Ever found yourself squinting at financial articles, wondering if you need a dictionary just to understand an investment tip or market summary?
Maybe you’ve read the same sentence in a white paper for the third time and it still looks like computer code?
If you’re wondering how to slice through the financial fog and serve up clear, easy-to-understand content that could convert your grandma, this post is for you.
We go back, SLACC, do it again
Throughout this series, we’ve covered the essential elements of high-quality financial writing and content development using our very own SLACC editing method.
Each element of this process plays a vital role in developing content that not only engages but also educates and converts prospects to customers.
You might recall that SLACC stands for:
Structure helps you organize content for optimal reader engagement.
Length is all about finding the right depth and breadth of content to suit the topic and audience.
Accuracy ensures you present only factually correct and up-to-date information.
Consistency means maintaining uniformity in style and voice inside each piece of content.
Clarity takes complex information and makes it accessible and digestible.
At last, we’ve arrived at the final but crucial element—Clarity.
Baffling to brilliant
When crafting financial content, the goal is to make complex information accessible and understandable to everyone, from financial novices to experts.
Here are practical tips to ensure clarity:
Avoid Jargon by using simple, everyday language whenever possible. When specialized terms are necessary, immediately clarify them with straightforward explanations.
Complex: “Leverage your assets to ameliorate your liquidity position.”
Simplified: “Use what you own to improve your available cash flow.”
Complex: “Consider diversification to mitigate risk.”
Simplified: “Spread your investments to reduce potential losses.”
Be precise and concise to focus on getting to the point without unnecessary fluff. Here’s a common pitfall to avoid:
Unclear: “At this point, the buyer’s deposit is theoretically at risk, and the seller might be entitled to all or part of the deposit, should he renege or fail to complete the transaction.”
Clear: “At this point, the buyer’s earnest money deposit is at risk if he reneges or fails to complete the transaction, and the seller may be entitled to keep all or part of the deposit.”
Avoid Redundancies that add nothing but clutter. For example:
Redundant: “Whether or not you should pay discount points requires careful consideration.”
Succinct: “Whether to pay discount points requires careful consideration.”
Expressions like “whether or not” can often be dropped unless you’re aiming to achieve a more homespun voice in your content.
Use Visuals Wisely by incorporating diagrams and charts to break down or compare complex financial concepts.
Visual aids can help turn abstract ideas into easy-to-understand graphics, enhancing comprehension.
Interactive elements like quizzes or calculators can help readers apply what they’ve learned in a practical, engaging manner. And can also make your site much stickier, which is great for SEO.
Tortured poets and comedians should steer clear of complex sentence structures or overly literary expressions. Even if your entire market consists of Literature professors it is better to keep it straightforward when dealing with anyone’s money. The same can be said for humor, which can be very difficult to pull off across diverse global (or even regional) audiences and demographics.
Clarity counts
We hope you enjoyed our SLACC editing series. Incorporating these strategies will make your financial content easier to read, more accessible, and more engaging.
