TDLR; The State of Digital & AI 2026 is Snappy Kraken’s annual report on how digital marketing is changing for financial advisors. This year, the report expands beyond traditional digital marketing to explore how AI-assisted discovery, search behavior, websites, campaigns, CRM, and follow-up are reshaping the advisor growth journey.
For the past few years, Snappy Kraken has published the State of Digital to help financial advisors and firms understand what is changing in digital marketing.
It has become one of the reports our clients ask us about every year.
They want to know what the data says. They want to know what is working. They want to know how advisor marketing is changing and what they should be paying attention to next.
This year, we started with that same goal.
We set out to look at the data, identify the trends, and publish the next version of the State of Digital.
Why This Year’s Report Is Different
But as our team started digging in, the story became more interesting.
We noticed patterns that made us pause. So we kept looking. We dug deeper into the data. We compared what we were seeing across advisor marketing activity to what the broader market has been saying about AI, search, discoverability, and the way people now find answers.
And the report started to shift.
Not because this is a report about AI tools.
It is not.
This report is not about using AI to write an email faster, create a social post, or summarize a meeting. Those use cases matter, but they are not the center of this story.
This is still a report about digital marketing for financial advisors.
But digital marketing is changing because AI is changing how people discover information, research questions, compare options, and form impressions before they ever reach out.
That is why this year’s State of Digital became the State of Digital & AI.
Earlier this year, in our Lead Lifecycle series, we talked about visibility, intent, and awareness — and how the advisor growth journey is becoming less linear.
That conversation became an important lens for this report.
Because the more we looked, the more we saw that advisor marketing is not just changing at the point of discovery. The shift is showing up across the full growth journey: how prospects become aware of you, where they go to validate trust, how they engage with your website, social content, email, and campaigns, and what happens after they show interest.
That is what makes this year different.
The question is no longer just, “Are we showing up?”
It is:
Are we showing up in the right places?
Are we building trust before someone is ready to talk?
Are we making the next step clear when they are ready?
Are our campaigns, website, CRM, and follow-up working together?
Are we turning visibility into action?
Those are the questions behind this year’s State of Digital & AI.
On July 28th, we’ll share what the data reveals about how advisor marketing is changing, what trends stood out to our team, and what advisors and firms should be paying attention to next.
We’ll also talk about what this means in practical terms: how to think about visibility, where intent may be showing up, why the website matters differently now, and how connected marketing systems can help advisors move from activity to momentum.
After the webinar, attendees will receive access to the full State of Digital & AI 2026 report, along with the companion Field Guide & Advisor Action Plan designed to help turn the findings into practical next steps.
We have been talking about visibility, intent, and awareness all year through our Lead Lifecycle series. If you want the context behind this year’s report, you can watch the session here.
Now the data is here.
Join the State of Digital & AI Webinar
Join us on Tuesday, July 28th at 2pm ET for the State of Digital & AI 2026 webinar and see what it means for advisor growth.
👉 Register for the webinar here
FAQ
What is the State of Digital & AI 2026?
The State of Digital & AI 2026 is Snappy Kraken’s annual look at how digital marketing is changing for financial advisors and firms, including the impact of AI-assisted discovery.
Is this report about using AI tools for marketing?
No, the report is still about digital marketing for financial advisors, but this year it explores how AI is changing the way prospects discover information, research questions, compare options, and form impressions before they reach out.
Why did the State of Digital become the State of Digital & AI?
As Snappy Kraken’s team analyzed the data, they saw patterns that aligned with broader changes in AI, search, discoverability, and the way people now find answers. That shifted the focus of this year’s report.
When is the State of Digital & AI 2026 webinar?
The webinar is on July 28. Attendees will receive access to the full report and the companion Field Guide & Advisor Action Plan after the webinar.
