Marketing trends for professional services in 2019

Google ‘marketing trends for 2019’ and you’ll be inundated with results. But while social media stories, micro-influencer marketing and AI are all getting their fair share of column inches, they might not be right for a professional services company.

Which begs the question: what is right?

Professional services 101

There’s a certain amount of confusion about what constitutes professional services. As a result, some candidates think they have experience of the sector when they might not. For example, recruitment isn’t classed as professional services, but accountancy, management consultancy and the legal sector are.

Some areas of professional services are more advanced in their marketing activities than others. Management consultants tend to be early adopters of digital marketing, utilising things like marketing automation, whereas legal is renowned for lagging behind.

But all may not be as it seems.

You may assume the long-established firms are wedded to the more traditional methods of marketing, but you’d be wrong. For instance, EY’s recent use of Facebook has got people talking.

Using the platform to promote thought leadership and target a young professional demographic, the EY Career Facebook page engages with students and graduates early on and promotes the company’s values. With more than 1.2 million followers, it must be doing something right.

3 trends to watch

Professional services marketing (like all marketing) is dominated by digital, and the current, hottest trends reflect this.

Mobilisation: With more people consuming and sharing content on the go, mobilisation is increasingly essential for engagement.
Ultra-personalisation: Adding value to the client relationship requires an ultra-personalised content experience. Highly relevant content delivered on a perceived one-to-one basis helps businesses connect and retain clients.
Automation: B2B has been slow to use marketing automation to free up time for more strategic pursuits. But that’s changing. Advanced digital tools are easy to use and are having a huge impact on businesses’ ROI.

Are you looking to move or progress into a professional services marketing role? If so, there are plenty of benefits to enjoy.

As well as offering big B2B budgets and attractive salaries, larger professional services companies tend to have flexible working policies. And compared to other sectors, there is generally more structure when it comes to career progression. In short, this is a sector in which loyalty and longevity are valued.

Marketing trends for professional services in 2019