As traders prepare to return to their desks, brokers are reviewing that all important September checklist
Traders may be daydreaming in hammocks right now, but when the mercury drops, they'll be ready to trade again, so being on top form is crucial. Here's your September checklist to plan for increased acquisition and trading volumes in September.
But First... The September Effect
No one really knows why, but the stock market typically performs worst during the month of September. Stock analysts will tell you that September is the month when the stock market's three leading indexes usually do their worst.
Since 1950, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has seen an average decline of 0.8% in September. Likewise, the S&P 500 has suffered a 0.5% decline on average during the ninth month of the year. Lastly, since 1971, the Nasdaq's composite index has fallen an average of 0.5% during September trading.Those numbers really help to show how bizarre this historical fact really is. Because of this correlation, the month of September is now notorious as a non-trading month, with some dubbing this the "September Effect."
The Latest Trading Stats You Need To Know
Covid19 has brought about a seismic shift in the financial markets. Of course, the markets were already primed for change, given that Brexit, the rise of China in the geopolitical arena and the US presidential elections formed the backdrop for the pandemic. And, this perfect storm, so to speak, not only drove the markets in 2020, but continues to do so well into 2021.
So, here's what awaits brokers:
- About 15% of all retail traders today started their journey in 2020 - so they're new to the markets.
- The median age of retail investors today is about 31.2 years. Compare this to the median age of 48.1 prior to 2020.
- In January 2021, the number of trades placed via the largest retail e-brokers rose to 8.1 million average daily trades, up a record 23% from December 2020.
- Over 50% of retail investors today are millennials.
- 43% of retail investors say that they plan to invest more in future.
These statistics should guide not just the services that brokers offer, but also the way they reach out to, and engage with existing and potential clients. So, what exactly does it mean in terms of service provision? The Trade-Ideas Retail Services Survey provides key insights.
The survey asked three questions. The first was about the use of third-party tools. 81.4% of the responders stated that third-party service providers could be a good avenue for client acquisition for brokerages, based on how robust their execution API was.
The second question was about the relative satisfaction with brokers' data, information, and research provision. The responders were evenly split on this one. What this highlights, is that it is necessary to see where gaps might lie in delivering research and analysis to help traders develop their strategies and make trading decisions. Keep in mind that the largest population of traders are millennials today. Talk to Contentworks Agency about relevant and engaging financial content.
The last question addressed this needs gap by asking traders what they would like to see from their brokers. Look at what they want.
Data from Trade Ideas
What stands out is peoples need for news, charts and connectivity. This shows us that traders today have a higher understanding of what moves the markets, how to read them and their desire to react quickly to not miss opportunities.
A Broker's Guide to September Marketing
The financial market is a fiercely competitive space right now, but with the right marketing strategy, you can gain the edge. We have spent the summer months strategising with brokers looking to stay ahead of the game. Here are some September marketing actions to tick off your checklist.
Book Events To Attend In Q3 and Q4
It's been a long year of virtual events for the finance sector, but physical networking opportunities are beginning to emerge. And you need to make the most of them.
One of the biggest events of the year, IFX EXPO International, will take place at the 5-star Parklane Resort & Spa in Limassol, Cyprus from the 5-6 October 2021. Organised by Ultimate Fintech and welcoming top financial minds from across the globe, this event offers unparalleled networking opportunities, insightful speaker sessions and hospitality like no other. It's a great way to meet new contacts and grow your network. As media partners we will be attending and covering the event via social media.
Planning in advance for upcoming events will allow you to:
- Promote your attendance to your traders and partners on social media.
- Announce your participation through PRs or newsletters.
- Arrange travel and understand any restrictions that might impact you.
- Have a contingency plan in case some of your members cannot travel last minute
- Plan a social media strategy for the event itself, including real-time tweets, live videos or interviews from your very own expo booth.
- Arrange contests and prizes to add some sparkle to your booth
- Interact and engage with other attendees to get the networking process started. You can also arrange meetings in advance to maximise your time.
- Decide who will attend and who will do the work behind the scenes.
- Prepare any physical marketing materials such as business cards, e-books or leaflets.
- Book your tickets now to avoid missing out!
Evaluate Your Social Media Platforms
Finance is a fast moving space but so is social media marketing. With new tools, platforms and demographics to explore, there's no place for complacency. Take TikTok for example.
During 2020, 16% of Britons aged between 18 - 24 began investing for the first time, compared with 10% across all age groups according to a survey by Halifax. Roughly 50% of TikTok's audience is under the age of 34 with 41% of users aged between 16 and 24.
There's a big opportunity to reach Gen Z through TikTok. Finance brands can leverage the app at a time in these young people's lives when they are just becoming interested in the world of finance. Effectively reaching and aligning with this audience before competitors get the chance is key.
Financial trends are viral-worthy, especially among younger generations who are looking to increase their capital. Take, for example, how Redditors recently took on the hedge fundsto manipulate the GME stock, resulting in losses of billions of dollars from the large corporations in a David and Goliath-style battle. This phenomenon in the trading industry provided a unique opportunity for fin-fluencers to take advantage of people's interest in the story by offering information and tutorials on the stock market. Reddit is another hot pick to explore if you haven't already done so.
Get Organised
There's lots to be getting on with to ensure your marketing team is ready for September. If things are in a mess, it won't be easy to perform at your best or offer the service traders expect. It'll also make day-to-day tasks a lot more tedious. So, think about:
- Tidying up your internal image library. Create categories and folders that'll make it much easier to source the image you need, whether you're writing a FX news story or are looking to update your blog. Archive all the old stuff you don't need anymore.
- Update risk warnings. It's a tedious task but it must be done. Review your landing pages, social media channels and images to check your risk warnings and info is correct.
- Preparing evergreen content. Summer is the perfect time to put together some evergreen content. This could focus on trading tools that are useful or talk about trading techniques. You could look at when the markets are open around the globe or talk about the most famous forex traders in history. Keeping evergreen content on standby can help you out of tight spots later.
- Review popular content. Use Google Analytics to see what content performed the best. And then create a schedule for re-writes.
Are
you ready for September? Talk to Contentworks Agency, the
leading marketing agency for the financial services sector. We work with top brokers, fintechs and banks
to deliver analysis, blogs, PR, social media, video marketing and much more.
