Episode Summary: "Advice Line: Are Paid Ads Worth It For Advisors?" featuring Aaron Brask
Podcast: Advisor Marketing Made Simple
Hosts: Taylor Schulte and Kendra Wright
Guest: Aaron Brask, Founder of Aaron Brask Capital
Release Date: June 18, 2025
Introduction
In this episode of Advisor Marketing Made Simple, hosts Taylor Schulte and Kendra Wright welcome Aaron Brask from Aaron Brask Capital. With a firm managing $60 million in assets and ambitious plans to scale to $500 million over the next five years, Aaron seeks expert advice on optimizing his marketing strategies, particularly regarding the efficacy of paid advertising channels.
Aaron’s Marketing Challenges and Current Strategies
Organic Content Creation as the Primary Strategy
Aaron begins by outlining his current marketing approach, which heavily relies on organic methods:
Aaron [00:32]: "I just wonder if some of the paid marketing opportunities... I basically do no paid marketing anymore. But it's in the back of my head, I just wonder, I continuously wonder, am I missing out on something?"
He emphasizes his focus on creating educational content through research papers and YouTube videos, which have organically attracted clients. A significant boost came when one of his videos was featured in the New York Times, leading to a substantial increase in website traffic and email sign-ups.
Aaron [03:00]: "When I do that, I find that people look around my website... and it just kind of shows up in my calendar. And it’s a great feeling."
Limited Time and Delegation
Having recently hired a junior planner, Aaron aims to shift from working "in the business" to working "on the business," dedicating more time to content production.
Aaron [05:07]: "I tell him I want to work on my business, not in the business, and focus very much on content production."
He allocates about one to two full days each week to marketing efforts, supplemented by some weekend time.
Exploring Paid Advertising: LinkedIn and Google Ads
Past Experiences with Paid Channels
Aaron shares his attempts with paid advertising, which have not yielded satisfactory results:
Aaron [06:39]: "I did Google Ads about three or four years ago and the results were very close to zero."
More recently, he experimented with LinkedIn ads targeting engineers nearing retirement, leveraging his analytical background to resonate with this demographic. However, the campaign failed to generate meaningful leads.
Aaron [07:50]: "I used a firm to help me out and do this and automate some things... the tools were a little bit blunt and weren't precise enough to help me target just that typical demographic."
Despite investing approximately $1,000 monthly in LinkedIn strategies over eight months, Aaron saw negligible returns, leading him to abandon paid ads for the time being.
Hosts' Insights: The Importance of Focused Marketing Funnels
Kendra’s Emphasis on Target Audience
Kendra underscores the necessity of identifying a clear target audience before delving into paid advertising. She emphasizes understanding the ideal client's pain points to tailor marketing strategies effectively.
Kendra [01:56]: "For your ideal clients, you know, who is your ideal client? What are some of those top pain points that they are eager to pay you to solve?"
Taylor’s Perspective on Marketing Funnels
Taylor elaborates on the importance of treating paid ads as a top-of-funnel activity aimed at generating awareness rather than immediate client conversions. He advises that a successful marketing funnel integrates various activities cohesively.
Taylor [09:18]: "Well, if you have a dollar value on that and then you have statistics on, you know, what, how many clients or conversions and so forth, I'd like to have some more horses in the race."
He recommends committing to a single content platform to avoid diluting efforts across multiple channels, which can hinder sustained growth.
Taylor [27:44]: "Pick one single platform that you would like to commit to creating content on... Which one would you commit to?"
Strategic Recommendations for Aaron
Narrowing Down the Ideal Client Profile
Both hosts stress the importance of Aaron refining his target audience. While Aaron leans towards retirees broadly, he initially considered targeting engineers due to his analytical background. The hosts suggest consolidating this focus to enhance marketing efficacy.
Taylor [16:58]: "We have to get focused. And so a starting point there for getting focused would be who is our ideal client?"
Leveraging Video Content Effectively
Given Aaron’s passion for video, the hosts recommend investing in professional video production to maximize reach and engagement. They highlight the complexities of successful video marketing, including the creation of compelling thumbnails and titles.
Taylor [30:18]: "Spending money on video is a requirement. So if you want to grow, if you want to use video to grow and you're willing to spend money, which you said you were, I think you're in a fantastic place."
Kendra adds that effective video marketing involves meticulous packaging and strategic distribution across platforms like YouTube.
Kendra [33:00]: "There's a lot of nuance and there is a lot of opportunity here."
Building a Cohesive Marketing Funnel
The hosts guide Aaron to develop a comprehensive marketing funnel that aligns all activities—from content creation to client conversion—ensuring each step complements the other.
Kendra [35:00]: "First you're going to choose video as your medium and we're likely looking at something like YouTube videos. So your top of funnel is going to be your YouTube videos."
Aaron’s Reflections and Action Plan
Aaron acknowledges the need for greater focus and plans to refine his website messaging to emphasize retirement planning more explicitly. He recognizes the value in concentrating his efforts on video marketing while setting aside other channels for future exploration.
Aaron [38:34]: "The biggest message to me really is just say, hey, don't bother with putting too many irons in the fire. Focus on one and do it right."
He commits to enhancing the quality and consistency of his video content, including improving thumbnails and titles to better attract his target audience.
Conclusion
The episode concludes with Taylor and Kendra reinforcing the importance of strategic focus in marketing efforts. They encourage advisors like Aaron to prioritize specific channels and refine their client profiles to achieve sustainable growth.
Kendra [40:09]: "Less is more. More marketing doesn't always equal more results. The opposite is often true. More focus equals more results."
Aaron leaves the discussion with actionable insights aimed at streamlining his marketing strategies, particularly emphasizing the pivotal role of high-quality video content in his growth trajectory.
Key Takeaways
- Focus is Crucial: Diversifying marketing efforts across too many channels can lead to inefficiency and diluted results. Prioritize and master one primary channel before expanding.
- Understand the Marketing Funnel: Recognize the role of each marketing activity within the funnel, from awareness (top) to conversion (bottom).
- Invest Wisely in Paid Ads: Paid advertising should complement a well-defined funnel, primarily serving to increase visibility rather than directly converting leads.
- Professionalism in Content Creation: High-quality content, especially video, requires professional handling to maximize engagement and effectiveness.
- Consistent Messaging: Ensure that all marketing platforms and client touchpoints align with the defined ideal client profile to build trust and facilitate conversions.
For more insights and strategies on simplifying advisor marketing, subscribe to Advisor Marketing Made Simple and tune in to future episodes where Taylor and Kendra continue to uncover effective marketing tactics for financial advisors.