Professional services brands today are at risk of eroding. Over the past five years,?we’ve witnessed firm reputation and visibility scores decline?throughout the industry. How can professional services firms overcome this challenge, and improve their brand in the marketplace? The answers aren’t the same as they used to be.

Traditional marketing techniques are giving way to strategies that are designed with modern clients in mind – and the old ways are no longer enough. So what are the top techniques for professional services firms today?

Before we consider the best marketing techniques, it’s important to nail down what exactly we mean by the term “marketing technique.”

Defining Marketing Techniques

Simply put, a marketing technique is anything you do to bring in new business or increase your firm’s visibility and reputation.

We’re?not?talking about strategies for closing sales once you have the opportunity – marketing techniques are all about generating those opportunities in the first place. These are methods for targeting promising markets, building your brand and generating and nurturing leads to drive faster growth and higher profits.

There are many different marketing techniques both online and offline. Major offline examples include trade shows,?networking and in-person speaking engagements. Key online techniques include a firm’s?website, ongoing?search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, and industry?webinars.

Taken together, online and offline marketing techniques allow you to?reach clients wherever they may be. Traditional, offline networking has been an important part of the professional services industry for some time, but these days crucial relationships are forged more and more often through social media like LinkedIn.