The Human Side of Marketing

September 23, 2025

By Brendan Frazier | Chief Behavioral Officer

“All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like, and trust.” – Bob Burg

Ask any Financial Advisor why marketing is so hard, and you’ll hear some version of:

“It’s hard to stand out.”

“I’m not a natural marketer.”

“We’re selling something intangible.”

And they’re right (to an extent). But the real problem runs deeper: The challenge isn’t that prospects don’t understand your value; it’s that they have no reliable way to evaluate it.

That’s why the human side of marketing matters more than most Advisors realize.

Unlike buying a car, trying a new restaurant, or booking a vacation, choosing a Financial Advisor is fundamentally different. You can’t test-drive the relationship. You can’t taste the outcome. And many people can’t confidently judge the quality of the advice, even after they’ve hired you.

Financial Advice as a “Credence Good”

In behavioral economics, a product or service that’s difficult (if not impossible) to evaluate for quality, even after it’s delivered, is called a “credence good.” Financial advice is one of the purest examples.

That’s what makes marketing for Advisors so tricky: Most prospects don’t know how to measure if your retirement strategy is sound, your tax plan is smart, or your portfolio design is optimal. So, what do they do instead?

They lean into things they can assess:

Do you seem relatable?

Do you sound like someone who understands people like them?

Do you feel trustworthy?

Does your presence (online or in-person) reflect confidence and care?

Has someone they trust already trusted you?

This is where the psychology of decision-making kicks in. In moments of uncertainty, people default to heuristics or mental shortcuts, including things like familiarity, likability, and social proof. When clients can’t evaluate what you do, they evaluate how you make them feel.

When Perception Drives Experience: The Value of Human-Centered Marketing

Marketing guru Rory Sutherland has another example of this in his book Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business and Life.

Researchers gave participants two identical wines in identical packaging, with one key difference: One bottle was noticeably heavier.

And despite being the same wine, people consistently rated the heavier bottle as better tasting.

Why? Because the weight of the bottle subconsciously signaled quality. A heavier bottle felt more expensive and higher quality. The actual contents didn’t change, but the perception of value (and therefore the experience of that value) was completely transformed.

Your knowledge and advice are the wine. But most clients aren’t trained sommeliers; they can’t judge the “vintage” of your portfolio construction or the “flavor notes” in your tax strategy.

What they can judge is the bottle:

How you communicate

How you show up online

How you make them feel in the first interaction

Whether your message resonates with their stage of life or emotions

When clients can’t judge the advice, they judge the Advisor. And that’s not irrational; it’s often the best tool they have in a high-stakes decision.

The reality is that what feels like a marketing problem is actually a trust problem. Clients want to feel seen, understood, safe, and confident. In a world where nearly every Advisor says they’re trustworthy, the ones who show it through their tone, stories, visuals, and presence will stand out.

Why the Human Side of Marketing Is the Key to Standing Out

A Harvard study found that we evaluate new people using two core filters:

Warmth: Do they have good intentions toward me?

Competence: Are they capable of following through?

What’s surprising is that warmth matters more, especially early on, because we’re hardwired to protect our safety first. And safety doesn’t come from spreadsheets. It comes from human signals. Your message, your tone, your stories, and your presence matter more than you think, because they’re how prospects decide if you’re someone they can trust with their financial life.

Campaigns vs. Connections

Most Advisor marketing feels like a campaign. It’s polished and stale. But the best advisor marketing? It feels less like a campaign and more like a conversation.

The human side of marketing is the side that resonates. It’s the part that says:

“This person understands people like me.”

“I trust them to help me figure this out.”

“They’re not just a financial planner. They’re my kind of person.”

Prospects become clients because they trust you, not from your credentials, but from showing you care, being clear about who you help, and sounding like a human being. That’s the human side of marketing.

If everyone else is trying to impress, you’ll stand out by connecting.

If everyone else is trying to sound smart, you’ll stand out by sounding real.

If everyone else is building a campaign, you’ll stand out by starting a conversation.

7 Practical Ways to Humanize Your Advisor Marketing

If marketing is really about building trust, and trust is built through connection, then your strategy has to start with the human.

Below are seven practical ways to bring the human side of marketing to life, backed by behavioral science, marketing psychology, and real-world examples from top-performing Advisors. These approaches help you create a connection before the first conversation ever happens.

1. Use Real Language, Not Jargon

Many Advisors fall into “wealth management speak,” forgetting that the average prospect has limited knowledge of financial terminology. The truth? Simplicity fosters connection.

Instead of “comprehensive financial planning,” say: “Helping you to stop stressing about your money and start feeling confident again.”

2. Record a “My Why” Video

Video marketing is a powerful trust builder. So is an emotional story. Combining the two is a game-changer.

Shoot a 2-minute video explaining your “why” — why you decided to become an Advisor and who you’re passionate about helping. Feature it on your homepage, share it on social media, or put it in your signature.

Here’s an example from TrekNorth’s Jarrod Biebel:

3. Replace Your “About” With Your “Origin Story”

Turn your “About” page into an origin story narrative rather than a snapshot of your resume. Highlighting values and the founder’s “why” makes you human and helps to create an instant connection.

Here’s an example from WFA’s “About” page that has a section called “WFA Through The Years.”

4. Show Prospects What It’s Really Like To Work With You

Oftentimes, the barrier standing between a prospect becoming a client is uncertainty. The more clarity you can provide to help prospects mentally walk toward the next step, the better.

One way to do that is to lay out exactly what it’s like to work with you and the process you take clients through. Here’s a great example from Curato Advisory’s “Approach” page:

Bonus Points: Not only does this page provide clarity, but since Curato Advisory works with dentists, they purposefully uses language they’re familiar with!

5. Leverage Social Proof

It might be tempting to tell people that you’re smart, knowledgeable, and always put your client’s needs first. But rather than telling them and hoping they believe your biased view, you can show them.

One way to do that is by including an “As Seen In” or “Featured In” page on your website or materials. Here’s an example from Blake Wealth Management:

6. Make it Obvious They’re in the Right Place (Or Not)

Prospects want to feel seen and understood as soon as possible. The clearer you make it for the prospective client, the more comfortable they’ll likely feel.

Look at Blake Wealth Management’s homepage:

It clearly states that they offer retirement planning for women over age 55. If you are a 60-year-old woman, it instantly tells you that you’re in the right place and you’re ready to learn more.

And, if you’re a 50-year-old male, you will likely start looking elsewhere. And that’s okay!

Browse through this website, and you’ll see how everything speaks to this demographic in a way that helps them feel understood. As you craft your own marketing messaging, try to think through how it would land with various prospects or clients. Is it sending the right message to the right people?

7. Communicate Your Real Value

The ultimate tactic to humanize your marketing and accelerate trust is to check that every piece of marketing focuses on your real value: Not your technical skills or WHAT you do.

It should focus on the emotional benefit that you deliver. You’re not selling financial plans, investment portfolios, or Roth conversion strategies.

You’re delivering:

Confidence that their kids will be okay

The ability to sleep better at night

The freedom to use money to maximize their life

How to Harness the Human Side of Marketing: Using the Trust Meter

One of the most important insights I often share about marketing for Financial Advisors is this:

Every prospect has a Trust Meter, and your job is to fill it to 100%.

But here’s the kicker: not all marketing tactics start at the same point on that Trust Meter. Some come preloaded with credibility. Others start nearly empty. That’s why your marketing strategy shouldn’t just be based on what’s “working.” It should be based on where your prospect starts on the Trust Meter and what they need to move forward.

If someone was referred by a client, you probably don’t need to spend time proving your credibility. You need to confirm the emotional connection and lower any friction in the process.

But if someone found you through Google, their Trust Meter might be close to zero: They don’t know you, and they’re likely skeptical. That’s where your marketing needs to work harder and smarter to fill the gap.

Here’s a breakdown of specific “Trust Accelerators” you can use based on your primary marketing source:

If you know where your prospect is starting on the Trust Meter, you know:

How much trust-building is still required

What type of content or action best moves them forward

Whether your time is best spent nurturing, clarifying, or closing

When you treat marketing as a human-centered journey instead of a lead generation machine, you can stop chasing and start winning trust.

Trust Meter Marketing Assessment

In this assessment, you’ll learn how well your marketing reflects the human side of advice and where you can unlock stronger growth by building deeper trust.

Ready to Bring Humanized Marketing to Life?

At its core, the human side of marketing isn’t about flashy campaigns or clever taglines. It’s about trust and showing up in a way that feels real, relatable, and resonant.

At RFG Advisory, we believe that great marketing isn’t about selling; it’s about connecting. That’s why we help Advisors lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose.

From your “Why” video to your About page, every touchpoint should reflect the real value you bring to your clients. Our Marketing and Growth Team works with you to create messaging that resonates, visuals that align, and strategies that actually drive engagement, without the jargon, pressure, or fluff.

Because we know that you don’t need to be a natural-born marketer. You just need to lead with who you are.

Let’s build something bigger than yourself. Schedule a call today.