10 (Compliant) Social Media Ideas for Financial Services Companies

For financial services companies, social media is a powerful marketing tool for reaching clients and prospects. However, cutting through the clutter on social media channels requires mortgage lenders, financial advisors, banks and other financial services firms to develop content that is personal, engaging and varied – which can be a tall order. To help, here are 10 ideas to compliantly diversify the content on your social media feed.  

The power of referrals in selecting any provider, including financial services, is tremendous. Shining a light on satisfied clients and customers (or, for our credit union friends, "members") is a great way to engender trust with folks that aren’t familiar with your brand or institution. But remember that regulators are on alert for false “good reviews only” promotions and overall review fraud. Partner with your compliance team when promoting customer testimonials and reviews.   

Increasingly, consumers are turning to social media to learn more about financial-related topics. Posting educational content helps establish financial services brands as trusted advisors that can be relied upon to guide clients/customers/members in their respective financial journeys. Short, digestible content on social media can help bridge the gap between consumers and the complicated topics related to financial decisions. Content creators should be mindful to only create content that corresponds with their licensure and not stray into other industries, like credit repair, unnecessarily.   

Referral relationships can be a crucial source of new business for many financial services firms. Highlighting these relationships on your social media feed increases your reach AND builds goodwill with your valued partners by helping them promote their businesses. However, financial institutions and licensed employees must ensure this content complies with RESPA Section 8 requirements.  

Doing good is always a good thing and sharing your organization’s good works on social media establishes a sense of authenticity and humanizes your brand – two things that Gen Z and Millennials both deeply value and respect in their chosen financial services provider. Financial institutions and their employees should be mindful of what organizations they choose to partner with for philanthropic endeavors. Factors to consider may include political affiliations, social justice movements, and if the organization is related to any type of potentially divisive/controversial topics. Always keep brand reputation top of mind! 

Who doesn’t like to peek behind the curtain? Highlighting your organization’s superstars and/or providing a “behind-the-scenes” look at the inner workings of your company helps humanize your brand and reinforce local ties to the communities in which you operate. If photographs are incorporated, be mindful of any children in photos, and make sure to incorporate photo release forms as necessary! 

Most consumers are not financial gurus, nor are they always up-to-speed on how changes in the market could affect them. Sharing industry news/trends and breaking down the “how” and “why” for your audience goes a long way to establishing credibility and positioning your organization as a trusted advisor on all things financial. Keep in mind, if a particular piece of news is a triggering term, such as the daily rates or a product offering, may be disallowed by a company’s policy or various legal disclosures would also apply.   

This type of post is a no-brainer for your organization’s overall social media marketing strategy. However, it can be the riskiest from a compliance perspective because of the plethora of rules surrounding the marketing and advertising of social media services.  

Stability is something consumers highly value in their financial services provider. One way to demonstrate this on social media is to share any wins, successes, or achievements your company has earned. Have you won a recent industry award? Were you part of a magazine article publication? Build on that achievement to lead to more success in the future.   

Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to social media. By combining individuals’ natural curiosity to know what others are thinking with gamification strategies, financial services brands can increase both their engagement and visibility while gaining valuable insights into consumers’ thoughts and preferences via thought-provoking questions posted on social media channels.  

Are you a financial advisor hosting a happy hour where attendees can learn more about retirement planning? Perhaps you’re a mortgage lender, bank, or credit union that has partnered with a local real estate agent to offer a homebuyer education workshop. Whatever it is, social media is a great way to spread the word about events and other happenings that you are hosting. Again, keep RESPA Section 8 rules top of mind here to stay in compliance. 

There’s no denying the power of social media marketing in driving customer retention and new business. By diversifying the types of shared content, financial services firms can improve their visibility and engagement in the pursuit of growth. 

Content development is half the battle. Learn how ActiveComply can help you ensure your clever social media copy is also compliant.