A complete dealer program for advisor marketing: brand foundations first, then compliant, turnkey execution with co-op economics that reward adoption.
Advisor Integrated Marketing (AIM) is a comprehensive, scalable marketing solution that helps advisors grow their practices while strengthening your firm’s brand presence across every client touchpoint.
When your firm launches a strategic initiative, its impact depends on how quickly and consistently that message reaches clients. AIM provides the infrastructure to transform firm-level strategy into advisor-level execution, ensuring your brand speaks with one voice across all markets.
Through AIM, advisors receive professionally crafted, compliance-ready marketing materials they can personalize and deploy within days rather than weeks. The result is thousands of coordinated client touchpoints reinforcing your value proposition through the trusted relationship between advisor and client. This is brand building that corporate advertising alone cannot replicate.
AIM operates on a two-tier model that aligns dealer investment with advisor success. The dealer selects a program level that establishes the marketing infrastructure, content library and compliance framework. Individual advisors then subscribe to marketing packages tailored to their practice size and growth goals, with the dealer providing co-op subsidies to accelerate adoption.
A 10% commission on advisor subscriptions flows back to the dealer, creating a revenue-sharing partnership that rewards you for driving advisor participation.
Advisors are left to build their own marketing from scratch, creating inconsistency and compliance risk.
Prospective advisors evaluating your firm against competitors with established marketing programs may see this as a competitive disadvantage.
Without marketing support, advisors who want practice-building resources are susceptible to recruitment by firms offering comprehensive marketing co-op.
Advisors who want to expand face significant barriers in time, cost and compliance uncertainty without turnkey marketing solutions.
Without centralized marketing resources, advisor communications vary widely in quality and brand alignment.
Marketing investments made advisor by advisor produce activity but no firm-level visibility into what is working.
Your firm needs a marketing solution that strengthens recruitment, increases retention, enables advisors to market compliantly at the speed of business, maintains brand integrity through centralized content, and demonstrates clear ROI at every stage. AIM delivers all five, with advisor onboarding, package optimization, performance reporting, strategic planning and an enterprise-grade Content Library as a Service (CLaaS) at a fraction of the cost of assembling equivalent services from multiple vendors.
Most advisor marketing fails before it starts. Industry experience suggests roughly 90% of advisors lack a documented brand foundation. They have credentials, expertise and loyal clients, but no articulated positioning that sets them apart. The Brand Foundation fixes that first, so every dollar of marketing that follows works harder.
Every engagement begins with structured discovery: a guided Brand Discovery Questionnaire the advisor completes at their own pace, a full review of everything currently in market, and a focused discovery session of two to five hours that draws out the insights that become the foundation of the brand. Our team then synthesizes everything into strategic positioning, messaging architecture, voice and tone guidelines, and visual identity direction.
When an advisor has approved messaging pillars, a defined tone of voice and established content themes, compliance reviewers have a framework to evaluate against. That means faster review cycles, fewer revision requests and content approved on first submission. With compliance managed across hundreds of advisors, this efficiency compounds quickly.
| Element | Tier 1: Brand Foundation | Tier 2: Advisor Brand Playbook | Tier 3: Playbook + Visual Identity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | Every advisor entering the marketing program | Advisors building a deep market presence | Practices investing in full brand differentiation |
| Discovery | Questionnaire, materials review, 2-3 hour session | Questionnaire, materials review, 3-4 hour session | Questionnaire, comprehensive audit, 4-5 hour session |
| Positioning, philosophy, ideal client, messaging pillars | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tone of voice | Core guidelines | Expanded to social, website, email | Expanded across all active channels |
| Visual identity | Colour, typography, copyright-free imagery | Sourced brand photography, refined palette | Custom brand elements and imagery across all channels |
| Logo / name system | Refined name lockup or wordmark | Naming convention and brand architecture guidance | Full logo development |
| Website brand brief | ✗ | ✗ | Layout, content, visual direction |
| Deliverable | 4-6 page designed brief | 12-20 page designed playbook | 20+ page playbook with asset files |
| Timeline | 4 weeks | 6 weeks | 8-10 weeks |
| Investment | $2,500 | $4,500 | $7,500 |
Where a dealer marketing allocation exists (for example, approximately $3,500 annually per advisor), Tier 1 can be fully covered with no out-of-pocket cost to the advisor, with Tier 2 and Tier 3 partially offset. Each tier feeds directly into the AIM program: Tier 1 into Starter, Tier 2 into Foundation or Growth, Tier 3 into Market Leader.
The dealer tier determines the monthly retainer investment, minimum advisor threshold, content library depth and refresh rate, compliance framework and support level, techstack integration capabilities, and strategic support and training resources. The dealer provides the co-op subsidy to advisors and receives a 10% commission rebate from inSymmetry.
Individual advisors subscribe to marketing packages (Starter, Foundation, Growth, Market Leader) based on practice size and marketing needs, delivered directly by inSymmetry. The dealer's co-op subsidy plus tier discounts reduce the advisor’s out-of-pocket investment and accelerate adoption.
Your most powerful brand-building channel is not advertising. It is your advisors. When 50 advisors send coordinated, professionally crafted communications about a firm initiative, the cumulative effect is thousands of client touchpoints reinforcing a unified brand message, delivered through the trusted relationship between advisor and client.
With AIM in place, every firm initiative launches with compliance-ready templates advisors personalize and deploy within days, consistent messaging, coordinated timing across the network, and professional presentation that reflects the calibre of the initiative itself.
Option A: Standardized co-op. Apply one co-op percentage (20-50%) across all advisors and tiers. Simple to administer and communicate.
Option B: Performance-based co-op. Reward advisors who maximize their growth efforts: Foundation co-op at 20% (60-70% of eligible advisors), Growth co-op at 26% (20-30%, exceeding production by 25%+), and Market Leader co-op at 35% (5-10%, exceeding production by 50%+ and acting as program ambassadors).
Dealer Techstack Integration. AIM integrates with your CRM and marketing technology stack through standard API protocols: automated marketing workflows triggered by client lifecycle stages, lead capture with source attribution, near real-time performance metrics, client segmentation and automatic activity logging. All campaigns run on CIRO, CASL and PIPEDA-compliant infrastructure with audit-ready documentation.
| Feature | AIM-Lite | AIM-Core | AIM-Plus | AIM-Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | Testing AIM with a pilot group (10-15 advisors) | Established program with active adoption (25-35 advisors) | Mature programs with sophisticated needs (50+ advisors) | National networks making marketing a core advantage (100+ advisors) |
| Monthly investment | $2,500 | $5,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 |
| Minimum advisors | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 |
| Package discount | 10% off list | 10% off list | 12% off list | 15% off list |
| Content library | 10 core pieces + 1 new quarterly | 25 core pieces + 2 new quarterly | 40 core pieces + 4 new quarterly | 60+ core pieces + 6 new quarterly + custom requests |
| Co-op administration | Basic tracking and reporting | Full administration with dashboard | Premium administration with real-time dashboard | White-glove with executive dashboard and trend analysis |
| Account management | Email support (48-hour response) | Account manager (24-hour response) | Senior account manager (4-hour response) | Executive account team, bi-weekly strategy calls |
| Advisor onboarding | Email support | Kickoff calls and onboarding program | White-glove onboarding | Concierge onboarding |
| Performance reporting | Quarterly dealer reports | Monthly advisor-level and aggregate reporting | Monthly executive read-out + strategic recommendations | Monthly executive read-out + dedicated content strategist |
| Techstack integration | Basic | CRM integration assistance | Advanced automation and lead scoring | Advanced automation, lead scoring and custom platform |
| Strategic support | Semi-annual program review | Quarterly business reviews | Monthly strategic planning sessions | Bi-weekly senior leadership sessions + annual summit |
| Custom content | ✗ | ✗ | 2 custom requests per quarter | Dedicated strategist for thought leadership and executive ghostwriting |
Each dealer tier includes access to a continuously refreshed library of compliance-ready marketing content. Depth, breadth and refresh rate scale with the tier: from seasonal registered-plan campaigns, tax and estate planning guides and market commentary templates at Lite, through education series and webinar kits at Core, to high-net-worth strategies, succession planning and full webinar production at Plus, and custom thought leadership, executive bylines and proprietary research at Enterprise.
The content library is free for advisors subscribed to any marketing package. Advisors without a package may access the library for $99/month or $900/year prepaid. All content remains the copyright of inSymmetry, with advisors receiving time-limited usage licences. Every piece is pre-vetted for CIRO compliance, written in plain language and built for multi-channel distribution.
| Feature | Starter | Foundation | Growth | Market Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | New advisors and small practices (under $50M AUM) | Established advisors ($50M-$150M AUM) | Growing practices ($150M-$300M AUM) | Top producers ($300M+ AUM) |
| Monthly investment (list) | $850 | $1,800 | $3,500 | $5,750 |
| Setup fee | $1,500 | $2,500 | $4,000 | $6,000 |
| Content writing | 500 words/month | 800 words/month | 1,000 words/month | 1,600 words/month |
| Social media posts | 4/month (1 account) | 8/month (2 accounts) | 14/month (2 accounts) | 18/month (2 accounts) |
| Video social posts | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | 4/month (1 long, 3 short) |
| Newsletter | ✗ | Monthly | Monthly | Custom monthly |
| Email marketing | 1/month (client) | 1/month (client) | 1/month (client/prospect) | 1/month |
| Lead generation | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Full program | ✓ Full program |
| Website updates | ✗ | Quarterly | Quarterly | Quarterly |
| Video production | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Short + long-form |
| Strategy sessions | Monthly | Monthly | Monthly | Monthly |
| Performance reporting | ✗ | ✗ | Quarterly | Quarterly |
| Compliance-informed materials | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
With a 20% co-op and tier discounts applied, advisors pay approximately 28% below list price. Example at 10% tier discount: Starter $612/month, Foundation $1,296/month, Growth $2,520/month, Market Leader $4,140/month. The ROI calculator below models advisor out-of-pocket costs at any co-op level.
Pricing is organized into two dealer categories based on the total number of advisors at the firm. Each dealer is priced in one category or the other. Tier minimums refer to enrolled advisors, and all contracts are 12-month commitments unless noted.
0-150 advisors at the firm
| Tier | Advisor Min | Retainer | Pkg Discount | Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POC (6-month trial) | 0 | $1,000/mo | 10% | None |
| AIM-Lite | 10 | $2,500/mo | 10% | 10% |
| AIM-Core | 25 | $5,000/mo | 10% | 10% |
| AIM-Plus | 50 | $7,500/mo | 12% | 10% |
Overage: Lite adds $125/advisor above 15 (mandatory Core upgrade at 25). Core adds $95/advisor above 35 (Plus at 50). Plus adds $80/advisor above 75 (Enterprise at 100). Commission is paid on advisor subscriptions above the tier minimum.
Proof-of-Concept: $1,000/month for up to 6 months, no advisor minimum, setup fees waived, no commission and no CLaaS access during trial. Convert to Lite within 30 days of completion and setup fees are waived for all Year 1 advisors, with the first Lite month reduced to $1,500.
151+ advisors at the firm
| Tier | Advisor Min | Retainer | Pkg Discount | Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIM-Enterprise | 100 | $10,000/mo | 15% | 10% |
| Enrolled Advisors | Monthly Retainer | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| 100-124 | $10,000 | Baseline |
| 125-149 | $11,500 | +$1,500 |
| 150-174 | $13,000 | +$3,000 |
| 175-199 | $14,500 | +$4,500 |
| 200+ | $16,000 | +$6,000 |
Enterprise includes the complete content library with custom requests, executive account team, concierge onboarding, advanced automation and lead scoring, a fully customized dealer-branded marketing platform, and a dedicated content strategist for thought leadership and executive ghostwriting.
Co-op percentage is the dealer's decision. Benchmarks: aggressive recruiting 25-30%, standard market rate 20-25%, premium or established dealers 15-20%. Higher co-op increases dealer cost but accelerates advisor adoption and satisfaction.
Year 2: retainer drops to 90% of Year 1, advisor discounts increase 1% across tiers and commission rises to 10.5%. Year 3+: retainer at 85% of Year 1, discounts up 2% and commission at 11%, plus platinum partner benefits at no cost to the dealer.
12-month commitment with auto-renewal. Mid-year tier upgrades apply immediately with no downgrades mid-contract. Cancellation requires 90 days written notice with structured wind-down, full asset export and transition support.
Select your dealer category, tier, enrolled advisors and co-op level. The model uses the same conservative assumptions as our full ROI modelling: three new clients per advisor per year, $400,000 average AUM per client, 75 bps fee revenue and a three-year client lifetime value.
All projections represent conservative scenarios and are not guaranteed. Figures are illustrative, based on stated assumptions. Actual results vary with dealer and advisor engagement, market conditions, compliance processes and execution quality.
Steve McBride is a dual-licensed advisor with more than 25 years of experience. His practice had deep expertise and loyal clients but lacked a cohesive brand presence. Through our discovery process we documented his fundamentals-driven philosophy, jargon-free communication style and long-term focus, then translated it into a complete brand presence: positioning, weekly economics report, monthly newsletter, thought leadership series and consistent social media.
This brand-first strategy has been the catalyst for Steve's transition to a top producer at his firm.
inSymmetry co-founder Kathryn Ashby built the national rebrand for TMG The Mortgage Group: an updated brand identity across the corporate organization and more than 800 independent brokers, with a scalable brand system including plug-and-play broker websites, print materials, signage and branded collateral, all from a single cohesive brand foundation.
This is the same methodology we apply through AIM: one brand framework, adapted for each practice, consistent across every touchpoint. The brand launched in 2016 and continues to represent TMG and its brokers across Canada today.
Marketing support influences advisor recruitment and retention. Industry benchmarks suggest 1-2 additional recruits and 1-2 retained advisors over three years, worth a combined $290,000-$410,000 in conservative terms, additive to the direct marketing returns modelled above.
Choosing a marketing partner is not just about buying services. It is about selecting a team that understands your industry, respects your compliance requirements and is invested in your success.
Chief Strategy Officer, Head of Content & Growth
Patrick is a T-shaped marketer and award-winning writer with omnichannel leadership across finance, fintech and professional services, including marketing management inside Echelon Wealth Partners (now Ventum Financial) and VP Marketing for an ultra-high-net-worth lifestyle management firm. He specializes in content and growth strategies, executive ghostwriting and automated workflows that cut cycle time and cost while lifting quality.
Chief Creative Officer, Head of Brand & Digital
Kathryn is a senior brand leader who began as an art director creating campaigns for Canada's big six banks and wealth management firms. For more than seven years she has managed advisor marketing programs for Echelon Wealth Partners (now Ventum Financial), and has led national rebrands for TMG The Mortgage Group and Ontario Place, directed global campaigns for Proactiv, and served as Executive Director of Marketing & Communications at Scouts Canada.
Deep experience with investment dealer regulations (CIRO, legacy MFDA rules), PIPEDA and CASL, advisor decision-making psychology and wealth management competitive dynamics. We have created dealer-approved campaigns for Canada's big six banks and built compliant growth programs for Canadian wealth firms.
We treat compliance as a competitive advantage, not a constraint. Our compliance-first architecture protects your firm while delivering the volume and velocity you need, built into every template, script and workflow.
Together Patrick and Kathryn bring capabilities typically found in a VP of Marketing and a Chief Brand Officer, supported by dedicated project management and administrative staff. You will always know exactly what we are working on, what results we are generating and what we recommend next.
Key milestones: first advisor onboarded within 60 days, dealer tier minimum reached within 90 days.
A working session with your leadership team to confirm dealer category, co-op approach and Year 1 participation targets.
Select the AIM tier (or Proof-of-Concept) that fits your goals. MSA and SOW executed with clear service level agreements.
Identify the pilot group, complete brand foundations and onboard advisors into their packages.
First campaigns live within 60 days. Quarterly reviews track adoption, ROI and the path to the next tier.
The question is not whether your firm can afford to implement AIM, but whether it can afford not to.