Overcoming 5 Major Financial Communication Challenges Using Video

The financial industry, often characterised by its complexity, technical jargon, and data-heavy communication, faces unique challenges in engaging audiences.

Customers, employees, and potential recruits often find the sector’s information overwhelming, creating barriers to understanding, trust, and connection.

However, video content is quickly becoming the norm, offering a versatile and impactful solution to these challenges.

By combining engaging visuals, relatable narratives, and accessible messaging, video enables finance professionals to simplify concepts, foster trust, and connect with their audiences more effectively.

This blog summarises the key points discussed in our latest webinar, Proven Financial Communications: Video for Clarity and Impact, held in November.

We’ll explore the key pain points faced by marketing and communications professionals in the finance industry, show how video can help overcome them, and share examples of how we’ve successfully done this for our clients in the past.

Let’s dive in!

Pain Point 1: Customer Education

The Challenge

Financial literacy is a significant hurdle for many customers. Topics like interest, investment strategies, and loan terms can be intimidating, leading to confusion or disengagement. For companies in financial services, this lack of understanding directly impacts customer confidence and loyalty.

The Solution

Video provides an opportunity to simplify complex topics and communicate them effectively. By presenting concepts visually, videos transform dense data and jargon into digestible, engaging stories. Studies show that 95% of information is retained when communicated through video, compared to only 10% through text.

Key Benefits

• Simplification: Visual storytelling breaks down complex topics into understandable steps.
• Engagement: Animated elements and dynamic visuals capture attention better than static content.
• Retention: Customers are more likely to remember information conveyed through video.

Example: Commbank – Compound Interest

For this piece created for CommBank, we used a clean and simple iconography style to communicate the complex concept of compound interest.

Recognising the importance of clear messaging, we integrated the CommBank logo in a way that was consistent with their brand, ensuring it felt authentic and aligned with their identity.

By employing simplified visuals, we successfully broke down complex topics without overwhelming viewers. This approach made the information accessible and engaging for all audiences, regardless of their level of financial literacy.

Pain Point 2: Employee Training

The Challenge

The financial industry operates within an ever-changing regulatory landscape, making it crucial to keep employees up-to-date with compliance and industry standards. Traditional training methods—manuals, in-person sessions, and static presentations—are time-consuming and often fall short to provide consistent messaging that sticks.

The Solution

Video training modules offer an efficient, scalable solution to these challenges. They can be updated easily to reflect regulatory changes, ensuring all employees receive the same information. Interactive and engaging formats enhance retention and minimise training time.

Key Benefits

• Efficiency: Video reduces learning time by 40–60% compared to traditional training methods.
• Consistency: A single video ensures uniform messaging across teams.
• Engagement: Visual and auditory elements improve understanding and retention.

Example: RACQ – COI Training Module

For this video for RACQ, the training objectives were to ensure employees understood conflicts of interest and the importance of ethical decision-making. We focused on making the content engaging by balancing simplicity with authority to make complex topics more accessible.

To achieve this, we adopted a minimalistic design approach, utilising only two colours with varying shades and tones to help maintain the audience’s focus on the content.

We opted for seamless animated transitions rather than cuts, enhancing the video’s flow and keeping the audience consistently engaged from start to finish.

A male voiceover was chosen to narrate the content, providing an authoritative tone that reinforced the credibility of the information being presented.

By concentrating on these elements, we ensured the video was not only visually appealing but also effective in delivering its message with clarity and authority, making it accessible and impactful for all viewers.

Pain Point 3: Recruitment

The Challenge

Attracting skilled professionals who align with an organisation’s values and culture is becoming increasingly difficult in today’s competitive job market. Financial institutions must differentiate themselves to appeal to top talent.

The Solution

Recruitment videos showcase the company’s mission, values, and workplace culture in a way that text-based job descriptions cannot. They give candidates a realistic sense of the organisation’s environment, helping employers attract individuals who resonate with their goals.

Key Benefits

• Increased Applications: Job postings with videos receive 34% more applications than those without.
• Quality Hires: Videos attract candidates who align with the organisation’s culture.
• Emotional Connection: Genuine employee stories create trust and relatability.

Example: The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal

Our live-action recruitment video for iPart highlighted employee experiences and showcased the organisation’s meaningful work.

By featuring real team members sharing their stories, the video created an authentic connection with prospective candidates, helping them envision themselves as part of the team.

Pain Point 4: Building Trust and Retaining Customers

The Challenge

Customer trust is a cornerstone of loyalty, particularly in the financial sector, but it can be challenging to establish and maintain. Regular brand communications that emphasise transparency, reliability, and value are essential.

The Solution

Video is a powerful medium for building trust, as it allows brands to communicate with authenticity and clarity. High-quality video content reinforces credibility and fosters emotional connections, making it easier for customers to trust and stay loyal to a brand.

Key Benefits

• Increased Trust: 81% of consumers say video quality directly influences their trust in a brand.
• Stronger Connections: Videos humanise brands, making them more relatable and approachable.
• Improved Retention: Regular, transparent communications build lasting relationships.

Example: Pitcher Partners

Our corporate video for Pitcher Partners explained M&A trends using data-driven visuals and concise messaging. By presenting complex financial insights in a relatable way, the video positioned the brand as an expert and fostered trust among clients.

Pain Point 5: Managing Time and Budget Constraints

The Challenge

Producing high-quality video content on tight deadlines and within budget is a common challenge for any organisation, especially when multiple stakeholders are involved. However, with the right strategies, you can ensure smooth production and impactful results. Here are actionable tips to tackle this challenge effectively.

Keep Your Core Messaging Front and Center

To maximise impact, focus on clear and concise messaging. Before production begins, ask yourself:

• How detailed should the message be for your audience?
• How have you communicated similar messages in the past? What worked, and what didn’t?
• What duration is ideal to convey your message effectively?

Remember, a 60-second video typically contains around 150 words, so plan your script carefully to ensure you communicate your key points within the time limit.

Define Aesthetic and Tone

Have you come across a video that perfectly captures the essence of a campaign? Save it! References are invaluable for articulating your vision to your team and production agency.

When defining the aesthetic and tone for your video:

• Look for a supplier that can create custom illustrations or has a diverse portfolio to inspire your project.
• Use visuals and examples to communicate your preferences effectively—after all, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Know Your Target Audience

Tailoring your video to your audience is essential for effective communication. Consider these scenarios:

• Busy professionals with young families: They’re more likely to engage with short, snappy edits derived from a longer video.
• Older audiences or detail-oriented cohorts: A slightly longer video (90 seconds to 2 minutes) with specific, in-depth content might resonate better.

Understanding who you’re speaking to ensures your video hits the mark.

Ensure Budget Certainty with Fixed Pricing

Budget overruns can derail even the best-planned projects. To avoid financial surprises:

• Work with a supplier that offers fixed pricing with a clear cost breakdown (like Punchy).
• Look out for hidden costs related to revisions, music rights, or additional services.
• Transparent pricing helps you plan accurately and stick to your budget, even during campaigns with multiple rounds of feedback.

Plan Timelines Early

Timelines can make or break your video production process. To stay on track:

• Identify key stakeholders who need to approve the video and consult them early.
• Share timelines upfront so everyone can plan ahead and avoid bottlenecks.
• Account for lead time, annual leave, or other scheduling conflicts to keep the process smooth.

By involving stakeholders early and communicating timelines clearly, you can prevent delays and ensure a successful project.

Tackle Your Communication Challenges with Video

In the finance industry, where communication is often dense and technical, video content serves as a much-needed bridge to clarity, engagement, and trust.

From simplifying customer education to enhancing employee training, boosting recruitment efforts, building customer loyalty, and managing constraints, video is a versatile tool that delivers measurable results.

By applying the strategies outlined in this blog to your video production and addressing key challenges, financial institutions can not only improve communication but also foster deeper connections with their audiences.

Get Started Today

To help you get started, download our Punchy Starter Pack, which includes expert templates, guides and examples to help you in your journey to creating impactful video campaigns.

If you’d like to explore how video can transform your financial communications, get in touch for a free strategy session. Together, we can bring your vision to life.