For many financial services providers, the route to market runs through advisers. Whether mortgage brokers, IFAs or wealth managers, they play a huge role in shaping recommendations and determining which providers make it onto a client’s shortlist. Yet much of the marketing aimed at them still follows the same familiar playbook: rate updates, trade press adverts, product launches and the assumption that a strong proposition will naturally win preference. The problem is, when every provider is talking about products, service and rates, differentiation quickly disappears.
Intermediary marketing is also more complicated than it first appears. Many providers operate both intermediary and direct-to-consumer channels, creating a push-and-pull dynamic where both are vital to growth, but the balance between channel support, investment and commercial outcomes can be tricky.
For mutuals, this becomes even more nuanced. Their purpose is to create value and commercial success for members, yet growth in this area will depends on adviser relationships that come with commission costs. That can create tension between expanding distribution and maximising member value.
So, we get it! There is no single formula for putting advisers in the spotlight. Every organisation must find its own balance between commercial priorities, distribution strategy and customer value. But while the approach may differ, the opportunity is the same: to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with the advisers who influence your brand’s growth.
What does championing advisers look like in practice?
When people talk about championing advisers, it’s easy to assume they mean large-scale advertising campaigns promoting the value of independent financial advice. While many advisers would no doubt welcome a big-budget campaign (and if that’s something you’d like to discuss, you know where we are!), that’s only one way to build awareness and influence, there are other ways to support advisers and demonstrate that you’re genuinely invested in their success.
Here are four ways providers can do exactly that.
1. Listen to advisers and act on what they tell you
One of the simplest ways to champion advisers is to listen to them.
Many advisers feel frustrated by large organisations that appear disconnected from the realities of client-facing advice. Surveys, advisory panels, stakeholder interviews and regular feedback programmes can all help providers understand adviser challenges. The important part is acting on that feedback, not simply collecting it.
Sometimes the biggest opportunities sit within operational processes rather than marketing campaigns.
In our conversations with advisers, one theme comes through clearly: it’s often the smaller moments in the customer journey that shape how a provider is perceived. Advisers invest time, trust and expertise in helping clients make important financial decisions, so when processes make them feel removed, overlooked or treated as a handover point rather than a partner, frustration builds. That might be at onboarding, during ongoing communications or when a client relationship moves into its next stage. The specifics vary, but the feeling is the same: advisers want to know providers understand the role they play and respect the relationships they have built.
Championing advisers means recognising their role in the customer journey and designing experiences that feel collaborative rather, whether it’s including them in conversations and processes – acknowledgment is key.
2. Support the value of advice
One of the most effective ways to build adviser preference is to really demonstrate that you make advisers feel seen and show you’re on their side.
That means recognising the pressures they’re under, the outcomes they’re responsible for and the value they bring to clients. When advisers see their own challenges and ambitions reflected in your communications, engagement becomes far more likely.
Championing advisers is an ethos more than anything. But as an extreme example, you could also consider doing this literally, just as we did for More2Life. The brand positioned itself as the IFA Champion, creating a campaign that celebrated advisers and the role they play in helping clients navigate complex decisions to a more rewarding retirement– raising them to the number 1 market leader in doing so.
Our work with Newcastle Building Society shows the value of listening to advisers. Research revealed that what they value most is the human side of the job, particularly helping people achieve home ownership. We built the proposition around those insights, creating a brand rooted in relationships and shared values that felt more human and emotionally engaging.
The broader principle is more important than the campaign itself. Advisers want providers who understand and support the value of advice and are willing to communicate it.
3. Give advisers tools that genuinely help them
Adviser preference isn’t built through campaigns alone. It’s earned through a consistent pattern of helping them do their jobs better.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating genuinely useful content, tools and resources that support client conversations rather than simply promoting products.
That might include economic outlooks, educational guides, market commentary, calculators, white-label tools, presentation materials or client-facing resources advisers can use in meetings.
The goal is simple: help advisers look informed, prepared and credible in front of their clients.
Tools we’ve developed such as LV=’s Risk Reality Calculator, Key Partnerships’ Retirement Funding Tool and Sequencing Risk tools are good examples of resources advisers can actively use within the advice process. They help make client conversations more personal, practical and evidence-led, while reinforcing the value of advice itself -whether that’s helping clients understand protection needs, plan for retirement or manage investment risk.
When providers create resources advisers can genuinely use, they become more than suppliers. They become valuable partners.
4. Invest in adviser development
Another powerful way to champion advisers is through education.
Financial advisers are required to complete Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year covering technical, regulatory and market topics. Done well, these sessions offer genuine value rather than simply promoting products and are something you could include in your development programmes.
Some providers take this a step further, creating specialist academies or training programmes focused on areas such as equity release, protection or later-life lending. These initiatives help advisers build confidence, deepen their expertise and expand the services they can offer clients.
It’s a win-win. Advisers gain valuable knowledge and development opportunities, while providers earn credibility and trust. Most importantly, you’re adding value long before any product recommendation is made.
The bottom line
As adviser networks grow and competition intensifies, provider preference is becoming harder to win and more valuable to own. The brands that succeed won’t necessarily be the ones shouting loudest about products, rates or service levels. They’ll be the ones that understand advisers, respect their role and consistently help them succeed.
Because adviser preference isn’t built through what you sell. It’s built through how well you champion the people selling it.
And that’s where the real opportunity lies. When advisers see you as a partner rather than just another provider, preference becomes stronger, relationships last longer and growth follows naturally.
If you’re ready to stop selling to advisers and start partnering with them, let’s talk. We’d love to help you build an intermediary marketing strategy that advisers genuinely want to engage with.