Reputation is everything for a professional services firm. Perceptions of trust, ethical practice and of course expertise will shape clients’ consideration of you and your competition.
So, if you’re not already building a winning reputation with a strategic PR agency, chances are you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to grow your market share.
Whether it’s proactive or reactive reputation management, you shouldn’t leave the fate of this prized intangible asset to chance. Treat your reputation as a strategic resource to grow – and measure.
Professional services firms are well placed to build their reputation from a solid base. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer shows that professional services are one of 10 industry sectors the Australian public trusts.
A good PR strategy will work with your strengths to deliver a tangible return on investment. At BBS we work with clients to deliver measurable results. This goes beyond simply counting increases in media mentions – though that’s part of it. We will work with you or your in-house teams to map targeted communications strategies that will add value at all stages of the marketing funnel, growing website views and social media reach through to subscribers and ultimately new leads.
A great communications strategy will also grow your reputation with influential stakeholders and across your industry. This is vital to build a reputation that helps you attract and retain great clients, as well as employees and partners.
To health check your PR strategy, consider if you’re missing any of these vital ingredients.
Industry awards are a powerful way to highlight your winning credentials and profile your exceptional team. Your PR plan should map an annual industry awards calendar and include creation of high-quality content and evidence to support your awards. Round it out with earned, owned and paid media strategies to showcase your wins.
Content creation has long been a core component of any strategic communications plan. While content platforms and technology have changed dramatically over the years, the importance of a clear and compelling message has remained unchanged. Working with a strategic PR agency can help you map a content strategy that lands the right message, in the right channel at the right time to engage your target audience.
Media relations remains a core pillar of most PR strategies but what if you don’t have anything newsworthy to say? Chances are you have a lot to say and some great thought leaders to say it, but you need the help of a PR agency to package it in a way that gets cut through in an under-staffed newsroom where clickbait KPIs can drive the publishing decisions.
Issues and crisis management must form part of any reputation management strategy. The list of things that can and do go wrong is never-ending in today’s complex and fast-paced business world. Data breach anyone? The best way to manage a crisis is to prepare before it happens. A seasoned PR agency will work with your firm to develop communications playbooks and messages that can plug straight into your crisis management plans and procedures. This will include strategies to preserve trust while you respond to the crisis, as well as strategies to recover and proactively strengthen your reputation in the aftermath.
If you think your firm could be missing out on opportunities to grow your brand and reputation, contact us today for a confidential conversation about how we can help you. Our expertise spans media relations, financial communications, corporate communications, executive coaching, crisis and issues management and more. We’d love to discuss ways to help your business achieve its goals.
