Effective marketing starts by understanding how people make decisions.
Forget tactics, tools, and trends for a second. The reality is more human than that.
Most advisers and planners don’t lack marketing ideas. If anything, they have too many.
The hard part is knowing which to move forward with.
But when you resist the temptation to chase quick wins, let data be your North Star, and focus on what reliably shapes your ideal clients’ decisions, you will:
- Gain clarity on where to focus your time and energy
- Appreciate how long your marketing efforts take to gain traction
- Understand which activities generate new enquiries from the right people.
With that in mind, we’ve pulled together seven statistics that show how people really choose an adviser/planner, and how to respond with your marketing.
Let’s dive in.
1. Only 3%-5% of your audience is ready to engage right now 1
There’s a simple truth about truly effective marketing: it takes time.
And, when your ideal clients aren’t getting in touch (in the quantity you’d like them to), it’s tempting to assume that what you’re doing isn’t working. At best, you’ll feel frustrated. At worst, you might decide to pack in your marketing efforts altogether.
But it’s important to remember that, at any given moment, only 3%-5% of your audience is ready to work with you.
The other 95% to 97% might be weeks, months, or years away from being ready. And there’s nothing you can do to hurry them along. But you can:
- Be patient
- Be consistent
- Learn how to nurture effectively.
Someone who isn’t ready today may be exactly the right client in six or 12 months’ time, but only if you stay front of mind. And research suggests that consumers need to interact with a company an average of 29 times before deciding to engage.2
Adding prospects to your newsletter distribution list, connecting with them on social media, and inviting them to your webinars is the perfect place to start.
2. AI-driven traffic to adviser/planner websites is up 118% in the last six months
Our own research uncovered this striking figure, and the trend is only going in one direction.
More and more potential clients are using AI tools (such as ChatGPT) to research firms like yours and compare their options. And those searches are driving a significant increase in traffic to the websites that appear in AI-generated results.
Those advisers/planners are being actively recommended by AI, even if the user doesn’t click through to their website. That means the impact of AI is even greater than the headline statistic tells us.
So, what makes it more likely that your business will be on the list?
Publishing source information on your website and developing expertise indicators.
In English, that means:
- Collecting reviews on Google and VouchedFor
- Adding FAQ and location pages to your website
- Having accurate listings on all the directories AI uses
- Regularly publishing new blogs based on questions clients ask
- Ensuring your Google Business Profile is up to date and fully completed.
Complete our free scorecard to see how AI ready your business is.
3. 89% of consumers use online reviews when researching a product or service 3
When’s the last time you purchased a product, or started working with a new business, without being recommended to them or reading their online reviews?
Most people wouldn’t. It’s part and parcel of the consumer’s digital journey to your door.
This isn’t about ego or chasing a five-star rating. It’s all about reassurance. Potential clients just want to know, “Have people like me trusted this firm, and are they glad they did?”.
If your reviews are outdated, sparse, or hidden away, you’re making that decision harder than it needs to be.
4. 64% of consumers are more likely to purchase after watching a video testimonial 4
Client video testimonials are the gold standard of social proof.
There’s something immensely powerful about an existing client explaining exactly how you’ve changed their life in their own words. Far more so than a faceless and static written case study.
Testimonial videos help potential clients:
- Picture themselves in your clients’ shoes
- Understand the outcome of working with you
- Feel reassured before taking the big step of getting in touch.
If you’re proud of the work you do, this is one of the most effective ways to show it.
5. 58% of consumers first discover new businesses on social media 5
Many advisers/planners are nervous about investing heavily in social media.
It’s one of those tricky marketing channels that can be hard to attribute leads to, because many people who see (and enjoy) your content will never engage with it.
They’ll quietly follow you, get value from your posts, and perhaps eventually reach out through your website’s contact form or a phone call to your office.
How often do you ask if a new enquiry follows you on social media? Probably not often.
You need to identify where your ideal clients hang out online, show up regularly, talk about the challenges they face and the aspirations they have, and reinforce what you stand for.
Given those 29 or so touchpoints before someone is ready to engage, social media is a great place to get your reps in.
6. Email marketing delivers an average $36-$43 ROI for every $1 spent 6
We’re surprised by how many financial services firms tell us that “newsletters just aren’t important for our business”.
Yet this statistic makes email the most cost-effective digital marketing channel of 2025.
A monthly newsletter gives you permission to regularly stay in touch with people who already know who you are. Done well, it helps you stay front of mind, educate without being intrusive, and nurture relationships over time.
For advisers/planners, that’s invaluable.
Because, when someone is ready to engage, it’s often familiarity that tips the balance.
7. Businesses with a marketing strategy are 313% more likely to be successful 7
No marketing activity works particularly well by accident.
The firms that see the strongest results from marketing aren’t necessarily doing more of it or spending more money. They’re working towards their goals with intention and clarity.
A clear marketing strategy helps you:
- Focus on the right target market
- Avoid chasing new, shiny tactics
- Prioritise your marketing foundations
- Carry out the right activity at the right time
- Understand exactly what success looks like for you.
Fact-finding, researching, and developing a plan before implementation is exactly what you do for your clients.
Why would it be any different for your marketing?
Seven statistics, one clear message
When you strip marketing right back, it’s human at its core.
People take time to make big decisions. They look for reassurance in more places than one. They want to be confident they’re making the right choice.
And Marcus Sheridan is spot on when he says that 80% of a consumer’s buying decision is made before they even reach out to you.
But knowing what matters is one thing. Finding the time and headspace to implement it properly is another.
That’s where we come in.
From marketing strategies to monthly newsletters, award-winning websites to structured social media support, our team knows what works for businesses like yours. After all, we work exclusively with financial services firms.
Email abi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 896 5300 and we’ll find time for a chat.
Sources:
1 Chet Holmes, The Ultimate Sales Machine
2 https://focus-digital.co/average-touchpoints-per-purchase-by-industry/
3 https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-facebook-fuels-amazons-fake-reviews-a1ITH6L1QHN2
4 https://influencermarketinghub.com/video-testimonial-stats
5 https://www.synup.com/en/social-media-marketing-statistics
