Marketing is everywhere in financial services. Advisers are posting on LinkedIn. FinTechs are launching content hubs. Investment managers are emailing updates. And yet, many firms still don’t see the results they expect.
The problem? It’s rarely the activity. It’s the lack of strategy.
We work with firms across the financial sector that are doing a lot, but getting little return. Once we dig in, the root cause is almost always the same: marketing without a proper strategy.
Here’s what a good marketing strategy actually looks like, how to know if you’re missing one, and what changes when you get it right.
Strategy vs Tactics: Know the Difference
Let’s get something clear. Tactics are not strategy. A content calendar, a campaign plan or a series of LinkedIn posts are useful tools, but they’re not a strategic foundation.
Tactics are delivery. Strategy is direction.
A good strategy acts as a commercial filter. It helps you identify your audience, understand their concerns, and craft messages that capture their attention. It gives structure to your messaging and purpose to your marketing. Without it, you can achieve a great deal, yet still end up nowhere.
Common Signs You Have a Strategy Gap
Across sectors, we see familiar patterns:
- A financial planning firm posts weekly but still attracts poor-fit clients.
- An accountancy firm shares regular tips but struggles to generate SME enquiries.
- An investment manager publishes content but struggles to engage advisers.
These aren’t random frustrations. They’re symptoms of misalignment and unclear positioning, inconsistent messaging or fragmented channels. In short, they’re signs that strategy is either missing or misunderstood.
What a Good Strategy Helps You Do
When your strategy is clear, everything else gets easier. Your marketing becomes more focused and your message lands more consistently.
You:
- Show up in the right places with content that resonates
- Attract clients who are aligned with how you work
- Stop burning time on conversations that go nowhere
- Align marketing activity with growth, not just visibility
You move from reacting to marketing trends to leading with intent.
Four Questions to Pressure Test Your Strategy
If you’re unsure whether your current marketing approach is strategic, ask yourself:
- Who exactly are we for, and what outcomes do they care about?
- What is the role of each channel we use? Are they working together, or pulling in different directions?
- Where is our message unclear or too generic?
- Is our marketing attracting better-fit clients, or just keeping us busy?
You don’t need a 50-page deck to know your strategy is working. You just need honest answers to these questions.
What It Looks Like When Strategy Works
We’ve seen real change happen quickly when firms commit to getting their strategy right.
- A financial advice firm repositioned around lifestyle goals and values-based planning. The result? Clients who were already aligned with their approach and ready to work together.
- An accountancy firm narrowed its focus to just two specialist sectors and started producing content that spoke directly to those needs. Engagement rose, and so did lead quality.
- An investment firm refined its messaging to address adviser concerns directly. This led to stronger relationships and improved AUM growth.
These weren’t major rebrands. They were strategic resets, and they worked.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Without a strategy, you’re likely spending time and money on marketing that doesn’t convert. You may be attracting the wrong kind of leads or publishing content that gets seen but not acted on.
Internally, it causes friction. Teams get frustrated with the low return on high effort. Externally, your brand comes across as inconsistent or forgettable.
You stay busy, but you don’t grow. And that’s the real cost: lost opportunity. As your team struggles to achieve results, competitors with more effective strategies are gaining momentum and closing the gap.
What Good Feels Like
When your strategy clicks into place, your entire marketing function starts to feel more cohesive.
- You know what to say, where to say it, and why it matters
- Your brand stands for something clear and compelling
- You stop second-guessing every post or page
- Marketing begins to support your commercial goals instead of distracting from them
That’s the power of a clear and considered strategy.
Our Take at GrowthProvision
We built GrowthProvision to help financial firms solve this exact problem. Strategy sits at the heart of everything we do because without it, no amount of SEO, content or branding will deliver meaningful results.
We help:
- Financial advice firms sharpen their positioning and clarify messaging
- Accountants improve lead quality by targeting the right audiences
- FinTechs turn product clarity into commercial trust
- Investment managers communicate value in ways that resonate with advisers
- Commercial finance firms stand out with a clearer niche
Wherever you sit in the market, better marketing starts with better strategy.
Final Thought
Marketing without a strategy is just content with hope attached.
If you’re facing similar challenges, we’d be happy to share what’s working for others in your space. Or if someone comes to mind who could use this, feel free to pass it along.
And if you’re ready to get serious about growth, start with the strategy that makes it happen.
