Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring how the wealth industry is showing up on social media. We benchmarked 22 wealth firms across their social media presence, content strategies and audience reach. Combined, these firms have built a social following of almost 13 million people.
Alongside the benchmark, we brought together perspectives from across Wealth Management, financial education and social media to discuss how content consumption habits are changing and what that means for the future of customer engagement.
What emerged wasn’t a challenge around expertise. There is no shortage of knowledge, insight, or technical capability within the industry. The more interesting question is whether expertise is being packaged and delivered in a way that reflects how people consume information today.
There were five themes that stood out:
- Social media is now part of the Wealth Customer Journey
For many consumers, the journey into saving and investing no longer begins with a meeting, a website visit or a recommendation from an adviser. It increasingly starts with a search, a social media post, a video or a piece of content shared by somebody they follow.
Consumers move seamlessly between social media platforms, websites, articles, podcasts and AI tools as they learn and form opinions. They simply look for information wherever it is easiest to access.
This creates an interesting challenge for wealth firms. Social media can no longer be viewed purely as a marketing activity. It has become another touchpoint within the wider customer journey.
- Wealth firms have embraced social platforms, but not always social behaviours
The benchmark found strong adoption of and growing use of social media platforms. Many firms have invested significant time and effort into growing their social presence and attracting followers.
At the same time, content strategies remain heavily weighted towards articles, blogs and traditional thought leadership.
These formats still have an important role to play. The question is whether they are sufficient on their own. Today’s consumers are accustomed to short videos, visual explainers and content that can be absorbed quickly.
- Content should be designed around its purpose, not its format
One of the most interesting discussions during the podcast series centered on the tendency to start with the format before defining the outcome.
Many organisations ask whether they need a video, a podcast or an infographic. A more useful starting point is understanding what the content is trying to achieve.
But industry insights tell us that firms seeing the greatest success are often those that think about audience need first and content format second.
- Financial education gaps are pushing consumers towards social media
A recurring theme throughout our conversations was the role social media now plays in financial education.
Many people leave education with little practical understanding of investing, pensions, tax wrappers or long-term wealth planning. When questions arise, they look for answers in the places they already spend their time.
For wealth firms, this presents a significant opportunity to make trusted expertise more accessible.
- Simplicity is becoming a competitive advantage
Perhaps the strongest theme across both the benchmark and podcast discussions was the growing importance of simplicity.
Consumers are often encountering financial information for the first time. Complex terminology, industry jargon and highly technical explanations can quickly become barriers to engagement.
The firms making the greatest impact are often those that explain things clearly, communicate in plain English and focus on helping people understand.
A final thought: is the future somewhere between firms and creators?
One idea kept resurfacing as we worked through the findings.
Wealth firms typically bring expertise, credibility and trust. Content creators tend to excel at communication, audience building and presenting information in ways that feel relevant and engaging.
Perhaps the real opportunity for the industry is not deciding whether to compete with creators, but understanding what creators do well and applying those lessons in a regulated environment. Or perhaps, even seeing wealth firms and creators working together?
Natasha Bridgewater
Lead Consultant
