Not long ago I sat down in a meeting with a global bank and could see that many junior and mid-level staff were skeptical about the need for my services. Sure, people don’t read as much as they used to, but they still need signposting and, although we may not pay as much attention to writing as we did in the era before vlogs, instructional videos and the like, the written word is still the way to do that well.

The brief

We were tasked with creating copy to go with a bank’s new website. Sound easy? Beyond the difficulty of determining what calls to action would be the clearest- “Log In” v. “Click Here” need to be really clear if you’re trying to sign in to your bank account online for the first time- its difficult explaining complex ideas such as derivatives quickly and in an engaging manner. After two one-hour sessions with the client, we were able to understand what they wanted, and worked directly with the designer to feed back on some elements of the website design that would affect how things were read, and in what order.

The challenges

For some of us, reading about finance, even (or especially) our own personal financial situation, can be like watching paint dry: boring, boring, boring. Yet everyone needs to understand elements of finance, at least as it pertains to their own personal accounts. However, as with all financial firms, punchy copy has to be passed amongst the marketing and compliance teams, which can often lead to watered down language that is full of jargon and disclaimers. Our biggest challenge was finding a way to keep the copy short and engaging while acknowledging and including the language necessary for legal and compliance sign off. We are pros at what we do, however, and part of the fun is finding ways to weave in our engaging messaging that’s on brand and aligns with the client’s voice and needs. It took a few weeks but et voila! we found a way to make every stakeholder happy and still kept things short, sweet and to the point.

The outcome

It took about three months to create copy for 16 website pages. The process was iterative and collaborative, working with outside contractors and various internal departments. In the end, the client was happy and had a brand new site that was fresh, eye catching and clear. And when they client is happy, we’re happy.

Want to know more about how we can help your financial firm or company with great copy? Be in touch with us here.