Institutional and high-net-worth investors are conducting more in-depth online research than ever before as they evaluate potential assets and financial products. Unfortunately, too many asset managers rely on outdated marketing tactics that don’t meet today’s digital expectations.

Understanding the ever-changing digital marketing landscape, however, can be a challenge. Nevertheless, learning about the most powerful digital marketing techniques today is the first step in the right direction. 

Discover the most powerful marketing strategies for asset managers in today’s digital world in this post.  

Strategies for attracting website visitors

Often, financial services professionals get bogged down in capturing new leads for their sales team. And while gaining new leads is important, you can't capture new leads without attracting them to your website first. 

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Google Ads

Search Engine Marketing (SEM), often executed through Google Ads, allows asset managers to place paid advertisements at the top of search engine results. These ads appear when users search for targeted keywords, enabling firms to reach high-intent prospects actively researching investment products or strategies, and attract them to your firm’s website.

Unlike SEO, which takes time to build, Google Ads delivers instant traffic and allows firms to target audiences by keyword, geography, device, and even time of day. It’s especially useful for promoting new funds, capturing leads from niche markets, or remarketing to prior website visitors.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps asset managers increase their visibility on search engines like Google by improving website structure, content relevance, and technical performance. By ranking higher in search results, firms can reach institutional investors, advisors, and prospects exactly when they’re searching for investment insights or solutions.

SEO builds long-term visibility and trust. Unlike paid ads, organic rankings signal credibility and help firms attract qualified traffic consistently. As more content is published and backlinks are earned, SEO becomes a compounding asset that supports brand awareness and lead generation.

Paid Social Media Ads

Paid social media advertising enables asset managers to reach highly specific audiences on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). These campaigns can be tailored by industry, job title, firm size, location, and more—making them ideal for engaging financial advisors, institutional decision-makers, or high-net-worth individuals.

Social media ads offer precision targeting and powerful brand exposure. Unlike organic posts, paid ads cut through platform algorithms to ensure your content reaches the right audience. They're especially useful for promoting gated content, webinars, or new fund launches—and for retargeting users who’ve visited your website but haven’t yet converted.

Organic Social Media

Organic social media refers to the unpaid posts, updates, and interactions asset managers share on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and Facebook. This strategy focuses on consistent engagement, thought leadership, and brand storytelling to build credibility and long-term relationships with target audiences.

While it might take longer to generate leads than paid ads, organic social is essential for demonstrating transparency, expertise, and accessibility. It gives firms a voice and presence where investors and advisors already spend time. When executed consistently, it reinforces brand identity and keeps your firm top-of-mind throughout the investor journey.

Video Marketing (YouTube and Webinars)

Video marketing is a powerful way for asset managers to deliver complex information in a digestible, human-centered format. Platforms like YouTube and live webinars allow firms to showcase expertise, market perspectives, and fund strategies in a more dynamic and engaging way than text alone.

Video builds trust and fosters engagement. Prospective investors and advisors are more likely to watch a 3-minute video than read a whitepaper—especially when researching new strategies or managers. Webinars, in particular, allow for two-way interaction and real-time education, positioning your firm as a thought leader.

Convert — Turn Visitors Into Leads on Your Website

Once you’ve attracted visitors to your website using the methods above, its time to capture those contacts in your CRM. Fortunately, there are a few approaches you can use to do so.

Landing Pages

Landing pages are dedicated web pages designed to capture a visitor’s information or prompt a specific action—such as downloading a whitepaper, registering for a webinar, or inquiring about a fund. Unlike general website pages, they are focused, streamlined, and built to convert.

Landing pages bridge the gap between marketing efforts and lead generation. Whether driving traffic through ads, email, or social media, a well-crafted landing page ensures prospects see only the most relevant content—minimizing distractions and maximizing conversion. For asset managers, they’re essential for capturing interest in investment strategies and thought leadership.

On-Site Forms (e.g. Contact Us, Newsletter Subscribe)

On-site forms, not including forms on landing pages, are essential touchpoints for capturing interest from qualified website visitors. These forms invite engagement from investors, advisors, and institutions ready to connect or stay informed.

These forms are often the first signal of serious interest. Whether someone wants to speak to your sales team, subscribe to thought leadership, or request fund information, on-site forms provide a simple, low-barrier way to start a relationship. When optimized, they turn anonymous traffic into known contacts—fueling your CRM and nurturing programs.

Popup Forms for Content Offers

Popup forms are timed or behavior-triggered overlays that appear while a visitor is browsing your website. They’re designed to grab attention and prompt a specific action—such as subscribing to a newsletter, downloading a resource, or requesting more information—without requiring users to navigate away from the page.

When used strategically, popup forms can significantly boost lead capture rates by presenting a clear call to action at the right moment—such as when a visitor finishes reading a blog post or attempts to exit the site. For asset managers, they’re a smart way to convert engaged visitors into subscribers, prospects, or event attendees without disrupting their browsing experience.

How asset managers can leverage popup forms: 

• Trigger newsletter popups after visitors engage with content
  
  
• Use exit-intent popups to offer gated resources or contact options
  
  
• Promote webinars or reports with time-delayed popups
  
  
• Test different designs and triggers to optimize performance

Calls-to-Action (CTAs) That Drive Conversions

Calls to Action (CTAs) are prompts that encourage website visitors to take a specific next step—such as downloading a whitepaper, scheduling a consultation, or subscribing to insights. 

Strong CTAs create clear pathways for engagement, guiding prospects toward valuable resources or conversations. Whether placed on a fund page, blog post, or in a video, they make it easy for visitors to self-identify their interest and move further down the funnel. For asset managers, CTAs are critical for capturing signals of intent and accelerating lead qualification.

Live Chat and Chatbots

Live chat and AI-powered chatbots allow asset managers to engage website visitors in real time—answering questions, qualifying leads, and guiding users toward the right resources without requiring a phone call or email.

Today’s investors and advisors expect fast, frictionless access to information. Live chat delivers human support instantly, while chatbots can handle common questions 24/7—improving the user experience and capturing leads even outside of business hours. For asset managers, these tools can reduce bounce rates, accelerate lead qualification, and create a more responsive digital presence.

(Check out GK3's Live Chat Bot Here!)

Nurture (“warm up” your leads)

At this point you’ll have attracted leads to your website and captured their contact information. Now it is time to nurture your leads. 

Nurturing leads means strengthening your leads' trust in your company with marketing efforts. While this is typically done through email marketing, there are a few other ways to keep your firm top of mind for newly captured leads. 

Email Marketing 

Email marketing remains one of the most effective channels for asset managers to build trust, deliver thought leadership, and stay top-of-mind with investors and advisors. It’s a direct line to your audience—ideal for nurturing leads and reinforcing your firm’s expertise over time.

Email offers a controlled, measurable way to distribute insights, promote events, and follow up with prospects. Unlike social media or paid ads, it targets people who’ve already expressed interest—making it highly efficient for relationship building. With segmentation and automation, email campaigns can deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time.

Retargeting ads 

Retargeting ads allow asset managers to stay in front of leads who’ve already interacted with the brand—particularly those captured in the CRM through form fills, event registrations, or email engagement. By serving targeted ads to this known audience, firms can reinforce messaging and guide prospects further down the funnel. Google Display Network and LinkedIn are popular platforms for this approach. 

B2B sales cycles in asset management are often long and relationship-driven. Retargeting helps keep your firm top-of-mind during that journey by delivering relevant content to leads across channels—especially when they’re not actively visiting your site. It increases brand recall, encourages return visits, and supports conversion by reinforcing value at just the right time.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Tools 

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach that focuses marketing and sales efforts on specific high-value accounts. Instead of casting a wide net, ABM tailors campaigns to the unique needs and priorities of select organizations, often with super personalized messaging. 

ABM aligns perfectly with the long sales cycles and relationship-driven nature of institutional and advisor-focused marketing. By delivering personalized, relevant content to key decision-makers, asset managers can build credibility, shorten the path to engagement, and increase the chances of converting strategic accounts. ABM also ensures alignment between marketing and sales teams—focusing both on the same high-potential prospects.

Reviewing your marketing efforts and taking next steps 

Once you’ve fully systematized attracting leads to your website, capturing leads, and nurturing them, it’s time to review your efforts and make adjustments. 

This is where good reporting comes into play. It’s of utmost importance to set up reporting to track efforts at each of these three phases described in this article. 

Once you’ve created reliable reporting, you can now focus on making adjustments to your marketing efforts based on data collected from your campaigns. 

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the process of improving your website and marketing assets to increase the percentage of visitors who take a desired action—such as downloading a resource, subscribing to insights, or requesting a consultation. A/B testing supports this by comparing variations of elements (like headlines, buttons, or forms) to see which performs better.

For asset managers, CRO ensures that every marketing initiative—from landing pages to email campaigns—is as effective as possible. Even small changes can lead to significant improvements in lead generation, especially when traffic is highly targeted. A/B testing provides the data to make informed decisions rather than relying on guesswork.

Interested in learning more about these digital marketing approaches in more detail? Check out our Asset Manager’s Guide to Digital Distribution.