CMOs Without Borders
CMOs Without Borders
Podcast Description
Welcome to CMOs Without Borders — the podcast where two seasoned marketing leaders with decades of experience from opposite sides of the border cut through the noise and get real about what actually drives growth in financial services.
Hosted by fractional CMOs Joel Crampton, founder of CMO/Alpha (U.S.), and Mandy MacPhee, founder of illumination (Canada), this show explores the strategic marketing moves that help RIAs, fintechs, credit unions, and financial brands thrive — regardless of size, structure, or postal code.
We bring different lenses to the mic: U.S. vs. Canada, Fintech vs. Institutional, Independent firms vs. Enterprise marketing
But we’re united by one mission: helping you build a smarter, more strategic marketing function that actually drives results — not just more activity.
Each episode delivers candid conversations, real-world examples, and field-tested insights to help you:
- Align your marketing with business goals
- Outperform the competition without wasting time or budget
- Gain the clarity and confidence to lead — or delegate — marketing that works
If you’re a financial advisor, fintech founder, credit union exec, or marketing leader in the financial space, this is your “no-fluff, behind-the-scenes look” at what works — and what doesn’t.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show focuses on driving growth in financial services, covering topics such as strategic marketing alignment, competition analysis, and marketing plan failures. Episodes include deep dives into real-world case studies, such as the analysis of why most financial services marketing plans fail and actionable frameworks like the 'Three C’s' for resilient marketing.
Welcome to CMOs Without Borders — the podcast where two seasoned marketing leaders with decades of experience from opposite sides of the border cut through the noise and get real about what actually drives growth in financial services.
Hosted by fractional CMOs Joel Crampton, founder of CMO/Alpha (U.S.), and Mandy MacPhee, founder of illumination (Canada), this show explores the strategic marketing moves that help RIAs, fintechs, credit unions, and financial brands thrive — regardless of size, structure, or postal code.
We bring different lenses to the mic: U.S. vs. Canada, Fintech vs. Institutional, Independent firms vs. Enterprise marketing
But we’re united by one mission: helping you build a smarter, more strategic marketing function that actually drives results — not just more activity.
Each episode delivers candid conversations, real-world examples, and field-tested insights to help you:
– Align your marketing with business goals
– Outperform the competition without wasting time or budget
– Gain the clarity and confidence to lead — or delegate — marketing that works
If you’re a financial advisor, fintech founder, credit union exec, or marketing leader in the financial space, this is your “no-fluff, behind-the-scenes look” at what works — and what doesn’t.
In this episode of CMOs Without Borders, hosts Joel Crampton and Mandy MacPhee tackle one of the most persistent problems in financial-services marketing: why most funnels still don’t convert.
From RIAs to fintechs, firms spend heavily on awareness and ads — but too often, those efforts fail to translate into meaningful conversations or new clients. Joel and Mandy break down what’s really going wrong and share how to build a full-funnel marketing system that works in today’s multi-channel, compliance-bound environment.
They dive into how top-of-funnel visibility connects with middle-funnel nurturing and bottom-funnel conversion, why too many firms stop at “getting names in the door,” and how to close the gap between activity and results. You’ll hear practical strategies for building awareness that earns trust, nurturing prospects through value-added content, and aligning marketing and sales so every touchpoint feels intentional, not random.
Along the way, they unpack how AI, social proof, and modern buyer behavior are reshaping the customer journey — and why the middle of the funnel is where most revenue quietly dies. This episode goes beyond theory, offering step-by-step ideas for optimizing your campaigns, tightening your messaging, and creating a repeatable system for scalable growth.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
The New Shape of the Funnel: Why today’s buyer journey isn’t linear and what that means for your marketing strategy.
Top-of-Funnel Reality: How to build awareness that earns trust — even when it’s hard to measure.
The Missing Middle: Why nurture and consideration phases make or break conversion outcomes.
Bottom-of-Funnel Fixes: How to align sales and marketing around value-based CTAs instead of “schedule a call.”
Social Proof That Converts: How reviews, certifications, and third-party validation drive trust (and even influence AI search).
Reddit, Reviews, and Real Talk: Why unfiltered peer conversations matter more than polished brand copy.
Full-Funnel Optimization: The continuous feedback loop that keeps campaigns improving instead of stalling — and the metrics that matter most to prove it.
Why It Matters
In financial services, trust is everything — and yet too many firms chase short-term conversions while neglecting the systems that build credibility and nurture long-term relationships. The result? Bloated ad budgets, cold leads, and inconsistent growth.
A well-designed funnel doesn’t just generate names — it builds belief. It helps prospects feel confident enough to take the next step with you. That’s the difference between a disconnected campaign and a marketing system that scales.
👉 If your marketing system feels disjointed — or your funnel isn’t converting the right leads — Joel and Mandy can help.
Reach out to learn more about their 30-Day Clarity Sprint, designed to audit and optimize your entire marketing funnel — from awareness to conversion — so you can build predictable growth that lasts.
Joel Crampton — Fractional CMO for RIAs and wealth managers
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelcrampton/
https://cmoalpha.com
Mandy MacPhee — Fractional CMO for founder-led companies
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