A deeper dive into PR for professional services firms
The professional services sector has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, shifting from its traditional foundations to a dynamic, technology-driven field where innovation and client relationships are as fundamental as the legal and financial skills and services that underpin them.
In this rapidly evolving and competitive landscape, public relations is vital in helping law firms, accountancy practices and others in the professional services sector to build their brands, differentiate themselves and drive growth.
By strategically showcasing expertise, PR enables professional services firms to cut through the noise, establish thought leadership, and articulate their value and service offering in ways that extend beyond sales and marketing. PR adds authority and credibility by highlighting industry knowledge and innovative capabilities in an authentic way, using the media and other influencers to provide valuable third-party endorsement.
Industry consolidation, skills shortages, more sophisticated demands, intense competition and diminishing client loyalty are just some of the obstacles professional service firms face.
All of these factors make marketplace differentiation and reputational protection – two key benefits of a targeted public relations programme – more important than ever.
How can PR help professional services firms to grow?
PR has long been seen as an important part of the sales and marketing mix. Below are examples of ways in which public relations can be used by law firms, accountancy firms and other professional services organisations to build competitive advantage:
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Enhancing visibility: PR strategies elevate a firm’s profile through media coverage, thought leadership initiatives, and strategic alliances, attracting new clients and reinforcing market presence.
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Differentiation: PR helps firms stand out in a competitive sector by articulating their value proposition and occupying a specific market niche.
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Reputation management: PR professionals guard a firm’s reputation, proactively addressing issues and mitigating potential crises.
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Talent attraction: By highlighting a firm’s positive culture and career development opportunities, PR can position the company as an attractive employer, helping to recruit top talent.
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Employee pride: Showcasing the firm’s successes and positive news can boost morale and make employees proud to be part of the organisation.
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SEO improvement: Securing media coverage with firm mentions and backlinks can enhance search engine rankings and increase website traffic.
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Thought leadership: PR helps position fee-earners as industry experts, building professional profiles and establishing the firm as a go-to source for expertise and advice.
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Client retention: Effective PR can help retain existing clients by consistently reinforcing the firm’s value, expertise and approach.
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Business growth: By increasing visibility, credibility, and trust, PR adds significant value to a firm’s business development and marketing activities and helps to drive growth.
Using PR to break down “silos” and promote a one-firm approach
Professional services firms are usually partnerships so there is often a temptation for fee-earners to work in “silos” within their specific team. PR works vertically and horizontally by supporting each team as well as encouraging collaboration and cross team-working and referrals by looking more holistically at story opportunities or
themes and cross-pollinating where possible.
For example, a story on the acquisition or sale of a business might include a quote from a property lawyer, an employment lawyer and a corporate lawyer. Typically, such deals will have lawyers, accountants and bankers acting for both sides so that when the transaction is complete, the party with the slickest PR operation will be the one who “gets the glory” in terms of publicity. It’s therefore important to be the one “controlling” the narrative!
Here at Empica we are used to adapting firm-wide strategies to align with the goals of a regional office, the interests of local media and the nuances of the community it serves. By tailoring national initiatives to suit local objectives and sentiments, we help regional offices to connect more authentically with their audiences while remaining aligned with the firm's overarching brand strategy and aims.
Ultimately, it's about creating a cohesive and joined-up approach that integrates national and regional efforts for maximum impact.
PR for the regional offices of law firms and accountancy firms
The larger professional services firms will have a network of regional offices with their own distinct PR remit, shaped by their city or area’s needs and characteristics.
Empica has a long and proven track record of supporting the regional offices of national and international professional services firms, as well as focusing on the goals and needs of a single office. In either case, we foster strong and consistent communication with the central marketing, communications, or PR team to ensure messages are aligned and there is an excellent two-way flow of information and story ideas.
At the same time, we tailor these messages to suit local objectives, media landscapes and community sentiments, ensuring relevance and resonance. By collaborating closely with local teams, we ensure that the national strategy is consistently applied while adapting to regional contexts.
Ultimately, it is about creating a joined-up approach where national and regional PR efforts work hand-in-hand to drive impact and reinforce the firm’s brand across all levels. This alignment fosters synergy, ensuring the brand remains cohesive yet adaptable to meet the diverse needs of local audiences.
PR tactics used by professional services firms
Empica is a full-service PR agency with 35 years’ experience of working with law and accountancy firms of all sizes, as well as other professional advisors such as bankers, IFAs, wealth managers, property agents and recruiters.
PR for professional services firms often includes:
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Thought leadership – presenting a point of view or insight gained through proprietary research, surveys, or experience to demonstrate a fee-earner’s expertise and understanding of the market, conveyed through white papers, blogs, editorials, presentations, seminars, and other means. We use the media and other influencers to promote and amplify the content we generate.
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Sustained, positive publicity – creating and distributing press releases, features and commentary pieces that highlight the firm’s activities, team expansion and hires, expanded service offering, claims and cases, community and charitable initiatives, etc., which not only generate news coverage and build awareness but also help to build trust and raise online search engine visibility (SEO) for your firm.
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Content marketing/social media – reusing and repurposing speeches, research, news, and thought leadership assets into engaging content for your target audience via your key social media platforms and blog to increase traffic to your website.
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Executive visibility – securing speaking engagements for your key executives and subject matter experts to gain validation and awareness, generate additional media coverage opportunities, and enable you to extend the reach and life of those presentations through digital and social channels.
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Proactive media relations – building media relationships with key journalists can win you top-tier media placements, and the right media relations programme can help position your people as experts, gain your firm the credibility of third-party validation of trusted news sources, and extend the reach and frequency of your messages.
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Media training – preparing your key executives and subject matter experts for interviews and interactions with media to maximise their effectiveness and comfort.
Empica’s services include media relations and content generation, media training, video production, reputation management and crisis communications.
The importance of a joined up approach
PR works best when it is fully integrated into your broader marketing and communications strategy. Whether it’s a modest plan for a small charity or an ambitious, multi-channel, multi-discipline plan for a large global organisation, values, key messaging, positioning and so on, all need to be aligned to ensure consistency and credibility – whatever medium your PR, marketing and communications is delivered through.
Our PR team works very closely with our Content Creation team to deliver a consistent and joined up approach. We provide as much
support as required, from media relations through to copywriting, asset design and creation, video production and training.
To find out more about how we can support you with your PR and content creation, please get in touch by calling 01275 39 44 00 or emailing contact@empica.com