Stop chasing eyeballs. Start supporting decisions.

Fund marketing has long revolved around visibility: getting your brand in front of the right audience as often as possible. But the digital landscape has changed. In today’s fund research environment, it’s about more than how many people see your message. It’s about who sees it, when and in what context. Fund selectors don’t want more noise. They want clarity, relevance and help making confident decisions. The opportunity for fund marketers isn’t just to be seen – it’s to be useful. 

The limits of attention-grabbing strategies  

Clicks, impressions and brand lift have become the default metrics for digital marketing. But in fund distribution, those measures rarely map directly to consideration. A banner ad may earn a view, but unless it appears in the right context – while a selector is actively evaluating options – it does little to shape perception or behaviour. 

Chasing views without context leads to inefficiency. It dilutes messaging. And it risks creating a brand presence that feels disconnected from the selector’s actual journey. In short: visibility without utility is no longer enough. 

The new priority: brand relevance in decision-making contexts 

Fund selectors don’t start with a sales conversation. They start with a question: “What should I recommend or allocate next?” To answer that, they go to platforms they trust, read analysis that frames their thinking and compare funds side-by-side. Your brand is most valuable not when it interrupts that process but when it fits into it. 

That’s where relevance comes in. A fund factsheet that unlocks full data exactly when it’s needed. A piece of manager commentary that explains a recent portfolio shift. A brand impression made during sector-specific research, not on a generic news page. These are the moments when selectors are ready to listen. Your job is to be part of them. 

Shifting from campaigns to contributions 

Instead of asking, ‘How do we get more people to see this?’, fund marketers should ask, ‘How do we help selectors make better decisions about us?’ That shift reframes content and advertising as tools of enablement, not persuasion. The best marketing now operates as an extension of fund documentation – not a distraction from it. 

That means aligning all communication – factsheets, insight content, display placements – around a core set of questions: 

• What does the selector need to know right now? 
• What’s the clearest way we can deliver that? 
• Where will they be looking when they need it? 

Answer those and you’re no longer selling. You’re supporting. 

Trustnet delivers relevance where selectors are active 

Trustnet is built for exactly this kind of strategic positioning. Our platform isn’t just a database but a hub where UK fund selectors go to research, compare and decide. With subscribed factsheets, your fund data is complete, current and distraction-free. With Fundswire, your commentary appears as part of the fund research journey, not as an ad. With display advertising, your brand presence is placed where selectors are reviewing sectors, reading analysis or evaluating peers. 

It’s a marketing system aligned with selector intent – not one built around vanity metrics. 

The most powerful brands are the most helpful ones 

In a crowded market, what separates one manager from another isn’t always performance or pedigree. It’s clarity. It’s consistency. It’s the ability to show up with the right information at the right time and to do so in a way that supports rather than distracts. 

That’s the difference between chasing eyeballs and building trust. Between a campaign and a contribution. And that’s where Trustnet can help you lead. 

Want more insight into how selectors think and act in volatile markets? Download our whitepaper “Brand certainty in uncertain markets” to learn how trust, transparency and relevance are redefining fund selection today.