Kelly Waltrich, Author at Intention.ly

Intention.ly

Designed Marketing Engine

Author: Kelly Waltrich

How Much Does Marketing for a Financial Services Firm Cost?

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

One of the first questions we hear from firms considering outsourced marketing is:

“What should we expect to invest?”

The answer depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Some firms need a one-time assessment to identify growth opportunities. Others may need ongoing marketing execution or executive-level leadership to guide long-term strategy. The right engagement model depends on your firm’s size, internal resources, and business goals. At Intention.ly, we offer several engagement options designed to meet firms wherever they are in their growth journey.

One-Time Marketing Assessment

Sometimes the biggest barrier to growth is a lack of clarity, rather than lack of effort.

Our Diagnostic Assessment is a comprehensive review of your marketing, operations, technology, and workflows designed to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.

Investment: $10,000 one-time

This engagement is ideal for firms that want an objective assessment before committing to larger strategic initiatives.

Ongoing Marketing Support

For firms looking for consistent execution, ongoing marketing support provides dedicated expertise without building a large internal department.

Foundational Marketing

Starting at $6,500 per month

Designed for firms that need consistent marketing execution and a scalable foundation for growth.

Outsourced Marketing Team

Starting at $10,000 per month

Gain access to a team of marketing specialists without the cost and complexity of hiring multiple full-time employees.

Executive-Level Marketing Leadership

As firms grow, execution alone isn’t enough. Strategic leadership becomes equally as important.

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

Starting at $12,000 to $15,000 per month

A Fractional CMO provides executive marketing leadership without the investment required for a full-time CMO. They help align marketing with business objectives, establish measurable growth strategies, prioritize investments, and create accountability across your marketing function.

Building a Complete Growth Engine

Some organizations need more than the normal range of marketing support, they need a fully integrated growth strategy.

Growth Engine Design

Starting at $25,000 per month

This engagement combines strategic planning, marketing leadership, operational alignment, and scalable systems to create a repeatable framework for long-term growth.

Custom Engagements

Most AI marketing platforms are built to serve every industry. Advisor Brand Builder was built specifically for financial advisors.

The platform has been developed with the language, regulations, and marketing challenges unique to the financial services industry in mind. It’s trained on FINRA and SEC marketing rules, helping reduce compliance-related revisions while supporting a more efficient content development process, so firms spend less time reworking marketing materials and more time putting them to work.

Every firm is different.

For organizations seeking Fractional Chief Operating Officer (COO) services, project-based work, or scalable advisor support, Intention.ly develops custom engagement plans based on your specific objectives and organizational needs.

Contact us to discuss pricing for these services.

Choosing the Right Investment

The right approach varies from one firm to the next. Some firms benefit from a focused assessment that uncovers opportunities for improvement. Others need a dedicated marketing team to execute campaigns, while growing organizations often require executive leadership to align marketing with broader business objectives.

The right investment depends on your firm’s goals, available resources, and stage of growth.

Rather than asking, “What’s the cheapest option?” a better question is:

“What level of support will help us achieve our growth goals most effectively?”

That’s the conversation we help firms navigate every day.

Ready to Explore the Right Fit?

Whether you’re looking for a one-time assessment, ongoing marketing support, or executive-level leadership, Intention.ly offers flexible engagement models designed specifically for financial services firms.

Let’s start the conversation and identify the engagement that’s right for your business.

 

What Is an Advisor Brand Builder? And Why Does It Matter for Financial Advisors?

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

AI has dramatically reduced the time it takes to build a website, develop messaging, and create a brand. The challenge is that those same capabilities are available to everyone. As a result, advisory firms are beginning to sound alike. Their websites make similar promises, their messaging follows the same formulas, and their visual identities often feel interchangeable.

Technology has made it easier to execute marketing activities, but harder to create a brand people remember. That’s the problem Intention.ly’s Advisor Brand Builder (ABB) was designed to solve.

More Than an AI Branding Tool

Advisor Brand Builder combines artificial intelligence with financial services marketing expertise to help advisors launch a differentiated brand, website, and content strategy in a fraction of the time traditional branding projects require.

Speed is certainly part of the value, but it isn’t what sets ABB apart. Every recommendation is grounded in strategy before AI ever enters the process. Before AI generates a logo, website, or piece of content, ABB helps advisors define who they serve, what makes their firm different, and how they want to be positioned in the market. Those strategic decisions become the foundation for everything that follows.

A Brand Built Around Your Firm

Once your positioning is established, ABB creates a complete marketing ecosystem designed specifically for your business, including:

  • A custom visual identity with logos, color palettes, typography, and brand assets
  • Strategic messaging, including your value proposition, differentiators, service descriptions, and advisor biographies
  • A responsive website built around your brand and messaging
  • Marketing assets like business cards, email signatures, presentation templates, and social media graphics
  • A 12-month content strategy with monthly content packs to keep your marketing consistent

Instead of starting from a blank page every time you need a new marketing asset, your brand becomes a system that works together across every channel.

Built Specifically for Financial Services

Most AI marketing platforms are built to serve every industry. Advisor Brand Builder was built specifically for financial advisors.

The platform has been developed with the language, regulations, and marketing challenges unique to the financial services industry in mind. It’s trained on FINRA and SEC marketing rules, helping reduce compliance-related revisions while supporting a more efficient content development process, so firms spend less time reworking marketing materials and more time putting them to work.

Human Strategy Makes the Difference

AI is a powerful tool, but it’s most effective when guided by experienced marketers.

Every ABB project is supported by Intention.ly’s team of financial services marketing specialists, who review, refine, and strengthen the AI-generated outputs. The combination of technology and human expertise helps ensure your brand reflects your firm’s unique value while maintaining the quality and strategic thinking clients expect.

The outcome is a stronger brand, delivered faster without compromising strategy or quality.

A Strong Brand Is More Than a Logo

A brand is much more than its visual identity. A brand should influence how prospects view your firm at every stage of their journey. It shapes how you’re perceived online, how your advisors communicate your value, how consistently your content is delivered, and whether prospects remember your firm over the dozens of others competing for their attention.

Advisor Brand Builder was created to bring all of those elements together into one connected system, giving advisors the tools to market with greater consistency, confidence, and efficiency.

A strong brand is one of your firm’s greatest competitive advantages. Advisor Brand Builder helps you build it faster, with the strategy and expertise needed to support long-term growth. 

Ready to see what’s possible? Learn more about Advisor Brand Builder today.

Buying Leads Is Not Lead Generation

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

For many RIAs, one of the most common marketing questions is: “What does lead generation cost?

It’s an important question, but cost alone doesn’t tell the whole story. A more useful question is: What does it take to consistently generate qualified leads that become clients? Those are two very different conversations.

A low cost per lead means very little if those prospects never become clients. Likewise, paying more for qualified prospects can produce a much stronger return if they’re a real fit for your firm. Lead generation isn’t about collecting names. It’s about creating a predictable pipeline of people who are ready to have meaningful conversations.

The Cheapest Leads Are Rarely the Best

Many firms are tempted by purchased lists, one-time lead packages, or services that promise hundreds of prospects overnight. The problem is that attention can’t be bought indefinitely. Purchased leads often lack context, trust, and genuine interest in your firm. Advisors spend valuable time chasing contacts that never convert, while marketing budgets disappear with little to show for them.

Those tactics may generate contacts, but they will rarely build a reliable pipeline. The firms that consistently grow are building systems that attract prospects before the sales conversation ever begins.

Real Lead Generation Starts With Trust

Financial decisions are deeply personal. Most people don’t choose an advisor after seeing one advertisement. They spend time researching, comparing firms, reading educational content, and looking for someone they believe understands their situation.

Effective lead generation has to do more than capture contact information; it needs to build credibility. That’s why successful financial services marketing combines multiple touchpoints into one coordinated strategy, including:

  • Educational content that answers real client questions
  • Landing pages designed to convert visitors into prospects
  • Paid campaigns that reach the right audience
  • Email nurture campaigns that build relationships over time
  • AI-powered prospecting to identify new opportunities
  • Ongoing optimization that improves results month after month

Each piece supports the others. Together, they create a system that continues generating opportunities long after an individual campaign ends.

Cost Per Lead Is Only One Metric

CPL is worth tracking, but it shouldn’t be the only measure of success. A campaign generating leads at $55 each sounds impressive until you ask how many became clients.

The real goal is improving the entire journey from first click to signed client.

Sometimes that means increasing conversion rates. Sometimes it means improving landing pages. Sometimes it means refining messaging so you’re attracting better-fit prospects from the beginning.

The firms that focus only on reducing CPL often sacrifice lead quality. The firms that focus on improving the entire funnel typically see stronger long-term returns.

Good Marketing Gets Better Over Time

One of the biggest misconceptions about lead generation is that it’s something you launch once and never revisit.

The strongest programs improve with time. As performance data accumulates, you gain a clearer understanding of which audiences convert, which messages resonate, and which channels produce the best results. Landing pages are refined, budgets shift toward top-performing campaigns, and optimization becomes an ongoing process rather than a reaction to poor performance.

This helps prevent what’s commonly known as “CPL creep,” where acquisition costs slowly rise because campaigns are left unchanged while ad fatigue sets in or audience behavior evolves. Consistent optimization keeps marketing working harder, even as competition increases.

Building a Sustainable Growth Engine

Paid advertising can generate qualified activity within 60 to 90 days. Email nurture programs and long-term content strategies often begin influencing the pipeline over the next three to six months.

Both matter.

Short-term campaigns can generate immediate opportunities, but long-term brand building creates a pipeline that continues delivering results. The most successful RIAs invest in both because sustainable growth isn’t built on one campaign. It’s built on a repeatable system that continues attracting, educating, and converting ideal clients.

At Intention.ly, that’s exactly how we approach lead generation. We measure success by building marketing systems that consistently create qualified opportunities and produce measurable business growth.

The strongest lead generation strategies don’t interrupt prospects. They give them a reason to engage.

If This Is the Bar, the Assets Are There for the Taking

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

Cerulli Associates recently released its latest Cerulli Edge: Americas Asset and Wealth Management Edition. Buried within the report is a clear message for the RIA industry and an even clearer opportunity for firms willing to invest in growth. 

At first glance, the industry appears healthy. RIAs posted annual asset growth of roughly 10% to 11% between 2019 and 2024.

If you take a closer look, you’ll see a different story.

Market appreciation accounted for approximately 7% to 8% of that growth. Strip that away, and organic growth falls to just 3% to 4% annually. For many firms, rising markets have disguised an underlying growth problem. Investment performance has done much of the heavy lifting while business development efforts have remained relatively unchanged.

Structural Headwinds Are Making Growth Harder

Organic growth is becoming more difficult for reasons that extend beyond marketing alone.

Cerulli reports that:

  • Half of all RIA clients are aged 50 or older.
  • One-quarter are over age 60.
  • Fifty-six percent of projected RIA outflows in 2025 are expected to come from regular income withdrawals and one-time distributions.
  • Firms lose an estimated 2% to 5% of AUM annually through natural attrition alone.

Looked at as parts of a whole, these trends mean many firms are working just to replace assets that are naturally leaving the business before generating any meaningful growth.

The Industry Knows the Problem. Most Firms Haven’t Built the Solution.

New client acquisition was identified as the industry’s biggest challenge by 57% of RIAs surveyed, yet the operational commitment to solving that challenge remains surprisingly limited.

According to Cerulli:

  • Marketing expenses are expected to remain largely flat through 2027.
  • Firms dedicate an average of only 5% of total expenses to marketing.
  • Just 14% employ a dedicated marketing professional.
  • Advisors spend only 7% of their time prospecting for new clients and another 6% on practice management activities such as marketing and business planning.

Cerulli summarized the issue:

“A lack of a repeatable, focused business development strategy can leave many firms at the mercy of the personal efforts of their founding partners.”

For many RIAs, growth is still dependent on the founder rather than supported by a repeatable business development system.

Referrals Are Driving Growth, But Few Firms Have a Process

Referrals remain the dominant source of new business, accounting for 74% of all new client acquisition.

Despite that, most firms still treat referrals as something that happens naturally instead of something they actively manage.

Cerulli found that:

  • Only half of RIAs proactively ask existing clients for referrals.
  • Just one in five plans to implement a formal referral process.

Stephen Caruso, Director of Wealth Management at Cerulli, noted that firms should be building structured referral workflows while also strengthening brand awareness, clearly defining their ideal client, and expanding centers of influence.

Those are practical, repeatable growth strategies. Yet most firms have yet to fully embrace them.

The Opportunity Is Bigger Than the Challenge

When viewed together, the data paints a compelling picture. The industry manages trillions of dollars in assets. Firms consistently identify new client acquisition as their biggest challenge, yet marketing investment remains modest, referral programs are largely informal, and most advisors dedicate very little time to business development.

Cerulli also predicts firms will increasingly separate business development from advisory work by creating dedicated business development roles that allow advisors to remain focused on serving clients. That shift is coming. The firms that build those capabilities before they become standard will likely have an advantage.

For firms that already have a structured marketing strategy, a defined business development process, and a repeatable approach to generating demand, this isn’t simply an opportunity to improve performance. 

It’s an opportunity to compete in an environment where many firms have acknowledged they are not yet built for sustainable growth. The question now is which firms will be prepared to capture the opportunity.

How a Fractional CMO Can Lower Your RIA’s Client Acquisition Cost

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

For many RIAs, client acquisition cost (CAC) is a critical business metric. It tells you how much you’re spending to generate a new client relationship, and whether your marketing investments are producing profitable growth.

When acquisition costs start creeping higher, most firms assume they need a bigger marketing budget. In reality, the opposite is often true.

The issue usually isn’t how much you’re spending, but how efficiently you’re spending it. That’s where a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) can make a significant difference.

The Real Problem Isn’t Marketing Spend

Many advisory firms don’t struggle because they lack marketing activity. They struggle because their marketing efforts lack strategic direction. They will invest in websites, content, paid advertising, social media, events, technology platforms, and vendors without a cohesive growth strategy connecting everything together. The result is fragmented execution, inconsistent messaging, and wasted budget.

Over time, client acquisition costs rise because firms are paying for activity rather than outcomes. A Fractional CMO helps solve that problem by bringing executive-level marketing leadership without the expense of a full-time executive hire.

Executive Strategy Without Executive Overhead

Hiring a full-time Chief Marketing Officer can cost anywhere from $200,000 to $350,000 annually before benefits, bonuses, equity, and recruiting expenses are considered. For many RIAs, that’s a significant investment before a single campaign launches.

A Fractional CMO provides strategic leadership at a fraction of the cost, allowing firms to redirect more of their budget toward initiatives that directly drive growth.

Instead of allocating resources toward executive overhead, firms can invest in:

  • Lead generation campaigns
  • Website optimization
  • Content marketing
  • Search visibility
  • Marketing technology
  • Client referral programs
  • Brand development

The result is more working dollars supporting client acquisition.

Eliminating Expensive Trial and Error

One of the most overlooked drivers of high CAC is experimentation without strategy. Many firms spend months testing tactics that were never likely to succeed in the first place. New vendors are hired. Platforms are purchased. Campaigns launch with unclear objectives and limited measurement.

Every failed initiative increases acquisition costs.

An experienced Fractional CMO brings pattern recognition from working across multiple firms, growth stages, and marketing environments. They understand which channels are likely to perform, where budgets should be allocated, and how to prioritize investments based on business goals. Rather than learning through expensive mistakes, firms gain a roadmap built on proven experience.

Faster Results Through Financial Services Expertise

Marketing in financial services comes with unique challenges.

Compliance requirements, regulatory scrutiny, complex products, and highly competitive markets create a steep learning curve for generalist marketers. A Fractional CMO with financial services experience arrives with industry-specific knowledge already in place.

They understand:

  • FINRA and SEC marketing regulations
  • Advisor buyer journeys
  • Wealth management positioning strategies
  • Referral and lead generation dynamics
  • Content compliance workflows
  • Financial services technology ecosystems

This expertise reduces onboarding time, accelerates execution, and minimizes costly compliance-related revisions that can delay campaigns and increase expenses.

Improving Performance From Existing Resources

Reducing acquisition costs isn’t always about adding new resources. Often, it’s about improving the performance of the resources already in place. Many RIAs have capable marketing coordinators, operations staff, agency partners, or business development professionals who simply lack strategic leadership. A Fractional CMO provides that leadership. They align teams around measurable goals, establish accountability, streamline workflows, and create repeatable processes that improve efficiency across the organization. The result is better execution without significantly increasing headcount.

Better Measurement Leads to Better Decisions

Many firms know how much they’re spending on marketing. Far fewer know which activities are actually generating clients. A Fractional CMO introduces the reporting, attribution, and performance frameworks needed to connect marketing investments to business outcomes.

Instead of asking:

“How much did we spend?”

Firms begin asking:

“What did we generate?”

That shift allows budgets to be redirected toward high-performing channels while eliminating activities that fail to produce meaningful results. Over time, acquisition costs decline because every marketing dollar is working harder.

Strategic Leadership Designed for Growth

The goal is to acquire more qualified clients while spending more efficiently. A Fractional CMO helps RIAs achieve that balance by combining executive-level strategy, industry expertise, operational leadership, and performance accountability without the cost of a full-time executive hire.

For firms looking to scale growth while improving marketing efficiency, lowering client acquisition cost often starts with stronger leadership, not a larger budget. At Intention.ly, our Fractional CMO services help RIAs build scalable growth strategies that maximize every marketing dollar and create measurable business impact.

Ready to explore whether a Fractional CMO is the right fit for your firm? Let’s talk.

How Fast Can Intention.ly Help Me Drive New Client Acquisition?

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

It’s one of the most common questions we hear from financial advisors and wealth management firms:

“How fast can Intention.ly help me drive new client acquisition?”

Faster than most firms think, but probably not in the way you expect.

Many advisors approach marketing looking for a quick influx of leads. They want to know when the phone will start ringing, when appointments will fill their time, and when they’ll see a measurable return on investment, and those are reasonable expectations. But sustainable client acquisition isn’t built on quick wins; it’s built on the right foundation.

Growth Happens When the Foundation Is Right

Before any campaign launches, we focus on answering a few critical questions:

  • Who are you trying to reach?
  • What makes your firm different?
  • Why should a prospect choose you over countless alternatives?
  • What problems do you solve better than anyone else?

Without clear answers, even the biggest marketing budget will struggle to produce meaningful results. With them, every marketing effort becomes more effective. That’s why we start with strategy. Whether we’re building a brand, launching campaigns, optimizing digital experiences, or deploying AI-powered marketing tools, every initiative is designed to attract the right prospects, not just more prospects.

The Timeline Depends on the Strategy

Different growth initiatives produce results at different speeds.

  • Paid media campaigns can begin generating traffic and leads within weeks when targeting and messaging are aligned.
  • Website optimization and conversion improvements often create immediate gains by helping existing traffic convert into consultations and conversations more effectively.
  • Content marketing, SEO, and AI search visibility typically require a longer investment horizon but create compounding growth that continues delivering value long after content is published.
  • Brand positioning and messaging refinement may not seem like acquisition tactics at first glance, but they frequently unlock stronger performance across every marketing channel because prospects instantly understand your value.

Client acquisition isn’t driven by a single tactic. It’s the result of multiple systems working together.

Why Some Firms See Results Faster Than Others

We’ve seen firms generate meaningful momentum within the first few months of engagement, and we’ve also seen firms take longer to achieve their goals. The difference is usually readiness, not effort.

Growth picks up quickly for firms with:

  • A clearly defined target audience
  • A compelling value proposition
  • A website built to convert visitors into conversations
  • Capacity to onboard new clients
  • Leadership alignment around growth objectives

When these pieces are already set in place, marketing can move quickly. When they aren’t, our first priority is helping build them correctly so growth becomes predictable and measurable.

Acquisition Isn’t Just About More Leads

One of the biggest misconceptions in financial services marketing is that success is measured solely by lead volume. More leads don’t necessarily mean more clients. The real goal is attracting qualified prospects who align with your ideal client profile and are more likely to become long-term relationships.

That’s why our focus extends beyond traffic generation. We help firms improve the entire client acquisition journey – from brand awareness and website engagement to lead nurturing, appointment setting, and conversion optimization. The result will be better outcomes.

Built Specifically for Financial Services

What makes Intention.ly different is our deep specialization in financial services. We understand advisor marketing, wealth management growth strategies, fintech partnerships, compliance considerations, and the unique challenges firms face when competing in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Our team combines strategic consulting, marketing execution, AI-powered solutions, and industry expertise to help firms create sustainable growth engines rather than relying on one-off campaigns.

So, How Fast Can We Help?

Fast enough to create momentum and strategic enough to make it last. Some initiatives can generate measurable activity within weeks. Others create long-term growth over months and years. The most successful firms embrace both. At Intention.ly, our goal isn’t simply to help you acquire clients faster. It’s to help you build a client acquisition system that continues working long after a campaign launches.

Six Financial Services Podcasts and Shows We’re Listening to Right Now

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

From behavioral finance and advisor growth to WealthTech innovation and investment insights, these are the shows helping shape the conversations driving the future of financial services.

The financial services industry has no shortage of content. Every day, advisors, asset managers, fintech leaders, and marketers are inundated with articles, newsletters, webinars, and social posts competing for attention.

Podcasts offer something different. They create space for deeper conversations, fresh perspectives, and authentic insights from the people actively shaping our industry.

At Intention.ly, we’re constantly looking for ideas, trends, and thought leaders that help us better serve our clients and stay ahead of where the industry is headed. These are a few of the financial services podcasts our team has been listening to lately—and why we think they’re worth your time.

1. The Power of the Ask — Savvy Ladies

Hosted by Lisa Zeiderman, Managing Director of Savvy Ladies, and renowned sales strategist Precious Williams, The Power of the Ask explores the conversations, experiences, and strategies that help women advocate for themselves in their careers, finances, and personal lives.

Each episode features inspiring guests who share practical advice on leadership, financial confidence, entrepreneurship, and personal growth. The show reflects Savvy Ladies’ broader mission of empowering women through financial education and helping them gain the confidence to ask for what they deserve.

Whether you’re looking for career inspiration, financial guidance, or a fresh perspective on leadership, this podcast consistently delivers meaningful takeaways.

Listen Here

2. Chopping Wealth — Shaping Wealth

Hosted by Brian Portnoy, founder of Shaping Wealth and one of the industry’s leading voices on behavioral finance, Chopping Wealth explores the deeper relationship between money, meaning, and human behavior.

Rather than focusing solely on markets and investment performance, the podcast tackles topics such as purpose, decision-making, well-being, and the psychology that drives financial choices. Brian brings together academics, advisors, authors, and thought leaders to challenge conventional thinking about wealth and what it truly means to live a rich life.

For advisors seeking a deeper understanding of client behavior—or anyone interested in the human side of money—Chopping Wealth is required listening.

Listen Here

3. In The Money — Flyer Financial Technologies

Hosted by Rusty Sommer, CEO of Flyer Financial Technologies, In The Money sits at the intersection of WealthTech, advisor growth, and industry innovation.

The show features conversations with fintech executives, platform leaders, advisors, and strategic partners discussing the technologies and trends reshaping financial services. From advisor workflow automation and enterprise technology to partnership strategies and market opportunities, the podcast provides valuable insights into the future of the industry.

For anyone interested in how technology is transforming wealth management, In The Money delivers a front-row seat to the conversation.

Listen Here

4. A Word on Wealth — Beacon Pointe

Created by the team at Stephens Wealth Management Group, now part of Beacon Pointe, A Word on Wealth focuses on helping investors navigate the financial decisions that matter most.

The podcast covers topics including retirement planning, investment management, wealth preservation, market insights, and long-term financial strategy. Through educational and approachable conversations, the show helps listeners better understand complex financial topics and make more informed decisions.

The podcast reflects the client-centered philosophy championed by leaders such as Kim Waldman and the broader team that helped build Stephens Wealth Management Group into one of Michigan’s most respected advisory firms.

Listen Here

5. Perfectly Integrated — Integrated Partners

Hosted by Matt Ackermann, Chief Content Officer at Integrated Partners and one of the most recognizable voices in advisor marketing and communications, Perfectly Integrated explores the strategies, partnerships, and leadership principles that help advisors build thriving businesses.

Matt’s conversations with industry executives, consultants, and successful practitioners provide actionable insights on practice management, business development, client experience, growth strategies, and the evolving landscape of wealth management.

The show embodies Integrated Partners’ commitment to helping advisors build more connected, scalable, and successful firms.

Listen Here

6. Viewpoints by Hennessy — Hennessy Funds

For advisors and investors looking to stay informed on markets without wading through lengthy research reports, Viewpoints by Hennessy offers timely and accessible insights directly from investment professionals.

Featuring portfolio managers and leaders from the Hennessy Funds investment team, the video series covers market trends, economic developments, portfolio positioning, and long-term investment themes. The conversations are concise, informative, and focused on helping viewers understand what’s happening in the markets—and why it matters.

While technically a video series rather than a traditional podcast, it serves the same purpose: delivering expert perspectives in a format that’s easy to consume and easy to share.

Watch Here

Great Content Starts with Great Conversations

The best podcasts don’t simply share information; they create connection.

Each of these shows demonstrates how financial brands can educate audiences, build credibility, and foster meaningful engagement through authentic conversations. As content continues to evolve, podcasts remain one of the most effective ways to build relationships at scale.

At Intention.ly, we’re proud to work with organizations that are investing in thought leadership, education, and meaningful industry dialogue. These podcasts are excellent examples of how great conversations can strengthen brands and create lasting impact.

Bonus Listen: Don’t Do That — An Intention.ly Podcast

While the podcasts above are produced by some of our incredible clients, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one project from our own team.

Hosted by Kelly Waltrich, CEO and Co-Founder of Intention.ly, Don’t Do That flips the traditional business podcast format on its head. Instead of asking successful leaders what worked, Kelly asks a more revealing question:

“What would you never do again?”

Each episode features candid conversations with executives, entrepreneurs, advisors, marketers, and industry innovators who openly share the mistakes, failures, bad assumptions, and hard-earned lessons that shaped their careers. Guests have included leaders from firms such as Orion, Nitrogen, Carson Group, eMoney, Shaping Wealth, WSFS, and many others.

The result is a refreshingly honest podcast that delivers practical wisdom without the polish—helping listeners learn from other people’s mistakes instead of making them themselves.

Listen Here

Why It’s So Damn Hard to Hire Great Marketers

Posted on by Kelly Waltrich

I’ve been hiring marketers for 20 years across brand, product marketing, creative, and demand gen. I’ve never seen an era where it’s harder to separate real skill from a well-rehearsed pitch.

Today’s candidates are polished and well-packaged, but finding someone who can deliver is a different game entirely. Here’s my evolved checklist for cutting through the noise.

Start with the Non-Negotiables

  • Hire by referral first. The single best predictor of marketing success is a trusted referral from someone who has watched the candidate do real work. No resume or interview answer comes close as a filter.
  • Check real references. Not personal contacts, but people they’ve worked for or alongside. Ask about the quality of their work, their collaboration style, how they left the role, and whether that person would hire them again. Strong marketers leave strong reputations behind.
  • Build a hiring SWOT team. Don’t let one person own this decision. Assemble a small internal team with each member evaluating a distinct dimension:
    • Culture: Will they mesh with your values and working style?
    • Skill: Do they have the technical and strategic depth the role demands?
    • Collaboration: Can they work effectively across teams and with clients?
    • Strategy: Can they think at the big-picture level while executing the details?

Define the categories however they make sense for your firm. The principle is checks and balances. Marketers are often charismatic and persuasive by nature. That’s not a flaw, but it means a single interviewer can get swayed in ways a team won’t.

Dig into Skills and Mindset

  • Demand results fluency. They should speak specifically about the campaigns they’ve run, the products they’ve launched, and the measurable outcomes at every funnel stage. Vague answers about “driving awareness” or “supporting the team” are red flags.
  • Ask to see the work. Live campaigns, strategy decks, messaging frameworks, creative deliverables. Have them walk you through the thinking from brief to execution to outcome. How they narrate their own work tells you as much as the work itself.
  • Test MarTech fluency. What platforms have they genuinely mastered? How do they connect tools into a full campaign motion? What are they actively learning right now? Marketers who aren’t building new skills are falling behind.
  • Gauge learning appetite. Who do they follow? What do they read? What events or communities are they plugged into? If they can’t answer those questions with any specificity, they’re not keeping pace.

Assess How They’ll Operate in Your Environment

  • Give them a live problem. Throw a real challenge at them. Don’t just ask what they’ve done; see how they think when they don’t have a rehearsed answer ready.
  • Ask about a fast pivot. Request a specific example of a time they had to change course quickly, whether due to a market shift, a compliance issue, or a campaign that wasn’t performing. How someone handles that moment reveals more than any success story.
  • Look for analytical grounding. Can they interpret data and move on it? Ask them to walk through how campaign analytics shaped a specific decision. Marketers who can’t connect numbers to action are a liability.
  • Evaluate their writing and presentation directly. Don’t just ask about communication skills. Read their samples. Watch them present. Marketers need to translate complex ideas into clear, persuasive language. 

Hiring is Part Art, Part Science

Even with all of this, I still miss on roughly 20% of hires. But starting with referrals, running down real references, and bringing in a team that covers every angle has moved my batting average considerably.

If you’re struggling to find your next great marketer, tap my network. I’m glad to interview candidates on your behalf or connect you with trusted talent in the space.