Kitces Summit: 6 organic growth tactics for RIAs

The virtual Kitces Marketing Summit 2026 brought together six presenters and about 1,000 attendees to discuss organic client growth strategies for small registered investment advisory firms. The event was organized by Michael Kitces and Taylor Schulte of Define Financial and ran as a one-day program of case studies from operating advisors.

Kitces described the session as “a day of sharing to show you what some other advisors are actually doing in their practices,” and Schulte urged firms to move away from head-to-head sales pitches and toward predictable outreach that can scale for small teams.

Presenters detailed specific tactics and results. Jason Hamilton of Keep It Simple Financial Planning outlined a Meta retargeting campaign that ran on a budget of roughly $10 to $15 per day. Over nine months, he reported that the campaign contributed about $12 million in assets under management and generated more than $60,000 in planning retainer revenue.

Nate Hoskin, now leading SageContent after selling his RIA, described using short video content across platforms including TikTok to widen his lead pool and justify higher fees. He reported doubling annual revenue to $650,000 in 2025 and receiving inquiries from high-net-worth prospects through social video.

Katherine Fox of Sunnybranch Wealth focused on narrowly defined messaging for young inheritors of wealth on Instagram. Her targeted content produced 70 introductory calls, approximately $19 million in new assets and about $175,000 in additional revenue over a year, she reported.

Shaun Melby of Melby Wealth Management discussed search-engine and local optimization. He said deliberately optimizing website copy for queries such as “financial advisor in Nashville” and “fee-only financial planner in Nashville,” along with AI-oriented search tactics, helped his solo practice average about 10 new clients per year over seven years.

Corbin Blackburn of Tempo Wealth described building landing pages and targeted content for employees of specific large employers. That approach added more than 100 planning clients and over $200 million in assets under management in roughly the first year after implementing the employer-focused pages and automation.

Jerry Davidse, CEO of Presilium Private Wealth, outlined a structured referral program that began with 15- to 30-minute client satisfaction Zooms. Follow-up steps included written summaries, handwritten thank-you notes and phone calls when clients named potential referrals. The campaign produced more than 100 referrals and about $100 million in AUM in 2025, he reported.

Presenters emphasized testing and measurement, advising advisors to target outreach, use modest budgets to learn what works, and refine campaigns based on data. The summit was the 11th annual meeting and focused on tactics small RIAs can deploy without large in-house marketing teams or outside sponsors.