Why Advisors Struggle with Digital Marketing (And How to Fix It)

After two decades of working with financial advisors on their marketing, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard some version of this:

“We’ve tried a bunch of stuff. Nothing really works.”

Sound familiar?

If so, please know that you’re not the only one staring down your website, your social channels, or your Constant Contact dashboard wondering, “What are we even doing here?”

I’ve had this same conversation with firms of every shape and size. And I always start in the same place: You’re not alone. Truly. This work is hard.

Then I say something that still surprises people: there is a better way. A smarter, more sustainable, actually-produces-results kind of way. But to get there, we need to start with the truth about what makes digital marketing uniquely frustrating for advisors.

Why is digital marketing so dang hard for advisors?

Short answer: Because it wasn’t built for you.

Most advisors didn’t get into this business because they love writing blog posts or analyzing SEO data. You got into it to help people—real humans with complex goals—and chances are, you’re pretty great at that.

Then someone said, “You need to market yourself online.” And off you went.

You tried a few things (maybe all the things). You posted on LinkedIn, sent an email newsletter, maybe even dabbled in video. But nothing seemed to move the needle. Worse, you started to feel like marketing was a giant time-suck that drained your budget and your will to live.

Here’s why that experience is so common:

• Compliance slows everything down. Before you can post that killer thought leadership piece, it’s got to clear the compliance gauntlet—which often means it dies a slow, silent death in your drafts folder.
  
• Small teams = big challenges. Many firms are DIY-ing their marketing or leaning on one very overwhelmed human to “do it all.” It’s not sustainable, let alone scalable.
  
• The internet is loud AF. AI has turned up the content noise to 11. That thoughtful blog post on Roth conversions you spent five hours writing? It’s now competing with 12,000 ChatGPT clones.
  
• You don’t know what’s working. And without a clear strategy or metrics, it’s easy to confuse “we can’t tell if it’s working” with “nothing is working.”
  

And yet—you’re still here. Still trying. Because you know your ideal clients are online. And you don’t want to miss the opportunity to meet them there.

So, what’s the fix?

At SuperScript, we believe in smarter, not harder marketing—and it starts with what we call the Advisor Marketing Rules. These aren’t shiny hacks or generic best practices. They’re the foundational principles we’ve seen actually work, time and time again, for advisors like you.

Let’s break them down:

Rule #1: You’ve Gotta Have a Plan.  Because without one, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the algorithm and hoping for the best.

Rule #2: Content First, Channels Second.  It’s not where you post, it’s what you say (and how you say it) that moves the needle.

Rule #3: Build Your House on Owned Land.  Your website and email list matter more than your LinkedIn following (but with the right setup, they can help each other out).

Rule #4: Authenticity Trumps Differentiation.  Clients aren’t buying “unique value propositions.” They’re buying you. Let them see the humans behind the brand.

Rule #5: Master Your Metrics.  If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. But don’t worry—we can make it simple.

Rule #6: The 80/20 Rule of Marketing.  Doing a few things really well beats doing all the things half-assed.

Over the next few posts, I’ll be digging into each rule with examples, templates, and practical takeaways. You’ll get a peek at what’s working behind the scenes for other advisory firms—and how you can apply those lessons to your own marketing.

You can start right here:
Rule #1: You’ve Gotta Have a Plan

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