In our years of working with professional services firms, we occasionally encounter clients who are allergic to the term “brand.” “I’m happy to talk about marketing, but ugh, please don’t use the word branding.” They are practically spitting with contempt.
Now, you could make a convincing case that the word is overused. Often, people (usually marketers) use it as a shorthand for their company name. Or they use it to refer to their firm’s logo on their polo shirt. What becomes clear is that most of these people—including many business leaders—simply don’t understand what “brand” means in the context of professional services.
Once you get it, however, you’ll realize why “brand” and “branding” are such useful terms.
How We Usually Think About Brands
When most of us hear the word “brand,” we think of consumer products: the toothpaste, cereal and golf club brands we prefer. Over the years, each of us gravitates to a set of product brands that we trust and purchase again and again.
When we go shopping, we don’t have to fret over which of two dozen brands of shampoo to buy. We reach for the one we’ve learned from experience we like best. We’re even willing to pay a premium for the assurance that we will be happy whenever we take a shower. Pretty soon, every time you think “shampoo,” you think of your preferred brand.
How Professional Services Brands Are Different
The psychology of brands is universal. But branding a professional services firm differs in a few fundamental ways. The way brands are discovered and evaluated are different. And the stakes are bigger.
Making a professional services purchase is a big commitment. The ticket price is large—typically tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and sometimes more. Unlike buying a bottle of shampoo at the store, the cost of choosing the wrong service firm is high. Buyers of professional services don’t have the luxury of trying out a range of similar products. They need to get it right the first time.
How, then, do buyers select the right firm? It begins with narrowing down their choices. With so many options available—how many accounting, legal or IT firms would love to have your business?—the field of potential candidates can seem overwhelming.
That’s where branding comes in.
As we explained in a previous article from our newsletter, the strength of a professional service’s brand is the product of two factors: a firm’s reputation and its visibility. A firm that is strong in both of these areas has a tremendous advantage in the buying process. Firms with high visibility are well known. They don’t have to wave their arms to catch a buyer’s attention. Most buyers are aware of them already. And if they have a strong reputation, buyers already desire them because they are known for doing exceptional or important work.
Like that brand of shampoo you reach for again and again, these firms are pre-qualified in the minds of buyers. And when it’s time to draw up a list of potential firms, these firms usually make the cut.
It isn’t enough, however, to say a brand is only about a firm’s reputation and visibility.
A firm’s brand is a broad collection of experiences, touchpoints and messages that contribute to its reputation and visibility. That’s why a firm’s name and logo are important. They are, after all, the primary symbols—one verbal and one visual—of your firm, its services and everything it stands for.
That’s also why your specialization, differentiators and positioning are so critical.
But a brand is so much more.
It’s the impression you make on your website, every time you speak to an audience, write a blog post, pitch a client or submit a proposal. It’s the words you use. It’s the colors and images you choose. It’s the way you present yourself on social media. It’s how your offices look. Your brand is the thousands of actions you take and decisions you make that influence the way your buyers perceive you.
If that sounds like a lot, don’t despair. You don’t have to micromanage every detail. That’s not only not possible, it misses the point. Get the fundamentals right—especially your positioning and messaging—and set specific standards for your brand, then other things tend to fall into place.
Branding pioneer Al Ries called a brand “a word in the prospect’s mind.” What he meant was when you think of the product or service you need, a specific brand pops into your mind. This is exactly what happens when you think “shampoo.” And it should be the goal of any brand-oriented firm.
Some professional services categories are so crowded and undifferentiated, however, that nothing comes to mind. Even in these situations, however, you can build a brand—if for no other reason than nobody else has.
Start thinking of your firm not as one of many options, but as a brand. Then develop a thoughtful program to bring that brand to fruition—and transform your business into the kind of firm that people seek out and prefer.
