Getting your marketing ducks in a row
Professional services often prove to be a challenge for marketers for a variety of reasons:
- So many firms provide similar services that it’s hard to distinguish yourself from the competition.
- Partners can be self-directed which can result in them compromising your firm’s brand.
- Your firm’s services are likely very technical and specialised that they make no sense to people outside of your immediate circle.
- When your advisors want to break into new markets, they may have little experience that will complement their efforts.
This presents a number of challenges for you and your firm. Here’s few tips to overcome them.
The solutions are always there – you need to find them.
Distinguish from your competitors
The first and most important thing your firm needs to do is distinguish itself from the competition. There are so many white wash statements that firms say – all of them. “We put our clients first”. “Our team is qualified and experienced”. “We are experts in…”. Focus on becoming an authority and a true thought leader, not a generalist.
Your firm very likely has what it needs to present themselves as an authority – they just need the help of a savvy marketing professional (like you?) to make this happen. Branding as an authority and a leader in your field will make your market begin to see you differently – as an authority and someone they can trust and follow.
Your partners should each do the same, but do so by leveraging your firm’s brand so as not to deviate too far from the brand of the firm.
Speak their language
To get others to understand what you do and get them to trust your services, you need to start speaking their language – you need to understand your audience, how they talk, the terms they use. Every true leader needs to know their followers, just as you need to know your clients. By knowing your audience, you will eventually get them to connect with you, and will also build client loyalty.
Research, research, research
You also need to keep educating yourself to form new experiences and remain an authority figure in your field. What’s more, this is the best way to become ready to break into new markets because to gain further experience you need to research, and you need to analyse what you find. All of that enables you to grow and gives you the ability to approach a new subject with a lot more ease than one would think.
The bottom line
Overcoming the common problems that occur for firms and their owners becomes much more comfortable after you work on becoming a thought leader. As you can see, a solution to all of these problems is turning yourself into someone clients, and others can look up to and trust, gaining new experiences through effort and learning, enabling partners and connecting your entire firm through its unique brand.
All of that leads you to become a true thought leader, the only thing that you need to be to overcome all problems and succeed.
Thought Leadership Initiative can help you find the answers to these common problems.