Back story: I came into the insurance and financial industry through ad agencies. Then, I was the head marketing writer for a large national financial firm. So, I've got a pretty broad and extensive background. Does that qualify me to manage your marketing? No. Why? Because the model for effective marketing in this industry has changed. And, the change is a huge improvement over the traditional model! Let's look at why:

Picture the traditional model as a flow chart, with your firm at the top. Let's call it XYZ Financial. XYZ hires LMNOP Marketing to serve as partner and manage all the firm's marketing and advertising. LMNOP Marketing, likely does not understand XYZ's business or even the dynamics of the financial industry. But they have a staff of writers and graphic designers who can romance and finesse any type of promotion.

LMNOP probably says, "We don't need to know your business; we only have to understand marketing."