Having great content is imperative to having a successful marketing plan.  Content drives leads and can expand a firm’s reach into untapped markets. But how should you go about choosing what you write about? This process starts with developing Issues and Topics. And even before you can do that, you should start with research. What challenges are your clients facing that keep them up at night? Is there a trend in the marketplace that you’re an expert in? Identifying your issues Think about issues as an area of expertise for which you want to become known.  If a reporter is interested ..read more

As social media has surged in popularity it was probably inevitable that professional services firms would begin to include it as a part of their marketing strategy. But is it effective? What are the key benefits? How do you develop a strategy? These are some of the questions we will address in this post. Let’s start by defining what a social media marketing strategy is all about. Social Media Marketing Strategy Defined Social media marketing strategy is a written document describing how you will use social media in support of strategic marketing goals such as brand building, lead generation o ..read more

Sometimes it seems that every subject matter expert aspires to be a thought leader. And why not? It seems like a great thing to be, like a “trusted advisor” or a “team player.” But what does it actually mean to be a thought leader? How do you become one? Is it in fact a good marketing strategy for the professional services firm? The answers to these questions, and more, are what we will cover in this post. Let’s start with an understanding of what thought leadership marketing actually is. Thought Leadership Marketing Defined Thought leadership marketing is the process of increasing the visibil ..read more

The idea of a rock-solid employee recruitment strategy that reliably attracts and retains top talent sounds more like a dream than it does an achievable reality. But even as HR departments face the stresses of the “Great Resignation” – and the endless departure of retirees – Hinge research shows that agile professional services firms can transform their most pressing recruitment challenges into exciting hiring opportunities, simply by leveraging a few key tips from our employer branding playbook. In truth, some of the most sought-after professionals in your industry are searching for a better ..read more

Bringing in new clients is essential to the health of every professional services firm. And nothing is more central to the success of that endeavor than an effective sales and marketing strategy. This article will focus on how to develop a strategy for your firm. Let’s begin by clearing up some basic confusion: what is the difference between sales and marketing? Sales vs. Marketing in Professional Services Sales is about convincing your prospects buy your services. It’s about closing business opportunities. Marketing is about offering the right services with the right benefits to the right pro ..read more

Many professional services websites aren’t as good as the firms they represent. Successful B2B and professional services firms navigate complex business needs and extended sales cycles. Unfortunately, many organizations struggle to translate their hard-earned expertise into an engaging and productive website. A website should be a powerful and silent partner in a firm’s business development process, their recruiting program and even their service or solution delivery. In this post, we’ll cut through all the fluff and explore practical website design trends that can help you stand out from the ..read more

In August of 2019, my husband spent three weeks in the ICU for an onslaught of sepsis. One roller coaster of emotions and many gory details later, my husband made a miraculous recovery and would spend one more week in rehabilitation to regain his strength. All in all, he was hospitalized for a month, which meant I, his wife and full-time working mom to two little children, didn’t work for four weeks straight, apologizing to my employer that I just couldn’t focus on anything but my husband getting well and our two kids, one who had just started kindergarten and the other still in daycare. My em ..read more

Educational webinars have emerged as a powerful marketing tool for many professional services and B2B firms. But not everyone is on the same page… As someone who has organized, promoted, and produced over 100 webinars at Hinge, you can imagine that I hold some strong perspectives on webinars as a marketing strategy. When they are well-organized, promoted to the right audience and integrated into a larger marketing system, webinars are excellent opportunities for nurturing relationships with prospects, showcasing your firm’s experts and leaving a lasting impression on the products and services ..read more

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, i ..read more

There’s one constant in marketing, everything changes. Just think about how many kinds of B2B marketing strategies exist today: Affiliate Agile Behavioral Content Direct Drip Inbound Local Mobile Multichannel Word-of-mouth The list is seemingly endless and trying to keep up with the growing list of techniques can be challenging. Hone in on the types of marketing that will be most beneficial for your firm and the goals you’re trying to reach. One lead generation idea that’s often overlooked by professional services firms is partnership marketing. Partnership Marketing Defined Partnership mark ..read more