Top 5 Brand Building Strategies for Professional Services Firms

Transcription

1 Top 5 Brand Building Strategies for Professional Services Firms Sylvia Montgomery, CPSM Senior Partner, Hinge Marketing Structural Engineers Association Of Metropolitan Washington January 16, 2013

2 Agenda Best brand building strategies and why they work Examples of firms leveraging their brand Roadmap to establishing your firm s brand 2

3 Your firm s brand is arguably its most valuable asset. 3

4 What Is a Professional Services Brand? Your brand is the totality of how your audience sees, talks about and experiences your firm.

5 How strong is your brand? Reputation x Visibility = Brand Strength

6 The better and more focused the reputation and the greater the visibility within the target client group, the more valuable the brand.

7 How Rebranding Impacts Your Firm Re-focus strategy to the right targets Strengthens your value proposition Tell your story in a clear and powerful way Helps align firm s staff

8 Top Reasons to Rebrand To grow faster To offer new services To target new clients Your message is not clear or compelling Your brand is out of date Decreased competition in the marketplace

9 BRAND BUILDING STRATEGIES 9

10 Brand Building Strategy Defined An effective brand building strategy will help firms increase reputation, relevance and visibility. 10

11 Top Brand Building Strategies 1. Content marketing 2. Develop Visible Experts SM 3. Cultivate prestigious teaming partners 4. Seek high profile clients and case stories 5. Dominate the social media space, appropriately 11

12 1. Content Marketing Think educational rather than promotional Potential clients will develop trust over time Share valuable content to build your brand Highlights expertise 12

13 2. Develop Visible Experts SM Few experts become visible The strength of an expert s personal brand will transfer to the firm via Halo Effect Gives technical professionals a platform to sell 13

14 3. Cultivate Prestigious Partners Partner with prominent organizations Partnering is not the same as sponsoring Conduct a research project or start an educational program Leverage relationships to build online traction 14

15 4. Seek High Profile Clients and Case Stories Develop and invest in a consistent strategy Produce and share results Focus on capturing benefits, not services 15

16 5. Dominate the Social Media Space Many firms are using social media, but inappropriately No different than networking. Who should you connect with? It is still possible to become a major online voice within your target group 16

17 What Is the Best Brand Building Strategy? Combining several top strategies No strategy is effective unless it s implemented No implementation is successful unless reviewed and adjusted 17

18 EXAMPLES OF FIRMS LEVERAGING THEIR BRAND (OR NOT) 18

19 ARUP Home Page Not optimized for search engines Too many nav options Passes 3 second; although lacks value prop/ benefit. Visitor pathways provide very little information 19

20 ARUP Thought Leadership Page Overly crowded right rail makes navigation hard to find/use; right side is NOT best practice Blog posts aren t keyword rich; HEALTH is not a good keyword Not needed Only space to highlight one content piece 20

21 Thornton Tomasetti Home Page Not immediately clear what services they provide Best practice to lead with positioning slide Clear pathways for different audiences but need to consider leading with educational content (blog posts) 21

22 Thornton Tomasetti Projects Way too many options for filtering Services section goes on 30 more options 22

23 BHB Consulting Engineers Home Page Main stage is video using flash won t play on any mobile devices No explanation on what proposal assist is. What happens when I click? No clear pathways for visitors, from the home page it seems like all they are interested in is hiring 23

24 Modative Home Page Navigation is clear and intuitive Positioning text gives a quick introduction to what the company does Blog content keeps homepage fresh Downloadable content allows them to collect leads and show thought leadership 24

25 Modative Interior Page Benefit oriented description of what you will get in the download Requiring registration for download generates new leads through the website 25

26 GHT Home Page Navigation is clear and intuitive Main stage provides samples of past work 3 Pathways for different visitor interests Positioning text explains who GHT is and why they are different 26

27 Munnelly Home Page Optimized for search engines Clear what services they provide Pathways for different visitor groups Lacking a thought leadership section/ educational content Social sharing is available but isn t main focus of site 27

28 ROADMAP TO ESTABLISHING YOUR FIRM S BRAND 28

29 Strategic Marketing Process Defined The strategic marketing process is how you align your firm s overall strategy with your day-to-day business development efforts. 29

30 5-Step Strategic Marketing Process Step 1: Decide on overall goals of the firm Step 2: Identify and reach your primary target audiences Step 3: Put your measurement tools in place Step 4: Implement your strategy Step 5: Review and adjust 30

31 Step 1: Decide on Overall Goals of the Firm Decide on overall goals of the firm Look at where you are already strong Determine which industries have the most promising long-term opportunities 31

32 Step 2: Identify and Reach Your Primary Target Audiences Conduct research to identify potential target client groups Choose your high priority target audiences Develop your marketing strategy and plan to reach your audiences 32

33 Step 3: Put Your Measurement Tools in Place Is your strategy working? Track contacts, referrals, leads, proposals, wins. Conversions come in different flavors it s not just RFPs. How strong is your brand? Track keyword searches on targeted terms, press mentions, social media reach, etc. 33

34 Step 4: Implement Your Strategy Implementing the strategy separates winners from losers. Impact vs. Activity. 34

35 Step 5: Review and Adjust Monthly monitoring: are you doing what you planned to? Quarterly review: is your marketing working the way you projected? Annual review: conduct this review in conjunction with planning and budgeting 35

36 Branding Tools Defined A branding tool helps you build your brand s reputation or increase the visibility of that reputation. 36

37 Top Branding Tools 1. Signature-quality video case stories 2. Must-read industry blog 3. Provocative industry newsletter 4. High-profile issues series 5. Cultivate more Visible Experts SM 37

38 Top Branding Building Blunders 1. No differentiators 2. Trying to be everything to everyone 3. Branding in a blindfold internal & external 4. Making a promise you can t keep 5. Forgetting online branding 38

39 New Research Online Marketing for Professional Services" Spiraling Up" How Buyers Buy:" A/E/C Edition" 39

40 Contact Information Get the book at: