Creating a Differentiated Professional Services Brand
Tried-and-true messages are no longer enough to attract attention and create differentiation in professional services. The answer is simple: create a brand.
A cohesive professional services brand that communicates a single, powerful value proposition is essential for unifying all that a firm does, and deliver a compelling rationale for working with one firm across multiple service areas and fields of expertise.
Finding a unique brand position in a field as crowded and competitive as professional services isn’t easy. Too many firms fall back on table-stakes ideas and tired claims—the best people, most offices, broadest suite of services. In today’s skeptical, fee-sensitive climate, there’s nothing “safe” about these messages. Success requires going deeper to determine what really sets the firm apart. Is it something about the culture? An innovative use of technology? The nature of the consultant-client relationship? Every firm possesses unique qualities that can support an authentic and compelling brand; internal and external research, and a thorough competitive analysis, will uncover what these are.
Tried-and-true messages are no longer enough to attract attention and create differentiation in professional services. The answer is simple: create a brand.
A common challenge for many professional services firms, or really any firm selling multiple products, services, and departments is a lack of knowledge between verticals. Here’s how to overcome this major impediment to successful synergies.
To be successful, a brand needs to be expressed consistently across all internal and external touchpoints. Coherence is critical to establishing a well-defined brand and eliminating confusion in the marketplace.