Educated investors invest more and churn less: Three ways to improve your customers’ knowledge base 

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Modern retail investors are intelligent people. They’re not gamblers looking to roll the dice and get rich quick; instead, they take the time to thoroughly evaluate the opportunities that will serve them best. 

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There’s a big opportunity for the platforms that can help them do that. Giving investors the tools to upskill and enrich their own industry knowledge is a proven way to win their trust. And not only are educated investors more engaged and loyal, they’re also likely to invest more in the long term. 

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That means that educational content is more than just a nice-to-have: it’s a critical lever for growth. At Finimize, we know how to craft content strategies that help investors build a knowledge base – not just add to the noise. Here are the three tactics we use to consistently improve the financial literacy of our community:

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Regular engagement

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Education doesn’t happen overnight. Our data shows that retail investors engage with 10-15 touch points before they convert to a customer, so expecting to see dramatic results from one piece of content is unrealistic. It takes time to nurture investors, and to build their confidence to the point that they feel comfortable parting with capital.

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The challenge with this is that modern investors are also time-poor. They only spend about 15 minutes per day learning about investment opportunities, and that’s often squeezed in between meetings or on commutes. Capturing their attention – and their investment potential – requires platforms to show up consistently, serving a mix of content that takes investors on a journey towards conversion. 

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‍How we do it

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We combine daily and weekly newsletters with Quick Takes and deep analyst insights to create a robust educational foundation for investors. Because they arrive at a regular cadence, newsletters are easy to build into investors’ daily routines. 54% of Finimize investors consume at least one news story per day, kicking off their morning with what’s most relevant in the world of investing. 

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Quick Takes keep investors in the loop by sharing the latest developments in short, bitesize updates as news breaks. Easily digestible in under two minutes, 75% of our investor community consumes one quick take per day.

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But short form content needs to be balanced with deep dives and expert analysis. We find that the best content strategies give investors the means to self-direct their education, guiding them towards further resources where they can explore whatever interests them most. Our Analyst Insights dig into investment ideas and strategies in more depth, and are consumed daily by 75% of our community.

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Situational education

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Because modern investors are so busy, it’s important to meet them when and where they are. We’ve talked before about the importance of an omnichannel strategy, and critical to that is understanding not only which channels investors use, but also why they use them.

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Insights from our Q3 Modern Investor Pulse revealed that despite (or perhaps because of) the prevalence  of “finfluencers” and robo advisors on social media, 42% are using it less for investment advice. They’re much more likely to take their cues from real-word conversations with peers, and impartial media outlets. 

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So, with an educational foundation established, the next step is to build confidence on specific themes, and to do so within the most appropriate context.

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‍How we do it

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We’ve developed a millions-strong community of active retail investors, and know that they can learn as much from each other as they do from our experts. That’s why we host a roster of carefully-curated events throughout the year, providing online and in-person opportunities to connect, share insights and dig deeper with like minded guests. Over 100,000 investors attended our events in 2022, and our annual Modern Investor Summit is the world’s largest event for the retail investor network.

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For more time-sensitive troubleshooting, Finimize also produces a series of How-to educational guides designed to solve problems and build confidence on specific themes. They empower investors with most of the core information they’re likely to need on their journey: 37% of our community refer to one guide a month for actionable insights.

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Two-way conversations

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Showing up at the right time, in the right place, are two of the key pillars in any content strategy. The third is having the right message. Relevance is imperative to build trust: platforms that demonstrate a deep understanding of not just their topic, but also their audience’s questions and concerns will achieve the best results.

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But retail investors aren’t a homogenous group. Our Modern Investor Pulse shows the variance in sentiment, budget and risk appetite, as well as demographic group and interest. Guessing at what they want from the content they consume, or going too broad, runs the risk of speaking to nobody in particular. The more specific content is, the more effective it is, so platforms need to listen first and speak later.

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How we do it

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Years of listening to our audience means we’re plugged in to what investors really want. In particular, our quarterly Modern investor Pulse surveys thousands of investors from across the Finimze community to find out how they're thinking. Elsewhere, we use proprietary data and user interviews to identify the topics that matter, and craft content journeys that address those concerns accordingly.

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For example, we can see that when someone read or listened to our guide on robo-advisors, 65% went on to learn about exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Once they’d gotten to grips with that, 58% explored portfolio construction. Studying these patterns provide much more meaningful indicators of what a current or prospective investor will do with their money next than just looking at age or salary. 

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Event Q&As also offer a great opportunity to hear directly from investors about what’s top-of-mind. We look at the questions raised in Q&As at our events to define what’s most relevant to each audience, and craft precise, tightly-focused content that meets a validated need.

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It’s an approach that’s proven to work. Finimize educational content gets 70% more engagement than any other retail-centric financial information platform. To find out more about how we can support you to improve your customers’ knowledge base, get in touch.

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