For fund marketers pondering ways to reach RIAs, Financial Research Corporation has some suggestions. Asset managers should incorporate less push and more pull-marketing techniques, according to one of the findings in FRC's report, Winning Strategies for Marketing and Distributing to the RIA.

The report states that push-marketing efforts -- such as advertising, mass emails and cold calls -- are less effective in the RIA space than in other advisor channels.

"Although push-marketing strategies have been effective in other intermediary channels, asset managers could benefit from marketing and wholesaler interactions that are tailored more for the RIA channel," said the report's author, Amy LaFrance.

Asset managers are now increasingly tapping digital marketing strategies, such as micro sites, social media and mobile apps, as part of their campaign.

"This generates more meaningful interactions with RIAs, and opens the door to building stronger relationships in the future," LaFrance said in the press release.

FRC studied brand and advertising campaigns from 13 asset managers since 2010 and found that eight of those managers included a digital marketing component in their campaign. Among them is Ivy Funds, which earlier this year rolled out a campaign that includes videos, print ads with quick response codes, online ads and TV commercials.

FRC also urged asset managers to enhance their Web sites to better respond to RIAs' information needs. The use of Web sites is about 30 percent higher among RIAs than among advisors overall, LaFrance noted.  

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