We have worked with a lot of professional services clients over the years. Still do. Professional services firms are, by definition, knowledge-based businesses. And one of the main channels for disseminating, or at least showcasing, that knowledge is by publishing stuff. Oodles of it. Online and off. So there is a very clear role for copywriting in communicating this information to the intended audience as effectively as possible.
Many professional services firms position themselves as business-savvy, straight-forward advisors. Experts who can really help a business gain competitive advantage through incisive, practical advice. It is a message that is probably woven into the overall brand of the firm; one of the key messages on the website home page and other high-profile communications channels.
Consistent branding within the copywriting
But what happens when that client decides to check out a recent firm newsletter, or delve a little deeper into the website to one of the more complex service or solutions pages? It is vital that this brand personality is consistently applied at every level, not just higher profile marketing material. Wherever a client may come into contact with the firm, their experience needs to be consistent.
The temptation when developing content is to focus on the most high profile sections, ensuring they are all ‘on message’, while neglecting to be so thorough on ‘softer’ marketing communications, for example, case studies, service area pages or newsletters. By not carrying the brand through to every level, however, you risk undermining all the hard work. Every officious newsletter, rambling webpage or jargon-heavy service description chips away at the brand personality you have worked so hard to create elsewhere.
Short and snappy copywriting
There is a balance here, of course. For higher profiles channels, the marketing messages of your firm are just as important as the factual information, in order to clearly establish your brand values. So the top level pages on the firm website, or brochure, for example, need to be subtly infused with key marketing messages in a way that secondary collateral, like an e-newsletter or partner profile, do not.
But that should not mean that standards can slip. On the contrary: for this kind of softer material, it is the facts that are the priority, not the marketing, which means the words have to work even harder to get the facts across and to support the brand. They need to be punchy, engaging and, above all, focused on the reader’s needs.