Professional services providers, such as accountants, architects, engineers, fintech, financial advisors, and consultants have something in common; and that is the need for a strong brand presence. While branding is a pan-industry need, there are specific industries and service sectors that need it the most. Professional services firms are one of them.
In fact, branding is a highly recommended lead magnet for professional services companies. So the question now is, how do these firms build a strong brand in their respective markets and industries? In this article, we will discuss 5 essential strategies that can help professional services providers grow their brand and increase their visibility.
Importance of Branding Building Strategy
There are several definitions that describe what a brand is, but the brand of an organization is generally seen as the collective impact, perception, and impressions that people (clients and prospects) have about the company. This is typically influenced by what they’ve seen, heard, and experienced in their journey with the company, as well as in using its products and services.
Branding or creating a brand is, therefore, managing or creating the effect, impression, or impact that a company’s product and services are having on its customer. This is why it is important to invest in your branding as a business. Building and managing a brand is by no means a walk in the park. However, every business owner can use all or some of the tips shared in this post to build a strong brand in their respective niches.
Best Brand Building Strategies
1. Take Content Marketing Seriously
The beautiful thing about content marketing is that it is a very easy branding strategy as much as it is a powerful marketing tool. It is simply a strategy that allows you to push out a steady stream of informational and useful content to your target audience. As a board-certified pediatrician or engineer, one of the best ways to establish your voice in your niche as an expert is by blogging or content marketing.
A good rule of thumb is to keep the information purely educational and informative and avoid sounding salesy or pitching your audience. Over time, people will see how you approach challenges, and if they find your content valuable, you can be sure that they’ll come looking for you when they have challenges. For this to be successful, you should do proper research to find out what issues or challenges your audience is grappling with.
2. Build a Network of High Profile Partners
You can partner with top organizations that are not directly your competitor but servicing the same industry to execute important projects. This way, you give your professional services brand an edge over your competitors. Think of joining trade associations and partnering with complementary firms in the same niche. For instance, if you are a health care provider, specializing in dental care, you can partner with a reputable toothpaste manufacturing company to promote dental health.
You can also participate in sponsorship events, which are great strategies, too. But that’s only when you can afford them. Instead of having your logo up on a crowded sponsors’ banner, you can think of engaging in high-profile or innovative projects in your area and look for interested partners who are willing to execute the project together with you.
3. Think of Building Visible Experts in Your Company
Many professional services firms have experts, but not many of them are well-known and respected in their industry. Imagine the impact that having the best AI engineer in the industry on your team will have on your business? Many companies do not understand this, even though it is an effective branding strategy. Having visible experts in your company can increase the trust and credibility of your firm by 18%.
The power of visible experts lies in the psychological impact it has on your followers or customers. A hospital with the best neurosurgeon in the country will most likely attract more patients than any other highly-rated mental health care hospital in the country. So, how then do you grow your visibility as an expert in your field?
You need to leverage social media, speaking engagements, blogging on reputable online trade publications or guest blogs, networking, and using email marketing to share educational content.
4. Take on High Profile Clients and Cases
As a consultant or financial advisor, working for high-profile clients is a sure way to put your name on the map. In fact, hitching just one high-profile client will do the work, but another strategy is to build a consistent base of small high-profile clients. This, more often than not, will send your professional services firm’s reputation soaring very high overnight.
But it doesn’t end there; you must consistently produce high-profile results, too. If you strategically seek out high-profile clients, it is only a matter of time before you have a clientele base composed primarily of prestigious clients. Keep in mind that this takes preparation and often time, as well.
5. Take Advantage of Social Media
In this age and time, you may be losing out on so much potential if you’re not leveraging social media. Social media is one of the strongest brand-building strategies you can think of. Did you know that many people will not hire a professional services firm that is not visible on social media? People want to take a sneak peek into your previous accomplishment, go through your portfolio before making up their mind about contacting you.
While the traditional in-person networking and marketing approach still works, your brand will definitely enjoy a massive boost if it is active on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the likes. Interestingly, many professional services firms, such as attorneys, accounting, bookkeeping, engineering, and architecture firms, are yet to jump on this opportunity. One of the secrets of building a strong brand is showing up everywhere your target audience looks.
Personalized Brand Building Strategy
Depending on the industry your professional services firm is servicing, you can use one or a combination of the strategies discussed above to create a reputable brand. Also, ensure to maintain a high bar when it comes to the quality of your services. For more personalized brand-building strategies for your business, you can give us a call today at the Mission.
We help small and medium-sized businesses like yours to successfully implement the best growth strategies. Also, as leading partners in the PEO, HR, payroll, and benefits outsourcing marketplace, we provide result-oriented services for small and medium-sized organizations and government contractors, serving as a trusted partner in integrated human resource compliance, risk management, employee benefits, employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), and payroll processing.