video marketing

Marketing Financial Services: The 2025 Forecast

Kelly MicKey — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:23:06 +0000

How are the most successful accounting and financial services firms achieving remarkably higher growth compared to the industry average?

This is the question we’ve been addressing for over a decade in our annual High Growth Study. Since we began this one-of-a-kind research project, we have tracked the evolving marketing strategies of successful accounting and financial services firms. The full 2025 High Growth Study: Accounting & Financial Services Edition reveals key factors that separate today’s fastest growing firms from their slower growing peers.

In this blog post, we’ll share a few of the most compelling insights from this year’s research on the accounting and financial services industry. You can purchase the full research report here.

Meet the Fastest Growing Accounting & Financial Services Firms

Accounting and financial services firms are navigating a landscape marked by intense pressures: commoditized services that erode fee structures, rising compensation costs, the complexities of transitioning to advisory services, and a generational shift in leadership. Simultaneously, the rise of AI and a perennial talent shortage are reshaping the industry, demanding innovative strategies for growth and sustainability.

Despite these challenges, a select group of High Growth firms have achieved remarkable performance, demonstrating a minimum of 20% compound annual growth over a three-year assessment period. These High Growth firms constitute slightly less than 30% of the 210 firms surveyed in this industry group.

With an impressive growth rate of 33.2%, these High Growth firms grow 3.7 times faster than the Average Growth cohort—a slight year-over-year decrease in the high growth rate.

What strategies are propelling superior growth in these accounting and financial services firms? How do they navigate the complexities of today’s market? Which marketing tools and strategies are most effective? Let’s explore some of the key insights uncovered in this year’s study.

Purchase the Full Industry Report Here

Finding 1: Marketing Spend is Decreasing in the Financial Services Industry

A notable trend has emerged in the accounting and financial services sector: marketing spending is down. For the second consecutive year, firms are allocating a smaller percentage of their revenue to marketing activities, hitting a low not seen since 2019 in our study. This year’s investment is particularly striking, falling to less than half of the previous year’s figures, effectively returning to pre-pandemic levels.

This raises some intriguing questions. Has the industry discovered new technology efficiencies, allowing them to achieve growth with less marketing spend? Are marketing staff becoming more skilled? Are firms reverting to their historically conservative spending habits? Is this a cautious response to the prevailing market uncertainties? Or, as firms grow, organically or by acquisition, are marketing activities being scaled at the same rate? For firms seeking to grow at a high rate, it’s crucial to understand this shift in relation to the industry’s current challenges and priorities.

Finding 2: Developing Thought Leaders is a Top Priority

While content creation remains a top priority for both High Growth (33.3%) and No Growth (37.5%) financial firms, High Growth firms prioritize thought leadership significantly more than their No Growth counterparts (31.4% vs. 16.7%, respectively). High Growth firms believe that showcasing their expertise can drive growth, and it’s hard to argue with their success.

High Growth firms understand that amplifying the visibility of their experts is crucial for establishing trust and differentiating themselves. They actively cultivate thought leaders by publishing insightful content, speaking at industry events, and participating in webinars and podcasts. This strategic approach positions their professionals as authoritative voices, building credibility and attracting potential clients.

The data further highlights the importance of social media marketing, with High Growth firms (25.5%) again outpacing No Growth firms (16.7%). When thought leadership content is amplified through social media, it creates a powerful, interconnected marketing ecosystem. This approach maximizes marketing ROI by leveraging expertise to drive engagement and generate leads.

Consider your firm’s strategy: Are you actively nurturing thought leaders? Is your content strategy aligned with this goal, and are you amplifying it through social media? The data clearly indicates that High Growth firms recognize the strategic advantage of developing and promoting their experts.

Finding 3: Multichannel Marketing is Necessary

High Growth accounting firms demonstrate a clear understanding of the need for a multichannel marketing approach. If content creation remains a cornerstone priority of marketing, then it also appears that these firms recognize the importance of strategic distribution and engagement across multiple platforms. Their most utilized marketing techniques reveal a blend of traditional and digital strategies, reflecting the diverse ways clients consume information and engage with their service providers.

Developing high-quality business development materials, such as proposal templates and pitch decks, tops the list at 65.4%. These materials play a crucial role in shaping client perceptions and driving business growth. Similarly, speaking at targeted conferences (63.5%) remains a time-tested method for showcasing expertise and building thought leadership. Networking on social media (59.6%), primarily LinkedIn, facilitates direct engagement with potential clients and industry peers. Providing assessments and consultations (57.7%) offers a personalized approach, while email marketing campaigns (53.8%) enable targeted communication and lead nurturing.

Notably, this mix of techniques delivers a balance of offline and online activities. According to our research, a roughly 55:45 ratio of digital and traditional activities tends to yield the best results. This multichannel approach ensures that firms are reaching their target audience across various touchpoints, addressing the diverse ways they learn and buy services.

In today’s interconnected world, repurposing content across channels is essential. For instance, insights shared at a conference can be transformed into blog posts, social media updates, and email newsletters. This strategy maximizes the impact of content and reinforces brand messaging across multiple platforms.

Purchase the Full Industry Report Here

Finding 4: The High Growth Advantage in Research

One of the longest standing findings of previous editions of the High Growth Study is how High Growth firms are more likely than their slower growing peers to conduct formal research on their clients and prospects. This year we decided to dig a layer deeper and identify what kinds of marketing research firms conduct the most—and the findings were eye opening.

High Growth accounting firms are not only more likely to conduct research, they are more likely to do so across a broad range of categories.

High Growth accounting firms demonstrate a clear commitment to understand their audience and market, with 78.4% engaging in regular research compared to 66.7% of No Growth firms. This commitment translates into actionable insights that drive strategic decisions and enhance client service.

Client satisfaction research was most common. It allows firms to gather direct feedback on client experiences. This simple, cost-effective method helps firms improve their service and client perceptions. Additionally, client research, which focuses on clients’ evolving habits and preferences, informs strategic planning, service offerings, and marketing initiatives. Understanding what clients truly value and how their needs are changing is crucial to stay ahead in the competitive accounting landscape.

Marketplace research, which encompasses everything from demand analysis to focus groups, helps firms identify new opportunities and stay attuned to industry trends. Competitive research and SEO research, both of which are used by nearly 40% of High Growth firms, provide critical intelligence on competitors and online visibility. In addition, knowing your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as optimizing for relevant keywords, are essential for differentiation and attracting new clients.

If you are wondering which is right for you, client research can be a powerful starting point. It can reveal key audience challenges, what clients perceive as your strengths and weaknesses, insights that can inform your competitive positioning, and where your buyers go to learn about the kinds of problems you solve. What you learn is invaluable to improve your business strategy, improve client service, and enhance marketing effectiveness. In short, research equips financial services firms to make data-driven decisions that drive growth and enhance client relationships.

Finding 5: All Financial Services Firms Struggle with Marketing Data

A new addition to this year’s study was a question asking firms to rate their proficiency in capturing and using marketing and business development metrics. The data tells a clear story: This is a massive challenge for the marketers at accounting and financial services firms.

About 3 out of 4 firms rated proficiency as low—a higher percentage than every other professional services industry we studied this year—and High Growth firms were not better, and arguably worse, than their Low Growth peers. Despite rating themselves as more digitally mature than the slower growing firms (another point we measured this year in the full study), that additional digital maturity was not reflected in this data on marketing and business development metrics.

We asked a followup question to those who rated themselves with low proficiency what challenges they face. Here are a few of the responses we received:

“Time constraints”
“We do a good job of capturing data. Our challenge is putting the data to work. What story does it tell and where do we go next based on insight that comes from the data?”
“We don’t dedicate time to this, and even when we do, we’re not very good at utilizing the information.”
“Long sales cycles and multiple touchpoints across the lead lifecycle coupled with networking and referrals makes it difficult to capture true attribution.”
“Understanding CRM system’s capabilities well enough to know which reports are to be utilized to analyze the metrics.”

While the specific hurdles cited by firms vary—from time constraints and CRM complexities to the fundamental challenge of translating data into actionable insights—the overarching message is clear: the accounting and financial services industry is grappling with a significant metrics proficiency gap.

This gap, however, represents a substantial opportunity. Firms that are willing to address these challenges and invest in the necessary tools, training, and strategic frameworks will be positioned to benefit from the insights and power of data.

Go Further. Purchase the Full Study.

These findings offer a glimpse into the strategies of the fastest growing accounting & financial services firms in 2025. The full robust and visible thought leadership program. There must be enough high-quality educational material on your website to build a following and keep them coming back. Your best experts should be actively involved either producing the content or working with professional writers to ensure each piece is insightful, contains a point of view and is accurate. Finally, SEO, promotion on social media and other techniques make your investment visible and accessible to the world.

Your website has to be appealing, differentiated and well organized. There’s nothing like an uninspired or difficult-to-navigate website to turn off a first-time visitor or discourage a potential referral. Your website has to inspire confidence and provide the kind of experience that makes the person referring you look great.

Your website must showcase proof that you are who you claim to be. This means testimonials, success statistics, client logos, and well-written case studies. Without these, a new prospect will wonder if you have the experience to deliver success.

What about you? Are you set up to support invisible referrals?

The post Invisible Referrals: The Revenue Source You Didn’t Know About appeared first on Hinge Marketing.

How to Master Strategic Marketing for Professional Services Firms

Lee Frederiksen — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:00:30 +0000

Strategic marketing sounds like it would be a good idea for a professional services firm.

And in fact, it is. Whether you are an accounting firm or a technology powerhouse, you face a lot of competition from many directions. New technology, commoditization, and unrelenting price pressure add to the fun.

The way to escape this pressure is to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. A strong competitive advantage can help you win more business and command premium fees. It even increases the value of your firm.

But how do you pull it off? That’s where strategic marketing comes in.

What is Strategic Marketing?

Strategic Marketing is the use of marketing disciplines to achieve organizational goals by developing and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. It addresses high-level considerations such as what markets to target, which services to offer, and how to price and promote them.

Download the Marketing Planning Guide

The strategy and its associated tactics are often documented in a marketing plan. Marketing management is the process of implementing that plan — delivering the strategy at the tactical level.

In our experience, most professional services firms focus on marketing management and rarely engage in big-picture strategic marketing. The results are predictable: their so-called “marketing strategy” is a series of poorly planned, opportunistic activities that do little to establish a true competitive advantage.

Strategic Marketing Examples

To help you understand how strategic marketing works, let’s take a look at an example of non-strategic marketing and then compare it to a well-executed example.

Strategic marketing, gone bad.

Imagine a mid-sized accounting firm. They are eager to grow but have no real plan for how to accomplish it.

Their “marketing plan” is little more than a list of activities and their associated costs. There is no overall strategy that ties these activities to their growth objectives. They have tried a variety of marketing ideas drawn from conversations with peers and trendy techniques they have read about. There is no systematic strategy or process that guides their use of marketing resources.

The firm offers the services their clients routinely ask for, and they look to competitors to gauge the effectiveness of their pricing and marketing materials. They believe that superior client service is why clients choose them, but they have never done any systematic research to verify this assumption.

This follow-the-herd marketing mentality, of course, does nothing to differentiate the firm from all the other mid-sized firms out there. Sadly, this way of thinking is all too common.

Now, let’s contrast this approach against a similarly sized firm that has taken a strategic approach to its marketing.

Strategic marketing done right.

Now imagine another mid-sized accounting firm. They also want to grow organically. But they have decided to do that by differentiating themselves from other accounting firms to gain a sustainable competitive advantage.

They start by conducting systematic research into their best clients. This knowledge allows them to identify existing strengths they can build upon. Based on this business analysis, they decide to specialize in the hospitality sector — an industry where they have a solid track record of success and a handful of high-profile clients.

As their understanding of the sector grows, they begin to offer specialized bundled service/software packages to complement their full suite of traditional audit, tax, and consulting. Their fastest-growing segment is their new, high-value operational consulting practice for hospitality businesses.

The firm identifies topics of intense interest to their target clients, and they write and speak on these issues regularly at industry events. Their superior knowledge of the industry and specialized services give them a distinct advantage when they speak with prospects.

Today, the firm offers regular industry-focused webinars and has clients all over the country. They command premium fees and are growing at about 5X the industry average.

As these two examples show, strategic marketing can affect many aspects of a firm’s policies, priorities, and operations. These changes can transform a firm’s fortunes.

New Marketing Strategies for Higher Growth

Professional services buyers are changing. As consumers, we have grown accustomed to searching online to educate ourselves and find products and services. We expect transparency online, and we are used to finding exactly what we are looking for. Many of us also rely on social media and peer reviews to validate our choices.

It’s no surprise, then, that these changing expectations are transforming B2B sales. Potential clients are looking to solve their problems and determine who has the specific expertise they need. To get answers, they search online, consult a variety of AI platforms, attend webinars, talk with peers and attend conferences. Because online research is quicker and easier than soliciting advice and referrals the traditional way, it is becoming increasingly popular.

So what do these changes mean for professional services marketers? Simply put, our marketing strategies need to reflect the new realities of buyer behavior.

Let’s look at ten of the most promising new marketing strategies to consider for your marketing plan. Some involve new technology, while others are a fresh take on an evergreen idea. Each of them addresses some part of the new normal and is worth considering.

Increasing the visibility of your expertise

Expertise is the fundamental product that your clients buy. It is the top selection criterion and drives the final firm selection in three out of four new firm searches. But expertise is invisible. You can’t see it, touch it, or measure it directly. A potential client must experience it.

While some experts have become highly visible in their fields, their rise to prominence is often a gradual process over the course of their careers. In our research, we have learned how prospects come to encounter and judge expertise — and we uncovered specific strategies and tactics that dramatically accelerate the visibility of true expertise. Many firms use strategic marketing to build the visibility of their experts.

Niche specialization

Professional services have always had specialists and generalists. But practical limitations such as geographic location and marketing reach have limited specialists’ advantages in the past.

That is changing. New communications technology (such as free video) and the widespread adoption of remote working have changed the playing field. Niche specialization has gained the clear upper hand.

360˚ marketing

“Be everywhere potential clients look for help” is more than a slogan. It’s the foundation of most marketing strategies. But where clients look is changing. Increasingly, they are looking online — so the obvious conclusion is that you need to be online, too.

Our research has shown that firms that use a balance of both traditional offline and online digital marketing techniques grow the fastest and are more profitable than those that employ only traditional marketing strategies. So while face-to-face marketing should be part of your marketing equation, an uninformed belief that “our clients don’t go online” can be dangerous to the health of your firm.

Product/service bundling

Clients need to find solutions to their challenges. Sometimes that solution takes the form of a software and services combination. Increasingly, professional services firms recognize that by pre-packaging a product/service combo they can create a lot of value for their clients.

Of course, you don’t have to bundle software with a service. It could be hardware or training, just as easily. The key is to come up with an integrated solution that saves the client time and money or produces another important benefit.

Sub-branding

Perhaps you’ve noticed another market segment that you could serve easily and profitably. But there is a problem. Serving that market would dilute your brand positioning. What do you do?

For an increasing number of firms, the answer is to develop a separate brand devoted to the new market segment. Often, these new brands have some relationship to the parent brand, hence the sub-brand label. While common in other industries, this marketing strategy is now gaining more traction in professional services.

New business models

Advances in technology have created the opportunity for new business models. In fact, technology has reshaped entire industries. From music to retail to transportation, the Ubers, Airbnbs, and Amazons of the world are redefining how business is configured.

Professional services are ripe for similar innovations. Artificial intelligence offers the possibility of dramatic changes in the cost and availability of services. Alternative pricing structures are obvious areas for experimentation, though there are many other avenues for creative exploration. The key is to think in terms of value to the client.

Marketing automation

This is another area where technology has dramatically altered the marketing playing field. Firms now have access to a rapidly growing set of tools that can automate big chunks of the marketing process. The big challenge in professional services marketing has been to balance the need to remain billable with the need for personal attention to business development.

Marketing automation is addressing that challenge. With proper planning and preparation, the lead generation and nurturing process can be largely automated. This changes everything, including the individual professional’s role in the business development process. Marketing is evolving from an individual event to a team sport.

Outsourced marketing

Stick with your core. Concentrate on what you really do well. For many firms, that area of competence does not include marketing. While many industries have already been deeply involved in outsourcing, professional services have lagged behind. Some firms are still warming up to the whole concept of marketing.

This makes outsourcing an interesting alternative. Firms that lack a well-established marketing function can adopt outsourced marketing with relative ease. And because modern marketing demands a wide range of specialized skills, outsourcing to a sophisticated marketing agency can deliver a strategic advantage.

Hyper-targeted advertising

Historically, advertising has not worked well for most professional services firms. Many B2B markets are difficult to target, and traditional ads have not been good at conveying expertise. But all of that is changing.

Today, online advertising can target specific companies or positions within well-defined niches. And, of course, you can easily link to downloadable content that demonstrates your expertise. This means that you can hyper-target a message that communicates your firm’s expertise. New strategies are emerging that would have been impractical even a few years ago.

Signature content

Signature content refers to content that is unique to your firm and of high value to potential clients. Examples include annual industry surveys or a ranking of companies in your target industries. Many firms have also been built around a best-selling book. A few firms have even published their own print magazines or journals.

More recently, we have seen the emergence of specialized series, such as podcasts or webinar series, as another route to signature content. And while blogs have become quite common, some firms have gone above and beyond to make their blogs “must-reads” for their prime targets.

The key to using signature content as part of your marketing strategy is to make sure that it is truly valuable to your target audience.

Next, let’s turn our attention to how you turn these new ideas and insights into a coherent strategic marketing plan.

Creating Your Strategic Marketing Plan

Creating a strategic marketing plan can be daunting, especially if you are new to it. In a previous post, we broke down the marketing planning process into seven essential steps. Here’s a summary of those steps:

Understand the business situation your firm is facing

Marketing should help you achieve your business goals. If you don’t have a clearly defined set of goals, then your marketing is likely to be unfocused and unproductive.

If you haven’t yet identified your business objectives you can use techniques such as SWOT analysis and various types of market research to uncover the opportunities available to you.

Once you have goals in your sites, you can use them as a compass to steer your marketing program in the optimal direction.

Research and understand your target clients

It’s all too easy to fool yourself into believing that you already understand your clients’ needs and priorities. But like so many things in life, clients are in a constant state of change. Last year’s top challenge can easily be trumped by some new disruptive force. The only way you can find out what’s going on between the ears of your target audience is to conduct periodic research that’s designed to uncover these insights.

Without this kind of research, you might build your marketing strategy around a flawed set of assumptions — with potentially disastrous consequences. And client research almost always uncovers a few surprises. Often these can play a pivotal role in your market positioning or messaging. So think of research as the foundation upon which you build your entire plan.

Position your brand in the marketplace

Positioning is about staking out a place in buyers’ minds. It’s about creating a connection between your firm and an idea — for instance, a specialty or some other distinctive quality of your business. At the same time, it’s about creating a contrast between your firm and competitors who might otherwise be perceived as similar to you. In the end, positioning is a boon to buyers, giving them a reason to pluck your firm from a poorly differentiated pack.

Your positioning begins with a set of differentiators, which your research can help you identify. A differentiator must pass three tests. It must be:

True — Clients can smell a made-up differentiator a mile away.
Provable — It must be supportable with evidence.
Relevant — Your clients must care about it. There’s no room for differentiators that offer no obvious value to clients.

Once you’ve got a list of differentiators (most firms can identify 3-5), you can develop your positioning statement — a short paragraph that cooks your brand down to its essence. It should describe who you are, who you serve, how you are different, and why clients choose you. As you move forward, your positioning statement will be your brand compass, providing guidance as you talk and write about your firm.

Define and refine your service offerings

If your clients are changing, then your services need to evolve with them. That’s how you create and maintain your competitive advantage.

This could mean revamping existing services or creating all-new ones based on your research findings. You might even automate some of your processes so they can be delivered more efficiently and at a lower cost.

Download the Marketing Planning Guide

Identify which marketing techniques you will use

Research can help you understand not only what challenges your clients to face, but how they consume information, as well. Insights like these can help you select what channels you use to promote and distribute your expert content. This powerful strategy, which we call building visible expertise, leverages your firm’s natural expertise to create greater exposure and generate trust.

Achieving a high level of visibil

Public Speaking: The Superpower That Keeps Giving

Elizabeth Harr — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:00:34 +0000

We have written before about what it takes to become a Visible Expert® in your industry. In this article, we will focus on the one skill we believe can accelerate your Visible Expert journey faster than any other. Call it a superpower, if you like.

But this superpower affects more than the professionals who wield it. It elevates their firm, too. How do we know? Because we did the research.

What the Research Says

In our 2025 High Growth Study, the best-performing professional services firms identified which marketing and business development techniques deliver the greatest impact. Here are the top six:

One thing that struck me right away: Two of these top six techniques involved speaking to a live audience. Speaking at conferences and presenting in webinars involve similar skills. And both are part of a thought leader’s playbook.

This data also backs up what we learned in our research on Visible Experts. Here are the top three impact ratings from that study:

Clearly public speaking—in all its guises—not only has value, but true impact on the visibility and reputation of firms and their experts.

Why Public Speaking Works

Speaking in-person or online offers a few advantages that are not available in, say, written content.

First, as a presenter you are automatically in a position of authority. Your words, opinions and advice carry more weight than they might in another setting.

Second, it’s more personal. Whether you are speaking to a packed room or an invisible group of webinar attendees, your audience can associate a face (or, in some cases, a voice) with your expertise. That’s a powerful connection.

Third, your audience gets to sample your thinking and expertise in action. Even though your message is delivered in a controlled environment, that experience is enough to generate feelings of trust.

Fourth, if you are participating in a live event, you can leave time for questions and answers—and address a few of your audience’s real-world challenges.

Download the 2025 High Growth Study Executive Summary

How Experts Become Speakers

Now, I know that public speaking is not for everyone. Even the best speakers started out tentatively, but their confidence grew with every experience. Most people can conquer their natural anxiety and become capable, even inspiring, public speakers.

The trick is to start small. Some novices join an organization, such as Toastmasters, that helps people learn the craft. Others play a supporting role in a few webinars, then build experience until they are ready to host a webinar on their own. Still others deliver short speeches at local groups such as chambers of commerce.

The most important thing a firm can do is support their experts in this journey. Leadership should encourage their experts to seek out speaking opportunities—even provide resources to help find, reach out to and negotiate with them. Give your experts the time to prepare their presentations and, if they like, to practice in front of a few friendly colleagues.

Where Do Experts Speak?

Below are some of experts’ most common speaking channels. Most of these can be used to increase visibility and nurture relationships.

Conferences. Your goal should be to secure speaking opportunities, not just attend the conference. If you can, try to incorporate research data into your presentations to make them more informative and persuasive. Public speaking can expose you to new audiences as well as deepen your engagement with those who know you.
Webinars. Webinars are today’s digital version of seminars. One nice feature is that you can record the presentation then offer it later on an on-demand basis. This gives your webinars a long shelf life. Webinars are an excellent way to nurture people who already know who you are. At the same time, they can be a powerful tool to impress newcomers, as well. And with the right partnering and promotional strategy, they can also be an excellent way to expand your visibility.
Podcast and radio appearances. These two mediums are great ways to increase your visibility. You can either establish your own podcast, as many experts have, or seek out guest appearances on other people’s podcasts. Running your own podcast is a large undertaking, so you may want to start out as a guest. Then there’s radio. Just because it was invented over a century ago doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant. Today, most radio talk shows are not only broadcast live but recorded and made available to listeners on demand. Sounds a lot like a podcast!
Videos and video blog posts. Videos can be used in a variety of ways. They can become video blog posts, arranged as channels on video platforms such as YouTube or included in relevant places on your website. Videos are also critical to establishing your speaking credentials.

How many experts in your firm are presenting to live audiences? The more you can make your experts known in the marketplace, the faster you’ll grow.

Download the 2025 High Growth Study Executive Summary

The post Public Speaking: The Superpower That Keeps Giving appeared first on Hinge Marketing.

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Phil Ebiner — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 02:37:12 +0000

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The State of Legal Marketing in 2025

Karl Feldman — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 14:00:34 +0000

What drives growth at today’s fastest growing law and legal services firms?

For over a decade, we’ve been asking this question and finding the answers in our annual High Growth Study. Since its inception, this research project has tracked the evolving marketing strategies of successful law firms. The 2025 High Growth Study: Law Firms & Legal Services Edition reveals the primary factors that separate today’s fastest growing legal firms from their slower growing peers.

In today’s blog post, we’ll share some key insights from this year’s research report on firms in the legal space. You can purchase the full research report here.

Meet the Fastest Growing Law & Legal Services Firms

Today’s law firms find themselves confronting a multitude of persistent challenges, including heightened price sensitivity, ongoing talent acquisition difficulties, evolving generational workforce dynamics, and the imperative to cultivate new skill sets.

Despite these considerable obstacles, a select group of High Growth law firms has achieved remarkable performance, demonstrating a minimum of 20% compound annual growth over a three-year assessment period. These high-performing firms constitute slightly more than a third of the 84 legal practices surveyed in our study.

With an impressive growth rate of 41.7%, these High Growth firms have outpaced the average by a factor of 5.2—a notable increase over the previous year’s median growth of 29.6% for this top-tier cohort.

What strategic insights can be gleaned from these rapidly expanding legal practices? How are they adapting to the demands of today’s market? Which specific marketing tools and techniques do they use? Let’s delve into some of the key findings from this year’s study.

Purchase the full report here

Finding 1: Downward Price Pressure on Legal Services Has Spiked

In recent years, marketplace uncertainty has consistently ranked as a primary concern for law firms, claiming the top spot in the previous year’s survey. However, this year reveals a significant shift, with marketplace uncertainty dropping over twelve percentage points and plummeting to the ninth position.

Dominating the list of current concerns is the mounting pressure to reduce fees, a sentiment echoed by four out of ten participants. This development is particularly noteworthy given the recent rise in legal fees, particularly within larger firms, as well as the industry’s upward trend in both growth and profitability.

What factors are contributing to this heightened concern over fees? Many firms may be reacting to the growing commoditization of specific legal services. They may also be worried about the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, which now ranks third among concerns. While these technological advancements enhance productivity, they also exert downward pressure on service pricing.

Furthermore, the fourth-ranked concern (not shown)—intensifying competition from emerging firms, including disruptive online legal service models—further contributes to the downward pressure on fees.

Finding 2: Search Engine Optimization as a Top Priority

With AI-powered search and content generation tools reshaping how people access information, search engine optimization (SEO) remains a cornerstone of high-growth law firm marketing strategies. SEO was listed as the second highest marketing priority behind content creation. Our research reveals that top-performing firms are keenly focused on enhancing their reputation and visibility, with SEO playing a crucial role in achieving these objectives.

In an era when potential clients increasingly turn to search engines like Google to find legal representation, being easily discoverable is paramount. While AI-driven summaries and zero-click features may alter the search experience, they underscore the need for a strong online presence. Even in this environment, High-growth firms understand that SEO continues to drive valuable, high-quality traffic to their websites.

For smaller law firms or those with a regional focus, regional SEO becomes particularly vital. Optimizing for local search terms, such as “personal injury lawyer [city name]” or “real estate attorney [county name],” ensures that these firms appear prominently in local search results. This targeted approach allows them to connect with potential clients in their immediate geographic area, fostering stronger relationships and driving local business. Moreover, maintaining up-to-date Google My Business profiles with accurate contact information, client reviews, and relevant content further enhances local visibility.

Creating content directly supports a firm’s SEO efforts. Producing educational blog posts, articles, and other forms of content that address common legal questions not only builds thought leadership but also improves search engine rankings. By incorporating relevant keywords into their content, law firms can attract organic traffic from highly motivated individuals seeking legal information and services.

In short, SEO remains an indispensable tool for high-growth law firms, enabling them to navigate the evolving digital landscape and connect with potential clients seeking legal expertise.

Finding 3: High-Growth Law Firms Invest Heavily in Digital Ad Campaigns and Video

Unlike other professional service sectors, the fastest-growing law firms are making significant investments in digital advertising campaigns. This strategic focus underscores the highly competitive nature of the legal market, where visibility and rapid lead generation are critical.

To achieve meaningful results, law firms are committing substantial resources to digital ad initiatives. This includes rigorous testing and optimization, ensuring that campaigns reach the right audience with compelling messages. The legal industry’s investment in digital ads reflects a need to quickly acquire clients in a competitive online space where search results pages are often crowded.

Video blogging is the technique requiring the third-highest level of investment for high-growth firms. This willingness to put time and money into video content reflects the growing importance of visual communication in the legal field. Video blogs allow law firms to showcase their expertise, project a personal image to potential clients, and address complex legal topics in an accessible format. While producing high-quality video content requires a collaboration of strategists, subject matter experts, writers, and designers, the payoff in client engagement and brand building can be significant. Even with the rise of accessible, “low-fi” videos, high-growth firms understand the value of polished, professional video content in establishing credibility and trust.

Their focus on digital ads and video blogging highlights the legal industry’s embrace of the digital age. These investments signal a commitment to modern marketing techniques—and the rapid growth and competitive edge they can deliver.

Finding 4: High-Growth Law Firms Prioritize Strategic Research

A defining characteristic of high-growth law firms is their commitment to conducting formal research. Our findings reveal that an impressive 9 out of 10 of these top-performing firms engage in regular research activities, demonstrating a data-driven approach to their business strategies. Data equips them to gain critical insights into their marketplace, client perceptions, and other factors that contribute to effective marketing and client service.

Client satisfaction/experience research leads the pack, with 71.4% of high-growth firms using this method. This typically involves post-engagement surveys, providing valuable feedback on client experiences. Its ease and affordability make it a popular tool.

Marketplace research, employed by 50% of these firms, encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, from assessing demand for new services to conducting focus groups. This research helps firms stay attuned to market trends and identify emerging opportunities.

Client research, at 46.4%, enables firms to track evolving client habits and preferences. This intelligence informs strategic decisions, service offerings, and marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment with target audience needs.

Other notable research areas include SEO/keyword research (42.9%), competitive research (39.3%), and pricing research (25%). Notably, only a small fraction (10.7%) of high-growth firms report not conducting any form of formal research, highlighting the role of data-driven decision-making in their success.

Finding 5: Many Firms Are Not Adept at Tracking and Using Marketing Metrics

A new addition to this year’s research was a question asking companies to rate their proficiency in capturing and utilizing marketing and business development metrics. The data tells a clear story: This is a massive challenge for the legal marketing industry.

The High Growth group is over twice as likely to use metrics with high proficiency. However, four out of five firms in this group have only some or low proficiency. The No Growth cohort fares even worse, with 9 out of 10 in one of these two lower categories.

When firms reported low or some proficiency in tracking metrics, they cited a set of familiar hurdles: insufficient time, a shortage of dedicated staff, budget constraints, outdated technology, and the persistent challenge of integrating data from disparate systems. While every professional services marketer acknowledges the importance of metrics, our data highlights a significant gap between recognition and effective implementation.

Dive Deeper with the Full Report

These findings offer a glimpse into the strategies of the fastest growing law firms in 2025. The full 2025 High Growth Study: Law & Legal Services Edition provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors driving success in today’s market. It offers detailed insights, data-driven recommendations, and actionable strategies. This report is an invaluable resource for any law firm that wants to thrive in the face of change. Ready to dive deeper and unlock the secrets of high growth? Get the full report here.

The post The State of Legal Marketing in 2025 appeared first on Hinge Marketing.

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Phil Ebiner — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:32:11 +0000

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How AI Has Rocked Professional Services

Elizabeth Harr — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 14:15:21 +0000

Each year, we ask our High Growth Study participants to list their top business challenges. Since a global pandemic turned the world upside down in 2020, one theme has dominated the professional services landscape: uncertainty.

A lot changed in a short period of time—and five years later, we’ve adjusted to some of this change. Remote and hybrid work policies are now commonplace across the professional services. Many firms have either completed a large digital transformation or are well into the process. And organizations are finding ways to move forward in a topsy-turvy political landscape.

None of this is to say that we now live in a predictable world. But we may be adapting to its variability.

Why do I think this? Because that’s the story we’re seeing in this year’s High Growth Study. We’ve already discussed the top challenges facing professional services firms in this article:

Today’s article is dedicated to the single biggest shift we witnessed across professional services over the past year—and what it means for you.

In last year’s study, unpredictability was the strongest headwind buffeting the professional services marketplace. Four out of ten firms listed it as a top challenge. In this year’s results, those winds are still with us, but the gusts are a bit weaker.* It has dropped sharply from first place into third.

That’s an interesting development on its own. But just as fascinating is what’s taken its place.

The Rise of AI

In November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT. AI had already been on the minds of some professional services leaders for a number of years, but its heyday seemed a long way off. ChatGPT changed everything. Suddenly, here was a mature AI product that could do amazing things—write computer code, draft high-quality emails, summarize long technical documents, even draft screenplays!

To say the world wasn’t expecting this level of sophistication would be an understatement. Quickly, other companies entered the fray, including Google and Meta, rolling out similar products of varying quality. By the spring of 2023, AI was dominating the news. Of course, it wasn’t all good news. Journalists, researchers and users discovered that the results weren’t always reliable, and occasionally the output was pure fantasy.

But the business world was warming to its promise. AI began appearing in more and more technology products, including many major platforms used by professional services firms. And a lot more was in the pipeline. Its promise seemed limitless. In our 2024 study (which explores the 2023 marketplace), we documented this rise. AI and its close cousin, automation, rose from an also-ran to become the second biggest business challenge of High Growth firms.

This year, it shot into the top spot—by a significant margin. Over half of firms in the sample cited AI and automation as a top challenge, compared to 37.3% for the next item on the list. That’s a whopping 35% difference!

Whatever your feelings about AI, one thing is for sure: it’s no passing fad. Billions of dollars are being invested in it, including major server and power generation infrastructure to support it.

What’s Next?

At Hinge, we believe that soon AI is going to become an organic part of the way firms like yours deliver their services, run their operations and market themselves. That’s why we are advising our clients to start experimenting and using this technology now.

Even today’s imperfect AI and automation tools offer tremendous potential to do things more efficiently and to make sense of the immense amounts of information that is available to us. Firms are using AI in ways that save countless hours on big tasks: uncovering patterns and trends in data, optimizing supply chain routes, identifying potential risks in workflows and predicting buyer behavior.

These tools are only going to get better. And new ones will enter the market that handle even more complex tasks. Those firms that embrace this revolution early will be positioned to profit from it most.

Want more data? Download the 2025 High Growth Study Executive Summary

Okay. But What Can You Do Today?

How do you get started? The same way you handle any unfamiliar situation: You ask lots of questions.

If you are using technology platforms to run your business, chances are they either have AI functionality already included or they are available as add-on modules. Look at every part of your tech stack—from marketing and CRM to core operations and project management software—and determine where you have opportunities to add AI.

Talk to the developers about what these features can do. Ask about use cases: Explain your business and find out where AI can improve workflow, efficiency or even customer satisfaction: find out what new insights you can glean about your customers, and how to use that information to your advantage and theirs.

When you adopt AI, all the little efficiencies you gain can really add up. Easy-to-use tools like Gemini (Google’s AI chatbot), Copilot (Microsoft), ChatGPT (OpenAI), Perplexity (Perplexity) and Claude (Anthropic) can save minutes or hours on common tasks. If you have privacy concerns, many of these platforms have sandboxed versions that protect your data so that it won’t be exposed to their training algorithms.

At Hinge, for instance, we use a protected AI environment that is fully integrated into our full suite of office applications. While we have a policy that we never use AI to write thought leadership pieces (including this one, thank you), we encourage our team to apply it to tasks like drafting meeting outlines or summaries, analyzing complex data sets and even brainstorming ideas. We’re still learning ourselves, but for many on our team Gemini has been a revelation. We also make extensive use of our CRM’s marketing automation tools, from customized tagging and reporting to automated email sequences. Many of these tasks would be impractical or impossible without these tools.

The biggest thing you can do is make a commitment. A commitment to embrace AI, even if it isn’t always great right now. A commitment to invest in the training to deploy the software or features fully and to get your team up to speed. And a commitment to stick with it.

Organizational change is always hard. And adopting AI in a meaningful way is no different. But we believe making this investment today will set you up to thrive in a very different tomorrow.

*Keep in mind that each year’s study represents data collected in the previous calendar year. For example, the 2025 study presents a snapshot of the marketplace in 2024.

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Elements of a Successful Brand 6: The Logo

Aaron — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:58:00 +0000

A brand is a complex organism. This is part six in a series of articles in which we examine a successful brand’s component parts.

Ah, the poor, misunderstood logo. People put a lot of pressure on its narrow shoulders. Let’s begin by sweeping away a couple of common misconceptions. Your logo is not your brand. And it’s not a portrait in miniature of your business. So don’t expect it to communicate much, if anything, about what you do. Those disclaimers aside, a logo can be the anchor of a firm’s visual identity and a critical component of a successful brand.

As part of an overall brand approach, firm logos serve three primary functions:

Identification
Differentiation
Aiding recall

Let’s look at each of these attributes in turn.

1. Identification

A logo exists to represent and identify a company or product. The brand name tells us what it is called. The mark (if there is one) helps us recognize the brand the next time we encounter it.

2. Differentiation

An effective logo visually separates a firm from the rest of the field. Perceptions are built little by little over time, and a logo that takes a different tack from the competition will contribute to the distinctiveness of a firm’s brand image. In addition, a logo design sometimes can convey aspects of a company’s personality or attitude (for instance, fun, warmth, or energy).

3. Aiding Recall

A distinctive logo is a memorable logo. Being noticed and remembered is the first step a firm must take en route to eventual selection and brand preference. The logo’s mark, if any, provides a shortcut that helps us identify a company or product in a hurry. We are all in a rush these days, and a well-conceived mark makes recognition easier.

Logo Anatomy

Most firm logos can be broken into two parts: the name and the mark (sometime called its symbol or icon). The name is obvious enough: it’s the company or product name rendered in type. Skillful logo designers will spend a great deal of time choosing a typeface, often customizing its letter forms to make the name more personalized and proprietary.

The mark, usually separated slightly from the name, supports the brand name and offers a visual dimension to the brand identity experience. Some marks have become so well known that they’ve practically replaced the brand name itself (think Nike’s swoosh and Apple’s apple).

Download the Rebranding Guide – Second Edition

Not all firm logos have marks. In fact, many successful businesses do just fine without one: Deloitte, IBM, and Oracle, for instance. This type of identifier, in which the name is the logo, is called a logotype. Logotypes do have a couple of drawbacks. Because they have to be read, legibility is critical, whether they appear on the web or in the distance on the side of a building. Logotypes also have a generic quality to them, so if a competitor were to adopt a similar-looking typeface it could create confusion in the marketplace. Nevertheless, many great brands have dispensed with marks and still gone on to do great things.

The Redesign Dilemma

So is a logo redesign worth the effort? If you care about giving your business every advantage in the marketplace, you should consider your logo as a starting point. We live in a visual world, and every prospect that you contact is likely to see it. So pull up your website and ask yourself these questions about your current logo:

Does it reflect your firm’s personality?
Is it different from other logos in your industry?
Is anyone going to notice it and remember you because of it?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you may want to think about revisiting your logo and taking your brand image in a new direction. A logo redesign is not a small undertaking — it will affect every piece of collateral and signage you have. But it takes an upfront investment to reap long-term rewards.

Download the Rebranding Guide – Second Edition

Classifying Logos

Logos can be sorted into a few basic categories. The five categories below will give you a way to think about your current logo and what you might want your new logo to be.

Logotypes | A company name rendered in distinctive typography is the primary graphic element in these logos. Successful logotypes are bold and easy to read. Accenture, Deloitte and Exxon are good examples.
Monograms | A monogram is a mark made up of a company’s initials (think IBM, McDonalds and GE).
Abstract Marks | Nonrepresentational marks that accompany a business’s name. (Sometimes, however, these marks can reflect a company’s name or other non-service-related attribute: Apple, Cisco, Dewberry.) Examples of abstract marks include Chase, BP and PWC.
Descriptive Marks | Iconic representations of a company’s products, services or defining character. The professional services don’t lend themselves often to concrete imagery, they are relatively rare in these industries. Descriptive marks are quite common in the consumer world, however. Think Burger King or Dominos Pizza.
Seals | Type and an icon are contained inside a shape, usually a circle, oval, shield, or rectangle. Because of their limited legibility and dated appearance, seals are becoming less common. Many state and federal agencies still use seals, but they are rare in the business world.

Read Other Posts in this Series:

How Hinge Can Help

Develop rebranding strategies that better connect with existing clients and prospects. Hinge’s Branding Program can help your firm stand out from the competition and build a brand that drives sustained growth.

The post Elements of a Successful Brand 6: The Logo appeared first on Hinge Marketing.

Is Writing a Book Worth the Pain?

Elizabeth Harr — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:00:14 +0000

In the past, Hinge has explored the way public speaking can build an expert’s reputation. In fact, in our study of 220 Visible Experts, speaking was the number one most impactful marketing technique for individual experts:

In this post, Liz explores the technique in second place: writing a business book. In her experience—and that of many high-profile experts—writing a book can be just as effective as speaking, and maybe more so. As the co-author of three marketing books (and three children’s books), including The Visible Expert Revolution, Liz has seen them pay dividends again and again. Keep reading to hear more of her insights.

Books Build Experts’ Reputations

In fact, writing a book can be the tipping point for many experts, shaping the way they think and talk about themselves. When Rhondalynn Korolak wrote her second book, it helped her develop her revolutionary way of thinking about cash flow.

“I highly advocate writing books,” she told me. “For me, writing a book has two benefits: One, you get your message out. Two, you codify what you think you know.” This is a powerful combination. And because a book requires you to delve deeply into your topic, the process of structuring, researching and writing is almost guaranteed to sharpen your expertise.

“A book is a place where you can assimilate all your knowledge,” adds Rhondalynn. “You have to put things down in a way that you can communicate them to anybody. As you write, you start to formulate new systems and processes.”

Sarah Susanka was already a successful Minneapolis architect when she wrote The Not So Big House. Almost overnight, however, she was launched into the spotlight, fielding media requests and being interviewed by heavyweights like Oprah, Charlie Rose and Diane Rehm. Through her books, Sarah has found a way to define her career and build a cultural movement.

Books Drive Firms’ Revenue

A book not only raises the profile of its author, it can elevate a whole firm.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something like this from a prospect: “Our management team has read your book, and it really reflects what we would like to do…. So obviously you are already at the top of our short list.”

I’ve had a prospect walk into my office with one of my books, post-its sprouting from its pages.

I’ve even had clients choose our firm on the strength of our book alone.

That’s powerful stuff.

8 Tips for Writing a Successful Business Book

I can’t sugar coat this. Writing a book is hard work. It takes a lot of time. So you want the end result to be something you are not only proud of but also creates true value for your and your firm. Below are a few lessons and tips I’ve learned along the way.

1. Write the Definitive Book on Your Area of Expertise

You know your stuff. So why not produce THE book on the subject you know most about? If others have written on the topic before, do the due diligence and read their work. If it’s outdated, produce the modern guide. Or find a new, maybe even controversial, angle. If the standard text on a subject is dry and technical, write a book that cuts through the complexity and explains the issues in simple, easy-to-understand language.

2. Write in an Entertaining Style

As much as I hate to acknowledge this, attention spans aren’t what they used to be. So write your book in a style that’s engaging and fun, and easy to digest–but equally authoritative. Most bestselling business books are written in this style. Books written this way can be real page turners that deliver “aha” moments on almost every page.

3. Use Real-World Examples

Books come alive when they include real-life examples, stories, and quotes to illustrate the points you make. These can come directly from your experiences working with clients. If you feel you still need more oomph, you can supplement them with case studies of well-known projects, situations, or issues. And if you are able, interview key clients or experts to get new perspectives and quotes that will make your points more relevant and practical.

4. Keep it Short

Aim for between 40,000 and 60,000 words—200 pages or less. Most business readers are busy and often choose shorter books over long ones. So give them what they want.

5. Hire an Experienced Book Editor

You may be a talented writer, but most people are not. An editor can take an okay manuscript and make it engaging and fun. It can take a thick skin to work with an editor. Your ego may take a hit. They may reorganize your material and rework whole passages. But that’s how average books become great ones.

6. Co-Write It

All three of my business books were written with others. It’s a great way to share the burden. However, this approach can come with serious drawbacks. If one writer is a procrastinator or doesn’t execute at a high level, it can sour the whole project. In my experience, it helps if one person takes the lead, with the others contributing chapters, gathering supporting materials, or conducting interviews.

7. Hire a Ghost Writer

Most experts will never write a book because the task is simply too daunting. Using a ghost writer is a common way to dramatically reduce the strain on you, the book’s author. You will still need to spend time preparing outlines, collaborating with the writer and pulling together case stories, data and proof points. But this approach can cut the author’s project hours by 60 or 70 percent. Expect to pay a premium for the convenience, however.

8. Decide What Your Goals Are Up Front

Are you hoping to produce a best seller? (And how do you define “bestseller”? An Amazon bestseller is not necessarily the same as a New York Times bestseller.) Or is a book aimed primarily at clients and prospects sufficient? Are you trying to maximize sales and income, or is your main goal to build your visibility and reputation? Will you use a traditional publisher, or will you self-publish your book? Will your book be digital or paper, or both? How you answer these questions will affect your timeline, budget and how much effort you need to put into promotion. If you are targeting the New York Times or Wall Street Journal lists, you will almost certainly need to hire a book promotion expert—and while that can greatly improve your chances, there are no guarantees.

I hope this article spurs at least a few readers to consider embarking on this challenging but rewarding journey.

Happy marketing!

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The State of Marketing Consulting Services in 2025

Elizabeth Harr — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 15:29:23 +0000

What drives growth at today’s fastest growing consulting companies?

For over a decade, we’ve been asking this question and finding the answers in our annual High Growth Study. Since its inception, this research project has tracked the evolving marketing strategies of successful consulting firms. The 2025 High Growth Study: Consulting Edition reveals the critical factors that separate today’s fastest growing consulting companies from the rest of the pack.

In today’s blog post, we’ll share a few of the findings of this year’s research report on consulting companies. You can purchase the full research report for your company here.

The Fastest Growing Consulting Companies

Today’s consulting firms are wrestling with a host of issues, many of which have been with them for years, such as price sensitivity, a talent shortage, generational changes in the workforce, and the need to develop new skills. But they also face challenges unique to this moment.

The 2025 High Growth Study provides a comprehensive analysis of these challenges and the strategies that High Growth firms employ to overcome them.

Despite the many challenges faced by businesses that sell consulting services, the High Growth firms grew at an impressive clip: at least 20% compound annual growth rate over a three-year evaluation period. They represent just over a third of the sample of 384 consulting firms who participated in the study.

With a growth rate of 41.7%, the High Growth firms grew 4.4 times faster than average—a significant improvement over last year’s performance, when median growth for the top-performing cohort was 35%.

What can we learn from these fast growing companies? How are they responding to the challenges of today’s marketplace? Which marketing techniques do they employ? Let’s take a look at some of the findings from the full study.

Purchase the 2025 High Growth Study: Consulting Edition research report

Finding 1: AI and Automation Lead the Conversation

For the past five years, a thrum of uncertainty has rattled the consulting services landscape. In 2025, unpredictability is still with us, though its vibrations have diminished a bit to make way for a new seismic wave: the breakout of artificial intelligence (AI).

According to our data, the consulting industry is grappling with incorporating AI and automation into their businesses. This challenge was reported to be the number one challenge facing consulting companies today.

The entire consulting industry is trying to figure out how AI is going to affect their operations, service delivery, and marketing. AI promises to transform consulting—with all the opportunities and threats that come with disruptive change.

At the same time, AI is changing the way services are marketed. Whether or not these promises are kept remains to be seen, but AI’s sharp ascent to prominence is truly remarkable. It is no surprise that AI has shot to the top of firms’ list of biggest challenges.

Finding 2: Content Creation Is Here to Stay

Like last year (and the year before), creating content remains the top marketing priority for High Growth consulting firms.

In a pool of options including over a dozen options (including partnership marketing, marketing technology, buyer journey mapping, developing thought leaders, and more), the High Growth consulting companies selected creating content as their top marketing priority for 2025.

Clearly, content marketing continues to play a major role in these firms’ success.

High Growth consulting firms understand that producing educational, helpful content showcases their thought leaders and builds trust with potential clients. This approach aligns with several key findings from the 2025 High Growth Study. Content marketing serves as a powerful engine for generating digital leads, using valuable, expert insights to capture the attention of prospective buyers. It also complements the use of case stories, which can provide specific examples, and context, further demonstrating a firm’s capabilities (see Finding 4 below).

By consistently delivering high-quality content, firms can differentiate their brand in a competitive market and establish themselves as thought leaders. This is particularly crucial in the face of rising competition from new firms and the evolving landscape of AI. Content creation also provides tangible metrics for measuring marketing effectiveness, allowing firms to track website traffic, content downloads, and social media engagement. In short, content builds trust, generates leads, demonstrates expertise, and positions a firm as an industry leader.

Finding 3: High Growth Consulting Firms Generate Digital Leads

High Growth consulting companies generate a significant portion of leads digitally—and notably more than their peers in the No Growth category. They achieve about 40% of their leads online. Digital leads come from various sources, including website contact forms, content marketing, social media, webinars, and digital advertising.

This is a benchmark for digital lead generation, but we believe it could—and probably should—be higher. As you can see in detail in the full report, even High Growth firms haven’t achieved the highest levels of digital maturity with consistency. As that situation improves, we expect this number to increase.

Finding 4: Consulting Firms Use Detailed Case Stories in Their Marketing and Business Development

When we look at which techniques are used most often by the fastest growing consulting firms, developing and publishing case stories came in second—a finding unique to the consulting industry.

What does this tell us about how these companies appeal to their buyers? Case stories demonstrate past performance and showcase success in a relevant and compelling format. They build trust and resonate with potential clients. They provide tangible evidence of expertise. They also show the impact of services. By highlighting specific client challenges and successful outcomes, case stories provide a powerful way to demonstrate the value of a firm’s services.

How accessible are your firm’s case stories? Are they published on your website? Do you feature the stories in your other marketing materials? Have you tried delivering them in alternative formats, such as video?

Finding 5: High Growth Consulting Firms Outsource Specialized Marketing Tasks

Outsourcing specialized marketing skills is a strategy High Growth consulting businesses have used for many years. In this year’s report, we see that High Growth consulting firms outsource skills more often than their No Growth peers in nearly every category we measured.

Topping the list are web design, SEO, video production, and graphic design.

Outsourcing provides access to specialists, the latest tools, and cost-effective solutions. High-quality outsourced providers will prioritize transparency about their results, making it easier to measure your return on investment. Make sure you hire agencies or consultants that know your industry.

Finding 6: Measuring and Utilizing Marketing Metrics is a Mess

While the fastest growing companies did report a higher level of proficiency than Low Growth companies, the difference was marginal. Three quarters of Low Growth firms have low proficiency in using metrics, compared to 60% of High Growth firms. This finding highlights a huge weakness in both groups.

We asked those who reported low or some proficiency why they gave their rating. Common answers included time constraints, lack of dedicated personnel, budget limitations, outdated technology, and difficulties in connecting data across platforms.

No professional services marketer will tell you that tracking metrics is unimportant. But what’s clear from the data is that there is a lot of work to be done on this front.

Dive Deeper with the Full Report

These findings offer a glimpse into the strategies of the fastest growing consulting firms in 2025. The full 2025 High Growth Study: Consulting Services Edition provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors driving success in today’s market. It offers detailed insights, data-driven recommendations, and actionable strategies. This report is an invaluable resource for any consulting firm that wants to thrive in the face of change. Ready to dive deeper and unlock the secrets of high growth? Get the full report here.

The post The State of Marketing Consulting Services in 2025 appeared first on Hinge Marketing.

Digital Content Marketing Strategy for Today’s Professional Services Firm

Aaron — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:00:08 +0000

What’s the best way to market your firm?

While that may sound like a trick question, recent research has produced tangible, practical answers that can help firms make smarter marketing decisions. And a notable theme of these findings is that every professional services firm needs a digital content strategy to address the way modern buyers look for professional advice and services.

Many traditional, “tried-and-true” marketing techniques (think sponsorships, face-to-face networking events, print advertising, trade shows) no longer generate sufficient results to sustain a growing practice. Even firms that embrace online marketing often do it wrong, wasting precious time and money.

So how should you market your firm? And where should you be spending your marketing budget?

Before we can tackle those questions, we need to understand how buyers behave in today’s market.

A Marketplace in Transition

The way people find and select professional services is changing quickly. And this transition has real implications on how firms like yours should approach marketing.

For instance, today’s service buyers ask for referrals less often than in the past. In fact, referrals grew only 9% in the last several years when they had previously dropped 16% over the previous period covered in our study. This means that the almighty referral—the holy grail of business development for so many decades—is losing its primacy as the business world evolves.

Today’s buyers also say they value professional services 33% more. However, the relevancy of these services has dropped by more than 10.5% since 2020. (Data from the Inside the Buyer’s Brain, Fourth Edition research report.)

What’s going on?

As a younger, more tech-comfortable generation moves into companies’ buyer and influencer roles, they bring different behaviors and expectations with them. Accustomed to using Google, Artificial Intelligence platforms for search and social media tools at home, they arrive in the workplace expecting to find valuable, free advice online, as well as an array of easy-to-find buying options. They also use these tools to vet their buying options—reviewing potential vendors’ websites, searching within various AI platforms for solutions and asking their peers on social media for their opinions and experiences.

The data shows that buyers are increasingly searching online for business-related insights and help—and they do so at a higher rate than just a year before. As AI and other digital tools get even better at meeting buyers’ expectations, these trends are likely to continue into the future.

To address changing buyer behavior, firms need to adopt a thoughtful digital content strategy—one that reaches these tech-savvy people at every stage of their buyer journey.

But what exactly do we mean by “digital content strategy”?

Watch the on-demand webinar – Digital Branding: Doing it Right

What is a Digital Content Marketing Strategy?

A digital content marketing strategy is a plan that helps a business create and distribute digital content to reach new audiences, build greater credibility, generate more leads and achieve its overall strategic marketing objectives. This plan connects firms with the increasing number of potential buyers who are using digital tools and looking online to solve their business challenges. Often, it is part of a larger content marketing strategy, which also includes non-digital tactics, such as public speaking and writing books.

Digital content can take a wide range of guises, such as blog posts, online articles, webinars, educational videos, online tutorials, courses and podcasts. Because content can be time-consuming to produce, many strategies include only a subset of these options.

A digital content strategy, however, is more than a collection of content pieces. A strategy also dictates what topics the pieces will address, how often they are produced, how they are exposed to the appropriate audiences and how each piece of content can potentially convert the consumer into a business lead.

Why is Digital Content Important?

Today’s buyers are increasingly going online to find their next professional services partner. While in some cases this means they searched online for their problem and Google or AI returned a list of possible vendors, more often than not the path from problem to problem solved is longer and less direct.

A professional services sale can take months or years to develop. When businesses have less urgent problems, they tend to allocate fewer resources to them—often going online to research the problem and potential solutions. In the process, they encounter websites, blogs, automated overviews on the topics they search for and free educational materials that put their problem in context and describe various solutions. Some consumers will find a source of expertise they trust so much that they return again and again for more information and advice. Especially as AI platforms learn more about the challenges their users face, they will be able to make more tailored recommendations based on what has already been discussed. This behavior is the reason a digital content strategy is so effective.

Over time, these returning consumers (we use the word “consumers” rather than “readers” because the content they consume could be text, video or audio) begin to rely on and trust their information source. When the business challenge eventually becomes urgent, one firm will jump immediately to their mind—the firm they have been following for months or years.

Studies by the Hinge Research Institute have shown that the most successful firms usually use a mix of digital and traditional tools in their marketing strategies. Increasingly, however, this mix favors digital techniques. Figure 1 shows that many of the most common traditional marketing techniques have digital equivalents.

Watch the on-demand webinar – Digital Branding: Doing it Right

High-performing firms are moving toward digital because they understand their buyers. Today, almost 70 percent of buyers say they use digital channels to research their business problems (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Likelihood buyers will use digital or traditional channels to research a business challenge

And they are using digital at similar proportions to evaluate professional services firms so they can make informed decisions (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Likelihood buyers will use digital or traditional channels to evaluate service providers

The implications of these data are huge. An overwhelming percentage of professional services buyers are using digital channels and tools to find their vendor candidates, then using digital tools again to evaluate them. If your firm isn’t visible in these channels—and you aren’t delivering messaging that buyers want to hear—you are going to be at a severe competitive disadvantage.

Digital is the marketing medium of today and tomorrow. Established firms that think nothing has changed are in for a rude shock.

Now, you may be wondering what goes into a digital content strategy? And how do you create one? That’s what we’ll dive into next.

Components of a Digital Content Strategy

Define Your Business Goals

Every business strategy has to start with your goals, and your digital content strategy is no different. And if you don’t have clear goals today, you should ask yourself what you would like to change about your business. Here are a few questions to get you started:

Do we need more quality leads?
Do we want to expand our reach into new geographic markets? Or do we want to build market share in our local area?
Is our reputation in need of a boost?
Do we hope to move away from commodity pricing and charge premium fees for our services?
Do we want to evolve our business and become known for a different set of services?
Are we trying to grow our business? Or do we focus on raising our margins?

Whatever your business goals are, you can use them to orient your strategy and help you decide if a particular decision, technique or tool is going to take you closer to your destination. With these goals in your sights, you’ll also have a better sense of what metrics and outcomes you will need to monitor.

Watch the on-demand webinar – Digital Branding: Doing it Right

Research Your Audience

To deliver an effective digital content strategy, you’ll need to produce content that your prospective clients actually care about. And aside from mindreading, there is only one reliable way to get inside their heads: conducting research on your audience.

At Hinge, we’ve learned that most firms have little real knowledge of their clients’ changing needs. By conducting research, however, they can learn what issues are important today, what clients are worrying about in the near future and what services they wish you offered.

Now, not all research is alike. You will need to decide up front what type of research you will conduct to get useful insights. To understand your audience, we would recommend only two types of research:

Surveys. The king of quantitative market research. While the paper survey isn’t quite dead, most surveys today are conducted online. Online survey platforms give you the ability to branch your questions depending on how a subject responds, randomize the order of questions, send automated invitations and reminders, and other useful tools.
Interviews. Live interviews are the gold standard of qualitative research for a good reason: they give the interviewer the latitude to ask follow up questions and dig deeper when there is more to learn. Interviewees tend to give more detailed and nuanced answers than they would in a standard text-based survey. While you could conduct interviews in person, it is far more practical to do them by phone (or video conference).

If you can afford to go the interview route, we encourage you to do so. While more expensive than online surveys, personal interviews generate the highest quality information. But surveys can produce a wealth of useful data, too. For the best of both worlds, use both techniques—you can reach a large sample and extract deep qualitative insights.

Who should you research?

Who should you be talking to in the course of your research? Consider reaching out to these three key audiences:

Current clients. Within this group, think about what roles, industries or other segments you need to hear from. For even more value, consider interviewing key clients who represent the direction that your firm needs to grow.
Influencers. These are the folks who have critical input into the final selection decision but are not the final decision makers.
Referral Sources. These are people who recommend firms to prospective buyers. Keep in mind that they may work in a different industry from your clients (for instance, lawyers often recommend accountants to their clients, and vice versa).

Who should conduct the research?

While you may be tempted to reduce costs by conducting the research yourself, there are good reasons to hire an outside firm or professional researcher to do it for you. First, your clients don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they may be less than honest with you or try to tell you what they think you want to hear. Second, you probably don’t have the skills to get the most from your research. A skilled interviewer can coax a surprising amount of valuable information from a subject, and they know how to probe for deeper insights when necessary. And third, it takes skill to design a statistically valid questionnaire and make sense of all the data you collect. It is very easy to generate misleading results.

What questions should you ask?

You may decide to cover a range of topics in your research, but there are a few specific topics you should include in your questionnaire:

What challenges are your clients facing today? And what worries them about the future?
When they need business-related information, where do they turn? What do they read? What do they watch? What events do they attend?
What do they look for in a service provider? How do they choose one over another?

Watch the on-demand webi

Phil Ebiner — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 12:01:14 +0000

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Phil Ebiner — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 07:03:52 +0000

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Phil Ebiner — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 16:27:57 +0000

Phil Ebiner Create Product Mockups Fast with Photoshop's Generative AI tools! Grab 1 of 10 FREE spots to my full Photoshop course today: https://www.videoschool.com/photoshopYT Unlock the power of Photoshop’s Generative Fill AI to create stunning product mockups and ad graphics with ease! In this tutorial, we'll show you exactly how to bring your ideas to life with the latest AI tools in Photoshop. Perfect for beginners and pros alike, this guide will transform how you design product images, ads, and more. What You’ll Learn: Intro to Generative Fill AI: Get familiar with Photoshop’s groundbreaking AI tool, perfect for anyone looking to speed up design work without sacrificing quality. Creating Product Mockups: Watch step-by-step as we turn a basic image into a polished product mockup using Generative Fill for adding backgrounds, textures, and color changes. Making Eye-Catching Ad Graphics: Learn tips to enhance product photos and create ad-ready graphics that will captivate your audience. Why Use Generative Fill AI? Photoshop’s new AI technology helps you skip tedious editing steps by generating realistic details in seconds. It’s a game-changer for designers and content creators, offering powerful tools to save time and boost creativity! Who’s This For? Whether you're a small business owner, a graphic designer, or a content creator, this video will help you make high-quality, professional images for your brand or portfolio.

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Phil Ebiner — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 03:37:06 +0000

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Phil Ebiner — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 07:07:59 +0000

Phil Ebiner Quickly Remove Wires & People in Photoshop | Remove Tool Tutorial 🤯 Grab one of 100 Free Spots for the Full Photoshop Course on Udemy: https://www.videoschool.com/photoshopfree In this quick tutorial, I'll show you how to use Photoshop's updated Remove Tool to easily get rid of things like wires, people, and other distractions from your photos. It’s super simple and a huge time-saver for cleaning up your shots. Perfect for beginners or anyone looking to speed up their workflow! What you'll learn: Removing wires and power lines Erasing people from your photos Getting rid of distractions fast If this helps, drop a like and subscribe for more Photoshop tips!

Automate Your Workflow with AI: Learn ChatGPT API for Google Sheets & Docs (No Coding Required!)

Phil Ebiner — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 22:06:56 +0000

Phil Ebiner Automate Your Workflow with AI: Learn ChatGPT API for Google Sheets & Docs (No Coding Required!) Transform Your Workflow with AI! 🌟 Welcome to our brand-new course on how to use the ChatGPT API to automate your tasks and enhance your productivity in Google Sheets, Docs, Drive, and more! 🚀 Watch a free preview - https://www.videoschool.com/ChatGPTAPI Are you tired of spending hours on repetitive tasks? Do you wish there was an easier way to automate and streamline your workflow without needing extensive coding skills? Look no further! Our course is designed to take you from beginner to advanced, teaching you how to harness the power of AI using ChatGPT’s API to transform your projects. What You’ll Learn: Master API Fundamentals: Understand the basics of the ChatGPT API and how to set it up for various applications. Build Practical Applications: Create hands-on projects, such as Google Slides image generators and data analyzers, to learn by doing. Optimize Integration: Develop dynamic ad campaigns in Google Sheets using AI to personalize content and maximize engagement. Enhance Engagement: Use AI for transcription to generate interactive quizzes and video summaries, boosting viewer interaction and retention. Create Custom Solutions: Design tailored applications that meet your specific needs, enhancing your digital toolkit with AI-powered automation. Why Choose This Course? No Coding Experience Needed: Perfect for beginners and those who are new to APIs. Our course breaks down complex concepts into easy-to-follow steps. Flexible Learning: With concise, on-demand lessons, you can learn at your own pace and on your own schedule. Real-World Applications: Learn to apply AI in practical ways that can help you save time and improve efficiency in your daily workflow. Risk-Free Enrollment: Try the course risk-free with our 100% satisfaction guarantee. If it doesn’t exceed your expectations, get a full refund—no questions asked! Get Started Today! Ready to elevate your skills and transform your projects? For a limited time, grab lifetime access to this comprehensive course for just $9.99! Click here to enroll now: https://www.videoschool.com/ChatGPTAPI Don't miss out on this opportunity to leverage AI and become a leader in your field. Subscribe to our channel for more updates and tips on AI, productivity, and tech skills! 🎥✨ #ChatGPT #Automation #AI #Productivity #GoogleSheets #TechSkills #OnlineLearning #APIIntegration #DigitalTools #SaveTime #Innovation #LearningJourney

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Phil Ebiner — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:13:00 +0000

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How to Become a Full Time Influencer ✈️ NEW COURSE w/@KenAbroad

Phil Ebiner — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 18:32:59 +0000

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Phil Ebiner — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 14:45:02 +0000

Phil Ebiner Become a Canva Master with Our New Masterclass Master Graphic Design for Free with Canva: Design, Layout, Colors, Font Choice, Slideshows, Videos, GIFs + More. Grab lifetime access for $9.99 during launch week: https://www.videoschool.com/canva Unlock Your Creative Potential with Canva, a Free-to-Use* Powerful Web-Based Graphic Design App Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced designer looking to take your skills to the next level, this course is designed to help you unlock your full creative potential. Canva is a powerful and versatile design tool that allows you to create stunning graphics, social media posts, presentations, and more, all with ease. Our comprehensive Udemy course, led by Phil and Tomas will guide you through every step of mastering Canva, providing you with the knowledge and skills needed to create professional-quality designs. Why Take Our Canva Masterclass? In today’s digital age, visual content is more important than ever. Businesses, influencers, educators, and individuals alike need compelling visuals to stand out in a crowded online space. Canva makes design accessible to everyone, regardless of experience level. Our course goes beyond the basics, delving into advanced techniques and strategies to ensure you’re not just creating good designs, but great ones. Here are just a few reasons why our Canva Masterclass is the perfect fit for you: Comprehensive Skills: From the fundamentals to advanced features, we cover it all. You’ll learn everything from basic design principles to intricate techniques that will make your designs shine. Hands-On Projects: Theory is important, but practice makes perfect. Our course includes a variety of projects that allow you to apply what you’ve learned and build a robust portfolio. Expert Instruction: Learn from industry professionals who use Canva daily and know the ins and outs of the platform. Our instructors provide insider tips and tricks that you won’t find anywhere else. Lifetime Access: With lifetime access to the course, you can learn at your own pace and revisit the material whenever you need a refresher. By the end of this course, you will: Understand Canva Basics: Navigate the Canva interface, utilize essential tools, and create your first design with confidence. Master Design Principles: Learn key design principles such as color theory, typography, and layout to create visually appealing and effective designs. Create Social Media Graphics: Design eye-catching social media posts, stories, and ads that will help you grow your online presence and engage with your audience. Build Professional Presentations: Craft professional presentations that stand out, using Canva’s wide array of templates and customization options. Develop Branding Materials: Create cohesive branding materials, including logos, business cards, and marketing collateral, to build a strong brand identity. Explore Advanced Techniques: Dive into advanced features such as animations, video editing, and custom templates to take your designs to the next level. Utilize AI Tools: Learn how to leverage Canva’s rapidly developing AI tools to make creating easier than ever. Optimize for Print and Digital: Learn the best practices for preparing your designs for print and digital formats to ensure they look great on any medium. Collaborate and Share: Utilize Canva’s collaboration features to work with team members or clients efficiently and effectively. Build a Portfolio: Compile a diverse portfolio showcasing your new skills and designs to share with potential employers or clients. Who Should Take This Course? Beginners: If you’ve never used Canva or any design tool before, this course will guide you step-by-step from the very basics to more complex design tasks. Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners: Create your own marketing materials without the need to hire a designer. Save time and money while maintaining control over your brand’s look and feel. Social Media Managers and Marketers: Enhance your social media presence with professional-quality graphics that attract and engage your audience. Educators and Students: Use Canva to create compelling presentations, educational materials, and projects that stand out. Freelancers and Side Hustlers: Offer design services to clients or create stunning visuals for your own projects to boost your freelance business. Anyone Looking to Enhance Their Design Skills: Even if you have some design experience, this course will help you refine your skills and learn new techniques.

Docker for Beginners, Udemy Course

Phil Ebiner — Fri, 10 May 2024 23:45:55 +0000

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Phil Ebiner — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 07:54:51 +0000

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Phil Ebiner — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 05:30:42 +0000

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How to Draw a Human Eye: Free Drawing Course

Phil Ebiner — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 07:44:37 +0000

Phil Ebiner How to Draw a Human Eye: Free Drawing Course Join Our Free 1-Hour Drawing Course! How to Draw or Sketch the Human Eye: https://www.videoschool.com/eye Embark on a journey into the world of art with our exclusive one-hour course designed specifically for beginners. Learn the intricate art of drawing the human eye, a fundamental skill that serves as a cornerstone in the realm of sketching and illustration. What You'll Learn Basic Anatomy of the Human Eye: Understand the structure to bring realism into your drawings. Shading Techniques: Learn how to create depth and life in your sketches. Pencil Stroke Mastery: Discover various pencil strokes to enhance texture and detail. Sketching from Different Angles: Gain confidence in drawing the eye from multiple perspectives. Why This Course? Tailored for Beginners: No prior experience? No problem! This course is crafted to suit absolute beginners. Interactive Workbook: Follow along with our downloadable PDF workbook, filled with tips, techniques, and practice worksheets. Step-by-Step Guidance: Our expert instructor will guide you through each step, ensuring a comprehensive learning experience. Flexible Learning: Access the course anytime, anywhere, and learn at your own pace. This free drawing course offers a unique opportunity for beginners to delve into the world of art, focusing on one of the most expressive and detailed aspects of human anatomy - the eye. This course is more than just a simple drawing lesson; it is a foundational step in understanding the complexities and subtleties of human expression. The eye, often referred to as the 'window to the soul', is a central element in portrait art, conveying a wide range of emotions and thoughts. Learning how to accurately and artistically render the human eye is crucial for anyone aspiring to excel in portrait drawing or enhance their overall artistic skills. Moreover, this course is important because it provides a structured approach to a subject that many beginners find intimidating. With a combination of expert instruction, interactive learning materials, and a focus on fundamental techniques, students are equipped not only to draw an eye but also to develop a deeper appreciation for art and observation. The downloadable PDF workbook, filled with tips and worksheets, serves as an excellent resource for continuous learning and practice. By starting with the eye, students can build confidence and a solid skill base, which is essential for tackling more complex drawing challenges in the future. This course lays the groundwork for a lifelong journey in art, encouraging creativity, attention to detail, and a deeper understanding of visual expression. Who is your instructor? Kevin Gardin is the lead instructor for the this free drawing course, renowned for his expertise in drawing and a passion for teaching art to beginners. With a rich background in fine arts and several years of experience in both creating and instructing, Kevin brings a blend of professional skill and accessible teaching methods to the course. His approach is characterized by patience, clarity, and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by novice artists. Kevin's talent in simplifying complex concepts into manageable steps makes him exceptionally adept at guiding beginners through the nuances of drawing. His enthusiasm for art is contagious, inspiring students to explore their creativity and develop their skills confidently. Kevin's dedication to teaching is evident in his interactive and engaging style, making him an ideal mentor for those embarking on their artistic journey. Join Us Today! Embark on your artistic journey with confidence. This course isn't just a tutorial; it's the first step towards unleashing your inner artist. Sign up now and start transforming your creative ideas into beautiful sketches of the human eye. Ready to Begin? Click Enroll Now and dive into the world of drawing!

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