Zephyr's Adjusted for Risk: AI's Impact on Marketing Strategies in Wealth Management
On this episode of Zephyr's Adjusted for Risk podcast, host Ryan Nauman sits down with Joe Anthony, President and CEO at Gregory, to break down how AI is changing marketing and PR in wealth and asset management. They cover trust, brand strategy, and the practical use of tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. If you lead growth, communications, or strategy, this is a clear look at what works now-and what stops working soon.
Why this matters for executives
- Clients judge advice quality by how you communicate. AI changes both the velocity and the expectations.
- Trust is the moat. AI can scale credibility or erode it-based on your guardrails.
- The firms that win will blend people, process, and AI into an always-on content and client-intelligence system.
From campaigns to compounding systems
Marketing is moving from one-off campaigns to compounding media engines. The leaders in 2026 will publish consistently, show up where clients search, and turn attention into conversation and pipeline. That requires a clear editorial focus, a distinct voice, and a feedback loop with sales and service.
AI brings the scale. Your team brings the judgment. Blend both to create a content factory that is credible, compliant, and fast.
Trust is the strategy
Financial decisions live or die on trust. That means proof beats polish. Be transparent about AI assistance, cite sources, and ground claims in verifiable data. Consistency across channels matters more than flashy tactics.
Consider independent indicators like the Edelman Trust Barometer. Use them to guide tone, topics, and expectation-setting with clients.
How AI changes the marketing motion
- Research and listening: Use Perplexity and ChatGPT to scan trends, synthesize news, and pressure-test narratives. Treat outputs as drafts to verify, not facts to publish.
- Content creation pyramid: AI drafts briefs, outlines, first passes, and variants. Human editors refine for nuance, compliance, and brand voice. Publish faster without sounding generic.
- Personalization at scale: Build content from a compliance-approved library. Use retrieval to tailor messages to segment, persona, and stage without risking off-brand claims.
- PR and thought leadership: AI helps identify timely hooks, craft pitches, and prep spokespeople. The edge is still relationships and original POV-AI just compresses prep time.
- Speed with controls: Codify style, claims, disclaimers, and approval logic. Shorten the distance from insight to inbox while staying inside the lines.
A practical AI playbook for wealth and asset managers
- 1) Clarify the narrative: What future are you helping clients achieve? Codify 3-5 pillars (e.g., tax-aware investing, retirement income, private market access).
- 2) Build a content operating model: Weekly newsletter, monthly long-form, daily social. AI supports ideation and drafting; experts supply the take.
- 3) Create a claims library: Approved stats, wording, footnotes, and disclaimers. AI pulls from this for consistency.
- 4) Stand up prompt kits: Prompts for briefs, outlines, summaries, FAQs, and compliance rewrites. Store them where your team works.
- 5) Add review guardrails: Hallucination checks, source citations, tone rules, and a short escalation path for sensitive topics.
- 6) Connect to first-party data: Tag content by pillar, persona, and funnel stage. Use CRM and marketing automation to trigger next best content.
- 7) Disclose wisely: Simple language on where AI assists and where humans lead. Align with guidance like the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
Metrics that actually signal trust and demand
- Depth: Time on page, scroll depth, repeat reads on complex topics.
- Proof: Source citations clicked, research downloads, webinar Q&A quality.
- Momentum: Newsletter replies, advisor follow-ups, meeting requests per content pillar.
- Efficiency: Draft-to-publish cycle time, approval touchpoints, content reuse rate.
- Risk: Compliance exceptions per 100 assets, factual corrections, sentiment shifts.
Team and tooling
- Roles: Content strategist, editor, SEO/analytics lead, PR lead, designer, AI ops specialist, and a compliance partner.
- Tools: ChatGPT for drafting and ideation, Perplexity for research synthesis, style and claim libraries, SEO suite, CRM/marketing automation, and a lightweight knowledge base.
- Process: Keep a weekly editorial stand-up: what we're hearing, what we're shipping, what we're measuring. Short cycles, visible backlog.
Brand: the compounding asset
Brand isn't a logo-it's your reputation for clarity and follow-through. AI helps you show up consistently, but the message must be yours. Pick a sharp point of view, repeat it across formats, and back it with evidence.
In wealth, sameness is expensive. Distinct positioning and plain-language explanations cut through noise and build referral-worthy trust.
Looking ahead: what to prepare for by 2026
- Search shifts: AI answers will change discovery. Optimize for questions, entities, and source credibility.
- Tighter scrutiny: Expect clearer rules on disclosures, data use, and AI supervision. Build the habit now.
- Owned media first: Newsletters, podcasts, and webinars that clients rely on will beat rented reach.
- Advisor enablement: Give advisors sharable, compliant assets that feel personal, not templated.
Episode guide
- 00:00 Introduction and welcome
- 01:10 Guest introduction: Joe Anthony
- 02:22 Evolution of marketing in wealth management
- 04:42 The role of trust in financial services
- 05:58 Impact of AI on marketing and PR
- 10:41 Leveraging AI for authentic content
- 13:52 Future of AI in marketing
- 23:03 Building a trusted brand with AI
- 27:35 The importance of a strong brand
- 30:36 Looking ahead: marketing strategies for 2026
- 36:45 Closing remarks and resources
Quick 30-60-90
- 30 days: Define pillars, stand up prompt kits, publish one expert-led piece with AI support and full source citations.
- 60 days: Build claims library, template your newsletter, connect content tags to CRM, formalize approvals.
- 90 days: Launch a monthly webinar or podcast segment, add RAG on approved content, report on trust and efficiency metrics.
Resources
- Learn more about Zephyr here. Learn more about Gregory here.
- Edelman Trust Barometer
- NIST AI Risk Management Framework
- Practical AI training for marketing leaders
Connect
Connect with Ryan Nauman: LinkedIn, X
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