“Do more with less!”…if you are a marketer working in professional services this phrase is all too familiar, especially in today’s chaotic business environment.
Every client, every panel, every event I have been to in the last 12 months has emphasised the importance of demonstrating value. I would argue that the two most important goals for any marketing team right now is making the most of your budget to drive impact across the business and demonstrating to the organisation that marketing drives results.
This can be anything from driving revenue growth, to improving client retention, to raising brand awareness to attracting new clients, or expanding into new markets.
In the world of professional services, where we thrive on credibility, trust and expertise; effective marketing needs to strengthen your reputation, demonstrate thought leadership, be creative and memorable.
The cornerstone of any effective marketing campaign is a strategic, consistent and creative content strategy. Here are 5 examples of effective marketing in action in professional services that we all draw inspiration from.
1. Thought Leadership that Builds Trust – McKinsey & Company
McKinsey has long been a leader in publishing high-quality insights through its McKinsey Quarterly, industry reports, and podcasts. Their content tackles the big transformation themes from AI to navigating today’s workforce to the economic impact of tariffs and global trade.
By producing valuable and thought-provoking content, McKinsey is often top of mind for large-scale consultancy and transformation assignments. As the saying goes “Nobody was ever fired for hiring McKinsey.” The format of their content is dynamic, interesting and visual making it a clear leader and example of best practice; my go to inspiration always.
2. The Power of the Media – Hays Consulting
Running for nearly a decade now, recruitment consultancy Hays produces its annual Salary & Recruiting Trends Guide, which charts employment trends, such as hybrid working, the impact of AI, hiring movement, salary benchmarks, the role of DEI etc. In the UK it is often considered as a key economic barometer and the go-to survey for employment trends for media commentators and journalists.
Consistently getting coverage in broadcast media, it’s a great platform for brand awareness, building trust and credibility with clients and industry. Also the rich data (15,000 professionals) gives it the ability to draw comparisons, build stories to share across all channels, and importantly data that can fuel media stories for a full year. A great piece of content that is always newsworthy.
3. Building Credibility on LinkedIn – Accenture
With over 1 billion members, LinkedIn can’t be ignored; anyone working today in professional services needs to be not just “on” LinkedIn but be actively engaging and publishing content on LinkedIn. Accenture stands out as best practice for an interactive and interesting content feed, with plenty of variety from videos to client case studies to employee stories. With a follower base that places it among the top 20 most followed companies on LinkedIn, it must be doing something right!
For the professional services industry, which is all about people, the platform is the perfect place to demonstrate thought leadership, engage both clients and employees effectively, and build that all-important trust and reputation.
It’s also a great example of how to run a social advocacy programme for employees, giving the brand authenticity and personality.
4. Purpose Driven Marketing – Deloitte
Now in its fourth year, the Women @ Work: A Global Outlook report surveys 5,000 women across 10 countries, providing a comprehensive analysis of the challenges women face in the workplace.
A stand-out campaign, it is a great example of integrating thought leadership in action. It brings brand purpose and client relevance into a single report driving the client conversations and industry discussion that matter. Simply put, thought leadership in action!
Taking a multi-platform approach; the content is used for podcasts to social advocacy to media across its global leadership, allowing it to reach a diverse audience beyond just the corporate world.
5. Brand Partnerships – Mishcon de Reya
Law firm Mischon de Reya has successfully run its Now & Next campaign in collaboration with the Economist for many years. The report tackles the transformative themes that concern clients from AI to women and leadership to the implications of declining public trust. The multi-media series consists of articles, videos, blogs creating a bank of content that can be repurposed for marketing, client events and content.
The Economist collaboration gives the firm credibility, reaching a wider, more informed audience. For professional services companies looking to build a profile quickly, brand affiliation and partnerships can be a very effective route.
Yvonne Maher is Chief Growth Officer, EMEA
