BRANDING
By: Dr. Daralee Barbera
Every year, advisors ask me the same question: “What is the single best thing I can do next year to grow my practice?” My answer is rarely what they expect. Before we talk about technology, lead programs, social media, or the next shiny marketing tactic, I ask a simpler—and more revealing—question:
How is your client community, and what are you doing to give it a hug? That is, how are you reminding clients that they are seen, supported, and valued?
If that question gives you pause, good. Because 2026 is shaping up to be a year where retention, trust, and relevance will be among what matters the most. The advisors who will thrive will not be the loudest marketers; they will be the most consistently present.
Client Community
This matters as most clients do not see their advisor merely as a product provider. Over time, they come to view you as part of their personal professional community—and often as a key contributor to what makes their family system or business function well. You may be one of the few professionals who understands both their personal goals and financial realities.
Clients feel a part of your client community as they place significant trust in advisors when making consequential decisions related to family security, business continuity, employee wellbeing, and risk management. You are often present during pivotal life and business transitions, including retirement, growth or succession planning, health events, and the loss of a loved one.
Client trust and belonging in your client community exists because clients see you as credible, reliable, and competent—someone who communicates clearly and provides enough information to make well-informed decisions with confidence. Community is a mutual relationship.
2026
The new year is the perfect time to review your marketing and servicing model and recommit to the fundamentals of community building that drive long-term growth, connection, communication, and care.
If you could implement just one marketing and service upgrade in 2026, I recommend a simple but powerful combination:
Quarterly newsletters paired with a disciplined annual review process.
If you are already doing these, you may still find a few ideas here that help you do them with greater impact.
Why Newsletters Still Matter (More Than Ever)
A newsletter is not about selling. It is about reminding clients—and their families—that they belong to a community. In an environment filled with noise, uncertainty, and constant change, a professional, predictable communication from you does three critical things:
- Reinforces trust
- Signals stability
- Positions you as an ongoing resource, not a one-time transaction
How to Do It Well
Keep it simple and brief:
One page is ideal. Choose a clean visual format that reflects your brand and remains consistent. Even before a client reads it, they should immediately recognize it as yours.
Share “news you can use:”
A short, client-facing article addressing a timely planning issue or regulatory update. The goal is not depth, but to spark relevance: “Is this something I should be thinking about?”.
Quarterly works:
A quarterly cadence is sustainable. You have three months to gather ideas, finalize content, update your list, and distribute. Then repeat. Consistency is important.
Add value-enhancers:
- A calendar of key dates (open enrollment, tax deadlines, Medicare milestones)
- A “Client Corner” FAQs
- Educational events such as webinars, podcasts, short talks, or interviews. Even if readers do not attend, they see the topics—and they see you as the guide
“Newsletters and annual reviews are not flashy tactics. They are foundational disciplines.”
Annual Reviews: Your 2026 Growth Tool
Your newsletter should consistently reinforce the importance of scheduling an annual review. If reviews are not already systematized, 2026 is the year to start.
Clients value predictability. When reviews occur around the same time each year, they become a rhythm rather than a request. This shifts your practice from reactive servicing to proactive leadership.
A Simple 1-2-3 Review Framework
Step 1: Where are you now?
What has changed since your last meeting? Life events, business shifts, health updates, and family dynamics. Are current products still doing the job they were designed to do?
Step 2: Where do you want to go?
Revisit goals. What is new, changing, or emerging? What is relevant today?
Step 3: How will you get there?
This is your opportunity to update their plan, refine strategies, and align programs, products, and services to current realities.
Clients experience this as “care” more than as a “review.”
Do Not Skip Beneficiary Reviews
Beneficiary reviews deserve special attention. Life changes quietly, and beneficiary designations can become outdated or misaligned.
Make beneficiary reviews a formal annual practice. When appropriate, personally connect with beneficiaries so they understand who you are and your role. Including beneficiaries in your newsletter distribution, when permissible, supports continuity across generations.
Operational Excellence Supports Client Care
Use scheduling tools to make it easy for clients to access your calendar. Accessibility builds confidence and reduces administrative burden.
Set clear goals for your annual review initiative:
- How many reviews will you complete in 2026?
- Which clients require your personal involvement, and which can be supported by your team?
- How many meetings are realistic per week and per month?
Prioritize your client base into meaningful segments and build your calendar intentionally.
Track What Matters
Measure the impact of this approach by tracking:
- Client retention
- Recurring revenue
- Referrals
- New sales
- New Centers of Influence
If you have 2025 data, use it as your baseline. Then watch what happens when connection becomes systematic.
Referrals do not happen by accident. They happen when clients feel seen, supported, and confident enough to introduce you to people they care about.
Make 2026 the Year of Client Community
Newsletters and annual reviews are not flashy tactics. They are foundational disciplines.
Together, they create a deliberate, repeatable process that allows you to truly know your clients, anticipate change, be responsive, and deliver value over time.
Strengthen loyalty. Deepen trust. Increase retention. And grow your business.
Give your client community that hug in 2026—one newsletter and one meaningful conversation at a time. Remind them they are seen, supported, and valued.
Dr. Daralee Barbera EdD CFP® CMFC® CLF® ChFC® CEPA® CPBL® CPMBC® is a Certified Master Business Coach, international speaker, professor, author, and consultant. She has over three decades of financial services and leadership experience. She is President of DPC, Diversified Professional Coaching, LLC, serves as Director of Faculty and Graduate Leadership at The American College of Financial Services, holds the Joseph-Liddy Chair in Practice Management & Leadership and is Assistant Professor of Leadership. Dr. Barbera is the 70th recipient of the Will G. Farrell Award, presented by NAIFALA, and she is Past President of the GAMA International Board of Directors.
daralee@divprocoach.com
Featured in our January Special Issue 2026 page 26 – Click Here to Download!