Financial marketing

Prove It!

3rd July 2024

The Irrefutable Case for Evidence-Based Content in Financial Services.

We often hear that something is ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread’. But without the ‘Why’, any claim is consigned to the ‘Whatever!’

Imagine you are a prospect researching your ideal provider or adviser. What’s going to impress you more, vague promises of ‘flexibility backed up by a world-class service’ or undeniable proof that you have come to the right place?

The name of the game is to introduce evidence to back up every claim you make about your products and services and to make sure that your proof points are superior to those of your competitors.

The 7 Types of Proof
In designing content, we always consider 7 distinct categories of proof. Each has a part to play depending on context and subject matter. It’s a helpful checklist to run against every claim you make:

Third-Party Proof
• Case Studies
• Testimonials (business associates, customers, partners, peers)
• Personal Endorsement (LinkedIn and TrustPilot)

Statistical Proof
• Official Statistics
• Commisioned or own statistical research findings / data
• Amazon style recommendation based on customer usage

Listed Proof
• Tombstones
• Client list

Corroborative Proof
• Media
• Bloggers / Tweets
• Authorship
• Endorsement of a publication by a leading authority

Badged Proof
• Awards
• Accreditations
• Memberships
• Partner Affiliations

Participative Proof
• Demonstration

Popularity Proof
• Followers (relevance and authority)

Some Great Business Lessons from Basecamp
Successful collaboration software specialist, Basecamp is a great example of a business that loads visitors up on proof-point after proof-point, making it easy to want to sign up.

Here are just a few examples:
We asked our customers what work was like before they used Basecamp. And how it’s improved after switching to Basecamp.
Hear from hundreds more customers about what’s changed for the better since they made the switch to Basecamp https://basecamp.com/before-and-after
We literally wrote the book on working remotely. https://basecamp.com/books/remote

Remember, the stronger the proof, the more believable the statement. The more credible it is, the greater its impact and influence.