Using strategic brand positioning to create a stand out brand identity for professional service firms

The success of every ambitious professional service firm, consultancy and advisory business depends upon a robust strategic brand strategy and clearly defined competitive advantage

Everyone’s saying it: its strange times out there. Economic pressures and political uncertainty make for a far more challenging playing field - meaning that you need to sharpen your focus on that which you can control in order to weather the storm. At times like this, your brand identity is the most precious asset that you are in full control of. Here’s how to use it to your advantage.

Why branding is essential to promoting and sustaining business growth

In real terms, your brand is the perception the market holds of your business. Your job is to use your brand identity (your visual presence, logo design, colours, typography, iconography, imagery as well as language, tone of voice and brand message) to influence perception and position your business as the best option for your clients. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?

“Your brand is what people say about your business when you’re not there”

Playing the perception game

In reality, there’s no real way of measuring which firm is better than another. And yet, your clients will almost certainly have a sense of which firm feels best aligned to meet their needs in their specific situation. And what are they basing this upon? Peer reviews will play a big part, but the only controllable influencer is your brand identity.

Understand the pain points

I’ve never met a consultant, coach, advisory firm or service business who hasn’t got a far-too-long Powerpoint presentation up their sleeve packed with infographics and stock photography which is empluyed to convince clients why they’re worth their salt. But here’s the thing: nobody cares. Your client couldn’t give a flying fig about your methodology or favoured framework (even if you’ve trademarked it). What they care about is what you can do for them.

CEO’s don’t buy leadership advisory services. They buy the insight which enables them to manage power dynamics, sell stakeholders on their vision and build an impressive legacy. Speak to what it is that they really care about and you’re on the fast track to being seen as someone who can solve the problems which keep them up at night.

The magic of simplicity

Don’t overcomplicate your message. Keep it simple but bold, speaking to the problem that your business is uniquely positioned to help clients solve. Apple is an eternally relevant case study here: their tag line, ‘Think Different’ speaks to a mindset of independence and a spirit of innovation - two characteristics their global customer base are delighted to associate with.

Reveal the strategic brand positioning for your service business

There are three key areas to consider: What your strengths are, what your target clients value, and what makes you uniquely positioned to serve your clients. Interrogate these points as objectively as you can, enlisting the help of someone who knows your business well if you can. This process will hopefully be really illuminating, but requires some deep thought to cut through the noise and arrive at a really compelling proposition which is genuinely different.

Using testimonials and case studies as social proof

What’s better than coming up with a smart strapline to support your positioning? Having your own clients reinforce the story. Testimonials and case studies are an incredibly useful way of validating what you’re saying and building trust and credibility.

Ever more strategic

Perhaps you’ve identified a particular type of client as more profitable, and you’d like to work with more of the same? You can position your business to be more desirable to that client by delving deep into their specific challenges and aspirations, or by showcasing relevant case studies to demonstrate your experience - and really, that’s strategic brand positioning in a nutshell.

There’s a good reason why brand strategy so often gets outsourced or left on the too-hard’ list - but getting it right yields dividends. Once you’ve landed on robust, distinctive and creative positioning, look for ways to articulate your message with relentless consistency across all possible lines of communication.