Brands hired to create marketing for financial institutions do so for a couple of reasons. First, the internal team cannot handle the volume of work. Second, while the internal team may be competent enough to develop a digital marketing strategy, it will lack the necessary regulatory knowledge to deliver such a plan without significant input from a chief compliance officer (“CCO”) regarding regulatory compliance. Below is a list of some marketing agencies used by financial services companies, including descriptions of what they do as well as whether or not they have shown themselves to be knowledgeable and compliant with regulations.
Top financial services marketing agencies
Listed alphabetically. Notes regarding the compliance posture of these agencies are based upon publicly available information. Verify this before you sign an agreement.
CSTMR. Focuses on B2B and B2C fintech marketing: strategy, go-to-market, product strategy (mintcopywritingstudios.com). CSTMR has experience with FTC and CFPB issues related to fintech; however, there is no indication that they have had issues with FINRA 2210. CSTMR would best serve fintech startups and growth-stage consumer fintechs.
Growth Gorilla. Specializes in performance marketing, user acquisition, PPC, CRM, email, etc., for 40+ fintech clients (mintcopywritingstudios.com). They have experience working with consumer finance and affiliate disclosures. Growth Gorilla would best suit fintech businesses that need to acquire users through paid methods.
Fintel Connect. Affiliates with banking and fintech businesses to track affiliates for compliance purposes (fintelconnect.com), networks affiliates for U.S. and Canadian banks and fintechs and provides tools for affiliate compliance monitoring. The company’s Fintel Check tool checks for affiliate references in near-real-time. Fintel Connect would best serve banks, credit unions and lenders that use affiliate channels.
Onboard Partners. Provides full-service performance marketing for banks and payment providers, providing both portfolio management and funding (fintelconnect.com). Onboard Partners would best fit community and regional banks looking to increase deposits and loans.
Amsive. Provides large-scale, multi-channel campaigns through its direct mail and data heritage (amsive.com). Amsive would be ideal for large insurers, banks and asset managers conducting multiple-channel campaigns.
KlientBoost, WebFX, Vidpros, Valtech. Provide SEO, PPC and other digital transformation services across industries (onelittleweb.com). While all are generally good options for the financial services industry, each has a different level of expertise within their teams. Vet the team you want to work with.
Video specialist. Provides video editors for financial brands on a retainer basis, along with disclosure overlays, archiving of all exports, and compliance-aware script review. Services start at $1,000/month for 2 hours/day of editor time. If video production is your main pain point, then Vidpros is a great option.
What does a financial services marketing agency do?
Most agencies fall into One of six categories: brand/creative; performance marketing (paid search/paid social/programmatic); content/SEO; lifecycle/email marketing; account-based marketing; PR/AR. Most engagements involve pulling from three-Four areas at a time in a growth marketing role.
Agency pricing models (pricinglink.com):
- Percentage of ad spend 10%-20% with a min retainer;
- Flat monthly retainer $2k-$7k sm/md scope & $10+k for ent;
- Hourly rate $100-$300 project work;
- Social media management $2.5k-$8k/mo;
- CRM set-up $5k-$15k+ project + $1.5-$5k/mo ongoing.
Price models change over time: research each agency before hiring.
Why do financial firms hire specialized agencies?
A generalist agency could create a fantastic brand campaign that fails a regulatory compliance check three weeks later. Specialists know the regulatory landscape before creating a single wireframe.
Four ways a specialist produces value faster than a generalist:
- Specialists know the disclosure template – don’t reinvent it every project (SEC Marketing Rule; FINRA Rule 2210; state insurance triggering terms; CFPB Regulation Z).
- Specialists know approval cycle timing – include CCO review windows from day one.
- Recordkeeping is included in the price model (FINRA Rule 17a-4; SEC books & records).
- Creative reflects trust signals (fiduciary status; FDIC membership; regulatory registration) rather than branding polish.
According to Financial Marketing Pros, “2x-10x improvement in leads just by changing copy/offer” occurs after a generalist website is rewritten by a specialist. This is One example of success in rewriting a message. What we’ve seen is that when a generalist site is rewritten by a specialist, there is an immediate impact.
To view additional background on firm-wide strategies for marketing to consumers and business customers in the financial services space please visit our firm-level financial services marketing section.
How do I choose the right agency?
Below is the checklist that determines if a true specialist exists vs. a generalist that created a financial services landing page. Request three case studies in your firm type (a credit union case study does not validate work done under an RIA mandate). Request which regulators they have delivered against in the past 24 months and specifically which rules. Request how they document records (the correct answer includes reference to Rule 17a-4 and the agency’s archives). Request who reviewed creative prior to delivery (senior creative director or compliance lead plus the client CCO). Request how frequently they report (specialists provide consults booked, qualified pipeline and AUM/deposit growth, not impression and click-through rates). Request terms of exiting your contract; long-term contracts with auto-renewal provisions indicate potential red flags. For more detailed vetting criteria for digital agencies see digital agency vetting criteria.
Financial services agency marketing solutions
The needs of wealth management firms (RIAs, family offices, private banks) differ from that of consumer-banking or fintech. Creating niche-driven content targeted towards segments the firm actually serves (e.g. HNW business owners, equity-comp technology employees, divorced women in wealth transition). Video of the founder and lead advisor as the primary trust signal; wealth clients purchase individuals.
Event marketing (dinners/expert panels with CPAs & estate attorneys) are more expensive per attendee compared to digital but create a higher conversion rate. PR in trade publications (Citywire, Financial Advisor IQ, RIABiz). Digital compliance templating for testimonials, third-party ratings, and performance under SEC Marketing Rule Section 206(4)-1.
Compare fintech-specialist agency comparison and advisor-specific agency comparison for adjacent verticals.
Creating results for financial brands
Realistic KPIs by funnel stage. Brand lift from PR & content: 6-12 months before measurable impact on direct & brand search. Pipeline from paid search & ABM: 30-90 days to first qualified leads, 6-9 months to stable cost per acquisition curve. Conversion lift from landing page work: 30-60 days to first A/B result, 90 days to confident reallocation. Email & lifecycle: 60-90 days for engagement metrics, 12 months for revenue impact.
According to The Financial Brand, bank marketers are shifting focus from short-term click metrics to long-term customer relationship value and product expansion. Customer lifetime value (CLV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), LTV/CAC ratio, product per-customer are what matter. While conversion rate & return on investment are diagnostic tools. Community-bank & credit union work emphasizing measurable growth from local PR over multi-year horizons.
No agency should ever promise specific lead counts, AUM growth numbers, deposit growth numbers or policy growth. Such promises typically signal an issue with either the agency or their compliance posture. Past performance does not guarantee future results applies as much to agency case studies as it does to investment track records.
Frequently asked questions about financial services marketing agencies
What do financial services marketing agencies charge?
$2,000 – $7,000/month for small-mid sized retainers; $10,000+ for enterprise. Commonly, performance pricing at 10-20% of ad spend (pricinglink.com).
Are specialists always better than generalists?
No. Generalists can be used for awareness in non-regulated segments at top of funnel. However, when dealing with regulated products, the cost of a generalist missing compliance is usually more than the savings.
How long until I see results?
First directional data on paid campaigns: 90 days. Content, SEO, PR: 6-12 months.
Credit union marketing?
Most agencies that service credit unions are actually serving clients that fit closer to consumer banking than advisory work. Member-story content outperforms generic banking creative.
Review compliance posture: 8 questions to ask
Use them in your first agency call, before pricing.
- You have complied against which regulators in the last 24 months (SEC, FINRA, CFPB, state insurance, FTC)?
- Take me through your workflow for client testimonials under SEC Marketing Rule §206(4)-1?
- How do you approve pre-use and supervise review under FINRA Rules 2210 and 3110?
- How do you handle Regulation Z triggering terms in display and social paid copy?
- Where is your archive system for FINRA Rule 17a-4 and SEC books-and-records?
- How do you flag GLBA when using customer data for personalization?
- How do you flag CAN-SPAM and TCPA risk on email and SMS?
- Do you carry errors and omissions insurance? Have you been named in any regulatory action?
All specialists answer with detailed answers. Generalists will say something like “we work with your compliance team” which is fine for some scopes but a red flag for others. Please see our compliance reference guide for marketers for additional information regarding the referenced rules.
Agency onboarding process structure
While many financial-brand and agency relationships fail during years two and beyond, they typically fail in month two due to the lack of documentation surrounding compliance issues. The lack of a proper compliance briefing for the agency’s workflow and the failure to provide timely deliverables to the client also contribute to failed engagements. Proper onboarding can eliminate these issues. Below is what the first thirty days should yield.
- Compliance brief (week one): a written document detailing the firm’s registration status, applicable rules (SEC, FINRA, CFPB, state), existing approved language, prohibited claims and submission requirements and service level agreement from the CCO to the agency. This document is written by the agency not the client. If an agency cannot provide such a document then there may be concerns with respect to the agency.
- Channel asset audit (week one to two): review of existing paid campaigns, content library, email sequences and video assets. The purpose is to determine what has already been created that is compliant and usable again versus what needs to be modified prior to being utilized by the agency and finally where are the gaps in compliance? An agency that bypasses this step and begins developing new material immediately creates potential liability rather than adding value.
- 90-day plan document including calendared CCO windows (week two): each deliverable identified and linked to a production date, CCO submission date, expected approval date and publish date. There is buffer time incorporated into the 90-day plan so that the first missed delivery date does not occur until after the buffer period has expired. If the 90-day plan does not incorporate compliance deadlines, it is simply a marketing plan for a financial services industry marketing plan.
- KPI baseline reporting template (week three): identify which metrics are meaningful prior to launching the first campaign rather than waiting to find out after. CAC, qualified pipeline, consult bookings and AUM or deposit attribution – not impressions. Once the baseline data is determined agree upon the reporting template and populate it with the baseline data prior to closing month one.
- Escalation path (week one): identify who contacts whom if an issue occurs relative to compliance review. Identify which decisions the agency lead is responsible for versus which ones fall to the client CMO and/or which require direct input from the CCO. This is usually a one-page document and while often omitted in an onboarding process, omitting this document will likely result in wasting 10 hours of meetings in month three.
Onboarding quality provides the best leading indicator relative to how well engaged the parties will be. An agency that rushes through onboarding to get started faster is optimizing production rather than desired results for the client.
Red flags to watch out for during evaluation of agencies
Every agency participating in its first meeting will claim to specialize in financial services marketing with a compliance history. These are indicators distinguishing agencies that mean it from those that have a financial services section on their website with a generalist team.
- Case studies of other firm types. A case study from a credit union does not prove effectiveness for RIA work. A case study from a fintech company that was focused on growth does not validate a private bank engagement mandate. If an agency’s relevant case studies are based on adjacent verticals, ask why. Most times the response will be truthful and helpful.
- Guaranteed lead or AUM growth numbers. Any agency claiming to offer guaranteed lead counts, AUM growth targets or deposit growth numbers within a proposal is a red flag. Past performance does not guarantee future results apply equally to agency performance as well as investment track records. Specialized agencies set directionally-based expectations with reasonable timelines and not guaranteed outputs.
- Long-term lock-in contracts with auto-renewal clauses. Market standard = initial contract of 12 months with a 60-day notice period prior to automatic renewal. A 24-month lock-in contract with a 90-day notice period prior to termination without a performance-based exit clause is not. Please read the termination provisions prior to agreeing to sign. Aggressive specialized agencies do not need contractual provisions preventing a client from terminating early.
- Junior team members handling senior-priced accounts. The sales call involves senior teams. Junior coordinators manage accounts six weeks later. Ask at the proposal stage: who will be handling my account on a daily basis? What is his/her financial services background? Meet them prior to agreeing to sign and not after.
- Vague compliance posture responses. “We work closely with your compliance team” is an acceptable response for certain scopes. It is not acceptable when asked how testimonials are processed under SEC Marketing Rule §206(4)-1. A specialized agency provides you with the workflow. A generalist provides you with assurance.
These flags do not automatically disqualify an agency. They are legitimate questions worth exploring prior to agreeing to sign a contract and not after receiving your first compliance rejection.
Video specialist vs. full-service agency: when each makes sense
Honest rule: hire a full-service agency when you have a program with multiple channels; internal resources are limited; budget is between $15,000-$25,000/month. Hire a video specialist when all else works but the bottleneck in video development has killed your calendar. Hire both when the agency is providing strategic leadership and the specialist is addressing high-volume development requirements that the agency cannot produce.
Send a sample script if the gap is video. We’ll cut a one-minute test with the disclosure overlay baked into the test. Vidpros isn’t a full-service agency model; we are retained editor for financial brands whose strategic planning needs production engine speed to keep up.
