Fisher Investments Marketing System

Ken Fisher built a $250B+ asset management firm through aggressive direct response marketing and systematic lead generation. The company spends $60M annually on marketing to acquire high-net-worth clients, focusing on retirees with $500k+ portfolios.

Key Components:

• Marketing Strategy:

  • Spend 6% of revenue (~$60M/year) on marketing
  • Heavy focus on direct response advertising across Fox News, Forbes, WSJ, MarketWatch
  • Use content marketing through Forbes column (20+ years) and books
  • Leverage outbrain/taboola ads that mimic editorial content

• Lead Generation System:

  • Free guides and reports as lead magnets (e.g. "15 Minute Retirement Plan")
  • Landing pages optimized for conversion with clear calls-to-action
  • Video content like "Debunkery: Seeing Through Wall Street's Money-Killing Myths"
  • Target $500k+ retirement portfolios

• Sales Process:

  • Large basement operation of cold callers following up on leads
  • Systematic lead nurturing and follow up, sometimes for years
  • $14,000 customer acquisition cost
  • Convert leads into 1-1.25% fee-paying clients

• Positioning:

  • Use Ken Fisher's personal brand and image in marketing
  • Position as someone who "wakes up and cares" about clients
  • Scientific testing shows male faces convert better than female faces
  • Create 6 different psychographic profiles of potential clients and target accordingly

• Results:

  • Manages $250B+ in assets
  • 60,000+ individual investors
  • Recently sold majority stake at $12.5B valuation
  • Built largest independent RIA through marketing despite average returns