RIA Marketing Strategies That Convert Prospects to Clients

For RIAs, full-throated marketing campaigns are no longer nice-to-haves.

So, what’s actually working?

In part one of our season finale for Marketing Matchup, we invited four of our sharpest guests to answer this question. Terra McBride of Prime Capital, Michele Welsh of Verdence Capital Advisors, Angela Giombetti of Wealthspire Advisors, and Darcy O’Brien of Simon Quick Advisors shared what’s clicking inside their fast-scaling firms.

Marketing works better when it starts early

What used to be an afterthought has become a core input into firmwide planning. Terra described how she now works directly alongside the firm’s chief growth officer, president of retirement wealth, and other senior leaders. She said the entire leadership team is “hyper focused” on organic growth and that the level of collaboration is higher than ever.

Angela sees a similar shift at Wealthspire. Her team is now being pulled into planning discussions from the beginning. “The idea stage,” she said. “Not the end stage.” That early involvement has helped them shape campaigns with more strategic value, not just visual polish.

Darcy added that the change in timing has had a real effect on results. Being involved from the start has allowed Darcy and her team to build marketing that supports the firm’s biggest goals more directly and more consistently.

Repeatable content models pay off

Instead of reinventing the wheel for every campaign, smart marketers build systems they can use again and again. Michele described her content model as “rinse and repeat.” Her team uses a hub and spoke approach to get more mileage out of every idea. One campaign might become an article, a social post, a video, a webinar, and an advisor resource. That repetition builds recognition and gives marketing more time to refine what works.

At Wealthspire, Angela said her team sees storytelling as a competitive advantage. The goal is to show up with clarity and consistency throughout the buyer journey. She said the person who tells the story best will win. Her team is constantly adjusting content based on performance and looking for ways to stay relevant over long sales cycles.

Michele added that she’s paying close attention to how people respond. She wants to know if what they’re putting out is actually resonating. Her background as a storyteller gives her a filter for what’s worth repeating and what needs to change.

Content is getting prospects to the calendar

One clear theme was how important content has become for advisor pipelines. Terra’s team at Prime is focused on helping prospects take the step from interest to appointment. Her team is testing everything from subject line wording to emoji use in emails. Even small changes, like swapping in a different verb in an ad, are helping generate more meetings.

She said once someone gets in front of an advisor, conversion is rarely the problem. The challenge is getting them there. That’s where repeatable, insight-driven campaigns are making a real difference.

Darcy described how a website revamp at Simon Quick is helping bridge the same gap. The new site was built to showcase advisors in a more personal, accessible way. She said the goal was to make prospects feel like they already know who they’ll be meeting with. That familiarity removes friction and helps move the relationship forward faster.

Angela emphasized that timing matters. Her team is building nurture systems designed to make sure the firm shows up when a prospect is ready to make a decision. She said that’s especially important in wealth management, where the sales cycle can stretch over many months.

Watch the full episode below, or on the platform of your choice… and keep your eyes out for part two of our season finale, coming soon!