“Gradually, and then suddenly.” 

Hemingway wasn’t talking about the pace of change in financial services when he wrote those words in 1926, but this year has proven them true anyway. “The way things have always been done” doesn’t exist anymore, as AI, new engagement channels, a more complex buyer journey, and increasingly sophisticated tech tools flip traditional growth strategies upside down.

In this special December edition of the Intention.ly Brief, we asked our team to share what they’ve seen make the biggest differences for financial services and fintech firms this year, and what we can expect in 2026.

1. Don't let AI lead to laziness. Higher volume capabilities can lead to generic, impersonal, inauthentic brand positioning. ‘Communication at scale’ can repel rather than attract. - Joe Steuter

2. AI ad fatigue is hitting an all-time high. Only behaviorally relevant, intelligently designed ads will perform; AI-written text ads will be expensive and fruitless. Real CEO humans on video will be the ultimate winners.

3. AI adoption has massively outpaced AI competency. Teams are using it to draft campaigns and generate content, but without proper training, they're just automating mediocrity. Firms need to invest in upskilling their teams to blend human insight with machine-enabled speed. - Kelly Waltrich

4. AI saves time and delivers faster, higher-quality results. But "hallucinations" present unvalidated information as fact. It's critical to distinguish fact from AI-generated content as reliance grows.

5. AI agents are only as smart as the data you feed them. Without enriched data backing your automation, you're just scaling bad decisions faster. Invest in quality data infrastructure before investing in AI. - Zohray Brennan

6. We’re going to see a growing gap between firms with charismatic, articulate, inspiring leaders who aren’t afraid to share their stories and those without such powerful human advocates. - Jess Flynn

7. The humanity of your brand is more important than ever. Top firms point to exceptional value in the human experience: real voices, real interactions, real social proof. Embrace nuance and imperfection.

8. People already trust people more than logos, and AI will only increase the chasm. Founder-led audiences, employee creators, and finfluencers will become core distribution engines. Firms that win will prioritize personality and perspective as strategic assets. - Amanda Larson

9. Trade “quick-win” keyword plays for deep, capability-based content. Both traditional and AI search engines are looking for brands that demonstrably solve real, specific user problems. 

10. Your firm’s website will become its primary distribution engine, but only if it’s fully optimized for AI SEO. If your site isn’t structured, enriched, and authoritative enough to be cited by generative engines, you’re invisible. - Tina Powell

11. AI is intercepting buyer discovery, with 60% of Google searches now ending in zero clicks. Structure your website for machine-readability, build authoritative reference content that LLMs trust, and deploy AI chatbots on high-intent pages to capture visitors who make it through.

12. Value-driven content will build the strongest pipeline. Content that helps people do their jobs better, whether it’s about your product or service or not, will build trust, credibility, and engagement. Think deep dives, frameworks, decision guides, and explainer videos. 

13. Video-first storytelling will outperform: short-form, long-form, webinars, and podcasts. People want faces, voices, and humanity in a trust-driven industry.

14. We’re going to start seeing ads on AI platforms by the end of 2026 (ChatGPT is in the planning stages now, and Perplexity is already beta testing this). The audiences on these platforms skew heavily toward high-net-worth professionals, making the channels extra relevant for our industry. - Dan Natale

15. Leads are no longer the diamond in the rough. Conversion is. There’s no shortage of ways to broadcast brand narrative, but what's rare is being able to take light top-of-funnel interest and convert it to real revenue over time. Firms focused on conversion tactics will win in 2026.

16. Cold emails are no longer effective in financial services, where the environment is oversaturated and heavily protected. To cut through the noise, email has to be extremely targeted, sent in small batches, and highly customized to actual pain points. - Mel Angert

17. Inbound prospecting will become the primary growth channel as it gets easier to identify buyers leaving clear intent signals. Teams that convert will strike after they see measurable curiosity and interest, like visiting pricing, services, or product pages.

18. Your LinkedIn company page still matters for search visibility and as a credibility anchor, as well as an employee support hub. But engagement increasingly comes from personal profiles. The algorithm continues to prioritize content from individuals, not company posts. - Jamie Recio

19. Social media is all about thought leadership. A high volume of posts will never fix a lack of unique vision.

20. Video is still king, with all platforms adjusting to prioritize video. Vertical short-form (think YouTube Shorts and Reels) is the best option, but long-form video is also making a comeback.

21. Earned media will become the new currency of discoverability because AI can confidently surface independently verifiable content (for example, third-party articles, analyst mentions, awards, press releases, and market commentary).

22. We’re already seeing a shift from mega conferences to more consistent, year-round digital and physical community gatherings, pop-up events, intimate workshops, and niche meetups that enable more personalized content, deeper engagement, and greater overall value. - Jill Hamilton

23. Sustainability will become the standard, not a bonus, including greener audio-video options, less conference waste, more intentional swag, and purpose-driven design.

24. Firms are adopting plenty of new tech, but aren’t sure how to evaluate it or make it work together. Manual steps slow things down and increase errors. Data scattered across systems creates fragmentation, duplication, and confusion, and tools operating in isolation create disconnected workflows. - Sonya Dhar

25. The biggest operational issues today are internal, not external: underinvestments in marketing relative to revenue goals, underestimating the time and effort required to see ROI from tech solutions, and execution paralysis (too many projects started but none pushed across the finish line).

That’s a wrap on the Intention.ly Brief for 2025! 

We’re so grateful to everyone who has followed along all year. 

In 2026, we’re cooking up a refreshed format with exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else, including insider industry news (dare we say drama?), stories from the growth agency front lines, experiments we’ve tried, and more. 

From all of us at Intention.ly, have a safe and happy new year!

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