{"id":3466,"date":"2023-01-23T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/blog\/story\/brand_launch_creating_a_brand_new_professional_services_brand\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:35:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:35:09","slug":"brand_launch_creating_a_brand_new_professional_services_brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/brand_launch_creating_a_brand_new_professional_services_brand","title":{"rendered":"Brand Launch: Creating a Brand New Professional Services Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Branding a professional services firm comes in two flavors: 1)\u00a0rebranding an existing firm or service line,\u00a0and 2) launching a new one. These two approaches to a brand launch are similar in overall process but distinct in their twists and turns.<\/p>\n

Brand Launch Defined<\/h2>\n

Brand launch<\/strong> is the process of creating a professional services brand where none currently exists. Since you are starting from scratch, you have a unique opportunity to choose how you wish to position your firm in the marketplace, which clients you want to serve and what services you will provide to them. It is the perfect time to develop a compelling value proposition.<\/p>\n

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Download the Rebranding Guide for Professional Services Firms<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Rebranding<\/strong><\/a>, on the other hand, involves an existing firm that already has clients, staff and at least some equity in its brand. Rebranding involves updating your identity, marketplace positioning and\/or messaging. These changes can apply to the entire firm or a single practice or service. Of course, you have to consider how the new brand will affect existing client relationships, any brand equity your firm has accumulated over the years and your marketing momentum. That\u2019s not<\/em> the case with a brand launch, where you are starting from scratch with nothing but that big empty flip chart. Your brand equity is zero. And cash is almost always tight.<\/p>\n

Both brand launch and rebranding are distinct from a brand<\/strong> extension<\/strong>, in which you add a new service line to an existing firm’s offerings. For example, if XYZ Systems introduces XYZ Cloud Services, that’s a brand extension.<\/p>\n

How to Botch a Brand Launch<\/h2>\n

A brand launch offers a golden opportunity to make a great first impression. Yet many firms manage to botch it \u2014 beginning with their firm name. A lot of professional services take a time-honored approach and name their firm after their founders. Or they use a generic service-related term (such as \u201cprofessional,\u201d \u201csystems,\u201d \u201ctechnology,\u201d \u201cservices\u201d or \u201cassociates\u201d) in their name. The resulting moniker is usually long and clumsy, and it soon gets abbreviated into a forgettable string of letters. A long name is a liability on the web, too, where it spawns a domain that\u2019s hard to type and remember.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the web, many firms disappoint prospective buyers up front by underinvesting in their most important marketing tool \u2014 their website<\/a>. A cheap-looking, undifferentiated website is a big turnoff. In fact, our research on referrals<\/a> shows that a third of prospective buyers rule out a firm that was referred to them on the basis of its website alone.<\/p>\n

When they need credibility the most, many startups miss all the opportunities to build it. It’s the equivalent of showing up at a formal event in your sweat pants. Yes, there is a better way.<\/p>\n

Brand Launch Benefits<\/h2>\n

It may not seem that a new brand has many benefits to offer. With no clients, no track record and no cash, what’s to envy? But a new professional services brand does offer three compelling advantages:<\/p>\n