Visible expertise is important for professional services firms to differentiate from the competition and build trust with clients, writes Mary Cloonan

On the internet, information on any given topic is only a few clicks away, and with that comes the challenge for businesses to maintain their competitive edge. In order to be top-of-mind for potential clients, professional services need to focus on building visible expertise.

Visible expertise is the combination of thought leadership and relationship marketing. It’s about being known as an expert in your field, and having the relationships to back it up.

Thought leadership is the act of sharing your knowledge and ideas with the world, in order to educate and inspire others. It’s about demonstrating that you are an authority on a particular topic, and that you have something valuable to say.

Relationship marketing is all about building long-lasting relationships with your clients and potential clients. It’s about creating a connection that goes beyond simply providing a product or service – it’s about creating a connection that lasts. Combined, these two things make up visible expertise.

There are a few reasons why visible expertise is very important for professional services. Firstly, it’s a way to differentiate yourself from your competition. Secondly, it’s a way to build trust with your clients and potential clients. Thirdly, by sharing your ideas and thoughts on a given topic, you are positioning yourself as an authority.

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In our experience, the easiest way to build visible expertise is to pick a narrow segment and concentrate on that. You need to identify the area that you want to be known for, and then start sharing your ideas and thoughts on that topic.

Sharing your ideas is one of the best ways to build visible expertise, as it allows you to position yourself as an authority on a given topic.

Understanding your audience is critical. Think about the specific pain points that your target audience is facing, and then position your visible expertise as the solution to those problems.

Remember, you are talking to individuals in businesses, so it’s essential to understand their specific needs and how your solutions can help them overcome the challenges they are facing.

You also need to have a plan to share your ideas with the world, and what platforms you are going to use. Will you be writing articles, blog posts, or creating videos? It’s essential to have a mix of content types in order to reach a wider audience. Look at where your target audience spends their time online and consider using those platforms to share your content.

It’s also crucial to track your progress along the way. Keep an eye on your website traffic and social media engagement to see how people respond to your content. Building visible expertise is a marathon, not a sprint, so don’t expect overnight success.

• Mary Cloonan runs Marketing Clever, a specialist marketing and business development consultancy that works exclusively with accounting, legal and professional services firms and B2B businesses