4. Show up in local search and AI answers
Searches such as "fee only financial advisor near me" still matter, and so does the Google Business Profile that shows up beside them. More prospects now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews which advisor fits their situation, and those tools name firms whose websites answer the question clearly and whose names appear in other trusted places.
The basics are a complete Google Business Profile, a page for each service and niche, a plain fees page and listings in the directories prospects use, such as NAPFA, the CFP Board and XY Planning Network if you qualify. Our SEO and AEO work for advisors is built on that list.
5. Use LinkedIn and email to stay in front of people
Most prospects take months to choose an advisor. LinkedIn keeps your name in front of professionals and centers of influence during that time, and email keeps clients, prospects and the accountants and attorneys who refer to you up to date without another lunch on the calendar.
Advisors say the same on Reddit. In an r/CFP thread on marketing ideas from senior advisors, private messaging campaigns on LinkedIn and a biweekly email to existing prospects are among the first tactics listed.
A monthly email with one useful idea does more than a weekly newsletter that nobody opens. Our email marketing for advisors runs on that rhythm.
6. Add one paid channel once the basics work
Paid ads can fill the calendar, but only after the website and the follow up are ready to catch the people they send. Schwab found that 85% of firms using digital ads in 2024 generated leads from them, per the same SmartAsset summary, so most firms that try ads get leads. The harder part is getting leads that meet your minimums.
Start with one channel aimed at one niche, such as Google search for a local fee only practice or LinkedIn for business owners nearing a sale, and judge it on booked meetings with qualified households. Our lead generation programs for advisors are measured that way.
Financial advisor marketing ideas by stage of the firm
The plan above fits most firms, but the order changes with where you are. A new advisor and a twenty year old RIA with four partners shouldn't start in the same place.
New or solo advisors get the most from a sharp niche, a simple site with a fees page, a complete Google Business Profile and directory listings. Time is the scarce resource, so pick one content habit you can keep, such as a monthly email or a short post every week on LinkedIn, and skip paid ads until the site converts.
Growing firms with a few advisors usually have referrals working and a site that's five years old. The gains come from rebuilding the site around the niche, publishing on a schedule, tracking where meetings come from and adding one paid channel for the clients you want more of.
Established RIAs and multi office firms need marketing that runs without a partner pushing it. That means a content calendar with compliance built in, a CRM that ties every new household to its source, and someone senior who owns the numbers. For many firms that's a fractional CMO before it's a full time hire.
Marketing for financial advisors inside the SEC and FINRA rules
Compliance shapes every channel above, and the rules have changed more in the last few years than in the twenty before that. This is a summary for planning purposes and isn't legal advice, so check every piece with your compliance team or consultant.
- Testimonials and reviews are allowed for RIAs, with conditions. The SEC's Marketing Rule, Rule 206(4)-1, has permitted testimonials, endorsements and third party ratings since compliance became mandatory in November 2022, as long as the required disclosures, oversight and records are in place.
- Broker dealer communications follow FINRA Rule 2210. Today, static social content generally needs principal approval before use, while interactive posts are treated differently. FINRA proposed a risk based approach in Regulatory Notice 26-14 in July 2026, so watch for changes.
- Keep copies of everything you publish. Advertisements, posts and emails all fall under recordkeeping rules, which is easier when your website, email and social tools archive automatically.
- Plain language about fees is your friend. Clear, accurate statements about how you're paid are easier to approve than vague promises about results.
Build review time into the calendar. A content plan written a month ahead gives compliance time to read it, and timely pieces still go out on time.
How much do financial advisors spend on marketing?
Less in cash than most people expect, and more in time. In the 2024 Kitces Research marketing study, the typical advisory firm trying to grow spent about 3.2% of revenue, close to $12,000, on hard marketing costs in 2023, and advisor and staff time made up roughly 71% of total marketing cost. Firms in the startup stage spent about $3,800 per senior advisor in hard costs.
To set your own budget, start from what a new client is worth and how much you can spend to win one. Add up the revenue a typical new household brings in over the years you expect to serve it, then set a cost per new household you're comfortable paying.
From there the budget follows the plan. A website rebuild and a content calendar are one time and monthly costs you can price in writing. Paid channels scale with the number of households you want and the cost per booked meeting you see in the first few months.
Track it the way Kitces does, as acquisition cost per dollar of new revenue, and compare every channel against referrals. Anything that brings in good clients at a cost you'd accept stays. Anything that brings in calls from people who don't meet your minimums goes, however cheap the leads look.
How to measure wealth management marketing
Downloads and followers are nice to see, but they don't pay salaries. These are the numbers we'd put on an advisor's monthly report.
| Stage | What to measure | Why it matters |
|---|
| Getting found | Search impressions, profile views and AI mentions for your niche | Shows whether the right people can find you before they're ready to call |
| Earning trust | Time on fee and niche pages, email replies, returning visitors | Tells you which content moves people closer to a meeting |
| Booking | Meeting requests and the share that meet your minimums | Separates qualified prospects from curious visitors |
| Winning | New households, new assets and the channel that brought them | The numbers that decide where next quarter's budget goes |
| Cost | Spend and advisor time per new household, by channel | Lets you compare every channel against referrals on equal terms |
A CRM ties those rows together. When every meeting request carries its source, you can see in one report which channel brought in the households with the most assets.
Where Leapyn fits in financial advisor marketing
We're a senior team based in Nashville, and we work with advisors and RIAs who want growth beyond referrals without hiring a full marketing department. The person on your first call is the person doing the work, and finished work lands every week.
Pricing is fixed and agreed in writing before work starts, with retainer hours from $150 an hour, which you can see on our pricing page. Content is written to pass compliance review, and every campaign is measured on booked meetings and new households.
If your firm has outgrown referrals, or you'd like a second opinion on what you're running now, book a free strategy session. We'll look at your site, your niche and your numbers, and tell you where we'd start.
