Finding a specialist regtech content agency might seem a bit like signing up for an IronMan Triathlon: hard work and expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. 

Here at The Search Cure, I (Shan) work with regtech platforms to help them acquire customers through content marketing. Not another agency just focused on growing your traffic through SEO, I’m a one-person powerhouse targeting customer acquisition through content. 

In this piece, you’ll learn the biggest challenges facing regtech marketing managers today, and how our content marketing agency for the regtech market can solve those problems. 

And in case you’re already sold, click on the button below to book in with a chat with me.

Common challenges in regtech content marketing

The unique thing about regtech content marketing is that you’re effectively writing for two audiences; your customer, and the regulators. And you could be the best writer in the world, but if the compliance department isn’t playing ball, there’s only so much you can do. 

I’ve found that many marketing managers in regtech companies tend to shy away from content marketing for this reason. After all, they don’t want to create boring and bland content for the sake of it - especially when they’re already juggling the google ads, PR, influencers, SEO… the list goes on.  

Regtech challenge 1: It’s regulated

Stating the obvious here, but with regulated industries comes the constraints of certain systems and etiquettes. For example, data protection and risk management rules mean that you might be restricted from onboarding a random content marketing freelancer, and can instead only opt from a list of pre-vetted agencies. 

And of course, you’ll mostly deal with these issues in the form of regulatory compliance departments. In our experience working with regtech solutions, there are two types of internal compliance departments: 

1. The easy-breezy kind that lets you get on with marketing with relatively little involvement

2. The heavy-handed kind, leaving your lovely, strategic work unrecognisable once it’s approved

I’ve had the pleasure of working with both kinds of compliance departments, and it’s no secret that the first kind is much easier for marketers to work with. 

But if you’re stuck with the second, the compliance process can create significant problems for your SEO content marketing plans. 

In many cases, content marketing lands at the back of the queue of priorities, leading to long runways and approval times for ideas. This limits the possibilities of creating reactive regtech content when the regulators make their announcements, which could help you establish your authority and opinions within the industry.  

Secondly, heavy-handed compliance departments tend to pushback on a lot of the more creative ideas in your strategy. This can force you into making bland and boring content, just because it fits the compliance mould. 

You might be thinking; any content is better than no content, right? Not if you’re wasting valuable resources on content that will never get read, or acquire customers, in our opinion. 

Even the onboarding of a regtech content marketing freelancer like myself gets delayed - it’s taken over 4 months for me to gain compliance approval and actually begin working with one regtech client.

Regtech challenge 2: You might be growing traffic, but you still need customers

When content writers sit down to begin creating their content, they’ll often have a goal in mind. For many, it’s hitting the primary keyword of their topic to make sure it’s promoted by Google into one of the top spots for search. 

But that’s the irony about those high volume keywords: most of the search intent behind them is educational. Going for this strategy is likely to lead to increased traffic, for sure, but won’t actually convert any of those readers into customers. That’s because you’re appealing to readers higher up in the funnel. 

Let’s look at an example. 

I searched “regtech platform” and one of the top search results was this: What is Regulatory Technology? By Sanction Scanner.

The thing is, the search intent for ‘regtech platform’ is transactional; the reader is looking to find and compare different regtech platforms and is likely ready to buy. The reader wants to know what the features or benefits of your regtech platform are, and how they can buy. 

By writing about what regulatory technology is, Sanction Scanner will miss the conversion opportunities of this keyword. If I were working with Sanction Scanner, I would prioritise the re-optimisation of this piece to focus more on a bottom-of-the-funnel angle.

Regtech challenge 3: It’s hard to engage with your customer at their level of understanding

Another of the common mistakes that I see by regtech content marketers is that they write for a beginner’s level of understanding. This goes hand-in-hand with the previous example by Sanction Scanner. 

Unfortunately, it completely misses the mark. The reader, searching “regtech platforms”, already knows that their problem is managing the compliance of all their regulations, and is actively searching for solutions. But the article talks about how regulations are mandatory, and of the differences between Regtech and Fintech.  

Engaging with your customer at a lower level than their understanding means they won’t relate to your content, and will likely click off as fast as they clicked on. It’s a surefire way to acquire zero new customers. 

Regtech challenge 4: It’s hard to find a writer who knows the industry

There are hundreds of thousands of different regulations, and combining this with the various jurisdictions leaves regulatory technology firms with a very small candidate pool for content creation.

In my opinion, it’s obvious when the writer doesn’t know what they’re talking about. They over-explain acronyms or concepts that would be familiar to anyone inside the industry, for a start. But inexperienced writers also lead to more friction for you and your internal marketing team because you’ll spend more time briefing, editing and probably doing some writing yourself.

Doesn’t that defeat the point of outsourcing your regtech content marketing?

How to get real results (and customers) from a regtech content agency

I’ve spent over five years specialising in creating content in the regulated financial and cyber industries, and for regtech companies themselves. For example, I helped CUBE Global by creating a specialist glossary that ended up bringing in more traffic than the rest of the site combined, and helped this brand go from zero to $160,000 in sales through the content channel. 

So I know a thing or two about getting results from your regtech content. 

1. Work with the compliance team

Instead of battling against your compliance officers, find a way to work hand-in-hand with them. Not only does this make your content process smoother, but it enables you to publish quickly, build a longer content pipeline and even react to real-time news and industry events. Working with the compliance team allows you to write unrestricted, creative content. 

I’ve found that compliance tends to pick up on repeated errors, due to the phrasing or tone that regtech content marketers use. Words like ‘guaranteed’ or ‘stress-free’. One way to get around this is by asking the compliance team for a pre-approved or banned list of words or phrases that can help to alleviate many of those bottlenecks. 

Alternatively, use a system that will help the compliance team work through your content quicker. Instead of letting it drown to the bottom of their priorities, setting aside one hour for a monthly in-person review means they can blitz through everything in one-go. 

2. Invest in a content agency that can write BOFU content

Bottom-of-the-funnel content is hot right now, but there’s lots of people talking about it, and not so many content agencies actually writing it. 

Bottom-of-the-funnel content is designed to acquire customers by nature, due to the searcher's intent. The searcher has a problem, is aware of the solution, and is actively in the consideration phase. Your content should reflect that they’re deciding between you and your competition, by:

• Diving deep into the problem (so the reader knows you “get it”)

• Using social proof (so the reader knows you can solve it)

• Differentiating yourself with opinions, transparency or another variable (so the reader knows how you’re different to competitors) 

  
  Here’s an example of a bottom-of-the-funnel piece I wrote for CoreIntegrator: What’s the easiest way to set up recurring payments? CoreIntegrator vs AvidXChange.

This piece directly contrasted our client with one of their biggest competitors, and honestly answered the differences between their two services. I wasn’t trying to pull the wool over the readers eyes - just stated which solution was best for each type of customer. And it worked to acquire customers within 5 months, even when the content channel had never produced a lead in the last decade.  

Note: just like your regulatory reporting, it’s important to set up proper tracking for your sales-related metrics. This way, you’ll know if you’re successful in acquiring customers through content marketing. Likewise, make sure your content agency is able to prove their conversions through automated reporting on conversion metrics.

3. Write for the familiarity level of the customer

Think about the customers that you talk to and interact with every single day; how many of them are compliance officers or regulation experts themselves? Thanks to the product you’re selling, chances are, a high percentage. 

In another industry, writing for the familiarity level of the customer might mean explaining every acronym, avoiding technical jargon and over-simplifying topics to ensure the reader can understand. 

But in regtech content marketing, it’s about finding the perfect balance. When writing, use enough technical language so that the reader respects your authority on the topic, but is digestible enough to keep them engaged. 

For example, I tend to pick a friendly, yet professional tone and am rarely outspoken, since that doesn’t fit with compliance. Instead of criticising regulations or their governing bodies, we talk about the challenges that customers can expect to face, and how our clients' software can solve those challenges.  

Here’s an example of a piece I’ve written for a more technical audience: Find out why Bud’s transaction categorisation is market-leading.

The best way that I have found to achieve the right level is by speaking to just one person - a defined ideal avatar. By bearing them in mind throughout the piece, we can ensure that the content fits the branding of our customer, and engages their target in the most authentic way. 

4. Interview subject matter internal experts

Finding a writer who knows every facet of the industry is impossible - there, I said it. But (and it’s a big but), there’s a very easy way to get around this: by having the content writer interview your internal staff. 

As part of the process at The Search Cure, I sit down with members of the sales, product and marketing teams of our clients. Ask them questions like:

When did you first hear about [the topic]?

What’s your background, and level of familiarity with [the topic]?

What was the initial industry reaction to [the topic]? How have things changed since then?

What are some of the key trends with [the topic]?

How has [the topic] changed things for your customer?

How has your technology helped your customer in relation to [the topic]? What results did they get? Can you share any feedback from customers themselves?

What’s next for your technology around [the topic]?

Have there been any high-profile enforcement actions recently?

Do you have any hot takes or unique perspectives on [the topic] or the future of your industry?

By extracting this information from a true subject matter expert, you’re able to get double the benefits. First, in making sure the writer knows what they’re talking about and are able to get specific about the problems your customer is facing. Secondly, in building the brand of the interviewee, increasing authority for your company, and building credibility and trust.

Work with a regtech content marketing agency that gets results 

At The Search Cure, I specialise in working with the regtech provider industry, and not just because I know about your regulatory requirements. It’s because I’m already familiar with the challenges you face. I know how to get along with the compliance department, how to write at the familiarity level of your reader and how to interview subject matter experts for better content. 

Best of all though, my BOFU content marketing strategies have been responsible for generating $160,000 in sales for our client in just five months. 

Want to learn more about how we can help you?

Simply get in contact with the form below, or message our founder, Shan, on LinkedIn.