By a product person who’s not a marketer but has been watching closely (and taking notes)
Let’s be honest: marketing in financial services often feels like trying to win a game of darts blindfolded, in a wind tunnel, while someone reads compliance disclosures in your ear. You throw campaigns out there; some land, most don’t, and then you call it “brand awareness.” But what if we stopped treating growth like a game of chance and started treating it like a game of chess? Strategic, iterative, and yes, occasionally frustrating but ultimately winnable.
The Problem Isn’t Your Funnel. It’s Your Focus.
For years, marketers optimized for visibility; ranking high on search results, stuffing keywords, chasing backlinks. But the game has changed. Generative search is quickly becoming the main way people discover information. And it doesn’t care about your page rank.
Many have pointed out that traditional search was built on links, while GEO is built on language. Visibility now means showing up in the answer itself, not just on the page that leads to it.
This shift matters. AI-native search platforms don’t just index, they interpret. They synthesize. They personalize. Queries are longer, sessions are deeper, and the answers are shaped by context of prior questions from the consumer, not just content. If your message is generic, it likely won’t make the cut. If it’s vanilla, it may not be visible.
Financial services firms can’t afford to be forgettable. Your audience isn’t just searching. They’re asking! And the platforms answering them are trained to prioritize relevance, clarity, and intent. That means your content needs to speak directly to the person behind the query, not just the algorithm behind the screen.
So no, the problem may not be your funnel. It may be the fact that your content isn’t built for the way people find answers now.
Signal-and-Play: The Crawl-Walk-Run of Modern Growth
If generative search is changing how people find answers, then it’s also changing how we need to show up in those answers. That means moving beyond broad campaigns and into signal-driven strategy where relevance beats reach and context beats clicks.
To continue where I left off, let’s break it down:
- Crawl: Start by listening. Consider using AI to surface real signals. Intent, urgency, financial complexity, fit with what you offer not just demographics. The goal isn’t more leads. It’s better ones.
- Walk: Respond with content that’s specific, timely, and human. Personalization isn’t a nice-to-have anymore. It may be the only way to be included in the answer. If your messaging feels templated, it won’t make it into the synthesis. Content that crushes it in Boca Raton might flop in Boston. And that’s okay, if you’re listening.
- Run: Scale what works, but stay adaptive. The platforms your prospects use to search are changing fast. What works on one platform might not work on another. Build feedback loops, not just funnels. This isn’t about abandoning your funnel, it’s about upgrading it for a world where discovery is driven by language, not links.
The CMO’s New Superpower: Ruthless Prioritization Foundation
In a world of infinite possibilities and finite budgets, the best CMOs aren’t the ones who say yes to everything. They’re the ones who say no to almost everything, except the few things that move the needle. That’s where the Crawl-Walk-Run mindset shines. It’s not about perfection. It’s about progression. It’s about learning fast, failing faster, and scaling what sticks.
Strong Signals: Metrics That Matter
Here are some eye-opening stats to guide your next move:
- Marketing budgets have flatlined at 7.7% of overall company revenue in 2025, with 59% of CMOs reporting insufficient budget to execute their strategy. [Source: Gartner]
- Paid media dominates spend, accounting for 30.6% of marketing budgets but media price inflation means CMOs are getting less for every dollar. [Source: Gartner]
- AI is delivering real ROI: 49% of CMOs report improved time efficiency, 40% improved cost efficiency, and 27% increased capacity from GenAI investments. [Source: Gartner]
- Only a few insurers have extracted outsize value from AI, but those who do gain a competitive edge through strategic, enterprise-wide transformation. [Source: McKinsey]
Final Thought: Growth Isn’t a Hack. It’s a Habit.
Financial services is a trust business. You don’t win by being clever, you win by being consistent. The firms that grow aren’t the ones with the flashiest ads but are aware of massive shifts in how their ideal clients find them. They’re the ones who show up, listen, learn, and evolve.
Focus on what works. Start small, build steadily, and grow with purpose. And if you’re still using “awareness” as a KPI… we need to talk.
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