What does "marketing strategy" really mean for financial advisors?

Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber discuss arguably the most overused buzzwords in marketing by walking through three real client scenarios.

Strategy isn't just the tactics or goals. It’s the custom plan that connects your business objectives to specific marketing actions.

We cover:

• Why templated "Package A, B, C" approaches don't work for advisory firms
• The deep audit and discovery process behind an effective strategy
• Three detailed case studies: niching down to nurses, launching a tax practice, and exit planning for business owners
• How to set meaningful KPIs beyond vanity metrics
• The attribution challenge in modern marketing (hint: it's all connected)
• Why strategy requires ongoing iteration and measurement

⏱️ Timestamps:

(0:00) What marketing strategy actually means vs. common misconceptions

(7:30) Why custom strategies beat templated packages every time

(10:00) Case study 1: The 50M firm targeting nurses - audience research deep dive

(17:00) Audit, discovery, and messaging strategy fundamentals

(26:50) Case study 2: Billion-dollar firm launching tax practice - brand integration

(31:35) Case study 3: 300M firm focusing on business owner exit planning

(34:40) The importance of measuring what works and eliminating what doesn't

(36:25) Attribution challenges

(42:00) Strategy fundamentals: business goals, ideal client personas, and execution

Whether you're evaluating marketing partners or building internal strategy, this episode reveals how strategic thinking drives real results for advisory firms.

We help financial advisors reach their AUM goals through strategic marketing. Subscribe to ⁠⁠Craft on Tap on YouTube ⁠⁠and learn more about our services at ⁠⁠craftimpact.com

What drives affluent investors to choose one financial advisor over another?

In this episode of The Craft On Tap Podcast, Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber talk through 2025 industry research published by The Ensemble Practice and re-shared on the Nerd’s Eye View by CEO Philip Palaveev.

Important links:

• Ensemble Practice: How Investors Choose 2025: Understanding how Consumers Select a Financial Advisor

• How People Choose an Advisor…And Who’s Looking for a New One

It’s packed full of good data, but we focus in on a few of the questions in particular:

• Which investors are actively shopping for new advisors

• What investors say they “start with” when looking for a new advisor

• What investors are looking for on your firm website

• The service investors value the most in an advisory firm

Go check out the full survey on the Ensemble Practice website. Some great stuff here!

Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction: Growth marketing and investor survey data

(3:10) Who's actively shopping for advisors

(4:06) Firm size and client retention

(6:54) How investors begin their advisor search process

(9:12) Affluent investor referral patterns vs general population

(13:20) The importance of CPA and professional referral partnerships

(16:40) What information investors want on advisor websites

(17:55) The pricing transparency debate and client considerations

(22:20) Firm history and team bios important for affluent investors

(25:35) Investment philosophy and financial planning approach

(27:45) Services investors value most: comprehensive planning focus

(32:02) Marketing strategy takeaways for RIA firms

We help financial advisors reach their AUM goals through strategic marketing. Subscribe to ⁠Craft on Tap on YouTube ⁠and learn more about our services at ⁠craftimpact.com

Should financial advisors focus on personal branding or firm branding? 

The answer depends on your firm's size, goals, and growth stage.

In this episode of the Craft On Tap Podcast, Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber discuss this common marketing dilemma.

They cover:

• Which accounts get better engagement, personal vs company
• What smaller advisors should focus on
• How to blend firm & personal branding
• Specific “what to post” ideas for LinkedIn company vs personal accounts 

Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction: The LinkedIn posting dilemma 

(2:14) What gets the most engagement?

(8:40) - Smaller advisors should focus on personal brand

(10:35) Survey data on the importance of personal branding

(13:00) Scaling practices need to weave in building the firm's brand

(18:25) Real client case study: Personal Substack creating leads for firm

(24:00) How to integrate personal & firm branding on a practical level

(28:40) Scaling strategy for larger firms 

(34:43) SEO considerations for personal branding & bio pages

We help financial advisors reach their AUM goals through strategic marketing. Subscribe to Craft on Tap on YouTube and learn more about our services at craftimpact.com

Should you panic about AI search optimization? Are your prospects really finding financial advisors through ChatGPT?

Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber discuss the rapidly evolving world of AI search and its implications for financial advisory firms.

We cover:

• Why Google's AI overview "alligator effect" is crushing traditional website traffic.

• The 6-step GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) framework that works.

• Why Reddit gets cited 25% of the time in ChatGPT responses.

⏱️ Timestamps:

(0:00) Welcome & the AI search overview

(2:10) The "alligator effect" destroying traditional search traffic

(4:45) Real client data: AI search leads are increasing (but should you panic?)

(8:15) The two types of people using AI search and why it matters

(11:45) Why only 1% of people click AI search citations

(15:20) The 6-step framework for showing up in AI search results

(23:00) E-E-A-T methodology: Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust

(31:00) Why content distribution across multiple channels is critical

(37:10) Reddit and YouTube: The secret weapons for AI citations

(41:50) Practical steps you can take today (without abandoning what works)

Before you restructure your entire marketing strategy around AI search, listen to this reality check on what's working for financial advisory firms right now.

#FinancialAdvisors #AISearch #SEO #ChatGPT #RIAMarketing #GEO

Find out more about what we do: https://www.craftimpact.com/

Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber discuss a real listener question: "We have a wealth management firm that services individuals and families. We need a marketing plan to scale from $85 million AUM to $150 million AUM in five years."

In this episode:

• How to segment your existing client base to identify your ideal niche
• The spectrum of positioning strategies (from adding a niche page to going all-in)
• Why you need to research where your target audience lives online
• Growth hacking strategies to break into new communities and audiences
• How to provide value to influencers and community moderators to gain access
• Real examples of what works (and what doesn't) when targeting specific niches

⏱️ Timestamps:

(0:00) Welcome & The $75M to $150M Challenge

(1:41) Step One: Segment Your Current Client Base by Personas

(4:09) Marketing to Your Clients Before Marketing to Strangers

(4:41) Choosing Your Primary Avatar and Testing Multiple Niches

(10:15) The Positioning Spectrum: From Niche Pages to Full Commitment

(15:12) Social Media Strategy Without Alienating Current Clients

(17:10) Finding Your Audience: Where Do They Actually Consume Content?

(19:40) Using AI Tools to Research Community Questions and Challenges

(21:00) Thinking From the Buyer's Perspective: Standing Out from Competition

(23:00) Growth Hacking Your Way to Awareness

(25:45) Real Case Study: The Dentist Niche That Struggled

(29:00) COI Marketing Beyond Traditional Referral Partners

(30:00) How to Approach Influencers and Community Leaders

(31:35) Conclusion: The Path to $150M AUM

We've worked with RIAs at every stage of growth. This episode provides a systematic approach to scaling your practice through strategic positioning and smart growth tactics.

Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber answer the question"How can you write compelling copy about complex financial topics when you're not financial experts yourselves?"

And how do you capture my firm’s brand voice in terms of style and tone?

In this episode, we break down:

• The interview-based copywriting approach that extracts your expertise efficiently

• Why hiring good writers who can write simply and persuasively is step one

• How messaging guides and brand workshops capture your firm's unique voice

• The role of AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT in our copywriting process

• Brand voice worksheets that help position your firm on the spectrum from serious to playful

• Real examples of how we've gotten better at financial copywriting over 5+ years

⏱️ Timestamps:

(0:00) Welcome & The Copywriting Challenge for Non-Experts

(1:49) Step One: Hiring Good Writers Who Can Write Simply & Persuasively

(6:11) The Interview-Based Copywriting Process

(7:20) How AI Tools Enhance Our Copywriting Workflow

(10:01) The Comprehensive Messaging Guide Development

(11:34) Brand Voice Worksheets: From Traditional to Progressive

(13:23) Determining Your Firm's Tone: Serious vs. Playful

(14:20) When We Need Extra Subject Matter Expertise

(15:07) Conclusion

We've been refining this approach since 2012, working with financial advisors to create copy that's both technically accurate and compelling. Subscribe to Craft on Tap on YouTube and learn more about our services at craftimpact.com

Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber tackle the burning question every financial advisor asks: "Should I run paid ads to generate leads?" Spoiler alert: probably not.

In this episode, we break down:

• The real reason advisors want to run paid ads (and what to focus on instead)

• Why clients with $1M+ assets usually don't Google "financial advisor near me"

• The case study of Pure Financial spending $10 million with Smart Asset

• When paid ads actually make sense (hint: it's very specific)

• How to avoid getting scammed by marketing agencies promising guaranteed leads

⏱️ Timestamps: 

(0:00) Welcome & Intro

(0:40) The Real Reason Advisors Want Paid Ads

(2:29) Different Types of Paid Ads & Platforms

(6:05) The Three Types of Ads Explained

(11:00) Why $1M+ Clients Don't Google "Financial Advisor Near Me"

(14:54) Case Study: Pure Financial & Smart Asset

(18:16) High Failure Rate & Infrastructure Needed for Paid Ads

(24:15) Avoiding Marketing Agency Scams

(28:05) When Paid Ads Do Make Sense

(33:43) Paid Ads as One Element of a Holistic Strategy

(40:50) Conclusion

We've spent years and thousands of dollars testing paid ads so you don't have to. This episode will save you time, money, and frustration.

What to do when you see another  "congratulations, you’ve made the list!" email.

Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber tackle one of the most common questions they get from financial advisors: are these industry awards actually worth paying for?

We break down:

• How to evaluate which awards are worth the investment vs. money grabs

• Key questions to ask before paying any licensing fees

• Smart strategies for maximizing awards once you've invested

Timestamps:

(1:31) Why the award business model threw us off at first

(3:04) The key question: will your target audience recognize this brand?

(5:18) Interviewing clients as a way to verify an award’s value

(7:09) Am I actually proud to share this award?

(8:15) Pricing structure

(9:35) Award longevity and timing considerations

(12:54) How to maximize your investment with a solid announcement plan

(17:00) Compliance considerations and SEC audit implications

#FinancialAdvisors #RIAMarketing

Are you sending email "blasts" to your entire contact list and wondering why you're not getting results? 

In this episode, Steven Beach and Faustin Weber discuss email marketing that works, plus tips you can incorporate into your email strategy now.

We cover:

• The critical importance of list segmentation for RIAs

• What content to send to clients vs. prospects vs. old leads

• Email nurturing strategies that actually move prospects through your pipeline

• Common technical mistakes that hurt your deliverability rates

⏱️ Timestamps:

(0:00) Welcome & summer break struggles for working parents

(2:30) Why email marketing still matters in 2025

(4:45) The foundation: How to properly segment your contact lists

(12:15) What to send your current clients (beyond market commentary)

(17:46) Structuring your emails for engagement

(23:20) What to send to your old prospects and cold lists

(27:20) The goal: Staying top of mind for future catalysts

(33:12) Rapid-fire email best practices

(41:25) Lead nurturing for active pipeline prospects

(48:45) Strategies for following up without being pushy

(50:55) Final thoughts on building systematic email workflows

Whether you're just starting with email marketing or looking to improve your current approach, this episode gives you practical frameworks for turning your contact database into a growth engine for your financial advisory practice.

#FinancialAdvisors #EmailMarketing #RIAMarketing #LeadNurturing #CraftImpact

Like this episode or have questions? Please drop a comment!

Are AI video avatars the future of financial advisor marketing? In this special debate episode, Stephen Beach and Faustin Weber dive into the controversial topic of AI-driven avatars for video marketing.

⏱️ Timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction to AI avatars in financial marketing

(1:08) Faustin's perspective: Why AI avatars might harm trust

(2:15) Stephen plays devil's advocate: Can clients tell the difference?

(5:02) The importance of internal brand alignment

(7:34) Authenticity vs. polish in video marketing

(11:35) The rise of easy-to-use video marketing tools

#FinancialAdvisors #AIAvatars #VideoMarketing #CraftImpact