When firms ask us, “What’s the secret to growing AUM in today’s competitive, digital-first environment?” the answer isn’t just about spending more on ads or launching flashy campaigns. The key lies in identifying and improving the right key performance indicators (KPIs)—the metrics that directly impact your ability to attract, engage, and convert investors.

This article will walk you through the five KPIs that drive AUM growth and explain how they come together in our GK3 AUM Growth Funnel. By focusing on these KPIs, setting SMART Goals, and optimizing your efforts in each area, you’ll not only see more opportunities but also realize measurable AUM growth.

Why KPIs Matter More Than Ever in Asset Management

In the digital age, the buyer’s journey has shifted. Prospective investors now conduct extensive research online before engaging with a firm. This means your ability to attract, nurture, and convert these digital prospects is critical to growing your AUM.

However, many firms focus on the wrong metrics or lack a clear strategy. Vanity metrics like website visits or social media likes don’t always translate into business outcomes. Instead, you need to zero in on the KPIs that measure progress through every stage of your marketing and sales funnel. These KPIs give you a clear roadmap for improvement and ensure every effort contributes to AUM growth.

The 5 KPIs of the GK3 AUM Growth Funnel

1. Overall Traffic by Source

To grow AUM, you need a steady flow of traffic to your digital properties—but not just any traffic. You need quality traffic from the right sources, such as organic search, social media, paid ads, and email campaigns. This KPI measures the volume and quality of visitors from each channel.

Why It Matters:
Traffic is the lifeblood of your funnel. If your website or landing pages aren’t getting visits, you won’t have anyone to nurture or convert into leads.

Key Questions to Ask:

• Which channels are driving the most traffic to your site?
• Is your organic search traffic growing?
• Are paid campaigns bringing in the right audience?

Example SMART Goal:
Increase website traffic from organic search by 25% in six months by publishing four SEO-focused articles per month and optimizing existing blog content.

How It Drives AUM Growth:
By increasing traffic from high-intent sources like search engines or targeted ads, you attract more qualified prospects at the top of the funnel.

2. Total Conversions by Channel

Traffic is only as valuable as its ability to convert. This KPI measures the rate at which visitors take meaningful actions—such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a whitepaper, or filling out a contact form—on each channel.

Why It Matters:
If your traffic isn’t converting, you’re missing opportunities to engage potential investors. Improving conversion rates ensures you get more value from your marketing spend.

Key Questions to Ask:

• What’s your average conversion rate across channels?
• Are your landing pages optimized for user experience and clarity?
• Are you offering the right content to capture leads?

Example SMART Goal:
Improve email marketing conversion rates by 15% within three months by implementing A/B testing for subject lines and CTAs, creating two new lead magnets, and segmenting the audience based on past engagement.

How It Drives AUM Growth:
Higher conversion rates mean you’re capturing more leads from the same traffic, building a robust pipeline for future opportunities.

3. Lifecycle Stage Conversion Rates

Moving prospects through the funnel is just as important as capturing leads. This KPI focuses on how effectively you move prospects from one stage to the next, such as from Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) to Sales Qualified Lead (SQL).

Why It Matters:
If leads aren’t progressing, your funnel becomes a bottleneck. This KPI helps identify gaps where prospects lose interest or disengage.

Key Questions to Ask:

• What’s your lead-to-MQL conversion rate?
• Are your lead nurturing campaigns personalized and effective?
• Do your sales and marketing teams align on lead qualification criteria?

Example SMART Goal:
Increase MQL-to-SQL conversion rates by 20% within the next quarter by enhancing lead nurturing email sequences, hosting two educational webinars, and integrating personalized content into email campaigns.

How It Drives AUM Growth:
Improving lifecycle conversion rates ensures that more of your leads become viable opportunities, increasing your chances of closing new investors.

4. Meetings, Demos, or Appointments Scheduled

Getting qualified prospects into direct conversations with your team is a crucial step in the journey toward AUM growth. This KPI measures the number of meetings, demos, or consultations scheduled.

Why It Matters:
Scheduling more meetings means you’re giving your team more opportunities to build relationships and close deals.

Key Questions to Ask:

• How many meetings or demos are being scheduled monthly?
• Are you using tools like automated reminders to reduce no-shows?
• Are your CTAs and booking forms clear and accessible?

Example SMART Goal:
Schedule 25% more consultations over the next four months by launching a targeted paid LinkedIn campaign, creating a dedicated landing page with a booking form, and sending follow-up reminders to warm leads.

How It Drives AUM Growth:
Meetings are where potential investors transition from being prospects to active clients. Increasing these touchpoints drives momentum in your funnel.

5. Opportunities Created/Converted

This KPI measures how many qualified sales opportunities your marketing and sales efforts generate—and how many of those opportunities you successfully convert.

Why It Matters:
Opportunities are the most direct driver of AUM growth. By focusing on creating and converting opportunities, you ensure that all your efforts lead to measurable results.

Key Questions to Ask:

• How many opportunities are being created monthly?
• What’s your win rate for converting opportunities into clients?
• Are you using retargeting campaigns to re-engage high-intent prospects?

Example SMART Goal:
Generate 15% more sales opportunities in the next six months by implementing a chatbot for faster lead qualification, running a retargeting ad campaign, and optimizing follow-up sequences for warm leads.

How It Drives AUM Growth:
Every opportunity represents a potential addition to your AUM. By improving this KPI, you directly impact your bottom line.

Why Focusing on These KPIs Leads to AUM Growth

By optimizing each stage, you amplify your results at every level of the funnel. For example, improving traffic and conversions means more leads enter the funnel, while better lifecycle conversion rates and more meetings increase your opportunities to grow AUM.

Using SMART Goals to Optimize Each KPI

To make progress on these KPIs, you need to set clear, actionable SMART Goals. SMART Goals are:

• Specific: Focused on one measurable outcome.
• Measurable: Trackable with clear metrics.
• Achievable: Realistic given your resources.
• Relevant: Aligned with AUM growth.
• Time-Bound: Anchored to a specific deadline.

By setting SMART Goals for each KPI, you create a roadmap for success. For example, instead of saying, “We want more traffic,” you might set a SMART Goal to increase organic search traffic by 25% in six months with clear actions like blog optimization and new content creation.

Take Action: Start Growing Your AUM Today

Growing AUM in a digital world requires focus, strategy, and the right metrics. By prioritizing the five KPIs in the GK3 AUM Growth Funnel and setting SMART Goals for improvement, you’ll create a system that drives measurable, sustainable growth.