Trending
Written by: Joel Crampton
A lot of my conversations at the Future Proof conference this week centered around getting back to basics in marketing.
The AI pendulum has swung pretty far, and I'm seeing renewed interest in connecting with people on a human level. That's where human/AI marketing gets interesting.
I'm not talking about a Star Trek cyborg or RoboCop. I'm talking about using AI to handle more of the production work while people guide the message, apply judgment, and build relationships.
ONE BIG IDEA — Use AI to Make More Room for People
AI can help organize research, draft content, and repurpose material. Use that time savings to share your perspective, answer a thoughtful question, record a video, or follow up personally after a good conversation.
Your experience and judgment give people a reason to pay attention.
Deciding where to use AI starts with knowing what your marketing needs to accomplish. A podcast, newsletter, seminar, or LinkedIn campaign can all work. The right mix depends on your unique audience, strengths, resources, and execution.
Before adding another tool or tactic, revisit a few basics:
- Who are we trying to reach? Get specific about the people you're best equipped to help and the questions they're asking.
- What do we have to say? Bring a point of view, a useful example, or an answer drawn from your experience.
- How does this lead to a conversation? Give people a relevant next step, then have a process for following through.
- Where can AI save us time? Start with repetitive work, and keep someone responsible for accuracy, voice, and judgment
ONE FRAMEWORK — Better Tools, More Effective People
For the RIA and fintech companies CMO Alpha serves, producing useful marketing consistently takes a mix of technology, skilled people, and clear direction.
Here's how I think about the pieces of my own marketing stack:
- Build the foundation: HighLevel + WordPress. Websites, landing pages, email campaigns, and follow-up processes give the marketing somewhere to live and interested prospects a next step.
- Support the thinking and production: ChatGPT + Claude. AI helps organize research, develop ideas, draft content, and adapt material for different channels. The direction, examples, and final judgment still come from people.
- Bring in specialized talent: local and international contractors. The right people add skills and capacity across creative and technical work, with clear briefs and review keeping everyone working toward the same goal.
- Add a review layer: AI agents for preliminary compliance checks. I use these to help flag potential issues in marketing material I create, then address those questions before the firm's compliance review and approval.
I'm exploring where additional technology could help our team produce more useful work for the RIA and fintech companies we serve. The opportunity is to give skilled people more capacity for strategy, creativity, and client relationships while reducing repetitive production work.
ONE RESOURCE — The New Kitces Marketing Study
The 2026 Kitces.com Marketing Study reinforces several principles behind my approach:
- Count your time. Advisor and staff time represented 68% of marketing costs for the typical practice surveyed. Delegating work has real economic value.
- Connect your efforts. High-growth practices were more likely to use complementary tactics: 70% versus 44% of other actively growing practices. Give your events, content, and follow-up a shared purpose.
- Keep the plan manageable. The study found mixed results from more elaborate marketing efforts. Adding activity can spread resources too thin.
You should also read the tactic rankings in context. The study defines success as generating at least 1 new client during the year and recognizes that tactics can support one another. In practice, a prospect may encounter your firm several times before reaching out, making direct attribution difficult.
My takeaway: evaluate each tactic against the job you've given it. A newsletter can educate prospects, support referrals, and keep clients connected.
Case in point... you're reading this newsletter! This gives you a sense of how I think about marketing before we ever have a conversation.