The ETF Marketing Memo: March 2026 | Visibility, Networks, and the Voices Shaping the Industry

As the ETF landscape becomes increasingly competitive, issuers are looking for more effective ways to reach financial advisors and allocators. In this edition, we examine what actually works in ETF social media campaigns and how firms can use platforms like LinkedIn to build credibility, share insights, and stay top of mind with key audiences.

We also highlight the power of professional networks and industry leadership through a conversation with Kristine Delano, board member of Women in ETFs and author of The Lies We Trade. Kristine shares her perspective on how the organization has evolved into a global community focused on mentorship, collaboration, and career development, as well as why authentic relationships remain one of the most valuable assets in the ETF ecosystem.

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What Actually Works in ETF Social Media Campaigns

By: Kellee Kane, Vice President, Social Media

For many ETF issuers, one of the biggest marketing challenges is building sustained visibility among financial advisors and allocators. The strategy may be differentiated and the portfolio management team highly credible, yet awareness among key audiences can remain limited. Social media has become one of the most effective tools for addressing this gap when used strategically.

That said, effective ETF social media campaigns require more than simply increasing posting frequency or promoting product features. The programs that consistently drive engagement and awareness tend to follow a few common principles.

Start With the Audience, Not the ETF

One of the most common mistakes ETF issuers make is building social campaigns around the mechanics of the fund rather than the needs of the investor.

Financial advisors and institutional allocators are not scrolling social platforms looking for ticker symbols. They are looking for ideas that help them solve portfolio challenges, understand market trends, or better serve their clients.

Successful ETF campaigns begin by identifying the core audience and what motivates them. For many issuers, this means financial advisors, model portfolio managers, or institutional decision makers. Once that audience is clearly defined, messaging should be framed around the problem the ETF helps address.

Instead of leading with the fund’s structure or expense ratio, campaigns that perform well often begin with the broader market narrative. Is the strategy designed to address income needs, market volatility, or exposure to a long-term structural trend shaping the market? When the message connects to an investment conversation already happening in the market, engagement tends to increase.

Prioritize LinkedIn for Advisor Reach 

While ETF marketers often experiment across multiple platforms, LinkedIn consistently remains the most effective channel for reaching financial professionals.

The platform allows issuers to target specific audiences such as registered investment advisors, wealth managers, and institutional investors. More importantly, the platform is built for professional content. Advisors expect to see market insights, research perspectives, and portfolio ideas in their feeds.

Successful campaigns typically emphasize educational content rather than direct product promotion. This may include short commentary from portfolio managers, insights tied to current market developments, or thought leadership around emerging investment themes.

When these insights are paired with paid promotion targeting advisor audiences, issuers can expand their reach beyond their existing network and introduce their ideas to new segments of the advisor community.

Use Campaigns to Build Brand Authority

Another misconception is that social media campaigns should be evaluated only through immediate leads or asset flows. In reality, the most successful ETF social programs focus first on building credibility and recognition within the advisor community.

Many advisors discover new ETFs through repeated exposure to an issuer’s insights and expertise. Social media plays a critical role in establishing that familiarity.

Campaigns that highlight portfolio managers, investment insights, and firm viewpoints help position issuers as knowledgeable participants in broader market conversations. Over time, this visibility strengthens brand authority and supports distribution teams as they build relationships with advisors and platforms.

Consistency Matters More Than One Viral Moment

ETF marketing success on social media rarely comes from a single high-performing post. Instead, it is typically the result of sustained visibility over time.

Advisors and institutional investors evaluate investment ideas carefully and often over long time horizons. Consistent messaging, regular thought leadership, and ongoing education help ensure that an issuer’s brand remains visible when allocation decisions are being made.

For ETF marketers, the goal of social media should not simply be generating impressions. It should be creating a steady stream of relevant insights that position the issuer as a credible voice in the investment landscape.

When campaigns focus on investor needs, leverage platforms like LinkedIn effectively, and maintain consistent storytelling, social media becomes more than a promotional tool. It becomes a powerful driver of brand awareness and long-term growth for ETF issuers competing in an increasingly crowded market.

Q&A with: Kristine Delano, Board Member of Women in ETFs, Fiction Writer

 

By: Paige Sullivan, Account Director

As the ETF industry continues to evolve, so does the conversation around who is shaping its future. In recognition of Women’s History Month, we spoke with Kristine Delano, fiction writer, financial services veteran, and board member of Women in ETFs, about how the organization is helping elevate women across the ecosystem.

What began as a networking forum has grown into a global community centered on mentorship, leadership development, and meaningful professional support. Kristine shares how Women in ETFs has matured in recent years, what it truly takes to build lasting relationships in a competitive industry, and why storytelling – whether through career advocacy or fiction – can be a powerful tool for connection and growth.

From fostering authentic networks to encouraging women to step into leadership roles, her perspective offers a timely reminder that progress in this industry is driven not just by innovation, but by people willing to invest in one another.

Women in ETFs has grown into a global network focused on connection, support, and inspiration within the ETF industry. How have you seen the organization’s role evolve over the past few years, particularly around fostering inclusion and professional development?

Women in ETFs has really grown up and in the best way. What started as an organization focused on events (adding a single woman to a panel of men, grabbing a cocktail at a conference, trying to read a small print name tag at a lobby bar) has evolved into something much more meaningful: authentic relationships that impact careers.

Over the past few years, I’ve seen the focus shift from simply networking to genuinely knowing one another. We support each other’s teams, we open doors, and we have real conversations about growth, leadership, and navigating the industry. While it’s now a truly global organization, its impact still comes down to individuals who are willing to generously share their time, insights, and hard-won experience.

In other words, it’s less about collecting business cards and more about collecting people who’ve got your back, and that’s a pretty powerful evolution.

Networking and mentorship are core pillars of Women in ETFs. From your perspective, what strategies help women build meaningful professional networks within the ETF ecosystem?

I’ve learned that meaningful professional networks aren’t built over a glass of Prosecco a few times a year (although I rarely say no to a nice glass of bubbly). Trusted relationships are built in the trenches.

One of the most powerful examples for me happened recently with a fellow Women in ETFs board member. I was preparing for an incredibly difficult meeting. Stakes were high. There were competing priorities, sensitive conversations, and a lot riding on the outcome. We spent hours talking through strategy, messaging, and potential objections. We even role-played the tough questions and pressure-tested my responses. It wasn’t glamorous. No name tags. No step-and-repeat backdrop. Just real work and real support.

That’s where the trust we built over years paid dividends.

In Women in ETFs, the strongest relationships grow from serving together—making sure sponsors feel valued, encouraging membership growth, ensuring chapters are funded and thriving. When you’re solving problems side-by-side and navigating challenges together, you build respect for each other’s strengths. You see how someone thinks, how they handle pressure, how they lead.

Networking, at its best, isn’t transactional. It’s collaborative. It’s showing up when something is hard. And over time, that kind of shared work turns into a network that’s not just wide but awe-inspiringly deep.

Your new book, The Lies We Trade, blends your Wall Street experience with storytelling. What inspired you to transition into fiction, and how do the themes in your book reflect lessons you’ve learned about leadership, risk, and authenticity?

Over more than two decades in high finance, I’ve witnessed many pressure-cooker moments that never made the headlines. Hidden in plain sight are the impossible demands, the reputational mistakes, and the ambitious players who push themselves through brilliance right to the brink. I wanted to bring that world forward with authenticity, but also with heart.

My creative process is equal parts research, reflection, and emotional honesty. I ask myself: What does pressure do to a person? To a marriage? To a team? From there, the characters emerge. They are flawed, driven, and trying to do the right thing, even as the stakes escalate. I want the thriller elements to feel breathless and high-risk but grounded in the very real human cost of ambition.

I hope readers find themselves in The Lies We Trade, specifically in Meredith’s journey. She struggles to trust fully and forgive quickly. The book offers a safe space to examine resilience, reconciliation, and the courage required to stand up for what’s right, even when it hurts. My hope is that it sparks conversations about what quiet quitting a marriage can look like and the danger of losing the ability to communicate with the people you love.

Storytelling is powerful. It can inspire empathy for people and situations you learn about, and it can also help you know you are not alone. Others, even fictional characters, can feel the same stressors and attempt to juggle the same challenges you do. I offer that connection through thriller novels.

For people looking to get involved with Women in ETFs, where should they begin?

First thing I would say, is bravo, good choice, and then I’d suggest three simple (but powerful) steps:

1. Start local and actually show up. Women in ETFs has dozens of chapters globally, so begin with your local chapter and commit to attending an event. Put it on your calendar. Walk into the room. Introduce yourself. Momentum starts with proximity. We’ve seen this from the beginning.

2. Listen and reach out. Tune into the We Talk Careers podcast, where some of the best leaders in the ETF industry share real stories about career challenges, pivots, and growth. As you listen, pay attention to whose voice resonates with you. Then be bold. Reach out and ask for a virtual coffee. Most leaders are far more generous with their time and wisdom than we assume.

3. Serve. Volunteer. The real magic happens when you give your time. Volunteer for a committee. Support a sponsor initiative. Help grow membership. When you sacrifice alongside others—working toward something bigger than yourself—you build trust in a way no networking event alone can create. And you’ll be amazed at how often the people you serve with become the ones who show up for you later.

Start local. Stay curious. And be willing to serve. That’s where the real community begins.

Kristine is also the author of The Lies We Trade, a financial thriller inspired by her decades in high finance. You can learn more about the book and her work here.

Standout moment: We secured feature coverage for Aga Kuplinska, SVP of Product Development at Tidal Financial Group, in InvestmentNews, positioning her as a leading voice on the evolution of income ETFs. In the piece, Aga shared insight on how the category is moving beyond traditional covered-call strategies toward more sophisticated, outcome-oriented approaches, reinforcing her expertise at the intersection of product development and investor demand.

Why it worked: By aligning a timely industry trend with a highly credible spokesperson, we positioned Aga as a go-to source and secured meaningful coverage for the firm.