February 10, 2016

Five Key Content Marketing Strategies for Professional Services Firms

Professional services firms, such as law firms, business management firms and accounting firms, face a market in which potential clients have a wealth of choices, massive amounts of information at their fingertips, and a desire for personalized service. In this blog post, we will walk you through five key content marketing strategies that can help you show potential clients why your firm is the best choice.

1. Establish a Documented Strategy and Voice

Successful content doesn’t just happen. A documented strategy for sourcing, generating, and following up on content is essential. Your strategy can also help enforce your attention to ethical and legal matters, something that professional services firms must consider. Establishing a voice for your organization directs and shapes your messaging, as well as a potential client’s understanding of who you are and what you can do for them. Clients have a plethora of professional service provider choices. They ultimately will choose a firm that speaks to them, and that understands and communicates with them.

2. Say Something That Shows Your Unique Take

For professional services firms, expertise in your field is assumed. Potential clients have a choice, and you need to demonstrate what makes you the right fit. Using visible experts to showcase your expertise can demonstrate your unique approaches, creative solutions, and personality. Your experts can engage your audiences by writing books and e-books, writing blogs and articles, speaking at conferences and events, and providing quotes and background to journalists. Each of these opportunities can help target your platform message and showcase your specific approaches to your field.

3. Target Your Audiences

Your firm has specialties. Highlight them. Specialization can point you to specific target audiences, and then show those audiences how you are equipped to handle their unique needs. If you can show a potential client that you understand a corner of the marketplace better than others, they will see why your firm is their best choice. Targeting your emails is an important element of a strong strategy. Everyone knows that unsolicited emails will most likely wind up in a spam filter or deleted and blocked, so it’s important to target people who have opted in to your email list and those you know personally. In addition, you can segment your email lists to target specific industries, management levels, and more. This will let you send more relevant emails, and give you more specific data to look at in your analytics.

4. Address Buyer Uncertainty

Teaching and educating potential clients is an invaluable piece of a successful marketing strategy. Many people have hesitations in selecting a provider, or even deciding they need the services in the first place. Buyers of professional services don’t have a product to examine. Case studies only do so much, and results are almost never guaranteed. The uncertainty can linger after the service is provided, with a layperson uncertain if they received the best services, especially when they may not have achieved the result desired. You can teach clients about when to seek professional services, what to consider in making their choices, what to reasonably expect providers to be able to accomplish, and how best to communicate their needs. This can reduce buyer uncertainty while increasing client loyalty.

5. Create Compelling Content

The sheer volume of content in our daily lives is mind-boggling. Standing out is the best way to get your message across, and your established voice can help. You can use your expertise and unique perspectives to say things that are original, that advance your field, and that drive discussion. Showcase your experts, firm accomplishments, and milestones. Follow up on your content by engaging with the discussion and monitoring your results. Tracking your content’s analytics will guide you on what is working and what is not, allowing you to address anything that isn’t working. Also remember to incorporate all of your content in your social media marketing strategy.

Takeaways

No one thing will be the “magic bullet” that addresses all your needs. It would be easy to pick one thing to focus on, but without a strategy, you may not have a voice. Without a platform, your great content may not be seen. Without targeting your audience, your message may not have a home. Integrated together, these five elements together can drive your marketing efforts to new successes and lead to fruitful partnerships.

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