RIAs and the Organic Growth Dilemma: What Works Now

With average marketing spending sitting at a meager 2% of gross revenue¹, it's no surprise that most Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) are facing a crisis of organic growth. 

Years of relying on market growth, referrals, and mergers to scale have left many firms complacent. However, the reality is shifting, and those strategies are no longer enough. Firms that fail to adapt now will be left behind in an increasingly competitive landscape.

The question is: How do we get RIAs to think differently about their approach to organic growth before it’s too late? 

As the expertise economy grows, so does the importance of influence and authority—two assets that require a strategic, long-term commitment to marketing. The RIAs that act now will not only survive but thrive. Those who don’t may look back in 10 years, realizing they missed the chance to build the authority their competitors have already claimed.

Here’s how forward-thinking RIAs can overcome these challenges and position themselves for sustainable success.

1. Applying the Lean Startup Approach

The Lean Startup Approach is ideal for marketing because it emphasizes testing, learning, and scaling based on feedback. For RIAs, this means starting with a minimum viable marketing strategy—such as a core content format like a blog or video series—and iterating based on performance data. Use this core content to address frequently asked questions or challenges your clients face, then analyze what resonates with your audience. 

From there, scale your content efforts and invest in email marketing automation or paid social media campaigns to increase reach and refine targeting. This lean approach minimizes wasted resources and ensures your strategy evolves based on actual audience engagement.

2. Managing Expectations and Timelines

Organic growth requires patience and long-term commitment. One common obstacle is unrealistic expectations—expecting immediate results from campaigns that require months, or even years, to bear fruit. Content marketing is about building influence over time, and influence eventually leads to authority. 

Managing internal expectations is crucial to educating your team and leadership on the timelines involved in content marketing. Create clear milestones, such as gaining media mentions, industry partnerships, or being invited to speak at webinars or events. These milestones will signal that your content is gaining traction, but it’s essential to understand that actual authority takes a consistent, long-term effort.

3. Building Momentum Gradually

One of the biggest obstacles is trying to do too much too soon. Avoid over-committing by focusing on realistic, achievable goals. Start with a few key content formats—such as a monthly blog, a weekly LinkedIn post, or a quarterly educational webinar—and expand as you gain traction. 

The key is to establish a steady rhythm and deliver on promises. Building momentum through consistency is far more effective than spreading your efforts too thin and falling short. As your audience begins to engage with your content, consider expanding into formats like whitepapers, case studies, newsletters, and interactive Q&A sessions.

4. Navigating Compliance and Regulatory Constraints

Marketing in a regulated industry can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. RIAs must work closely with compliance teams to create content that adheres to regulatory standards. Using compliance-friendly marketing tools and establishing internal processes for content review can ensure that your marketing efforts stay within legal boundaries without losing effectiveness. You can still build trust and thought leadership by focusing on educational content that informs rather than makes direct promises, avoiding compliance pitfalls while engaging your audience.

5. Shifting the Internal Mindset

Marketing should not be a secondary function within RIA firms. It must be a core business function to ignite organic growth. Leadership teams must shift their mindset, seeing marketing as an essential growth driver, not an expense. This shift in thinking will encourage more consistent investment in marketing strategies like SEO, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and email nurture sequences, ensuring long-term success. This cultural shift ensures marketing has the time, resources, and priority to succeed.

6. Aligning Marketing and Sales

Marketing and sales should work together, not in silos. To maximize effectiveness, ensure your sales team uses the content your marketing team creates. This alignment will ensure consistent messaging and help close more deals. Regular collaboration between marketing and sales teams is essential for turning leads into clients and ensuring that your marketing efforts convert into tangible business results. Build a sales enablement program where marketing content nurtures leads at every stage of the buyer’s journey, resulting in more meaningful conversations and a faster path to conversion.

7. Finding the Right Marketing Partners

One of the most important steps is finding marketing partners who understand the financial services industry and can collaborate effectively with your internal team. Look for firms that specialize in RIAs and can integrate smoothly into your strategy, ensuring synergy between various marketing channels—content, digital ads, social media, and SEO. 

Consider a mix of specialists for different areas of marketing, but ensure clear communication and alignment toward your growth goals. Ensure your marketing partner(s) have substantial compliance and regulatory protocols. There’s a lot of trust here; you must be 100% sure you can trust each partner. 

8. Commitment to Authentic Content Creation

In an expertise-driven economy, authentic content is your most valuable asset. While external marketing companies can help distribute and optimize your message, your firm’s internal thought leaders must consistently create content that adds value to your audience. This content should focus on solving real client challenges and positioning your firm as a trusted authority. 

Authenticity builds trust, and your team’s commitment to regularly producing client-centric content—such as thought leadership articles, educational podcasts, explainer videos, and client success stories—will set you apart from the competition and gradually elevate your firm’s influence

The Role of Digital Marketing Tactics in Building Authority

Content is just one piece of the puzzle in today's digital landscape. To truly establish authority, RIAs must integrate a range of digital marketing tactics that amplify their influence. Here are some tactics to consider:

• Video Content: Produce short, educational videos on key financial topics that your prospects can consume quickly, establishing your firm as a trusted advisor.
• Podcasts and Webinars: Offer interactive content like podcasts or webinars where you can share expertise in a more personal, engaging format. These formats allow you to build deeper connections and trust with your audience.
• SEO: Ensure your content is optimized for search engines so potential clients can find your thought leadership materials easily.
• Social Media: Engage consistently on platforms like LinkedIn by sharing client success stories, industry insights, and educational posts that position you as a go-to expert.
• Owned Audience: Social media connections and activity aren’t enough to claim audience engagement and size. RIAs need to inspire their ideal audience to provide their email address so they own the audience contact, not a social media portal they lease. Just imagine LinkedIn deciding to shut down your channel? What then?
• Lead Magnets: Automated funnels that nurture top-of-funnel prospects to bottom-of-funnel opportunities are critical to having a repeatable system the RIA owns. When you outsource lead generation activity, the Lead Generation company owns the process, not you. For most RAIs, that won’t cut it for a long-term plan. 
• Email Marketing: Create targeted email nurture sequences that provide value to prospects at each stage of their journey, helping you build relationships over time.
• Paid Advertising: Use targeted PPC or retargeting ads to drive traffic to your most valuable content and ensure your message reaches the right audience. 

By integrating these tactics into a cohesive marketing strategy, you’ll build influence and set your firm on the path to achieving actual authority in your niche. Successful firms understand how to consistently use these tools, creating meaningful connections with clients and prospects at every stage.

Related: The Trust Economy: Why Your Credibility Is the Most Valuable Currency in Business Today