Today’s professional services environment is extremely competitive, so it’s essential that you build and maintain a strong brand. Why? Because it’s your most important asset. The way that your professional services brand looks, sounds, and acts, directly impacts how current and prospective clients view your business.
There are many contributing factors to a brand’s success… However, a key component is your online presence. Regular content posting and consistent communication will influence the likelihood of retaining clients, attracting new opportunities, and will ensure you remain top-of-mind when people search for professional services. After all, there’s a huge amount of lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers etc. out in the market, so you’ll need your brand to help attract new opportunities and keep you relevant with your existing clients.
If you need some more convincing, we’ve summarised the key reasons why regular content posting is important – as well as some tips for achieving a successful communication strategy.
Why is it important for your firm to post regularly?
Here are some key reasons for your professional services firm to establish regular online communication…
To increase brand awareness and remain top-of-mind.
Regular communication – be it through social media, publishing articles, or sending monthly newsletters – will increase your brand awareness and keep you relevant. The more you post, the more visible you will be to potential clients, and the more memorable you will remain to previous clients. If you think about it, you probably buy your favourite brand of soft drink or chocolate due to the packaging and regular advertising. This reinforces the brand as one you ‘know’, and in some cases, even trust.
To establish your expertise and demonstrate thought leadership.
As a professional services practitioner, regular communication is a opportunity for your firm to showcase expertise. Sharing insights and analysis on developments in your field will demonstrate your position as a thought leader and build credibility as a trusted resource for your clients.
To strengthen relationships with your clients, and learn from them.
Posting sporadically may attract attention… But in order to develop meaningful connections with clients, you need to be a consistent content creator who fosters two-way conversation. Posting regularly can also help you learn more about your target market’s interests based on what they “like” and what they don’t.
For greater visibility and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Sharing fresh and relevant content will help you rank higher on Google search. LinkedIn, for example, has a very high search domain ranking. This means, it will come up as one of the top results when people search for you, or your firm, so it’s very important to keep this profile up to date!
How can my firm deliver a successful communication strategy?
With the above in mind, how can my firm deliver a successful communication strategy?
Develop a schedule of relevant and valuable content.
Creating content doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be consistent and valuable to your audience. Start by creating a shared document that holds all of your ideas. Then, plan ahead by scheduling regular social media posts (typically, it’s best to aim for 2-4 per week) and prepare to send monthly or bi-monthly newsletters. Assign due dates to each task, and eventually this will become a habitual process for you and your firm to follow.
Utilise a mix of platforms.
Communicating through a combination of channels – such as your website, blog, social media accounts, and newsletters – can help you reach a wider audience and maintain a consistent presence across different platforms.
By monitoring relevant metrics.
Don’t neglect the importance of measuring success! Use built-in platform analytics to monitor your content and focus on increasing your engagement rates. Metrics can help you decide what type of content to post, where to post it, and when. As a rule of thumb, engagement rates over 5% are considered successful – so learn from these numbers and use them to inform your strategy.
Engaging with followers.
Alongside regular content posting, encouraging two-way communication will generate more engagement. This can be achieved by responding to messages and comments, as well as liking or reacting to posts made by your online community.
Through collaboration.
Collaborating with colleagues, thought leaders, and industry experts is an opportunity for brand alignment and growth. Co-creation will help you to cross-promote your content and expand the reach of your posts, further increasing your visibility to potential clients.
Conclusion – posting regularly is an opportunity to grow your brand!
To conclude, posting regularly is an opportunity to establish your expertise and grow your brand. Being consistent will keep your firm relevant, visible, and top-of-mind for both current and prospective clients.
Maximise your firm’s opportunities by developing a communication strategy of valuable content – which should include key dates, a mix of platforms, measurable goals, and time set aside to engage with followers.
Even if maintaining a consistent brand or content strategy is a challenge for your firm, it is certainly a challenge worth facing.
However, if you’d prefer some help, our team of experts have developed a range of LinkedIn and content writing packages to support you marketing and business development goals.