A marketing plan
you can keep running.

By Keir Dillon · September 2026

A practical financial-advisor marketing plan needs a defined audience, a clear message, a way to reach that audience, a repeatable activity, and a way to learn from the response. The first version can fit on one page.

Choose the outcome you can observe.

“Be more visible” is difficult to evaluate on its own. A more useful initial objective might be to start relevant conversations with people in a defined client situation or help referred prospects understand a particular service.

Keep the time horizon honest. Publishing a few articles can establish useful material; it does not establish a predictable client-acquisition system.

Match a channel to access.

Start with where you can actually reach the people you want to serve. That may be a professional association, a referral relationship, a small event, a publication, or a search topic. Research the audience before committing to a platform.

Content needs distribution. A strong answer sitting on an unknown website may need an introduction from a person or organization the audience already trusts.

Build a routine around real questions.

Take one question you are qualified to answer. Explain what someone needs to understand, clarify a common misunderstanding you have actually encountered, provide a preparation checklist, and describe your process. Those are four different angles on the same subject.

The client-question planner creates outlines for that routine. You supply the facts, write the finished content, and follow your normal review process.

Count time as a cost.

Kitces’ March 2026 analysis of its 2024 advisor-marketing study reports that advisor and staff time represented 71% of total marketing expenditure in the study’s 2023 data. It is a useful reminder to measure the effort around the publishing, not just subscriptions and advertising bills. The finding is not a benchmark for every advisor channel. Read the Kitces analysis.

Choose the parts that need your judgment. Delegate preparation, formatting, and scheduling when appropriate. Preserve your review of the final work.

Use a small set of measures.

Record what you published, the relevant conversations it started, the inquiries that matched your chosen client situation, and the time you spent. Ask new contacts how they found you and what they read or watched.

If activity is consistent but response is weak, look at distribution and relevance. If response is good but the workload is unsustainable, simplify production. Do not assume the only answer is to publish more.

Write the one-page plan.

1. The client situation I want to reach.
2. The service and approach I want people to understand.
3. The place or relationship through which I can reach them.
4. One question I will answer this month.
5. The time I will allocate and who owns each task.
6. The evidence I will review before changing the plan.