Advertising for professional services firms: what is allowed?

Key takeaways

Advertising for professional services is about being trusted before being needed. Referrals, expertise shown on LinkedIn and a clear website do most of the work. Traditional channels such as local sponsorship and trade press support them, and sector rules shape what can be said.

• Referrals and reputation bring most new clients.
• LinkedIn shows expertise from named people.
• Sector regulators restrict some approaches and claims.
• Only about 5% of business buyers are in the market at once.

What is different about advertising a professional firm?

Professional services, such as accountancy, law, financial advice and brokerage, are bought rarely, on trust, often after a recommendation. The client cannot judge quality in advance. Advertising therefore has to demonstrate competence and make the firm easy to check, not shout an offer.

• Social media marketing vs traditional advertising: what works better for SMEs?
• Social media for professional services firms

Which channels work best?

These channels suit most professional firms, in roughly this order.

• 1. Referrals from clients and other professionals.
• 2. A website that states who you help and how.
• 3. LinkedIn posts from partners and senior staff.
• 4. A Google Business Profile with genuine reviews.
• 5. Seminars, networking and local sponsorship.
• 6. Trade or local press, used selectively.

• Word of mouth vs social media: can referrals be scaled?
• LinkedIn strategy for UK small businesses

How should social media be used?

Use social media to answer the questions clients ask before they instruct you. Explain a deadline, a rule change or a common mistake in plain English, under a named person. The LinkedIn B2B Institute estimates about 95% of business buyers are not in the market at any moment, so the aim is to be remembered.

• Thought leadership for small businesses, minus the waffle
• B2B social media content that attracts decision makers

What do the regulators restrict?

Rules vary by profession, and each firm should check its own regulator's current guidance. Solicitors regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority must not make unsolicited approaches to members of the public and must publish price information for certain services. Financial promotions must be fair, clear and not misleading under Financial Conduct Authority rules. All adverts fall under the CAP Code.

• Offline advertising rules in the UK: what small firms must know
• Social media for regulated industries in the UK

Do traditional channels still have a role?

Yes, in support. A local business magazine, sponsorship of a business awards evening or a seminar puts the firm in front of owners in person. Addressed mail to existing clients about a relevant change works well. Broad consumer advertising rarely suits a firm that wants a particular type of client.

• Local sponsorship vs social media: goodwill or growth?
• Direct mail vs social media: reaching customers by name
• Trade magazine advertising vs LinkedIn for B2B firms

What does it cost?

Posting on LinkedIn costs partner time. Most UK SMEs using an agency pay £950–£2,500 a month for managed social media. As indicative ranges, a trade or business magazine page costs £500 to £5,000 and addressed mail 60p to £1.20 an item.

• How much does advertising cost a UK small business?
• Social media costs for professional services firms

How do you measure it?

Ask every new client how they first heard of the firm and who referred them. Record it at onboarding. Sales cycles are long, so judge channels over a year, and count the quality of clients won as well as the number.

• 'How did you hear about us?' Asking the question properly
• B2B social media when the sales cycle is long

What should a professional firm avoid?

Avoid claims you cannot evidence, such as 'the leading firm', comparisons with named competitors, and testimonials that breach confidentiality. Avoid outsourcing your voice entirely: clients buy the judgement of people, and posts should sound like them.

• Which advertising do customers trust: social media or print?

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with established practices: growth has always come from referrals, the website describes the firm as it was ten years ago and no partner posts anything. Referrals still arrive, and the people referred look the firm up and find nothing that matches what they were told.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Next step

Ask each partner to list the five questions clients ask most. Those are your first 20 posts and the outline of a better website.