on our client Frank Crivello, founder and CEO of SBMA Benefits.
“At Digital Storyteller, we focus exclusively on [marketing for] financial services companies in the B to B space.”
Above is the text you’re faced with when you first visit DigitalStoryteller.io. Some of you might be thinking, “Great!… But what the heck is a financial services company?”
Most marketing agencies work with brands (think: restaurants, fitness centers, influencers, beauty companies, the list goes on). At Digital Storyteller, we’re a bit different… Here’s why.
Why Do We Focus on the Financial Services Industry?
So, why do we focus on financial services at Digital Storyteller? Well, aside from the fact that our team thinks financial services are wildly sexy (kidding… kind of?), we recognized a need and a gap in industry offerings.
But first, before we go into more detail, what is the financial services industry?
What the Heck is Financial Services?
We’re glad you asked.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the financial services sector “covers many different types of transactions in such areas as real estate, consumer finance, banking, and insurance.”
At Digital Storyteller, we have clients ranging from law firms to HR consulting firms, commercial real estate firms to wealth advisories, and commercial insurance. (Geez, that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?)
Anyway, when we say financial services, that’s really the realm we’re talking about.
Marketing for Financial Services Companies
So, back to why we market for financial services, at Digital Storyteller, we feel like that level of business, and that community of businesses, are underserved from a marketing perspective.
There are plenty of agencies out there who spend their time on biotech, startups, and influencer marketing—but not a lot who spend their time with financial services.
A Quick Aside
How did all of this come to be? In 1997, Amanda Rogers, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Digital Storyteller taught herself how to code from a book when the actors union was on strike.
She taught herself to write HTML, CSS, and Javascript before WordPress, Squarespace, and WIX existed. Although Amanda believes a lot has changed in the “how” of creating online presences for people and their businesses, the why is still the same… Tell the world what you do better than anyone else and the right people will be able to find you.
Why is Marketing Important for Financial Services Specifically
The financial services industry is a competitive and unique industry to market for. We know that those in the financial services industry navigate the difficult terrain of regulatory and compliance hurdles while seeking to successfully market their products and services.
Moreover, when it comes to financial services, you must build trust and authority through consistent content that is:
- Reliable
- Informational
- Educational
- Engaging
This considered—its difficulty—it’s essential that financial services companies seek out the right marketing for their businesses. Interested in learning more? Read on in the importance of digital marketing for financial services companies.
Imagine this: You’re on a family trip, searching for a restaurant to grab dinner. You find a restaurant on Yelp that looks great and go to scan their menu… There are no prices listed anywhere.
Chances are, this restaurant will lose your business immediately.
Let’s talk about pricing transparency. Better yet, Andrew Marr, CEO and Owner of Digital Storyteller is here to answer the question: What are the benefits of pricing transparency?
Let’s see what he has to say in the video below.
Why is Talking About Pricing Awkward?!
So, as a business owner, the question about pricing always comes up. There’s no way around it.
We recognize, however, that there are many reasons why you might be scared to openly talk about your pricing. These fears could range from thinking:
- Your services are overpriced
- You’re not qualified or experienced enough to be charging your rates (Helloooo, imposter syndrome!)
- That you don’t want to face rejection (or acceptance…)
- That your prospect will raise an objection about your pricing
- It’s “mean” or you “feel badly” to charge a fair price
Or, you could just be plain shy! Or, you might have grown up with the idea that talking about money is taboo.
Regardless of what your fears are, as a business owner, you need to be willing to discuss your pricing—out in the open.
Our philosophy here at Digital Storyteller is to tell your prospects and/or your clients how much you charge. The fact of the matter is that they’re going to find out anyway.
Not convinced yet? Below, let’s discuss the main benefit of pricing transparency.
Pricing Transparency Leads to Trust
There are many benefits to being open about the pricing of your products and/or services.
Think back to our family trip dinner scenario… You can’t find any prices listed on their site or Yelp.
Chances are, within the course of a couple of minutes, this restaurant will have lost the potential for your business. The same rings true with your business if you fail to disclose your pricing.
Did you know that when a business voluntarily discloses its costs—regardless of what they might be—the prospect is more attracted to the brand?
Why? Because pricing transparency builds trust.
Try Your Best
Now’s the time to ask yourself: How transparent is my business? Be honest. If you were a prospect in your target demographic, who stumbled onto your site, would you be happy with the level of transparency there is (or lack of)? Or, as a result, would you start to look elsewhere for your product or service?
Did you know that, according to a recent survey, 86% of small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) felt that a clear statement of pricing or costs was very or extremely important? Moreover, 38% of SMBs felt it difficult to build trust without pricing transparency.
We know, it’s not always possible to give a flat-out number as far as your services go. There’s a lot that can factor into what you charge.
At the very least, however, provide a range. Create articles and landing pages that explain to your prospects, “Even though we can’t give you an exact number, these are the factors that go into what we charge for our services. Here’s what XYZ clients typically pay for XYZ services.”
So, be transparent, it builds trust.
Our Pricing at Digital Storyteller
At Digital Storyteller, aside from our homepage, guess what page on our site is most visited? You guessed it—OUR PRICING PAGE! (See, analytical proof that people admire pricing transparency).
Again, in an effort to practice what we preach, here’s a breakdown of our prices for both ongoing content and website builds.
Speaking of including pricing on your website, interested in learning more about the qualities of a good site? Read on to learn how often you should redesign your website (and why…)