Table of Contents
Marketing strategy for consulting firms must have a long-term vision and should be about building the following three things:
- Visibility: You need to be an obvious choice for specific issues
- Authority: You should come across as an expert in your niche
Trust: You only get contacted if the potential client trusts you. You should appear credible and trustworthy.
Now, imagine:
- How would you show your expertise and display your competitive advantage?
- How would you encourage potential clients to choose you over others to solve their problems?
- What will you do to build your brand’s long-term visibility, trust, and loyalty?
No tiptoeing, let’s jump.
Think of marketing strategy as a roadmap or a recipe for success. Marketing strategies for consulting firms should not be a laundry list of actions firms can take to promote themselves but comprehensive plans to achieve specific goals.
You could be a solopreneur, a small consulting firm building your marketing from the ground up, or a firm scaling up its marketing efforts. Your marketing strategy or plan must focus on the following core elements or fundamental blocks.
- Positioning: Your specialization or expertise distinguishes you from your competitors. This is the crucial ingredient in building a marketing strategy for consulting firms. You need to be clear on why you exist and how you position yourself compared to your competitors.
- Content: Everyone knows content is king. For consulting firms, it’s the whole kingdom. Content plays a critical role in establishing your image. Your credibility gets boosted if your content serves your client’s requirements well.
- Goals: Define your business goals early on. For instance, a short-term goal can be launching your new practice. Long-term goals can be projects won or building your brand awareness.
- Team: Be strategic when building your marketing team. Don’t look for marketing magicians; you need the right mix of creative and operational skill sets to run effective campaigns. Of course, the size of your team, whether in-house or outsourced, will reflect the scale of your firm.
- Technology: When your marketing is backed by the right tech, such as CRM, personalization, and automation tools, everything runs more smoothly and effectively.
- Marketing Mix: Yes, agreed. This block is more complex and comprises various sub-blocks. Choosing your marketing mix will involve identifying the most effective channels to reach and engage with the target audience. This could include channels like SEO, email marketing, social media, paid ads, and events. Your marketing mix will also include strategies for client retention and referrals.
You could be marketing for a small or large consulting firm; you cannot ignore the above elements. Your strategy will differ based on how you will or will need to invest in each core element. For example, you don’t need an elaborate CRM system when you are just starting out, or as a small consulting firm, it does not make sense for you to build an in-house marketing team. In this article, I’ll dig deeper into the above elements to help you build your plan based on your consulting firm’s situation.
So, let’s go.
1. Positioning
Most small consulting firms tap into their network to build their clientele. It makes sense to customize your services to meet your client’s needs when you are a small company. However, focusing on your niche and strengths is essential as you scale up and need systems to deliver outstanding results consistently.
Your specialization or expertise distinguishes you from your competitors and will help you build a loyal clientele. Your brand positioning and expertise in a topic, function, industry, or location should resonate with your target market.
Don’t be a jack of all trades, master of none. The following 4 points will help you focus on your strengths.
Analyze your competition
Do a competitor analysis to see where you stand. Know who you’re up against. What are they offering? How do they position themselves? Understanding their strengths and weaknesses can help you find the gaps your firm can fill. Narrow your focus to cut through your competition.
Understand your audience
Just to let you know, clarity about your target audience serves two critical purposes.
- It directs your marketing to the right audience
- It saves time and maximizes your return on investment (ROI)
If you have not yet invested time developing buyer personas, take that leap.
Here are some tips on finding data to create a buyer persona.
- Invest in market research reports
- Interview your customers
- Get information from your client-facing consultants
- Use online tools, such as Google Analytics, to uncover data about your target persona
Take a hard look at your own business
Do a SWOT analysis of your own business. What are you good at?
Where can you improve? What opportunities are out there? What threats should you watch out for? This information helps you build a strategy that matches your strengths and addresses any challenges.
Craft a winning value proposition
Your value proposition should be easy to understand. You may offer a unique approach, specialize in a niche market, or have a track record of achieving specific results. Whatever it is, make sure it stands out in your value proposition.
Your content will play a key role in conveying your value proposition.
Remember, your potential clients are living, breathing individuals with specific tastes, preferences, and personalities. Even though they are linked to business entities, they operate from the core of their emotions. And wherever emotions are involved, vulnerability, trust, intention, and authenticity are at play.
Connect with the client on a personal level and turn the brand into a bond. Here is how.
- Think of the paint point or a challenge your content will solve
- Think of stories you will tell
- Humanize your brand. Everyone shares their success story. You might want to share how many times you tripped and got back on your feet
- Decide ‘how’ and ‘what tone’ you should use in your messaging
2. Content
Content marketing in consulting services is about understanding your audience and establishing a bond with them by sharing valuable information.
Most people believe that content marketing is about selling. It’s not. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 87% of most successful B2B companies prioritize the audience’s informational needs over your organization’s sales and promotional message.
Content is King for Consulting Firms
Content builds visibility and credibility
Building credibility in the B2B market is difficult for consultants who aren’t yet client favorites. But they can turn the tables by churning out insightful content. That is because content plays a critical role in establishing your image. Your credibility gets boosted if your content serves your client’s requirements well. Publishing quality in-house content regularly will build your visibility and credibility in your domain.
Great content establishes authority and trust
In the consulting and professional services industry, authority breeds trust. Clients tend to rely more on those who know their turf well. Design a B2B content marketing strategy to highlight your grip on the industry.
Identify, analyze, experiment – Every client and their needs are different. You may want to assess your client’s requirements and provide tailored solutions.
Build data-rich case studies, opinion pieces, posts, or whitepapers. Share industry-specific reports and surveys. Publish content with the primary aim of cementing your relationship with your audience.
How to Create Content Consistently
A. Start by creating a high-level editorial calendar
An editorial calendar is a visual workflow. It helps you plan your progress, so you don’t fall short of expectations. A calendar is like a living document that will help you organize, divide, and rank your content creation efforts. You can download free editorial templates from HubSpot’s resources link.
Core elements of a content calendar should include:
- The topic of the content piece
- Date of release
- A content owner or author – who is responsible for content ideation, creation, and publishing
- Status – Pending, in-progress or completed
- Keywords Targeted
- Content distribution channels
B. Leverage internal expertise
Consultants excel in their functional expertise. Many possess in-depth industry knowledge and constantly gain knowledge by solving specific challenges. They also work closely with clients and understand their pain points.
Use this knowledge to create thought leadership articles or opinion pieces. Create mediums for internal knowledge sharing and collaboration. Break Silos between internal departments and foster a culture of creativity. At first, it may take some time, but gradually, you will see yourself designing a winning content marketing strategy for your consulting firm.
C. Be ready to share your opinions freely
Consultants get paid for their exceptional understanding of client issues and problem-solving skills. Therefore,
- Put your expertise at the forefront of your marketing strategy
- Be bold in sharing your opinions
- Don’t hide your analysis behind curtains
Your point of view will give you an edge over your competitors.
D. Audit your content
Stop. Breathe. Reflect. Reset. Nope! I am not talking about yoga here. I am talking about how you can realign content on your website to make it more valuable for your potential clients. Take an inventory of the content your potential clients consume at each stage of their journey. Look for ways you can optimize and upsell it. Take dedicated time to go through your website. Identify content that needs improvement. Reflect on how you can make it more exciting and, if required, give it a new swing or put it in a fresh format.
E. Focus on topic clusters and create pillar pages
After working hard on stellar content, think of how to rank better. Page pillars and topic clusters help in that regard. A pillar page is a high-level content page that covers all aspects of a topic, hyperlinked by in-depth blog posts. It helps increase search engine rankings. The only catch is that this strategy demands ample time and, if not executed, may also have a negative impact.
F. Create content for each stage of Buyers' Journey
B2B decision-making process is full of research, pauses, starts and stops, detours, forward leaps, and a reversing course. A team of individuals collectively takes a B2B buying decision most of the time.
When it comes to marketing strategy for consulting firms, you can’t just throw content out there and hope it sticks. To connect with potential clients, you need to create content that speaks to them at every stage of their journey – Reach, Engage, Convert, and Retain.
By creating content that speaks to each stage of the buyer’s journey, you’ll not only attract more clients but also build stronger relationships from the very start. It’s all about being helpful, informative, and present at every step of their decision-making process.
G. Repurpose your content
You don’t have to create new content day in and day out. Repurpose. Take dedicated time to identify content that needs refurbishing, reflect on how you can make it more interesting, give it a new perspective, or put it in a fresh format and repurpose it according to changing client needs. You may feel that reinventing your wheel may be a useless exercise, but it’s not. Instead, it is one of the most efficient content marketing tactics to help you align with your current marketing goals.
H. Create a content ideas generation system
You are wrong if you think you can generate content ideas without a process! You need a system and an approach to develop valuable content ideas for your target audience. Now, I will share a way to quickly generate 100s of impactful ideas!
Go to answerthepublic.com. Enter a high-level topic that you want to write about in the search box—for example, B2B Content Marketing
Your search query will result in questions people are asking related to your topic/sector. For instance – “what is B2B content marketing?”
Copy these questions in Excel and use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and Moz to know the volume of searches for these questions. Look at the difficulty of ranking for these keywords. Avoid those with high difficulty scores.
Now, shortlist keywords with the right volume and difficulty balance. Consider your expertise when shortlisting keywords/topics you will be writing on. Make sure you pick keywords to create engaging content for each stage of the consumer buying cycle – Reach, Engage, Convert, and Retain
You will have a list of broad questions you will be answering. Think of long-form content pieces, such as white papers, thought leadership articles, podcasts, opinion pieces, webinars, etc. Here are the distribution channels that have produced the best results for B2B marketers in the last 12 months. Speaking engagements, such as virtual events and webinars, are among the most effective ways to showcase your authority.
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Start small—one sub-topic at a time, with a quest to create valuable long-form content for your target market
Before we conclude the content section, let’s explore the most effective content types for consulting firms, including webinars, whitepapers, and thought leadership, that will drive your overall marketing strategy.
Most Popular Long-Form Content Types
Webinars/Virtual Events
Speaking engagements are great promotional events. They help convince potential clients that you have a strong hold on your niche. They drive in high traffic because of their in-person feel. Your audience can see you and connect with you better. The more popular you are in the speaking circuit and networking events, the more your connections increase and fuel your demand generation efforts.
Whitepapers
A white paper is an in-depth article that provides a solution to a complex problem. Whitepapers do wonders for showcasing your expertise and authority in your niche. They are informative and persuasive documents that can influence decision-making.
Thought Leadership Articles
Podcasts
Podcasts are content goldmines that drive high engagement and loyal listenership. They are also a good way to reach out to your target audience and connect with them on an emotional level. Podcasts have been around since the early 2000s, but they have really taken off in popularity in recent years. The number of podcasts available has increased dramatically, and so has the number of listeners.
Many marketers have started using podcasts in their campaigns because they are effective in generating leads. You can repurpose them into other formats, such as blogs or videos. The Deloitte Global Insights podcast series is an excellent example for consulting firms.
3. Goals and KPIs
After a heavy drill of making your content appealing and strategizing it for engagement, measure the impact of your drill. But you would never know if you were heading in the right direction without this exercise.
So, how do you select marketing objectives that align with your business goals?
- Involve your marketing team in the business planning process. Marketing is a crucial function of a business, and this team should not work in a vacuum
- Get an outline of the business plan. Work backward to find marketing metrics to support your business goals.
- Define your marketing goals at the start of the year, quarter, or whatever timeline suits you. Once done, share these goals with your team—it’s always good to have great minds aligned.
Remember to select SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals and include a timeline alongside each point.
Let’s break down four key marketing goals for consulting firms and the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) you should focus on to track your success: Brand Awareness, Lead Generation, Client Retention, and Thought Leadership.
Brand Awareness
Why it matters
Without brand visibility, even the most effective solutions go unnoticed. Brand awareness places your firm in the spotlight when clients are seeking expertise.
KPIs to track
- Website Traffic: How many people are visiting your website? This gives you a good sense of how visible your firm is online.
- Social Media Reach: How far are your posts spreading? Track followers, impressions, and engagement (likes, shares, comments) on platforms like LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
- Branded Search Volume: How many people are Googling your firm’s name? If it’s going up, it means your brand awareness is improving.
Lead Generation
Why it matters
The more targeted your lead generation, the more efficient your business development will be, turning prospects into clients without wasting resources.
KPIs to Track
- Number of Qualified Leads: Track the total number of leads that meet your predefined criteria for potential clients.
- Conversion Rate: Measure the percentage of leads that convert into consultations, proposals, or client engagements.
- Cost Per Lead (CPL): Calculate the average cost spent to acquire a single qualified lead.
- Lead Source Performance: Analyze which channels (e.g., email, SEO, PPC, social media) generate the most high-quality leads.
Client Retention
Why it matters
Acquiring new clients is expensive—keeping your current clients costs less and brings more long-term value. Plus, happy clients are more likely to refer others.
KPIs to Track
- Client Retention Rate: How many clients are sticking with you over a certain period? A higher retention rate means you’re doing a great job keeping your clients happy.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): How much revenue does a single client generate for you over their entire relationship with your firm? The longer they stay, the more valuable they become.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): Assess the likelihood of your clients recommending your services to others.
Thought Leadership
Why it matters
Thought leadership builds trust and authority, making it easier for potential clients to choose you over competitors. When people see you as the expert, they’re more likely to seek your services.
KPIs to Track
- Content Engagement: How are people interacting with your thought leadership content (blogs, whitepapers, articles)? Higher engagement means your ideas are resonating.
- Backlinks: Track the number of authoritative websites linking to your content, indicating its value and influence.
- Media Mentions: Monitor how often your firm or its leaders are cited in industry publications, blogs, or news outlets.
- Speaking Engagements: How often are you invited to speak at conferences, webinars, or podcasts? This is a sign that people see you as a leader in your field.
4. Team
Marketing strategy for consulting firms should outline who will execute your campaigns. Building a marketing team for your consulting firm is more than just a matter of getting the basics right. It’s about positioning your firm as a thought leader in the industry. Your team needs a strategic mix of creative and operational skills to achieve this. This blend of skills will enable you to effectively showcase your expertise and create content that resonates with your audience.
In-House vs. Outsourcing
What’s the best fit for your firm?
Whether you hire in-house or outsource specific tasks, your team’s structure should reflect the scale of your firm and its goal of establishing thought leadership. The hybrid model (mix of in-house and outsourced marketing individuals or teams) is often the most effective approach for consulting firms. This model lets you keep key roles like content strategist and marketing manager in-house for consistent messaging and strategy while outsourcing tasks like video production and paid media to experts.
Skill Set-Based Team
Whether you’re using in-house staff or outsourcing specific roles, it’s essential to focus on skill sets, not just job titles. Your marketing team should be well-rounded, with people who excel in the following areas:
- Creative Skills: Thought leadership is about storytelling—whether through blog posts, whitepapers, webinars, or videos. You need creators who can produce content that showcases your expertise and engages your audience. With 71% of B2B buyers consuming blog content during the buying process (Demand Gen Report, 2023), it’s essential to have a team that can curate and craft compelling, insightful content that positions your firm as a leader in the industry.
Analytical Skills: Data-driven decision-making is essential in today’s marketing landscape. You need team members who can track performance, analyze data, and make informed decisions to optimize campaigns. Whether it’s measuring website traffic, tracking SEO results, or calculating ROI on paid ads, these skills ensure your marketing efforts deliver real value.
Strategic Skills: Establishing thought leadership requires long-term vision. A Marketing Manager or strategist is crucial to developing campaigns that nurture leads, guide them through the buyer’s journey, and position your firm as the go-to expert. According to the American Marketing Association, companies with a strong strategic marketing leader grow 1.5 times faster than those without, underscoring the importance of having someone focused on driving your thought leadership agenda.
- Technical Skills: Technical expertise is crucial in keeping your marketing operations running smoothly, from managing your website to running email campaigns and handling paid media platforms. This is where outsourcing can really shine, especially for tasks like paid media or SEO, which require specialized knowledge but may not need constant attention.
With the right mix of skills, your team will be positioned to build your firm’s authority and generate leads. The hybrid model not only gives you the flexibility to adapt and scale as your business grows, but it also helps you establish a strong foundation.
5. Technology
While having the right team in place is vital, ensuring they have the right technology to back them up is just as important. Together, they’ll take your consulting firm’s marketing strategy to the next level.
Here’s a straightforward breakdown of the essential tools and technology every consulting firm should consider.
A. CRM and Marketing Automation
Implementing systems like HubSpot or Salesforce is fundamental for consulting firms looking to scale. These tools automate essential marketing tasks and manage client relationships seamlessly, freeing up your team to focus on driving growth and enhancing client engagements.
B. Content Management and SEO
Tools like WordPress and SEMrush are essential to manage your content creation and optimize it for search engines. Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress and Hubspot make publishing easy, while tools like SEMrush and Moz help ensure that your content ranks and brings in organic traffic.
C. Graphic Design and Visual Content
Whether it’s for social media or your website, you need visuals that look professional. Canva is great for most design work, such as social media posts, LinkedIn banners, infographics, one-pages, brochures, presentations, etc. At the same time, Adobe Creative Cloud (for advanced users only) gives you the power to create high-end graphics when needed.
D. Stock Images
E. Collaboration and Communication
F. Email Marketing
Email campaigns are an essential part of lead nurturing. Tools like Mailchimp, Hubspot, and ActiveCampaign allow you to automate emails, segment your lists, and personalize communications—keeping your consulting firm top of mind for potential clients.
G. Analytics and Reporting
Tracking performance is vital to improving your marketing strategy. Google Analytics provides insights into website performance, while tools like Tableau allow for deeper analysis and reporting, helping you make data-driven decisions.
H. AI Tools like ChatGPT
By integrating AI into your tech stack, your team can save time on repetitive tasks, streamline content production, and focus more on high-level strategic initiatives. Plus, AI tools are continuously evolving, making them a valuable long-term addition to your marketing toolkit.
These tools and platforms make up a streamlined tech stack that will enable your marketing team to execute effectively, track performance, and collaborate seamlessly.
6. Marketing Mix - Creating the Right Blend for Your Consulting Firm
When we talk about the marketing strategy for consulting firms, it’s not just about selecting a few channels. It’s about finding the right balance of efforts to reach your audience, engage them, and build lasting relationships. From organic marketing efforts to paid campaigns and event-based strategies, each component of your marketing mix plays a crucial role in your overall success.
Let’s break it down.
Breaking Down the Marketing Mix
A. Organic Marketing Efforts
Organic marketing is the foundation of a solid marketing strategy for consulting firms. It takes time to see results, but the payoff can be significant as you build authority and trust over time.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO is about improving your website’s ranking through keyword research, on-page optimization, and producing valuable content. Higher rankings mean more visibility in front of the right people.
- Content Marketing: Developing and sharing informative content like blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, and industry insights establishes your firm as a thought leader. This not only attracts potential clients but also keeps your audience engaged over time.
- Social Media (Organic): By consistently posting valuable insights and engaging in meaningful industry conversations on platforms like LinkedIn, you build a network of followers who are interested in what your consulting firm offers.
- Public Relations (PR): Build credibility by securing media coverage and press mentions and contributing expert articles to industry publications without needing paid promotions. This helps position your firm as a thought leader in the industry.
B. Paid Marketing Efforts
While organic marketing builds authority over time, paid marketing can offer quicker results by directly targeting your ideal audience.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): Running ads on platforms like Google Ads allows you to target specific keywords, driving immediate traffic to your site and generating leads quickly.
Paid Social Media Advertising: Use platforms like LinkedIn and Meta to create targeted ads or sponsored posts. These help you reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and job roles.
Display Advertising: With banner ads, retargeting, and programmatic advertising, you can increase visibility and drive awareness across the web.
Sponsored Content: Partnering with industry publications, influencers, or content creators allows you to distribute branded content to a broader audience, positioning your firm in front of key decision-makers.
C. Event-Based Marketing Efforts
A well-rounded marketing strategy for consulting firms should include event-based marketing, where you can network directly with potential clients and showcase your expertise.
- Webinars and Online Events: These virtual events are excellent for sharing industry insights, thought leadership, or educating prospects about new trends. They offer a low-barrier way for your audience to interact with your firm and ask questions in real time.
- Conferences and Trade Shows: Participating in or sponsoring industry events gives your firm visibility and allows you to connect with prospects face-to-face, build relationships, and generate leads.
- Workshops and Seminars: Hosting or co-hosting workshops allows you to engage with a more targeted audience while demonstrating your consulting firm’s value through hands-on sessions.
- Networking Events: Hosting or attending smaller-scale events like dinners or industry meetups provides a more intimate setting to connect with potential clients and deepen relationships with existing contacts.
While event-based marketing helps generate leads, client retention and referrals should also be part of your marketing strategy for consulting firms.
Client Retention and Referrals in the Mix
Your marketing mix shouldn’t just focus on attracting new clients—it should also help you retain your current clients and encourage referrals.
- Client Retention: Implement strategies like personalized email campaigns, loyalty programs, or regular client check-ins to keep your clients engaged and happy.
- Referral Programs: Your satisfied clients can become your best brand advocates. Offer referral incentives, or simply ask happy clients to spread the word about your firm.
Optimizing Your Marketing Mix Over Time
The key to a successful marketing strategy for consulting firms is continuous optimization. Regularly monitor your performance across all channels—whether it’s organic SEO results, paid ad conversions, or engagement from event-based marketing. You can adjust your strategy based on what’s working best for your firm by tracking ROI and conversion rates.
Also, as you refine your marketing mix, it’s important to consider approaches that allow you to engage with high-value clients. One such method is Account-Based Marketing (ABM), which offers a more personalized and targeted strategy.
Account-based Marketing (ABM)
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a highly strategic approach that aligns marketing, sales, and service teams to focus on high-value accounts, rather than casting a wide net. For consulting firms, ABM ensures personalized, targeted marketing to the key clients who matter most.
By customizing content and outreach to specific accounts, ABM allows consulting firms to address the unique needs of decision-makers. This approach drives deeper engagement, improves conversion rates, and strengthens client relationships, making ABM a vital part of any marketing strategy for consulting firms.
For consulting firms, adopting ABM can shorten the sales cycle, boost ROI, and position the firm as a trusted partner capable of addressing specific client challenges. It’s not just about attracting new business—ABM strengthens relationships, fosters loyalty, and drives sustainable growth by focusing on the clients that matter most.
Although ABM can deliver exceptional results, it’s important to evaluate if it aligns with your firm’s structure and goals, as not every consulting firm will benefit from this highly targeted approach. In particular, small businesses may not have the resources to execute effective ABM strategies.
Conclusion
Crafting a successful marketing strategy for consulting firms involves much more than just following a set of actions. It’s about building long-term visibility, authority, and trust with your target audience. By focusing on positioning, content, goals, team, technology, and marketing mix, consulting firms can create a solid foundation for growth.
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This Post Has 2 Comments
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