<!-- Updated: 2026-02-11 -->
# Financial Services Paid Advertising Template

## Industry Characteristics

- **Special Ad Category**: credit, lending, and insurance ads have targeting restrictions
- Heavy regulatory compliance (FINRA, SEC, state regulations, UDAAP)
- Trust and credibility are essential — consumers are risk-averse with finances
- High CPCs but high customer lifetime value justifies aggressive bidding
- Complex products require education-first marketing
- Compliance review slows creative production cycles
- Interest rate / market conditions heavily influence demand
- Insurance, lending, investing, banking — each sub-vertical has different rules

## Compliance Requirements

### Special Ad Category (Meta)
- **Credit ads** (loans, mortgages, credit cards): must declare Special Ad Category
- **Restricted targeting**: no age, gender, ZIP code targeting
- **Minimum radius**: 15 miles
- **Special Ad Audiences**: instead of lookalikes

### Google Financial Services Policies
- Mortgage, loan, and credit ads: must display APR, fees, repayment terms
- Crypto ads: only allowed with Google certification in approved countries
- Complex speculative products (CFDs, spread betting): restricted
- Local regulations: state-specific licensing requirements must be met

### Required Disclosures
| Product Type | Required Disclosures |
|-------------|---------------------|
| Loans/Mortgages | APR, fees, repayment example, lender NMLS |
| Credit Cards | APR range, annual fee, issuer name |
| Insurance | "Not a guarantee" disclaimers, license numbers |
| Investments | "Past performance doesn't guarantee future results" |
| Banking | FDIC insured, equal housing lender (if applicable) |

### Compliance Review Process
- All ad copy requires legal/compliance team approval
- Typical review cycle: 3-7 business days
- Pre-approved copy library recommended (reduces iteration time)
- Disclaimer character count: factor into ad copy planning

## Recommended Platform Mix

| Platform | Role | Budget % | Why |
|----------|------|----------|-----|
| Google Search | Primary | 40-50% | High-intent financial product queries |
| LinkedIn | Primary | 20-30% | B2B finance, wealth management, corporate solutions |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Secondary | 15% | Awareness, education, retargeting |
| YouTube/Display | Supporting | 10% | Financial education, trust building |
| Microsoft | Testing | 5% | Higher-income demographic, desktop finance research |

## Campaign Architecture

```
Account — Google
├── Brand
│   └── [Company name], [product names]
├── Product Campaigns
│   ├── Campaign: [Product A] (e.g., "Personal Loans")
│   │   ├── Ad Group: personal loan rates
│   │   ├── Ad Group: best personal loans 2026
│   │   └── Ad Group: [specific loan type]
│   ├── Campaign: [Product B] (e.g., "Savings Accounts")
│   │   ├── Ad Group: high yield savings
│   │   └── Ad Group: best savings account rates
│   └── Campaign: [Product C]
├── Competitor
│   ├── Ad Group: [competitor] alternative
│   └── Ad Group: [competitor] vs [your brand]
├── Educational
│   ├── Ad Group: how to [financial topic]
│   └── Ad Group: [financial term] explained
└── Retargeting (RLSA)
    └── Rate checker visitors, application starters

Account — Meta (Special Ad Category: Credit — if applicable)
├── Awareness / Education
│   ├── Financial literacy content
│   ├── Product explainer videos
│   └── Market insight content
├── Consideration
│   ├── Rate comparison tools
│   ├── Calculator landing pages
│   └── Customer success stories
├── Retargeting
│   ├── Website visitors (product pages)
│   ├── Application starters (not completed)
│   └── Rate checker users
└── Trust Building
    └── Awards, ratings, security certifications

Account — LinkedIn (B2B Financial Products)
├── Commercial Banking / Corporate Solutions
├── Wealth Management (high-net-worth targeting)
├── Insurance (B2B, group plans)
└── Thought Leader Ads (CEO/CFO content)
```

## Creative Strategy

### What Works for Financial Services
- **Rate callouts**: "APY as high as X.XX%" (attention-grabbing, verifiable)
- **Calculator tools**: interactive landing pages (mortgage, savings, ROI calculators)
- **Security messaging**: "FDIC Insured", "Bank-level encryption", "A+ BBB rated"
- **Comparison content**: transparent rate comparisons (builds trust)
- **Customer testimonials**: with compliance-approved quotes
- **Educational video**: "How compound interest works" → subtle product promotion
- **Award/rating badges**: J.D. Power, Bankrate, NerdWallet ratings

### Creative Compliance Checklist
- [ ] Required disclosures included (APR, fees, terms)
- [ ] "Past performance" disclaimer (investments)
- [ ] License/NMLS number displayed (lending)
- [ ] Equal Housing Lender logo (mortgage)
- [ ] No guaranteed return language
- [ ] Legal/compliance team approval documented
- [ ] State-specific variations if needed

### Ad Copy Framework
- **Headline**: [Product] + [Key Benefit] + [Rate/Offer]
- **Description**: [Value prop] + [Trust signal] + [Disclosure] + [CTA]
- **Example**: "Personal Loans from 6.99% APR | No Origination Fees | Check Your Rate in 2 Minutes — No Credit Impact. FDIC Insured. NMLS #123456"

## Targeting Strategy

### Google
- **Keywords**: [product] rates, best [product] 2026, [product] calculator, [product] near me
- **Negative keywords**: free, scam, complaint, lawsuit, jobs
- **Audiences**: in-market for financial services, financial planning, insurance
- **Location**: national or state-specific (licensing considerations)
- **Ad schedule**: business hours + evening research (7-10 PM peak for financial research)

### Meta (Special Ad Category for Credit Products)
- **Broad targeting**: let algorithm optimize with good creative
- **Special Ad Audiences**: based on converters/applicants
- **Retargeting**: website visitors, video viewers, partial applications
- **Cannot use**: ZIP code, age, gender targeting for credit products

### LinkedIn (B2B Financial Products)
- **Job titles**: CFO, VP Finance, Treasury, Risk Management
- **Company size/industry**: match your ICP
- **Seniority**: Director+ for enterprise financial products
- **TLA**: thought leadership from senior execs

## Budget Guidelines

| Metric | Financial Services Benchmark |
|--------|----------------------------|
| Google CPC | $3.46-$3.77 (varies widely by product) |
| Google CTR | 4.65-8.33% |
| Google CVR | 2.55-3.50% |
| Google ROAS | 3.5x |
| Meta CPM | $50.00 (highest across industries) |
| LinkedIn CPL | $100+ (B2B financial) |
| Cost per qualified application | $50-$200 |
| Min monthly budget | $8,000+ (Google + LinkedIn minimum viable) |

### Budget by Financial Product
| Product | Monthly Budget | Primary Channel |
|---------|---------------|-----------------|
| Personal loans | $5,000-$15,000 | Google Search |
| Mortgage | $10,000-$50,000 | Google + Meta |
| Insurance | $3,000-$10,000 | Google + Meta |
| Wealth management | $5,000-$20,000 | Google + LinkedIn |
| Banking (consumer) | $10,000-$50,000 | Google + Meta + YouTube |
| Fintech | $5,000-$20,000 | Meta + Google + TikTok |

## Bidding Strategy Selection

| Platform | Monthly Conversions | Recommended Strategy |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Google | <15 | Maximize Clicks (cap CPC) |
| Google | 15-29 | Maximize Conversions |
| Google | 30+ | Target CPA |
| Google | 50+ with dynamic values | Target ROAS |
| LinkedIn | Default | Maximum Delivery |
| LinkedIn | Efficiency priority | Manual CPC or Cost Cap |
| LinkedIn | Accelerate campaigns | Auto-optimized (42% lower CPA, 21% lower CPL) |
| Meta | Default | Lowest Cost (Special Ad Category for credit) |
| Meta | Efficiency priority | Cost Cap |

## KPI Targets

| Metric | Month 1 | Month 3 | Month 6 |
|--------|---------|---------|---------|
| CPA (lead/application) | Baseline | -15% | -25% |
| Application Start → Complete Rate | Track | 30%+ | 40%+ |
| Cost per Funded Loan/Account | Track | Baseline | Optimize |
| ROAS | 1.5x | 2.5x | 3.5x |
| Brand Search Volume | Baseline | +10% | +20% |

## Common Pitfalls

- Not declaring Special Ad Category for credit products on Meta (account ban)
- Missing required disclosures (APR, fees, NMLS) — ad disapproval and legal risk
- Compliance review bottleneck — not maintaining pre-approved ad copy library
- Promising guaranteed returns or specific outcomes (regulatory violation)
- Running Google Ads for crypto/CFDs without proper certification
- Ignoring state-specific licensing requirements in ad targeting
- Not tracking application start → completion funnel (high drop-off is common)
- Generic landing pages instead of product-specific pages with compliance disclaimers
- Bidding on competitor brand terms without legal team review (trademark risks in finance)
