# Marketing for Financial Advisors: How to Attract Clients

As of Oct 20, 2026, Kitces Research reported that 93% of advisors gained new clients through referrals in the year before its earlier survey, and Schwab's 2025 survey of 912 independent advisors found that 71% named gaining new clients a top three-year priority.

As of: 2026-10-20
Address: https://advisoriq.com/practice/guides/marketing-for-financial-advisors/

## Facts

- Summary: How independent advisors attract clients: referrals, centers of influence, a niche, content, events, social media and paid channels, with what to measure.
- Key facts: 93% of advisors in earlier Kitces Research said they gained new clients through referrals in the preceding year.; Attorney and accountant referrals produced the most affluent clients, averaging over $15,000 of revenue per client, but building those relationships can take one or two dozen hours each.; Typical firms earned about 1.4 times their spend on online ads and 2.8 times on marketing lists, while seminars had a median ratio above 1.0 and networking below 1.0.; A 2006 to 2007 SEC, FINRA and state examination of 110 firms found that 100% of free lunch seminars were sales presentations and 50% featured exaggerated or misleading advertising.

## Notes

- Educational, not legal, tax or investment advice.
- Practice management content is not eligible for CFP Board CE. CFP Board plans to allow up to five hours of it per cycle once its Q4 2027 changes take effect.

## Sources

- Kitces.com, Michael Kitces: Measuring the 'best' marketing strategies and the second Kitces Research study on advisor marketing, checked 2026-10-20: https://www.kitces.com/blog/advisor-marketing-strategy-client-acquisition-cost-efficient-marketing-time-dollar-cost/
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: SEC, NASAA and FINRA release findings of free lunch seminar examinations (press release 2007-179), checked 2026-10-20: https://www.sec.gov/news/press/2007/2007-179.htm
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: 17 CFR 275.206(4)-1, investment adviser marketing (the Marketing Rule), checked 2026-10-20: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/275.206(4)-1
- Schwab Advisor Services: Schwab's 2025 Independent Advisor Outlook Study (press release), checked 2026-10-20: https://pressroom.aboutschwab.com/press-releases/press-release/2025/Schwabs-2025-Independent-Advisor-Outlook-Study-Trust-Talent-and-Technology-Shaping-the-Next-Era-of-Independent-Advice/default.aspx
- Kitces.com, Michael Kitces: What (really) makes advisors more productive, and the third Kitces Research study on advisor productivity, checked 2026-10-20: https://www.kitces.com/blog/financial-advisor-productivity-revenue-per-advisor-experience-expertise-team-leverage/
- Institutional Investor, Holly Deaton: The fight to win unadvised clients starts with fee clarity (reporting Cerulli Associates and Marketcast data), checked 2026-10-20: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/index%2Ephp/article/2ctaz879nv0iexlnncz5s/ria-intel/the-fight-to-win-unadvised-clients-starts-with-fee-clarity
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Examinations: Risk Alert: Additional Observations Regarding Advisers' Compliance with the Advisers Act Marketing Rule, checked 2026-10-20: https://www.sec.gov/files/exams-riskalert-mrkt-rule-2512-508.pdf
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Small Entity Compliance Guide: Investment Adviser Marketing, checked 2026-10-20: https://www.sec.gov/resources-small-businesses/small-business-compliance-guides/investment-adviser-marketing
- NASAA: Contact Your Regulator, checked 2026-10-20: https://www.nasaa.org/contact-your-regulator/
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School: 17 CFR 275.204-2, books and records to be maintained by investment advisers, checked 2026-10-20: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/17/275.204-2

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## Cite as

AdvisorIQ, as of 2026-10-20. https://advisoriq.com/practice/guides/marketing-for-financial-advisors/

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