Ask Yext: Tackling Financial Services Marketers' Toughest AI Questions

AI is transforming industries, and financial services is no exception. From enhancing client interactions to streamlining compliance, it's redefining how marketers in the sector approach their work. But while AI offers incredible opportunities, marketers must also navigate the challenge of incorporating AI while working in a highly regulated space.

If you're still trying to figure out how AI fits into your digital marketing strategy — you're not alone, and our Ask Yext series is here to help. Read on for expert answers to your most pressing questions about the impact of AI on financial services marketing, including:

• Is AI going to put my marketing job at risk?

• Do I need special training to use AI for marketing?

• Do financial services clients even trust AI?

• Will using AI help my firm, agents, and advisors stay competitive?

• My firm is anti-AI content creation. Can I use it for other things?

Let's kick it off with a question that causes more anxiety than getting flagged by compliance.

AI won't take over for you, but it will become your favorite co-worker. Don't think of AI as competition – think of AI as a highly capable, always-learning assistant that can handle time-consuming tasks you'd prefer not to tackle – things like researching market trends, analyzing data, and generating campaign ideas. The goal of using AI should be to free up your time to focus on high-value work like building client relationships, developing strategies, and driving growth.

Still not sure? Take baby steps. Find small ways to use AI to save a little time here and there. Once you start exploring how AI can lighten your load and help your team do more with less, you'll understand why it's such a game-changer.

Absolutely not. From its launch to today, AI has come a long way. Tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot are super intuitive. All you have to do is navigate to your AI-powered search site of choice and start asking casual questions – no prompt engineering necessary. For best results, be sure to tell AI who you are, what you're doing, and your goal. Providing context will improve your odds of conjuring up responses that meet your needs.

The software tools you're already using likely also have AI functions built into them that can help you impress your boss. These user-friendly tools, which can help you do things like optimize business listings or analyze customer review sentiment, are designed for the masses - no certifications or extra degrees required.

People trust AI answers more than you might expect. Recent Yext research reveals that 45% of individuals surveyed use AI tools to learn about brands and 49% trust AI-generated search results. But here's the catch: more than half of users said they often find outdated info when researching brands. That's a big problem, especially in financial services, where trust and accuracy are crucial.

The worst part? If clients come across the wrong details or can't find what they need, 64% will move on to the next option. That's why it's so important to keep your firm, agent, and advisor's information up-to-date across every digital touchpoint to make sure AI surfaces the right data.

Absolutely. Today's clients expect personalized experiences, immediate answers, and seamless interactions across channels. Firms that leverage AI effectively to meet these expectations can gain a competitive edge, especially in an industry that traditionally adapts to change more slowly.

What should you do first? Get comfortable with using AI as a sounding board. Start by asking it proactive questions like, 'What kinds of financial services questions do people search for most often in February?' or 'What are examples of questions someone in their 40s looking for a wealth advisor might ask a search engine to answer?'

You'll uncover lots of opportunities to help your field deliver valuable insights to their clients and can combine what you learn with search insights from your owned sites. Putting all the pieces together will help you craft a client-centric content strategy – which will help boost search visibility and client loyalty.

You bet. We'll lead with a huge caveat: you must follow your firm's AI policy. If that policy says you can't use AI to create content, but you can use it behind the scenes – you're in luck. There are many ways to tap into the depth of information AI can analyze in seconds and get insights that'll help you build an effective marketing strategy. For example, if you want to revamp your content strategy, you can use AI to analyze keywords, look for content gaps, and identify opportunities to outrank your competitors.

To do this, you could ask AI to:

• List the most common questions clients are asking via voice search in a particular area. Use what you learn to build out FAQ or local pages that will help you surface in search results.

• Compare your website to key competitor sites and identify content gaps and keyword ranking opportunities. Cross-reference with your favorite SEO tool to verify and prioritize results.

• Write up a list of popular questions clients might ask related to your firm's area of expertise (wealth management, insurance, etc.) at different times of the year and use it to help build content ideas for your annual editorial calendar.

• Comb through reviews, evaluate sentiment on competitors in the area, and identify shortfalls. Then, develop content that explains why your firm excels in those areas.

Once you gather some information, run ideas by your agents and advisors to get their take, collaborate with colleagues, and use specialty tools to validate your findings. Then, prioritize tasks that will help you boost your AUM, ROI, or whatever acronym your revenue team is hot on this quarter.

If you remember one thing from this post, let it be this: AI is a strategic tool, not a threat. When used responsibly, it can enhance your marketing efforts, make it easier to scale, and help your firm, agents, and advisors stay ahead of the curve and generate more new business. Learn more.