*NEWSFLASH* - it has come to my attention that 'ESG' has suddenly become what I call an 'Inflamed Term' in the US. Whilst I work with US clients, you must understand that I am a UK-based business, where the term ESG is so normative as to be borderline boring. As such I choose to still use this Term but I do understand its 'new meaning' in the States - see my latest Blog Post about my understanding of this phenomenon.

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I talk a lot about 'The New Finance' but what is it and why does it need Marketing?

The Finance Industry clearly needs Finance Writing, and whilst I've written on Investment in the classical way within investor-facing materials (and enjoy immensely writing in this way), there are also many other expert writers who can provide this. What many Finance Writers can't provide, however, is a way of writing Finance that appeals beyond the confines of the industry - which is critical for those whose Clients / Customers are consumers, novice investors and others having little familiarity with industry 'jargon'. 

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What I mean by 'The New Finance' is something very different.

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If you’re wondering why I’m using the term ‘The New Finance’, however, and why you’ve never heard of it before then – to set your mind at rest - no, it’s not ‘technically’ ‘a thing’. That is to say, if you mean by ‘thing’ a currently known ‘buzz phrase’, you have nothing to worry about. In fact, if you google ‘The New Finance’ you will likely find only a couple of decade-old academic books about behavioural finance / economics (not that this is without interest). However what I'm calling 'The New Finance' - if I may reclaim the term for a new purpose - is certainly ‘a thing’ if we are talking Real World Marketing. And it may appear at first as two or even three or more different issues, namely a) the issue of finance / investment language often being off-putting to many novice investors (this is particularly the case with female investors, according to many sources and reports, including Coutts' own research); b) the issues of Sustainable Finance / SRI (socially responsible investment), ESG and the green economy; c) the general issue of diverse demographics in finance / investment.

Why do I lump these together? How are (e.g.) Gendered Investment Marketing & ESG Related?

Because both come down to the fact that there are issues within finance / investment itself and also with the language in which it is discussed (when addressing audiences beyond the industry) that are not entirely fit for purpose in 2023 and beyond. While each investor is different, the push towards Sustainable Finance, SRI and general ethical and ESG awareness is increasingly important, perhaps especially to the younger generation of investors, who are known to be very wary indeed of 'greenwash' - they can sense it a mile off. And investors themselves are increasingly diverse. Many of them don't want to hear about 'bull markets, bear markets and betas'! They want investment explained to them in ways that relate to their actual lives and in language which engages rather than obfuscates and alienates. (See also my Blog Post on why billions of dollars are being lost annually by the industry through the failure to attract wealthy female investors, here.)

As a ghostwriter / writer and editorial / marketing expert, I am of course largely concerned with how these things are written about. At the same time, if you want to do authentic Marketing (and Thought Leadership), I have to assume you are writing about things you are actually doing. The facts themselves, and the marketing of those facts, are intimately connected. Indeed, if they weren’t, it would be the very definition of ‘greenwash’. As such I also work with companies not merely on the writing of ESG, SRI or Social Value materials but on helping them articulate what is already inherently sustainable (and unique) about their approach.

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Whether you are a Fund Manager; the CEO of a Fund; an Investment Platform aimed at novice investors; an established organisation struggling with why you still aren't attracting female investors despite your best efforts; a company needing to appeal to non-industry Clients or Customers, or a Wealth Manager or Asset Manager with similar issues, do drop me a line direct at susan@susan-lawson.co.uk to arrange a Complimentary 30 Minute Consultation by Zoom (or similar). In addition if you are struggling to find something authentic to say within your Sustainability / ESG materials, or to articulate your position on Sustainable Finance / SRI, again get in touch and we can talk it over.