Written by: Joel Crampton
Consistent communication helps clients feel informed, reassured, and connected to the work happening behind the scenes, especially when markets, headlines, or major industry news create questions.
ONE BIG IDEA — Communication Is Part of the Client Experience
This week, Vanguard announced plans to acquire Altruist. Within hours, my LinkedIn feed was full of opinions. Some advisors saw the deal as a major positive. Others questioned what it means for Altruist's independence, technology, and long-term direction.
If you're an advisor using Altruist, your clients may see those same headlines and opinions and start wondering:
- Is anything changing with my accounts?
- Is my advisor concerned?
- Does this affect me?
- Should I be doing anything?
Silence doesn't stop those questions, it just leaves someone else to answer them.
That someone might be CNBC, LinkedIn, Google, another advisor, a friend, or an AI-generated summary that has none of the context you have about the client.
This is where good communication becomes part of the value an advisor provides.
You don't always need a definitive answer, and you don't need to manufacture commentary simply because something made the news. But when clients are likely to wonder, a thoughtful message can go a long way:
Here's what happened. Here's how we're looking at it. Here's what it means for you today. We'll keep watching it.
We saw the importance of this constantly during COVID, and we see it whenever markets fall sharply or major financial news creates uncertainty.
You can't control the headline, but you can help your clients understand what it means.
ONE FRAMEWORK — Build A Communication Rhythm
Good communication shouldn't depend on someone remembering to send something. A simple rhythm keeps the firm visible without creating content for content's sake.
MONTHLY — Send a Client Newsletter
For most wealth management firms, I consider a monthly newsletter the minimum. Use it to share:
- Planning ideas
- Market or economic perspective
- Firm and team updates
- Useful resources
- Topics clients should be thinking about
The goal is consistency, relevance, and staying connected between meetings.
WEEKLY — Show Up Personally
Advisors should post from their personal social accounts at least once a week. Personal accounts typically get more attention than corporate pages, and they give clients and prospects a better sense of how the advisor thinks.
Share observations, client questions, planning topics, industry commentary, or something you're paying attention to.
The firm page supports the brand. The advisor's voice builds the relationship.
AS NEEDED — Break the Schedule
Some communication shouldn't wait for the next newsletter. When something happens that could create questions or uncertainty, determine whether clients need an update now.
A simple filter:
- Will clients hear about this?
- Could they reasonably wonder if it affects them?
- Do we have useful context to add?
- Is there anything they need to know or do?
If the answer is yes, communicate.
**Monthly. Weekly. As needed. **That's a communication rhythm most firms can actually sustain — one that keeps your clients (and prospects) in the know and your firm top-of-mind.
ONE RESOURCE — The Client Engagement Trap
How often should clients hear from their advisor?
In a recent Kitces & Carl episode, Michael and Carl explore the balance between staying meaningfully connected and creating communication simply for the sake of adding another touchpoint.
One takeaway stood out → much of the work advisors do is invisible to clients, which makes communication between meetings especially important.
They also discuss how scalable communication like newsletters and webinars can help firms stay connected without creating an unsustainable service burden.
Listen or read: The Client Engagement Trap and Balancing Touchpoints
ONE NEXT STEP — Audit The Last 90 Days
Look back at your client communication over the past 3 months and ask yourself:
- Did clients hear from us every month?
- Did our advisors show up consistently on social media?
- Did we miss any moments where a timely update would have helped?
- Did what we sent feel useful, intentional, and human?
- Is there a clear owner responsible for keeping communication moving?
If the answers are inconsistent, the issue may not be a lack of content, it may be a lack of communication rhythm.
Need help putting this into practice?
I work with financial firms that need senior-level marketing leadership without hiring a full-time CMO and marketing team. If you're looking for help building the strategy, systems, and execution behind your growth, let's chat.
