Long gone are the days when professional service firms, including attorneys, architects, engineers, and financial advisors, relied on word-of-mouth to attract new clients. Today’s professional service companies are harnessing the power of content marketing to cultivate leads, build trust, and foster deeper relationships with loyal clients.
Relevant, valuable content should be at the heart of every professional service provider’s digital marketing efforts. That’s because 97% of consumers learn more about a local business online than anywhere else. If your company doesn’t have a robust digital presence, you could be missing out on potential profits.
Want to kickstart your content marketing efforts to attract more clients? Continue reading to learn more about why content marketing matters to your professional service firm and five content ideas that are guaranteed to get you noticed.
Why is Content Marketing Essential for Professional Service Firms?
Simply put, content marketing is the strategic process of creating and sharing articles, podcasts, videos, and other types of pertinent media to promote brand awareness, generate leads, and keep your company top-of-mind when clients are in need of your particular services.
Professional service providers must provide expert solutions to their clients. Content marketing is important to professional service businesses because it establishes your firm as a quality, credible, and dependable source for the type of services your ideal clients are looking for. Additionally, content marketing provides direct contact with your target clients and demonstrates that your firm is informed, thoughtful, and proactive about their pain points. For instance, why would a client go to an anonymous law firm when your business has positioned itself as the leading authority of worker’s compensation claims in the area? The client will most likely choose to do business with your firm.
To ensure your brand is getting seen, it needs to continuously pump out quality content that educates and engages audiences. But this is far easier said than done. With so much on your plate already, how can you possibly find the time to craft provocative content?
Use these five tips to create amazing content your clients will crave.
1. Client Success Stories
Remember how we mentioned that professional service firms used to depend on word-of-mouth to find new clients? Well, think of client success stories as your digital grapevine.
Your prospects need you to do far more than just tell them the benefits of choosing your business over the competition. They want you to show them the results. Client success stories, also known as case studies, satisfy prospects’ desires for social proof by revealing real-life results. In fact, 62.6% of digital marketers stated that case studies are effective in generating quality leads.
Think about your top five most satisfied clients. Call or email them and ask if you could use their stories for a case study. In the client success story, discuss the challenges your client was up against, the solutions your services provided to remediate these issues, and the results your efforts achieved.
Don’t forget to include two to three quotes from your happy client.
2. Thought Leadership Articles
A thought leadership article is a great opportunity to demonstrate your industry expertise and credibility while positioning your firm as the go-to business for XYZ services.
The biggest difference between an effective thought leadership article and an average blog is that the former communicates deeper levels of value and insight, coupled with the firsthand beliefs of an industry expert.
Not only can a thought leadership piece leverage your firm as an authority in your industry, but it spotlights your firm as a subject matter expert (SME). Your executives can share their innovations, ideas, and knowledge in a valuable way.
Thought leadership articles can be published on your company’s blog or LinkedIn. Generate buzz about your firm by sharing links to the article on your social media platforms and email newsletter.
3. Listicles
Listicles come in handy to provide your clients with valuable information in a straightforward, digestible format. A listicle is an informative article written in list format. Each item on the list will include a few sentences or paragraphs to further educate the reader.
Listicles can be both fun and informative. Online readers love this type of format because it’s easy to scan and tells them what they can take away from the article. Listicles are particularly beneficial if you’re trying to boost your mobile marketing efforts. That’s because your audiences can easily consume this content right on their smartphones.
Some tips to keep in mind when writing listicles include:
- Use odd numbers in a listicle. Research has shown that this triggers desirable responses from readers. So, instead of writing a listicle titled “Six Secret Tips for Tax Season Success,” simply swap out the six for a five or seven.
- Ensure the content makes sense in list format.
- Don’t stuff your listicle with fluff. Stick to just the facts.
- Craft intriguing titles that make readers want to click.
4. Email Newsletters
Email marketing is a great way to cultivate a community around your professional service firm. You can keep subscribers in the know about industry news, discounts, and the latest happenings at your company. Email newsletters can also be a softer sell to educate your clients about the value your services provide.
This type of content helps you to build a rapport with your audience. You can also share articles, case studies, and other types of content via newsletters.
The best way to keep your audience engaged is to have conversations with them. Send out polls and surveys to give your readers a chance to have their voices heard.
Never spam your clients’ inboxes. A good rule of thumb is to send out no more than one to two emails per week.
Need help with your email marketing efforts? DirectLync’s email marketing solutions make it simple to develop compelling emails, automate communications, perform A/B testing, and track your results.
5. Showcase Your Staff On Social Media
Your professional service company is only as powerful as its people. Consider spotlighting your talented team on social media. You can demonstrate how your employees can better serve customers by highlighting their expertise. Make sure to include their headshot, a brief blurb about their qualifications, and a personal tidbit that makes them unique.
By showing clients the faces behind your firm, you can humanize your brand. This helps clients better relate to your business, cultivating trust.
Employee profiles can also be a great recruiting tool to attract top talent. Is your firm hiring? Create social media posts that display your firm’s commitment to its crew. Create posts for LinkedIn that include testimonials from happy employees. You can also post images of your firm’s employee engagement efforts, such as a staff party or fundraising event. This is a great way to show your firm’s dedication to its employees and will entice more qualified candidates to apply for your open positions.
Make Your Content Go Further
Want your content to work as hard as you do? DirectLync’s advanced digital marketing tools can set the stage for success. We provide email marketing, social media tools, and analytic solutions to small businesses.
To discover how we can help you, start your free trial or request a demo today!
