Getting specific about the RIA market

If you’re trying to reach the RIA market, my first question is: Which part?

A firm serving physicians has different conversations from one focused on business owners approaching a sale. An advisor working with high-net-worth families may need different support from a multifamily office serving ultra-high-net-worth households. Firm size matters, but it only tells you so much.

The people these firms serve have their own needs, worries, and expectations. Your marketing needs to account for that, along with how the advisory business operates and who makes purchasing decisions.

Research outside financial services offers a useful reminder. McKinsey’s 2026 B2B Pulse study identified three groups with different buying preferences: 53% were relationship-oriented adapters, 29% sought tightly connected buying experiences, and 18% were early adopters of technology. Those are cross-industry findings, rather than an RIA breakdown, but they show why one approach can miss very different buyers.

On the consumer side, McKinsey’s 2021 research found that 72% expected businesses to recognize them as individuals and understand their interests. Advisors’ clients bring those expectations with them, too.

Before building a campaign, choose a specific group of firms and talk to them. What are they trying to accomplish? What’s frustrating their staff? What would make them consider a new partner? Who else needs to be involved in that decision?

Then make your message useful to that group. Show a relevant example. Explain how your offering fits their existing process. Give them something they can use before asking for a meeting, and follow through when they respond.

Trust takes time. A focused conversation and a relevant introduction can do more than another broad email about how much you understand advisors. Start with a smaller audience you can understand well, and build from there.

Sources

• McKinsey — The surprising economics of B2B growth (May 28, 2026)
• McKinsey — The value of getting personalization right—or wrong—is multiplying (November 12, 2021)