Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. It seems like everyone is talking (or posting) about how tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot will be used by companies to replace certain positions, save money, or insert whatever amazing claim you’ve heard this week.
So, what’s our take on AI in marketing? It’s our version of your robo-advisor.
That hit home, didn’t it?
The financial and wealth management advisors we work with tend to roll their eyes at robo-advising. That’s how most marketers feel about AI.
However, we’re not most marketers. We believe AI serves a few important purposes.
It’s a Self-Selection Tool
AI tools and robo advisors have something in common. They’re typically geared toward the DIYer. We all know someone who comes to mind: the person who would rather do it themselves than lean on the experience, talent, and expertise of, well, experts. And hey, that’s OK.
In fact, it’s more than OK. Financial advisors and marketers alike know how challenging it can be to work with a DIY client. AI gives those people a place to go. According to a Gallup survey conducted with Edward Jones, about 1 in 5 Americans who sought financial advice in the past year turned to AI, and 73% relied on their own internet research.
It’s an Experience Differentiator
However, clients know the difference. In a recent TD Bank survey, 49% of Americans said they had used an AI assistant in the past year to research or make a personal financial decision. Of those, 83% checked the information with another source or a professional.
Robo-advising is typically positioned as a low-cost, hands-off approach to investing. But it does not provide personalized guidance, comprehensive financial planning, or the peace of mind that comes from working with a trusted advisor. A real human. Someone who knows you personally and understands your goals. Who gets you and your personality. And who is an extension of your team, challenges you respectfully, and serves in your best interest.
We just described the value you bring to clients. We also described ours. We’re a strategic partner, not an automated algorithm.
It’s a Marketing Tool, Not a Replacement
Can AI help you brainstorm ideas, summarize research, or find a better word? Absolutely. Can it understand your firm, know your clients, and write copy that speaks directly to them? Can it build a strategy that ties every piece of marketing back to your business goals? Not even close. That takes people who know your practice and the industry you work in.
Here’s the thing about ideas: there’s no shortage of good ones, and AI can generate more in seconds. What it can’t do is help you choose the right strategy for your firm, then make sure it actually gets done. For us, strategic marketing and the accountability to follow through go hand in hand. It’s one of the things that sets our work apart.
Part of that is copy. Good copy tells a story, and a compelling story takes human qualities: empathy, creativity, and critical thinking. If you’ve worked with Whole Growth Partners, you know we’re all about HEART marketing. We write copy that makes your clients feel understood, because it comes from people who took the time to understand them first.
AI can’t capture your firm’s voice, perspective, or the personality that sets you apart from every other advisor in your market. It simply doesn’t know you. If you’re not sure how to put that into words yourself, our Personal Brand Story Template walks you through what makes you, you.
AI tools build content from patterns in what’s already out there. Ask the same question as everyone else, and you’ll get the same content, sometimes nearly word for word. In a business built on trust, publishing look-alike content is one of the fastest ways to lose it.
Then there’s accuracy. AI can state something wrong with total confidence, and it can carry the biases of the material it learned from. In an industry where every claim matters, that’s a risk you can’t afford.
Technology can’t replace human connection and creative talent, and it shouldn’t. This is, after all, a relationship-based business.
Relationships win. Every time.
Whole Growth Partners and Your Business
Are you confident you’re investing in the right marketing strategies? Enlist the help of a strong marketing partner who focuses on the growth of your whole business. Let’s talk; we’re here to help.
