Digital Marketing Strategy for Professional Services

Posted by csmagency on January 21st, 2021

A wave of digital technology is transforming industry after industry, and professional services are no exception to this trend. Potential clients now have new ways to learn about and vet potential service providers. This change is forcing firms to rethink their digital marketing strategies if they wish to remain competitive.

Online marketing for professional services is a plan for using digital marketing tools and techniques to achieve a firm’s strategic marketing objectives, such as brand building or new business development. Digital marketing strategy is often a part of an overall strategic marketing plan that incorporates both digital and traditional (offline) approaches. Common digital techniques include search engine optimization, digital advertising, email, webinars, social media, websites, and mobile apps.

In the growing digital marketing space, you will often hear people talk about strategy and techniques interchangeably. While this practice may be fine in the consumer products market, it misses some important distinctions relevant to professional services marketers.

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The strategy is the high-level planning and strategic choices that set the direction for positioning your firm in the marketplace and the key messages you will deliver to your audiences. Your high-level strategy should be the same in both the digital and offline worlds.

Digital marketing techniques are the specific digital platforms and tactics you use to deliver those messages and engage your audiences. An example of a common digital technique is using search engine optimization to draw online traffic to specific sections of your website.

From LinkedIn postings to webinars and podcasts, potential clients are finding new ways to educate themselves and evaluate professional services providers. Digital techniques and tactics are fluid and can change quickly.

 The strategy is more stable and covers the long-term view.  While a strategy may require minor adjustments along the way, its fundamentals should change little, if at all, in a year. That said, occasionally major disruptions — such as mergers and acquisitions or intensified marketplace competition — can shake up the marketplace and require you to reassess your strategy. But that is the rare exception.

Later in this post when they talk about how to develop your digital marketing strategy,they will address both strategy and techniques. Both are important when it comes to producing measurable results with your digital marketing efforts.

Since the advent of digital marketing for professional services, there has been an ongoing debate: which is better, digital, or traditional? Over time, it has become clear that this is a false choice. Most professional services firms need a mix of both.Traditional speaking engagements have a corresponding webinar alternative. There are print and digital advertising. Each marketing approach has advantages and disadvantages.

When selecting the best tools for your situation, consider which approach is most likely to reach your target audiences. Also,consider the effectiveness and efficiency of your various options. They will discuss this selection process below when we cover researching your target audiences and selecting marketing techniques.