And Other Lessons From Our Conversations at FutureProof 2026
FutureProof has become one of the most closely watched gatherings on the wealth management calendar, drawing thousands of advisors, asset managers, service providers, and industry leaders each year. Rather than spending our time in sessions this year, we spent it in one-on-one meetings across that community, and those conversations offered a more candid view of what is happening inside these firms than any panel could.
The most consistent takeaway was a surprising one. Very few of the people we met told us they struggle to win business once a prospect is across the table; they know their value proposition, and converting a warm lead tends to come naturally. The struggle is at the very top of the funnel, in getting the right people to notice them and staying visible long enough for those people to reach out. In an industry built on trust and relationships, that is as much a marketing and communications challenge as a business development one.
What follows are the challenges we heard most often, along with practical ways to address each of them heading into 2027. Many of the examples come from advisory practices, but the lessons apply just as directly to asset managers and service providers.
Lead Generation: Fix the Top of the Funnel
Nearly every firm we met described some version of the same situation: referrals and long-standing relationships have carried the business this far, but growth has leveled off because there is no dependable way to bring new names into the pipeline. Questions about lead magnets came up again and again, which tells us many firms understand the concept but have not yet figured out what one should look like for a wealth management audience.
A lead magnet does not need to be elaborate. The strongest ones answer a specific question an ideal client is already asking, such as a short guide to navigating a liquidity event, a checklist for business owners considering an exit, or a plain-language explainer on what to do after receiving an inheritance. What matters is that the piece is genuinely useful and gives a prospect a good reason to share their contact information. A few places to start:
Mine your first meetings: The questions prospects ask in nearly every introductory conversation are a ready-made content list, and each one could have reached them months earlier.
Pick one audience: A guide written specifically for physicians, founders, or pre-retirees will almost always outperform one written for "investors" in general, because it signals that you understand their situation.
Attach a call to action: Every piece you publish should point somewhere, whether that is booking a call, subscribing to your updates, or registering for an upcoming event.
Positioning: Define the Story Before You Tell It
Several firms we spoke with were struggling less with marketing than with knowing what, exactly, they were marketing. This was especially true for firms introducing a new offering or service line, where building the service had raced ahead of explaining it. Many had not yet defined what the offering is, who it is for, or what makes it different from the alternatives.
It is tempting to jump straight to visibility, but publicity cannot do much for an offering that has not been clearly articulated. If a reporter, prospect, or referral partner cannot explain what you do after a single conversation, the attention you earn will not translate into business. The firms that get the most from marketing and PR start with the foundation:
Name the offering: Give a new service a clear description and a defined audience so it stops sounding like a side project of the core business.
Articulate the differentiators: Be specific about what you do that others in the space do not, and make sure everyone at the firm describes it the same way.
Update your digital front door: Your website is often the first place prospects and journalists look, so make sure a new offering is clearly reflected there before you promote it.
Equip others to talk about you: A simple brochure or one-page overview helps referral partners and centers of influence describe your offering accurately when you are not in the room.
Modernization: Bring Leadership Along
Some of the most memorable conversations we had were with the next generation of advisors, many of whom work alongside founders who built their practices on handshakes, phone calls, and decades of hard-earned reputation. Some described championing digital marketing inside a firm where leadership is not yet convinced it works, while others are navigating a gradual transition of ownership and trying to modernize without disrupting what made the firm successful. These transitions are often slow for deeply personal reasons, since a founding advisor who has served the same families for decades needs to trust that those clients will be well cared for after they step back.
The next generation is not wrong about where the industry is heading, and senior partners are not wrong that relationships still matter most. In our experience, the case for change lands best when it is framed as protecting what the firm has built rather than replacing it. Digital tools, a modern CRM, and a consistent email presence are simply ways to extend the same personal touch to more people and make sure the next generation of clients can find the firm as easily as the last. For advisors making that case internally:
Start small: A single measurable experiment, such as a quarterly email to existing clients, is far easier to approve than a complete overhaul and gives you results to point to.
Speak to their priorities: Tie each recommendation to an outcome senior partners already care about, like client retention, referral volume, or a smooth transition of the business.
Use your own data: Results from your own book of business will always be more persuasive than an industry statistic.
Connect it to succession: Succession planning and marketing modernization belong in the same conversation, because a firm that is easy to find is also a firm that is easier to hand off.
Visibility: Protect Your Brand While You Build It
One of the more telling stories we heard came from a founding partner of an RIA. One of his partners, eager to grow his own client base, had been running paid Facebook ads, and both the tone of the ads and the way they targeted prospects fell well short of the firm's standards. The founder had to explain to his partner that this kind of outreach did not reflect the brand and could damage the firm's reputation, much the way aggressive advertising has saddled some corners of the legal industry with an "ambulance chaser" image. It left him with a question we suspect plenty of firms are quietly asking: if paid Facebook ads are not the answer, what are the better ways to reach a targeted audience?
Firms know they need to be more visible, but the tactics pushed their way often trade credibility for reach, and in a business built on trust, that is a poor trade. Consumer social platforms also keep changing the rules, with shifting algorithms and automated tools that can alter how your content appears and undercut a consistent, professional image.
The good news is that several approaches deliver targeted exposure while reinforcing, rather than undermining, a firm's reputation:
Targeted LinkedIn outreach: LinkedIn places your content in a professional setting where financial expertise is expected rather than intrusive.
Earned media in the right outlets: A quote in a regional business journal or a byline in a publication your prospects already read carries third-party credibility that no paid ad can buy.
Speaking engagements and co-hosted events: Presenting to a local business owners' association, or co-hosting an educational session with a CPA or estate attorney, puts your firm in front of a pre-qualified audience in a role that builds trust from the start.
Useful content for a defined audience: A guide or webinar built for a specific group, such as business owners preparing for a sale, attracts the right prospects and naturally filters out the wrong ones.
Of these options, LinkedIn deserves particular attention. It is where prospects are already thinking about their careers, businesses, and financial lives, and its advertising tools let firms target by location, industry, job title, and seniority, so a firm can reach business owners within driving distance of its office, or executives in a particular sector, with real precision.
The proof is in the pudding here, too: one service provider to advisors we met generates most of his new leads through regionally targeted LinkedIn campaigns and direct InMail outreach, which is a good The proof is in the pudding here, too: one service provider to advisors we met generates most of his new leads through regionally targeted LinkedIn campaigns and direct InMail outreach. To make LinkedIn work harder for your firm:
Treat your profile as a first impression: A clear headline that says who you help, rather than simply your title, tells a prospect in seconds whether you are relevant to them.
Post with consistency: A steady rhythm of content addressing the questions your clients ask builds familiarity far more effectively than occasional bursts of activity.
Amplify earned media: When your firm is quoted or featured in the press, share it, because third-party credibility does much of the persuading for you.
Test paid promotion narrowly: If you experiment with LinkedIn advertising, start with a tightly defined audience and a single goal so you can measure what is working.
Earned Media: Turn Your Expertise Into Coverage
Many of the people we met have a compelling point of view and simply have not thought of themselves as a source for reporters. Say, for example, you work with clients going through divorce, and a proposed change to your state's laws could affect a spouse's financial independence during a separation. If you have a clear, informed perspective on what that change would mean for the people you serve, there is a very good chance the media will want to hear it. Reporters actively seek out advisors who specialize in the financial realities facing women, divorcing spouses, and widows, and timely commentary on pending legislation is exactly the kind of insight that earns regional and trade coverage.
Many firms also overlook financial trade publications entirely, even though those outlets are often the most direct path to credibility with peers, referral partners, and acquirers. Others are tempted to launch a podcast, but with so many established voices already dominating that space, it is rarely the most efficient way to build an audience. Earned media, by contrast, puts your expertise in front of an audience someone else has already built. To start building that presence:
Lead with your niche: The more specific your expertise, the easier it is for a reporter to understand when and why to call you.
React to the news: New regulations, legislative proposals, and market shifts all create openings for advisors who can explain what a change means for real people.
Use what you are hearing: The questions and pain points that surface in client meetings, workshops, and webinars can become data and observations that reporters value.
Give it time: PR is a long-term investment, and meaningful results typically take at least three months of consistent outreach to emerge, so plan accordingly.
Consistency: Stay in Front of Prospects for the Long Haul
Anyone in wealth management knows the path from a first conversation to a signed client can take months, and sometimes years. Even prospects who like and trust a firm are juggling competing priorities, and good intentions slip down the list. The firms that win those relationships are usually the ones that stayed top of mind throughout, so that when the prospect is ready to act, theirs is the first name that comes to mind.
Email remains one of the most reliable ways to do that. As more people pull back from social media, the inbox is still somewhere they check every day, and a thoughtful, well-timed message feels personal in a way a social post rarely does. Quality matters more than frequency, since a monthly note worth reading will do more than a weekly one recipients learn to ignore.
We also heard real enthusiasm for something decidedly old school: small, in-person gatherings. With so much online content feeling generic or automated, people are hungry for real interaction, and an intimate client dinner or focused educational event can move a relationship forward faster than months of digital touchpoints. To put this into practice:
Build an email rhythm: Set a realistic cadence for prospects and clients alike, and give each message one useful idea rather than a list of firm updates.
Segment your audience: Business owners, retirees, and younger professionals care about different things, and even light segmentation makes each message feel more relevant.
Host one small event: Plan a single gathering in the coming year around a topic your clients care about, and invite each guest to bring someone they think would benefit.
Follow up personally: A personal note after an event or a meaningful email exchange is often the moment a relationship actually advances.
The Planning Window Is Now: Start on 2027 Today
In nearly every meeting, we found ourselves offering the same advice: a finished marketing plan is not required by January, but the thinking behind it should start now. The final weeks of the year tend to be quieter, making them the ideal window to step back, look at where new relationships have actually come from, and decide where time and resources should go next year. Firms that use this stretch well will walk into January with a head start, while others spend the first quarter catching up.
If there is one lesson to take from FutureProof, it is that a firm's ability to serve clients well is rarely the obstacle to growth. The opportunity lies in making sure more of the right people get the chance to experience it, which comes down to a deliberate, consistent approach to visibility and credibility. We will keep exploring these themes in the coming year, from lead generation and positioning to LinkedIn strategy, earned media, and the conversations that help firms modernize.
Kane & Hook works with financial advisors, asset managers, and the firms that serve them to build the visibility and credibility that keep their pipelines full. Whether you are looking to develop lead-generating content, sharpen your presence on LinkedIn, launch a consistent email program, or earn media coverage that positions your firm as a trusted voice in your market, we can help. To learn more, email us at sarah@kaneandhook.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.