More marketing isn’t the answer if the pieces aren’t working together.
Most advisory firms I talk to aren’t short on marketing ideas. They’re already doing plenty. The bigger question is whether those efforts are actually working together to create growth.
That’s what this week’s Rambling is about.
THIS WEEK’S RAMBLING
If you’ve built a successful advisory firm through referrals, relationships and a strong reputation, you’ve already proven you know how to earn trust.
The problem usually starts when you try to translate that success into digital growth.
What I see happen next is pretty predictable. The firm starts doing more. More social posts, more email, maybe some paid search, a website redesign or a new marketing platform. Each one sounds reasonable on its own, but they’re often being done independently, without a clear understanding of how they’re supposed to work together to generate growth.
When the results don’t show up, the conclusion becomes, “We need to do more marketing.”
I usually think the opposite.
Before spending another dollar, I’d want to understand what’s already happening. How are prospects finding you? What makes them pay attention? What builds enough trust for them to take the next step? And can you actually see that journey in your data?
That’s where I think a lot of firms get digital wrong. They focus on the individual tactics instead of the system connecting them.
You don’t necessarily need more marketing. You need the marketing you’re already doing to have a purpose, work together and ultimately lead somewhere measurable.
That’s the difference between doing digital marketing and using digital to grow.
A FEW MORE THINGS I’M RAMBLING ABOUT
ONE THING I’M WATCHING
AI is changing how prospects research advisors.
Google isn’t necessarily the first and only stop anymore. Prospects are increasingly using tools like ChatGPT to ask much more specific questions, compare options and educate themselves before they ever reach an advisor’s website.
That means being “findable” is changing too. I’m paying close attention to which firms are showing up in these answers, why they’re showing up and what advisors can do about it.
If your entire search strategy still revolves around ranking ten blue links on Google, it’s probably time to start thinking bigger.
ONE THING I’D QUESTION
Are your marketing metrics actually telling you anything?
Traffic is up. Impressions are up. Engagement is up. Great. But did any of it contribute to new relationships or revenue?
I spent years presenting marketing results to executives, and I saw firsthand how easy it was to make marketing activity look like marketing success.
I’m not saying those metrics don’t matter. I’m saying they need to lead somewhere.
If you can’t connect what you’re measuring to an actual business outcome, I’d question whether it’s really a KPI or just an interesting number.
ONE THING WORTH TRYING
Trace one client backward.
Pick one good client who came to you within the last year and figure out exactly how they got there.
Where did they first hear about you? What did they look at before contacting you? Did they visit your website, read an article, check LinkedIn, search your name or talk to someone they trusted?
Don’t worry about building a complicated attribution model. Just reconstruct one journey as best you can.
You may learn more from understanding how one real client found and chose you than you will from another monthly marketing report.
Not sure what’s actually driving growth?
Let’s look at what’s working, what’s disconnected, and where the biggest opportunities are.
