Your brand is likely the most valuable asset that your professional services organization possesses. Assuming this is the case, building a stronger brand will be your most crucial responsibility. You’re still not convinced? Consider the definition of a professional services brand.

YOUR BRAND DEFINED

In the professional services industry, a brand is best defined as the reputation of your company and its exposure in the marketplace. The strength of your brand can be calculated as Reputation X Visibility.

There is another key facet of your brand to consider: how relevant it is to the people who will be your target customers. There will be more on that later.

BRAND DEVELOPMENT DEFINED

In the professional services industry, brand development is the process of building and strengthening your company’s image. We divide the process of assisting businesses in the development of their brands into three parts.

• The first step is to ensure that your brand strategy is correct and that it is linked with your business goals.
• The second step is to create all of the tools you will need to communicate your brand, such as your logo, tagline, and website, among other things.
• There is also the phase of enhancing your newly created or modified brand.

Your brand development strategy will outline how you intend to go about completing these objectives in the most effective way. This brand development approach has been divided into ten parts to make it easier to understand and implement. 

BRAND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN 10 STEPS

1. CONSIDER YOUR OVERALL BUSINESS STRATEGY

Growing your company will be considerably easier if you have a strong, well-differentiated brand. But what kind of company do you want to work for? Do you intend to cultivate your crops in an organic manner? Starting with your overall business plan will help you understand the framework in which your brand development strategy will operate. If you have a clear vision for where you want your company to go, your brand will assist you in getting there.

2. IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET CLIENTS

What are the people who you want to be your customers? If you respond with the word “everyone,” you are committing a grave error. Firms with strong growth and profits, according to our analysis, are laser-focused on serving a clearly defined set of target customers. The more the narrowness of focus, the greater the speed of growth. The more the diversity of your target group, the greater the likelihood that your marketing efforts will be diluted. So, how can you determine whether or not you have selected the appropriate target clientele? And it is at this point that the next step is taken into consideration.

3. RESEARCH YOUR TARGET CLIENT GROUP

Firms that conduct systematic research on their target customer group expand more quickly and are more profitable as a result (see figure below). Furthermore, people that conduct studies on a more frequent basis (at least once a quarter) grow at a faster rate.

Research allows you to gain a better understanding of your target client’s perspective and goals, anticipate their needs, and communicate your message in a way that they will comprehend. It also shows you how they see the strengths of your company and the present image of your company. As a result, it significantly reduces the marketing risk involved with brand growth and expansion.

4. DEVELOP YOUR BRAND POSITIONING

The time has come for you to define your company’s brand positioning within the professional services industry (also called market positioning). What distinguishes your firm from others, and why should potential clients within your target audience choose to work with you, be discussed in detail.

A positioning statement is typically three to five phrases in length, and it expresses the essence of your brand’s positioning in one concise statement. It must be based on fact because you will be expected to follow through on your promises. It should also have some aspirational elements to it so that you have something to aspire for.

5. DEVELOP YOUR MESSAGING STRATEGY

The next stage is to develop a messaging plan that will translate your brand positioning into messages that will be delivered to your various target audiences and audiences. Possible clients, potential employees, reference sources or other influencers, and potential partnering prospects are just a few of the usual suspects who fall into your target audience category.

Each audience will be interested in different aspects of your core brand positioning, despite the fact that your core brand positioning must be the same for all of them. The most important points will be highlighted in the communications sent to each audience. Each audience will also have distinct concerns that need to be addressed, and each will require a different form of evidence to back your messages, so plan accordingly. All of these requirements should be addressed by your message strategy. When it comes to making your brand relevant to your target market, this is a vital step to take.

6. DEVELOP YOUR NAME, LOGO, AND TAGLINE

It is not always necessary to change the name of a company. In the case of a new company, a merger, or being saddled with a name that no longer suits your posture, a name change may be in order, according to the AMA. Even if you decide not to alter the name of your company, a new logo and tagline may be necessary to better reflect your brand strategy.

Keep in mind that your brand is not comprised of your name, logo, and tagline. They are an element of your brand identity, and they are the means through which you communicate or symbolically represent your brand. It is only through living that it becomes real.

And don’t make the error of circulating the new logo within the company in order to garner consensus. If you don’t like the name, logo, or tagline, you shouldn’t use them. They are working for your marketplace and should be evaluated based on their ability to communicate effectively, not on how much the partners like them.

7. DEVELOP YOUR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY

This stage may have been titled “create your marketing approach,” for example. We, on the other hand, did not. Instead, we advocate for the implementation of a content marketing strategy.

Why? Content marketing is particularly well suited to professional services firms in the Internet age, and this is especially true for small businesses. It performs all of the functions of traditional marketing, but it does so in a more efficient manner. It attracts, nurtures, and qualifies prospects through the deployment of relevant instructional content.

Keep in mind that the power of your brand is determined by both your reputation and its visibility. Increasing visibility alone, without first establishing and maintaining a positive reputation, is rarely fruitful. That is why traditional “awareness-building” advertising and sponsorships are so often met with dissatisfaction by the public. Content marketing, on the other hand, has the dual benefit of increasing both visibility and reputation at the same time. It is also the most effective method of making your brand more relevant to your target viewers’ needs. The case has been closed.

8. DEVELOP YOUR WEBSITE.

Your website is the single most significant tool you have for developing your brand. Your website is the location where all of your audiences go to learn about what you do, how you do it, and who your customers are. Prospective clients are unlikely to choose your firm purely on the basis of the information provided on your website. However, if your website communicates the wrong message, you may find yourself on the outside looking in.

Furthermore, your website will serve as a repository for your essential content. Search engine optimization (SEO) efforts will be focused on that content in order for prospects, future workers, and referral sources to locate you and learn more about your company’s offerings. Any current brand development strategy is incomplete without the inclusion of online content.

Professional services websites are now available in two flavors: informational and referral. The first is a website for branding purposes. Creating such a website allows you to tell your story and communicate who you are, who you serve, and what you do. In a nutshell, it communicates your brand’s message. The other version accomplishes the aforementioned tasks while also generating and nurturing potential new clients. These are referred to as High-Performance Websites.

9. BUILD YOUR MARKETING TOOLKIT

Developing the remaining components of your marketing toolset is the next phase in the process. Examples of this might be one-page “sales sheets” that summarize basic service offers or important markets served, among other things. In addition, a quick “pitch deck” that provides an overview of the firm or its core offerings, as well as an e-brochure about the firm, may be provided. These are pieces that are rarely reproduced longer.

Videos are becoming an increasingly important part of this marketing toolkit. Firm overviews, case studies, and “meet the partner” videos are some of the most popular video themes. The availability of key services is also quite beneficial. If properly developed, these tools can be used not only for business development purposes but can also be beneficial for brand development efforts.

10. IMPLEMENT, TRACK, AND ADJUST

Perhaps the most essential phase in the brand-building process is the final step. It goes without saying that a successful brand development plan is worthless if it is never put into action. You might be amazed at how frequently something like this occurs. A solid strategy is established, and the company launches it with all of the good intentions it can summon. Then there’s the matter of reality. People become preoccupied with client business, and duties related to brand development are pushed aside… and then forgotten.

It is for this reason that tracking is so vital. We strongly advise that you keep track of both the plan’s implementation and its results. Is the approach being implemented in the manner that was anticipated? Where have all of the objective measures gone, such as search traffic and web traffic? How many new leads, employee applications, and partnership opportunities were produced as a result of this campaign? Only by keeping track of the entire process can you ensure that you are drawing the correct conclusions and making the appropriate modifications.

Finally, an easy-to-follow 10-step brand-building process will help your company expands and profit more effectively.