Anyone who subscribes to Netflix, or any streaming service, will know the feeling — you watch one true crime documentary and before you know it, you’re seeing the same type of programme, just with different title, time and time again. Same tone, same faces, same everything.
That’s the algorithm effect — data-driven efficiency squeezing out originality. As a recent article in The Guardian put it, streaming has become a sea of “gourmet cheeseburgers”: familiar, polished, forgettable.
This got me thinking. Against a backdrop of consolidation, are we seeing the same thing happening in the financial advice sector?
Thousands of smaller advice firms have either merged or been bought out over the past few years. In fact, according to analysis from a Freedom of Information request by Begbies Traynor, the number of UK advice firms fell from 6,283 in Q1 2022 to 5,304 in Q3 2025, a drop of 15.6%.
With every deal, the market becomes a little more uniform. Processes get streamlined, language gets sanitised, individuality gets lost.
Money is emotional, and clients want someone they can trust – and like – to guide them
The result? Fewer voices and fewer ideas. A wall of sameness that clients can’t tell apart. IFAs aren’t distinct and clients can’t tell which is the best adviser for their needs.
In a world where word-of-mouth recommendation is no longer king, and a digital-first approach to finding an adviser is on the rise (particularly with the increase in AI-powered search) drowning in the ‘sea of sameness’ is a costly mistake to make.
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However, instead of falling victim to the algorithm effect, IFAs should see this as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
Finding and keeping clients isn’t about fees and returns, and it’s never been about numbers. Money is emotional, and clients want someone they can trust – and like – to guide them.
That’s where you can build your difference. Here are five ways IFAs can build a brand to stand out among all the consolidated mediocrity.
1. Do an honest review of your website
Around 70-80% of people research a company online before getting in touch, so your website really is where you make your first impression. Ninety four per cent of first impressions are design-related and 75% of people judge your credibility based on your website’s design.
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Look at your competitors and be honest: does your website stand out or look different? Would you want to click the ‘contact us’ button if you were a potential client? If the answer is ‘no’, then you need a fresh look.
2. You are not the hero, your clients are
This is an easy trap to fall into. You sit down to write about your company and before you know it, you’ve filled a page with “we this” and “we that”.
At the end of the day, your clients aren’t interested in your story until they see how it connects to theirs. They want to see themselves reflected back – their problems, their goals, their worries. Then, you can show how your service solves that problem.
3. Cut the jargon
It’s tempting to explain everything in detail. But if people can’t understand you quickly, they’ll switch off. Avoid jargon, speak like a human and tell stories that focus on the outcomes, not the products. People don’t buy investment performance. They buy peace of mind.
4. Write like a human for the robots
AI is changing how people find and engage with your content. With ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews, more and more people are skipping traditional search and getting instant answers from AI instead.
As the old saying goes, ‘People buy from people’. So, show the people behind the advice
Making sure your writing is clear, structured and human, giving real answers to real people in a format that AI tools can easily understand and quote, will help more people discover your company.
5. Be empathetic
As the old saying goes, ‘People buy from people’. So, show the people behind the advice. Not just your standard corporate biographies, show personality. When a potential client is looking for an adviser, what they’re really asking is simple: ‘Am I going to be alright?’, and ‘Can I trust these people to take care of me?’
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In the age of consolidation, a clear message, confident tone and website that feels alive are things that can’t be merged, acquired or automated. They’re the opposite of algorithmic.
So, while AI and private equity are busy making everything look the same, there’s space for the independents to show personality, perspective and purpose.
In a world optimised for efficiency, creativity has never mattered more.
Anna Plotnek is managing director at PLOTT Creative
