content marketing

Case Study: 204% Referral Traffic Increase: Financial Advisor Podcast Production and Marketing

Find out how we got a financial advisor over 45,000 impressions, a 200% increase in referral traffic to his website, and over 1600% more YouTube views through our podcast production and marketing services. These were just a few of the results from a Season 1 launch for a brand new podcast host with a nascent company social media presence.

Background and landscape:

Podcasting is a competitive but highly rewarding endeavor when done right over time. It can deliver not only meaning, education, and even legacy — but also tangible business results for brand awareness, client retention, and eventually lead generation.

At Beetle Moment, we produce and market podcasts for discerning, visionary business leaders who understand the long-term value of content marketing. We’ve launched client podcasts and voice apps since 2017, having been fortunate to work with businesses including Ritholtz Wealth Management in their first iteration of The Compound Show.

This is a case study of a new podcast hosted by a New York City based financial advisor. We launched and produced Season 1 for a show that crosses over lifestyle, self-help, business and investing.

The Problem

Jonathan, Chief Behavioral Officer and Founder/CEO of Satovsky Asset Management (SAM), approached us with a desire to enhance brand visibility and foster engaging discussions with compelling guests. He wanted to create meaningful conversations across investing, meditation, health and wellness, psychology, acting, leadership, sports, and more to speak to the ethos of his company which centers on addressing and solving for behavioral blind spots.

From a marketing KPI perspective, he wanted engaging, evergreen content that would bring his brand and philosophy to life beyond the existing vlogs and blogs that weren’t getting many views.

Most importantly, like many busy professionals, SAM wanted for Jon, their CEO, to be able to “just show up” and be the talent. The podcast needed to be done-for-you.

The Solution

With an impressive personal network built on decades of work and outreach, Jon came to us with a potential guest list that was a podcaster’s dream. We recorded Season 1 guests including legendary investor Joel Greenblatt, Greg Harden (the famous University of Michigan mentor and coach to Tom Brady and Michael Phelps), NYT best-selling author, psychologist and professor Dan Ariely, “Mad Men” star, actor and director John Slattery, business mogul, CNBC contributor, and TIGER 21 Founder Michael Sonnenfeldt, Transcendental Meditation guru and leader Bob Roth, NFL star Ryan Nece, and more esteemed names.

That said, we were thrilled to embark on the launch of "Wisdom, Wealth, and Wellness" podcast. Read on to learn our podcast creation process, deliverables, and the results of our hands-on approach and meticulous execution that transformed SAM’s vision into a reality with a ten episode Season.

(As a note we only worked on Season 1 as the client planned to take Season 2 in-house.)

Click here to skip to Results

1. Crafting a Compelling Podcast Brand Identity

We delved into SAM's ethos to sculpt a brand identity that resonates. From conceiving the show title to crafting captivating visual and sonic branding (video clip), every element radiated SAM's essence. We created custom sonic branding with our friends at WealthVoice based on the attributes and songs that SAM provided, including Bob Marley as inspo.

2. Seamless Production and marketing Workflow

We orchestrated the production and marketing process, from setting up the RSS feed to curating YouTube Shorts and video clips and sharing to social media. Our attention to detail ensured seamless production, strong SEO, and continual content marketing benefits. We organized an efficient approval process with the RIA’s compliance officer.

Our podcast work included:

  1. Consult on guest selection

  2. Organize guest booking and outreach

  3. Provide instructions and prep docs for each guest

  4. Host and produce Riverside studio virtual recordings for host and guest

  5. Voice coaching and interview coaching for host

  6. Video and audio editing for podcast and YouTube + video clips

  7. YouTube channel upgrades: playlists, meta tags, SEO titles, and custom thumbnail templates

  8. Podcast RSS feed setup and management, publishing bi-weekly episodes and Trailer

  9. SEO friendly episode titles and show notes written and optimized including level-ups like Spotify Chapters (clickable timestamps)

  10. Social media content creation covering: episode announcements, video clips, video and text posts, guest tagging and company tagging for each network, and evergreen re-sharing schedule to maximize traction and engagement for months or years (instead of the average one week after airing)

3. Elevating Podcast Guest Experience

Prep docs personalized for each guest include technical guidance, recording checklist, and unique prompts (questions) to prepare for.

Some guests are more experienced than others. A common snag for podcasters is that a guest might show up in AirPods with no mic in a dimly lit room — despite sending a prep doc and recording tips ahead of time. To ensure high quality recordings and guest comfort level through knowing what to expect and how to prepare: we created in-depth prep documents and a tested approach to avoid common recording issues. Our prep docs include:

  • Equipment recommendations and setup guides with diagrams and links

  • Easy Riverside instructions to optimize audio and video quality

  • Unique, compelling questions based on extensive research into each guest’s work and their past podcast appearances (to avoid repetition)

  • Calendly for 5-minute test recordings with our producer

Our approach ensured that each conversation was crisp, audible, and imbued with fresh perspectives, captivating both guests and audiences alike.

Guest follow-ups and social media engagement:

After recordings we sent guests individualized thank-you emails with links to their Spotify and Apple episodes, YouTube clips, and 1-click social media posts to share.

This extra step goes a long way in getting engagement on episodes and providing tangible value to guests as a thank-you for their time.

It is not enough to tweet out one Apple Podcasts link and call it a day!

Our philosophy: Podcast episode promotion and guest re-engagement should happen over months to reap maximum rewards. Otherwise the investment in the content creation is wasted with ephemeral visibility.

4. Amplifying Content Reach

SAM's pre-existing online presence underwent a dramatic transformation. Through strategic content distribution across platforms, we garnered unprecedented engagement on their YouTube and social media channels. SAM enjoyed notable increases in engagement on:

  • YouTube

  • X

  • Company’s and CEO’s LinkedIn pages

  • Instagram

5. YouTube and video Focus

Recognizing that YouTube is the top podcast consumption platform, we always emphasize a dedicated strategy for videos with our podcast clients. For SAM in particular, knowing that they’re targeting wealthy people over age 50, YouTube was even more important.

YouTube was the most-watched streaming option over the past 12 months, according to data from Nielsen as of February 2024. In January 2024, YouTube accounted for 8.6 percent of usage in the US, followed by Netflix at 7.9 percent. That’s more than the next eight services combined.

Leveraging YouTube Shorts and video clips, we witnessed a staggering 1616% increase in views during Season 1 (September 2023-January 2024), propelling SAM's visibility to new heights.

“YouTube is not traditionally thought of as being in the same category as Netflix, but a Nielsen report revealed the video platform was the streamer with the most TV usage this January, its twelfth straight month as the No. 1 streaming service. In January 2024, streaming accounted for 36% of all TV usage, per Nielsen.”

YouTube made $7.95 billion in ad revenue Q3-23 = a 12.5% YoY increase. $GOOG overall topped Street forecasts but YouTube is what we’re specifically tracking.

YouTube stats:

  • Unbeatably #1 in video SEO because of Google

  • Strong discovery algorithm with Shorts

  • #1 in podcast listening (33% beats Spotify at 24%)

  • YouTube accounts for 9% of all TV screen time, more than any streamer (e.g. Netflix).

YouTube Shorts are one of the biggest content marketing plays of 2024: Shorts have the UX, SEO, and benefits of Instagram and TikTok with the added bonus of Google Search.

YouTube Audience Activation Funnel from Shorts to horizontal mid-lengths to subscribing and engaging

Stats on short form video marketing:

  • 2 in 3 people find short form video to be the most engaging content on social media (SproutSocial).

  • Video marketers report 66% more qualified leads and a 54% increase in brand awareness (OptinMonster).

  • Video marketers experience 49% faster revenue growth than competitors not using video (Wordstream).

6. Targeted Audience Engagement

Our strategy honed in on SAM's target demographic, resulting in a surge of engagement. With content tailored to a high-net-worth (HNW) audience engaged in self-improvement, mindfulness, wealth creation, and investing, this podcast offered compelling content to the target audience without coming off like an ad or sales pitch. Specifically, we researched content consumption patterns for people age 50-60 with at least $3mm in investable assets.

In the U.S., 45% of podcast listeners have incomes over $250,000, and 17% earn between $100,000 and $150,000. Around 28% of Americans earn $250,000 or more, indicating podcast audiences' financial success. As a marketer, it's vital to target this affluent demographic when planning podcast strategies. (Source: MusicOomph 2019)

Why video reaches the HNW, GEN Z, and Boomer audiences:

•73% of consumers prefer watching a video to learn about a product or service.

•82% of baby boomers watch videos on YouTube, and 60% of them watch videos on YouTube daily.

•Viewers retain 95% of a message after watching it in a video compared to only 10% when reading it in text.

•75% of baby boomers say they've taken some kind of action after watching videos on YouTube.

•People share videos 1,200% more times than links and texts combined.

So, what happened?

Results After Season 1

From significant growth in YouTube views to a threefold increase in website referral traffic, SAM's podcast emerged as a success for their foray into voice marketing. The audio podcast is statistically in the top 30% or greater of podcasts based on episode downloads in week 1.

Result 1: YouTube

  1. Youtube: 4.14.23-9.18.23 vs 9.19.23-2.25.24: a 1616% increase in views

  2. 904 views before podcast vs 15,201 during Season 1

  3. Doubled subscribers

  4. 485% increase in channel impressions due to podcast (we earned 53,700 impressions 9/19/23-2/19/24)

Result 2: Content performance

WWW Podcast is the top performing of all SAM published content … of all time.

Result 3: Website traffic

Drove 3x more referral traffic to company website. 9/19/23-2/23/24:

  • Referral traffic up 204%

  • Organic traffic up 5.12%

  • Podcast page:

    • 2,882 additional events

Result 4: Audio Podcast

In the top 30% of all podcasts based on average listens in first 7 days of episodes.*

  • *Buzzsprout monthly platform data. Recent numbers suggest that a podcast in the top 25% of shows will get 120 listens in first 7 days.

5-star rating on Spotify

105% average consumption on Apple Podcasts for top performing episode (E5, Joel Greenblatt) (note: 100% means the average listener finished the full episode)

Insights and Implications

From the engagement of SAM's discerning audience to the transformative power of YouTube, our insights on Season 1 shaped our strategy for future seasons and brand marketing:

Building a Sustainable Audience

Looking ahead, our focus remains on not only recording high quality episodes but on the important art of clipping and sharing. Podcasting is no longer about a long-form piece of audio but success hinges on the ability to clip and repurpose content, especially when a podcast snippet can answer one specific question at a time, which is the key to SEO.

The attention economy favors clips. Creating and effectively sharing those clips is the key to growth. YouTube Shorts lead the way for this particular audience. Through an emphasis on YouTube strategy, social media engagement, and future guest swaps we strive foster and activate the podcast audience.

Podcast production and marketing services - work with us:

Ready to share your voice? Launch a podcast or take your existing show to the next level. Reach out.

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We don’t just produce podcasts; we shape your brand’s narrative to create durable marketing that doesn’t chase — it attracts. See the rest of our marketing services here.

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Case Study: California Retirement Advisors (CRA) - Social Media and Video Content Strategy Success

Client Background:

California Retirement Advisors (CRA), also known as CRA Advisors, is a leading financial advisory firm based in California, committed to providing personalized retirement planning services to its clients.

Client's Challenge:

When CRA engaged with Beetle Moment Marketing approximately two years ago, they faced several challenges in their marketing efforts:

needing a Marketing leader and a plan:

Without a clear marketing strategy or priorities, CRA struggled to stand out in the competitive financial advisory space. Webinars and campaigns were happening in a one-off nature and they wanted to plan ahead on a quarterly basis targeting both evergreen and seasonal topics, e.g. year-end tax tips in Q1 or tax preparation in Q1.

Inefficient Resource Allocation:

CRA was overspending on redundant tools, software-as-a-service (SaaS) products, and underutilized resources, impacting their marketing budget and ROI. The list of tools and subscriptions needed to be trimmed in order to be efficient and cost-effective. Various vendors were running SEM and SEO campaigns but not reporting on results; there was too much unmonitored activity across contractors without a dedicated resource to hold all accountable and track progress.

Lacking social media Presence and optimized blog content:

CRA had a blog but it was not optimized for search and keywords. Its publishing schedule lacked a strategic approach and schedule. In fact, the blog had too much wide-ranging content without writing for their target avatar (ideal client). This bulk posting approach hurt their SERP rankings for subject matter expertise from a Google search perspective. They wanted to rank for terms related to California taxes and estate planning for successful people nearing or in retirement.

Their minimal social media presence was missing the opportunity to grow their audience and brand awareness, and to showcase the friendly, intelligent advisors on their team. The blog, email, and social content read as somewhat canned and not personalized or reflective of the high-touch thoughtful nature of their team and the financial planning experience that delights their clients.

Our Approach:

Beetle Moment Marketing initiated a comprehensive marketing engagement and we created a strategy to address CRA's challenges and elevate their marketing efforts. The process began with our signature Brand Strategy and Messaging - Discovery Phase, which included stakeholder interviews to gain insights into CRA's business goals, existing marketing strategies, and areas for improvement.

We charted out all marketing expenditures and results in a single dashboard (a source of truth) and found areas to save CRA money without impacting results. Through this phase, we identified cost-saving opportunities, resulting in a 20% reduction in CRA's marketing spend by eliminating redundant tools and optimizing resources. Within three months engagement had increased 64% and spend was down.

Most importantly, we applied the branding and messaging creative to an operationalized approach to streamline and organize sharing content on social media, email, blog, and YouTube.

Our team operationalized content marketing with a strategic milestone-based timeline resulting in efficient batch delivery of content to the compliance team.


Key Actions:

1. Strategic Resource Allocation:

Beetle Moment Marketing sourced and managed two freelance marketing hires—one specializing in social media content creation and the other in SEO and website updates. This strategic allocation of resources ensured that CRA's marketing needs were efficiently met while optimizing their budget. The new social media resource was more expensive but created more engaging and effective content, driving over a 300% increase in engagement the first year.

We planned, produced, and recorded YouTube and social media videos about topics the target audience of pre-retirees would search for, e.g. HSA (Health Savings Account) and healthcare costs

2. Content Strategy Enhancement:

We devised seasonal financial content themes for CRA's social media platforms, focusing on engaging and informative content. This included guiding the content writer on optimizing YouTube and social media short-form videos to maximize audience engagement.

Off-site SEO strategy for CRA included Google Maps / Google My Business listing hygiene

3. Personalized Video Content Production:

We produced Riverside video recordings featuring CRA team members, highlighting their financial advice expertise. These recordings were edited into engaging social media videos, enriching CRA's brand presence and fostering audience connection.

4. Introducing Content Themes:

Beetle Moment Marketing introduced distinct content themes, such as "Core Definitions," to simplify complex financial concepts like Stretch IRA and See-Through Trust, making them more accessible to CRA's audience. We also grouped their YouTube videos into SEO-friendly YouTube Playlists.

5. Thematic and Topical Posts:

Beetle Moment Marketing created thematic and topical posts addressing important financial topics such as HSAs and healthcare costs in retirement, further establishing CRA as a trusted source of information.

Instagram grid for California Retirement Advisors mixes IG Reels and engaging graphics. We showcase their advisors and tax tips.

Results:

Significant Increase in Engagement:

In October 2023, CRA experienced a remarkable 204% increase in social media engagements compared to October 2022, showcasing the effectiveness of Beetle Moment Marketing's strategies.

optimized Video Format:

A/B testing of various video formats, including long-form widescreen for YouTube, square videos for social media, and one-minute vertical Reels and YouTube shorts, helped optimize content delivery and enhance audience interaction.

Boosted Overall Social Media Engagement Rate:

In November 2023, CRA achieved a 6.3% overall social media engagement rate, marking a significant 146% increase over the previous year.

Consistent Growth:

Throughout 2023, CRA witnessed consistent growth in engagements on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X, reaping the benefits of the organic work and efforts invested in both 2022 and 2023 content.

Their email marketing open rate and click rates each increased by over 14% YoY thanks to our updated email template design and content guidance.

See our work (multimedia showcase):

Samples of the content we created for California Retirement Advisors:

See Maili's YouTube Playlist on Financial Education

Conclusion:

Beetle Moment Marketing's collaboration with California Retirement Advisors exemplifies the transformative power of a strategic social media and video content approach. By implementing tailored strategies, optimizing resources, and fostering engaging content creation, CRA witnessed substantial growth in brand presence and audience engagement, positioning them as a prominent player in the competitive financial advisory landscape.

For more information on how Beetle Moment can elevate your marketing efforts, see our services or send us a message.

Case Study: Podcast + Alexa Flash Briefing for Women-Led Wealth Management Firm

Aspen Wealth Management is an RIA based in Fort Worth, Texas. Their daily audio briefing embodies their transparent approach to financial planning with an emphasis on relationships. (Photo by Enrique Macias on Unsplash.)

Aspen Wealth Management is an RIA based in Fort Worth, Texas. Their daily audio briefing embodies their transparent approach to financial planning with an emphasis on relationships. (Photo by Enrique Macias on Unsplash.)

Financial advice "by women, for women, and the men who love them."

Relationships are the keyword for Aspen Wealth Management. They’re a fee-only, comprehensive financial planning firm located in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Aspen Wealth Management offers an honest and transparent approach to financial, retirement, tax and investment planning for individuals, families, and small businesses, with an emphasis on building relationships.

A Strong Foundation, Not Just Investing Results

Helen Stephens founded Aspen Wealth Management in late 2011. Helen has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 1993, an Enrolled Agent (EA) since 2009, and has more than 20 years of experience in the field of financial services.

Helen Stephens founded Aspen Wealth Management in late 2011. Helen has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional since 1993, an Enrolled Agent (EA) since 2009, and has more than 20 years of experience in the field of financial services.

Candace Scholz is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and joined Aspen Wealth Management in 2015.

Candace Scholz is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and joined Aspen Wealth Management in 2015.

During our second planning call, Candace shared this insight about what makes Aspen unique:

Most clients will say that investment returns are key. In fact, Dimensional Fund Advisors polled the clients of other advisors who are the same size as our firm. Across the board, most clients responded that the most important factor in their satisfaction with their advisor was their investment returns.

Except for our clients. They said that their overall financial plan is key. 

It is NOT just about investing, it’s the value of understanding all the facets of your life and how this impacts your finances and your future. Having a strong foundation to move confidently forward in your life - this is what our clients value in Aspen as their financial guide.

DFA cornered us and said: “You’re the only firm with these results (where clients highly valued the holistic plan).”

The Solution

We helped Aspen Wealth Management launch Purposeful Planning, a daily briefing featuring investing and retirement advice. It’s a mini podcast and is available on Alexa Flash Briefing (Alexa’s native news feature).

We helped Aspen Wealth Management launch Purposeful Planning, a daily briefing featuring investing and retirement advice. It’s a mini podcast and is available on Alexa Flash Briefing (Alexa’s native news feature).

Candace explained, “Every member of our team focuses on making our clients and their families feel comfortable when discussing financial decisions that can potentially be stressful and could have a great impact on their lives.”

How could we translate those values into content marketing?

We help people.

What really stood out after getting to know the team at Aspen Wealth Management is how passionate they are about helping clients. This is a reason we love working with financial advisors. People in this profession really do care. You can hear it all in Helen’s emotional and touching client stories that she shared on the pilot episode “Good Cop, Bad Cop” on TD Ameritrade’s podcast, Beyond the Portfolio:

“Helen has a strong personality and no-nonsense attitude. But, more importantly, Helen knows when to play good cop and when to play bad cop.” Listen on Overcast.

Alexa Flash Briefing allows anyone with an Amazon Echo or the Alexa smartphone app to get short daily news by saying, “Alexa, news.” This is an easy way to push out helpful content in bite size chunks.

We created a content plan and specific step-by-step guidance to help Aspen launch a mini podcast.

How We Named the Show:

We went through a branding exercise together, having them team free associate with adjectives and nouns or phrases that embodied their brand. After coming up with a dozen options for show names, we settled on one of our earliest ideas.

Because the purpose behind their planning is their foundation, the title Purposeful Planning with Aspen Wealth Management was an obvious choice for meaning as well as keywords for search.

Podcast and flash briefing features:

  • Length: 2-3 minutes average, new episodes every weekday

  • Audio only: available as an Alexa Flash Briefing and as a standard podcast

  • Multiple voices/hosts - showcasing the Aspen team

  • Original sonic branding that we created with a partner musician (intro / outro music, play a sample below)

  • Weekly and monthly themes incorporating seasonality or current events (such as a presidential election, tax season, or handling the COVID-19 stock market and volatility)

We trained the team in best practices and tools for producing a daily 3-minute briefcast (AKA mini podcast). Play a sample briefing:

Results

  • 328% increase in plays over past 30 days (as of August 2020)

  • Over 1,100 listens in the first three months with zero advertising (only organic social media promotion)

  • Ranking #1 on Alexa Skills search for terms like “financial advice”

  • Social posts with audiograms from the briefing garner 66% increased engagement on Twitter and Facebook

Aspen Wealth’s Flash Briefing skill is ranking #1 on Amazon under Alexa Skills for search terms such as “financial advice”

Aspen Wealth’s Flash Briefing skill is ranking #1 on Amazon under Alexa Skills for search terms such as “financial advice”

Hear Purposeful Planning Everywhere:

  1. On Amazon Alexa: Enable the Alexa skill here then say, “Alexa, news.”

  2. 1-click enable the podcast in your favorite app

  3. On Google Assistant (Google Home smart speaker, Google Assistant iOS app, or Android device):

    1. Say, “Hey Google, play the latest episode of Purposeful Planning with Aspen Wealth Management”

How do you grow an Alexa Flash Briefing?

  1. To organically grow your Alexa skill, optimize your skill icon, title, description, and keywords on your settings in the Alexa Developer Console following SEO best practices.

  2. Share clips as audiograms on social media.

  3. In social posts or emails, include clear instructions and links for people to enable the skill, play the Flash Briefing, and subscribe to the podcast. More tips here: how to grow your flash briefing.

Audiograms are still images with audio and captions that get high engagement on social media. Podcast hosts can share short clips effectively with audiograms. See this audiogram tweet featuring Candace hosting the flash briefing.

Audiograms are still images with audio and captions that get high engagement on social media. Podcast hosts can share short clips effectively with audiograms. See this audiogram tweet featuring Candace hosting the flash briefing.

See those social posts from Tip #3 above in action: Aspen is now sharing audiograms like this and this.

By the way, you should really have a Plink if you have a podcast. It’s that 1-click podcast link we shared above.

Here’s why (video) or read more about podcast marketing tips on our blog.

Get your Plink here.

Have a specific marketing need? get 30-minute coaching.

Book a marketing session with Emily Binder.