How To Differentiate Your Firm: A Case Story

By Lee Frederiksen

Finding your firm’s differentiators, those characteristics that set your firm apart and give you a competitive advantage, can be quite a challenge for most professional services firms. As a matter of fact, it is a challenge that most firms never quite get right.

But take heart, it can be done. And when it is done well it can yield some pretty impressive results. Today’s case story is a perfect example.

Webmarketing123 is an online marketing firm based in the San Francisco bay area. Nothing unique there. They offer a suite of services including Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC) and Social Media marketing. Still nothing special. For that matter they also have great people, care about their clients results, and love puppies and small children, just like every other professional services firm.

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Planning a Lead Generation Website for Your Firm

By Lee Frederiksen

Is your firm ready to start generating significantly more new business leads online? If so, you'll need to develop a lead generation website — the engine that will drive your online lead generation program. (Download the Website Planning Guide here.) 

A professional services lead generation website presents some unique challenges. It must build trust and credibility while describing complex and technical services offerings.

If you aren't careful, a lead generating websites can come across as pushy, eroding your credibility. So you have to take care to build the brand at the same time as you are generating new leads.

While a bit tricky, it is well worth the effort. Our research shows that firms that master online lead generation grow 4X faster and are 2X more profitable. 

So how do they do it? Here are some tips for planning a successful lead generation website for your firm.

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The Right Way to Outsource Online Marketing

By Sean McVey

By Sean McVey

According to a recent study by the Hinge Research Institute, over 31% of professional services firms are outsourcing at least part of their online marketing efforts.  This percentage seems to be increasing over time as digital content and lead generation become more important in the services space.

If your firm opts to outsource online marketing, how will you get the most out of your investment? Here are three strategies that will lead you in the right direction:

Think Long-term

Instead of thinking of your contractor as a helping hand on one or two projects, picture them instead as a long-term partner.  Establishing an extended relationship with another specialist can translate into major efficiencies.

All too often, firms think that outsourcing online marketing is like pushing an ‘Easy’ button.  For instance, a firm may be looking for a quick success by ranking for a key term in Google overnight.  This simply doesn’t happen anymore and it is unwise to base your marketing strategy on easy wins.  It makes more sense to think about your strategy on a year-to-year basis. Finding a partner that sees things this way will help your firm establish credibility online and sustain success. 

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How Professional Services Buyers Are Changing: 5 Trends That Will Shape Your Firm.

As I talk with professional services executives and look at the data, it’s becoming clear that professional services buyers are changing. And the changes are not small.

While it’s easy to ignore changes that happen over time, you do so at your own peril. Why? Because these changes are already having a profound impact on the entire industry, and the longer you wait the harder it will be to catch up.

Here are five trends that will likely shape the future of your firm.

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5 Marketing Mistakes that Cost You New Clients and Wasted Resources

By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.

I recently wrote a post on five items to include in your marketing plan for next year. As I’ve shared these with clients and colleagues it has become obvious that I’ve covered only half the story.

You also need to consider what to avoid when developing and implementing your plan. Of course, none of us plans to do something stupid. But somehow, some way, these pesky blunders find their way into countless marketing programs.

Well, let’s put an end to these time wasters and dollar drains. Here are my top five marketing mistakes to avoid.

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Mazuma: Turning a Commodity Service Into a Brand

By Lee W. Fredeiksen, Ph.D.

Mazuma is a UK firm that goes against a lot of conventional wisdom in the accounting world.  Rather than trying to avoid being a commodity, they have embraced it and taken a high volume, low margin approach aimed at capturing the individual and small business market.  I was initially taken by their model and wrote a blog post about their business strategy. I decided it was worth a closer look.  Co-founder, Lucy Cohen, handles most of the marketing and business side of the firm.  I recently caught up with her for a one on one interview.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Mazuma?
It all started with the tax panic we saw all of our friends and family go through.  My partner, Sophie Hughes, and I saw that everyone had great difficulty with tax time.  We looked around and asked ourselves, “what is the simplest way to do this from the customer’s perspective?” And it grew from there.

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