It’s only natural to look ahead, especially in the marketing world. Planning, budgeting and making decisions on where your emphasis will be are all important aspects of determining what the future for your firm will look like. And with COVID challenging every aspect of what we do, there’s no doubt that the professional services marketing space will change.
We already know in-person events have come to a screeching halt and will likely be curtailed for the foreseeable future. Too, if you’re not meeting with someone face-to-face for coffee or lunch, how do you nurture your connections and relationships? No one can predict the future, but we can tell you what we know now, and how we think the future of legal, real estate and financial marketing will change.
- Create engaging content – even lengthier pieces. Now that our world has gone fully digital, content consumption is at an all-time high. We’ve even seen an uptick in people’s attention spans – yes, I said it! People are reading longer, watching videos longer and in general, tuning-in for longer portions of time. This doesn’t mean it’s time to start churning out theses, but consumption has certainly changed. (Please note: while I did say attention spans have grown, people still want you to get to the point quickly.)
- Change your channels. TikTok, podcasts, Facebook Live, webinars, video series – you name it, usage of these platforms have increased. What you may have never considered trying out, or what may not have worked for in the past as a channel, has likely changed. Re-consider the channels you use to get your name out there.
- Embrace videos. While face-to-face encounters won’t be permanently wiped from the earth, one of the best ways to showcase your experience and personality is through videos. Don’t get overwhelmed by this – get a tripod and use an iPhone for the first one. People like to see more casual, less-scripted videos anyways.
- Pick up the phone, or Zoom. Even before COVID, we fell into a world where we all relied on emails entirely too much. Picking up the phone or scheduling a Zoom call still goes a long way. Even with Zoom fatigue, you can’t get the same value over email.
- Continue emphasizing personalization. I don’t think we’ve ever lived in a world where people asked about each other’s families, or how they were doing so often. That won’t just be brushed under the rug once we emerge from COVID. People will expect it. They will crave that personal touch. Checking in on a personal level will become essential to a relationship.
- Check in with clients. Let’s not forget about our current clients. We may have skipped the latest check-in because we are not sitting down with our clients in-person. Don’t forget to schedule these, or consider sending a client survey out.
