Digital marketing for financial services is being rewritten. We’ve spoken with hundreds of clients and partners this year – and these five trends consistently stand out for financial marketers.

1. The LinkedIn algorithm has spoken: Organic company page reach has collapsed

Corporate posts now make up just 1% of the average LinkedIn feed, tiny islands lost in a sea of individual posts and sponsored content. The organic reach your company page once enjoyed? It’s almost entirely gone, but most financial services brands are still running social media the same way they’ve done for years.

The opportunity – To stay visible on LinkedIn and reach new audiences, financial services brands should shift their strategy. Don’t ignore your company page. Instead, change its role to a shop window (more like a website!) vs. a content distribution channel (there’s increasing evidence this supports visibility with LLMs as well, see trend #2!). And make sure employee advocacy and strategic paid campaigns are integrated with your core LinkedIn channel strategy – those are no longer ‘nice to have’ tactics.

2. AEO, GEO, LLMEO… whatever we’re calling it, it’s no longer SEO that counts

AI-powered “Answer Engines” are changing how people find information, from AI summaries within traditional search engines to new GenAI platforms. When someone searches ‘best fixed income funds for US investors’ they’re no longer getting 10 blue links – they’re getting answers right there without clicking through to any websites. According to one of these platforms, Perplexity, user queries now average 11-12 words compared to 3-4 on traditional Google searches.

The opportunity – It’s time to think AEO (Answer Engine Optimization). Create content that mirrors how clients and prospects actually ask questions, ensuring technical optimization (think structured markup alongside core site performance), and paying attention to online trust signals like reviews and listings. AI models cite authoritative sources like the FT and WSJ, making earned media essential, but requiring some new tactics to make the most of valuable authoritative coverage – from how you structure content writing to aligning distribution with top-cited media.

3. Untapped opportunities for personalized marketing campaigns to support sales priorities

Account-based marketing platforms and the advent of AI promise huge leaps in creating personalized marketing campaigns, targeted creatives, and bespoke ad copy based on an individual’s browsing history, buying habits and intent data. But in our experience, many financial services brands are still leveraging basic demographic targeting and templated messaging, which isn’t real personalization.

The opportunity – Financial services companies hold significant data about their customers. True personalization means using that data to develop deep understanding of buying committees and decision-making processes. It’s creating and delivering relevant content based on specific questions at every stage of complex B2B sales cycles. It’s about mapping audiences at the account and individual level, then tailoring messages to specific pain points and priorities –understanding that CTOs have different needs than engineers and developers that might influencer a financial technology purchase for example, and are active on different channels. Tap into the powerful technology now available to help you do this, from dedicated ABM platforms that provide intent and behavioral signals to – increasingly – AI powered tools that connect into your own CRM data and analytics.

4. Costs are coming down for Connected TV advertising – a high-impact brand channel

CTV refers to any TV set connected to the internet, allowing users to stream content through apps (think watching services like Netflix, Hulu or YouTube on your smart TV or streaming device). It now rivals linear TV when it comes to watch time, and the money is following. CTV is now one of the fastest growing ad channels. It has, however, often been discounted by financial services brands without large budgets.

The opportunity – We can run effective CTV campaigns for as low as $10k monthly media spend, leveraging smart audience targeting alongside premium channel placements which align to niche segments. With the cost of video creation also coming down, CTV advertising is more accessible than ever. This connects to your lower funnel channels, helping bridge brand impact campaigns with demand and performance marketing.

5. Navigating creator collaboration in the new media landscape

The line between traditional PR and social media continues to blur. Financial services journalists are flocking to independent platforms like Substack, and we’re seeing a proliferation of podcasts and video content from brands, publications and independents alike.

The opportunity – For financial services brands, we see three distinct opportunities: earning organic engagement by pitching valuable insights to creators, developing formal paid partnerships, and amplifying your own experts beyond PR. When you hear ‘influencer marketing’ you might think consumer sales partnerships on TikTok. What we’re talking about here, however, is increasingly sophisticated and trusted expert voices – often with the credibility of industry and media backgrounds – now active across social and independent content channels. This opens up new opportunities for partnership where previously relationships would have been “strictly editorial”. Ignore this at your peril: new media should be a foundational element of a good communications program in 2025. You should know, follow, and engage with those influential voices who have the ear of your target audiences.

The landscape is changing rapidly, but the fundamentals remain: understand your audience, meet them where they are and deliver genuine value at every touchpoint.

Want to dive deeper into any of these trends? Our digital marketing team at Cognito specializes in helping financial services brands navigate these shifts. From enterprise social advocacy to Answer Engine Optimization strategies, we’re here to help you turn these trends into competitive advantages.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Jade Bestley is Senior Vice President and Head of Digital in New York