Every advisor knows their clients love them. So why are so few using testimonials in their marketing?

Andrew Johnson is the founder of Testimonial iQ — now FMG Testimonials, following a recent acquisition by FMG — and one of the sharpest minds in advisor marketing and compliance. In this episode, Andrew breaks down the state of testimonials three years after the SEC marketing rule changed everything, why the biggest firms are finally all-in, and what advisors need to understand about AEO before their competitors do.

What You'll Learn

• Where testimonials actually stand — FINRA, the SEC, and the states that are still catching up
• Why most advisors still aren't collecting reviews — and why the hesitation has shifted from compliance to something more personal
• The rules around collecting testimonials — what you can and can't do, and why the paper trail matters more than you think
• How testimonials feed AEO — and why LLMs are quietly becoming the most important research tool your prospects use
• What "durable growth" actually looks like — the strategy the fastest-growing RIAs are building right now
• The Amazon analogy that explains everything — why reviews have become the default heuristic for high-stakes decisions
• Trust badges are back — why CFP® designations and awards are suddenly more valuable in an AI-driven search world
• What's next for FMG Testimonials — Andrew's vision for getting client feedback into every corner of the advisor marketing ecosystem

Guest

Andrew Johnson — Founder of Testimonial IQ, now Director of Product at FMG as FMG Testimonials. Previously founded Dataline, a lead gen platform for financial advisors. He's worked with some of the largest and fastest-growing RIAs in the country.

Resources Mentioned

Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-b-johnson/

Check out FMG Testimonials: https://fmgsuite.com/features/testimonials/

What does it actually take to grow your advisory firm with short-form video? We went straight to the source.

Nick Meyer is the most followed CFP® professional on social media — 1.8 million followers, over 330 million video views — and the co-founder of Sage Content. He's worked with Fidelity, Discover, Ally Bank, TurboTax, and the Golden State Warriors. In this episode, Nate puts Nick in the hot seat with 15 questions every advisor wants answered about video marketing.

What You'll Learn

• How to get started — You don't need fancy gear. Here's the simplest possible first step.
• Which platform to prioritize — TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, X... and why the answer might surprise you.
• How often to post — The minimum cadence to actually build momentum without burning out.
• Ideal video length — The 30-to-90-second rule, and when you can (and can't) break it.
• Edutainment vs. talking head — Which style converts clients, and which one just gets views.
• Production quality on a budget — The three elements that matter most, and the gear recommendations that won't break the bank.
• How to repurpose content — One video, every platform. Here's what to change (and what not to).
• Why clipping podcasts usually backfires — And what to do instead for short-form content.
• Measuring ROI — How to think about returns on content over months and years, not days.
• Paid ads done right — Why boosting posts quietly kills your organic reach, and the strategy that delivered a 26X return on ad spend.

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🔗 Learn more about Sage Content → https://sagecontent.ai/home

Is compliance a "boogeyman" keeping you up at night as a financial advisor, or is it the secret to your firm’s reputation?

In this episode of The Afternoon Advisor, Nate Hoskin sits down with Chad Gordon, founder of Sharp Archive and an RIA owner who is obsessed with driving "time spent on compliance" down to zero. They dive into the high-stakes world of SEC fines, the rise of AI-powered litigation, and why the future of financial advice is a 100% "collapse" into human relationships.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The $2.6 Billion Crackdown: Why the SEC is targeting "off-platform" communications and what it means for your WhatsApp and Signal threads.
• The "Ambulance Chasing" AI: How opposing counsel is using LLMs to scan years of firm data in seconds—and how to stay bulletproof.
• The 100% AI Vision: Borrowing from an Elon Musk analogy, Chad explains why the difference between 99% and 100% automation is exponential.
• The Death of Stodgy Software: Why compliance tools shouldn't look like they were built in 1998, and how modern tech enables growth on TikTok and Instagram.
• The Relationship Collapse: Why your ultimate job isn't spreadsheets—it's being the "human in the room" while AI handles the rest.

Key Quote:

"The SEC isn't the enemy; they’re the lifeguard. It’s annoying when they whistle at you, but they’re the reason people trust you with their money in the first place." — Chad Gordon

Connect with Chad Gordon:

Website:https://sharparchive.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-gordon/