{"id":3814,"date":"2024-05-07T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/blog\/story\/a_10_step_brand_development_strategy_for_your_professional_services_firm\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:06:23","slug":"a_10_step_brand_development_strategy_for_your_professional_services_firm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/a_10_step_brand_development_strategy_for_your_professional_services_firm","title":{"rendered":"Brand Development Strategy: 10 Essential Steps for Your Professional Services Firm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your brand is perhaps your professional services firm\u2019s most valuable asset. If this is true, then developing a stronger, more engaging brand is your single most important task. Think this sounds like an exaggeration? Consider what a professional services brand is and how a brand development strategy can guide you on the right path.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Brand Defined<\/span><\/p>\n

A professional services brand is the product of a firm\u2019s reputation and its visibility in the marketplace. As a result, one way to measure the strength of your brand is with the formula, <\/span>Reputation\u00a0 X\u00a0 Visibility.<\/b><\/p>\n

Any successful marketing program has to address both of these factors. Your firm\u2019s reputation is not enough. Prospective buyers have to be able to find you. Nor is being highly visible enough. People need to value the services and products you have to sell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That means there is another important dimension of your brand, as well: how relevant it is to your target client audience. We\u2019ll explore this point more a bit later, but first let\u2019s explain what we mean when we say <\/span>brand development.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What is Brand Development?<\/h2>\n

Brand development is the process of creating and strengthening your professional services brand<\/a>. When Hinge helps firms develop their brands, we divide the process into three phases.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. First, we make sure we get your brand strategy right and aligned with your business objectives.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Second, we develop all the tools you will need to deliver your brand to the marketplace. This includes a range of things, such as your logo, tagline and website.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Finally, we strengthen your new or updated brand. Think of this as a marketing program designed to boost both your reputation and your visibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Your brand development strategy is how you go about accomplishing these tasks. To make the task a bit easier to digest, we\u2019ve broken the brand development strategy into 10 steps.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    Free Resource<\/h6>

    The Brand Building Guide for Professional Services Firms<\/p>\nDownload Now<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n

    A 10-Step Brand Development Strategy<\/h2>\n

    1. Consider your overall business strategy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    A <\/span>strong, well differentiated brand<\/span><\/a> will make growing your firm much easier. But what type of firm do you want? Are you planning to grow organically? Your overall business strategy is the context for your brand development strategy, so that\u2019s the place to start. If you are clear about where you want to take your firm, your brand will help you get there. When considering your strategy, consider not only what you <\/span>will<\/span><\/i> be doing but also what you <\/span>will not<\/span><\/i> be doing (and who you will not be serving).<\/span><\/p>\n

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    See case story: ReBranding Global SkillS x-Change<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    2. Identify your target clients<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Who are your target clients? If you say \u201ceverybody\u201d you are making a very big mistake. Our research clearly shows that <\/span>high growth, high profit firms<\/span><\/a> are focused on having clearly defined target clients. The narrower your focus, the faster you are more likely to grow. The more diverse your target audience, the more diluted your marketing messaging must be. So how do you know if you have chosen the right target client group? That\u2019s where the next step comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n

    When you focus on a particular target audience\u2014whether it\u2019s an industry (or group of related industries), a role (for example, CEOs) or something else\u2014you become a \u201cspecialist.\u201d Specialists are not only differentiated from their non-specialist brethren, they can command higher fees.<\/span><\/p>\n

    3. Research your target client group<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Firms that do <\/span>systematic research on their target client group<\/span><\/a> grow faster and are more profitable (see figure below). Further, those that do research more frequently (at least once per quarter) grow faster still.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Research equips you with several advantages. It helps you understand your target client\u2019s perspective and priorities, anticipate their needs and create messaging that will resonate with them. It can also tell you how your clients perceive your firm\u2019s strengths, weaknesses and overall brand. Equipped with this kind of intelligence, you can dramatically lower the marketing risk associated with brand development.<\/span><\/p>\n\"\"\n

    4. Develop your brand positioning<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    By this point, you have enough information to determine your firm\u2019s brand positioning (also called market positioning) within your marketplace. How is your firm different from others and why should potential clients within your target audience choose to work with you?<\/span><\/p>\n

    A <\/span>positioning statement<\/span><\/a> is typically four to six sentences in length and captures the essence of your brand positioning. It must be grounded in reality, as you will have to deliver on what you promise. If your current differentiators are shared by some of your competitors, you can add aspirational language that points to the firm you plan to become. Just make sure that these aspirations are real and achievable.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Develop your messaging strategy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Your next step is a messaging strategy that translates your brand positioning into messages you can deliver to your various target audiences. Your target audiences typically include potential clients, potential employees, referral sources or other influencers and potential partnering opportunities, to name a few of the usual suspects.<\/span><\/p>\n

    While your core brand positioning must be the same for all audiences, each audience will be interested in different aspects of it. The messages to each audience will emphasize the most relevant points. Each audience will also have specific concerns that must be addressed, and each will need different types of evidence to support your messages. Your messaging strategy should address all of these needs. This is an important step in making your brand<\/a> relevant to your target audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your messaging strategy may include sample headlines, a list of your differentiators, your elevator pitch (adjusted to each audience, if needed) and a <\/span>messaging architecture<\/span><\/a> document that lays out key messages for each audience, common objections, responses to overcome those objections and any proof points to support your arguments.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

    6. Develop your name, logo and tagline<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    For many firms, a name change is not required. But if you are a new firm, are undergoing a merger or are burdened with a name that no longer suits your positioning, a name change may be in order. Even if you don\u2019t change your firm\u2019s name, a new logo and tagline may be required to support your new brand positioning.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Remember, your name, logo and tagline are not your brand. They are components of your <\/span>brand identity<\/span><\/a>\u2014the visual and verbal expression of your brand. Your logo is a proxy for your brand, but the ideas and emotions the people associate with your brand coalesce from many different touch points.<\/span><\/p>\n

    If you do develop a new <\/span>name<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>logo<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>tagline<\/span><\/a>, keep in mind that they are for your marketplace and should be judged on how well they communicate to your audience. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of looking for solutions that you love or that reflect attributes of an unrelated brand you admire. <\/span><\/p>\n

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    See also: Branding services for professional services firms<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    7. Develop your content marketing strategy.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    We could have called this step \u201cdevelop your marketing strategy.\u201d But we didn\u2019t. Instead we call for a <\/span>content marketing strategy<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Why? Content marketing is particularly well suited to professional services firms in the Internet age. It does all things traditional marketing does but it does them more efficiently. In a nutshell, it uses valuable educational content to attract, nurture and qualify prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Remember that your brand strength is driven by both your reputation and visibility. Increasing visibility alone, without strengthening your reputation, is rarely successful. That\u2019s why traditional \u201cawareness-building\u201d advertising or sponsorships so often yield disappointing results. On the other hand, content marketing increases both visibility and reputation at the same time. It is also the perfect way to make your brand relevant to your target audiences. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Click<\/a>