Professional Services
CASE STUDY ONE
Rehmann
Tell their own story
Rehmann, a US professional services firm with substantial international expertise, adopts progressive, digital marketing techniques to sell a specific service to a niche audience in multiple countries.
Changing our marketing approach as a professional firm
We knew a new marketing approach was needed, particularly as our international client base was growing so quickly. Chip Hoebeke, Director of the Business Consulting and Turnaround, Restructuring and Insolvency Practices at Rehmann, said: “Earlier in my career, as we began building our business relationships through networking, it was important to stay in contact with the local businesses in the community. We did that by being involved and taking leadership positions in organisations or occasionally getting something published in the local paper. As the world has changed, it is a completely different challenge to stay relevant globally. With the some 180 countries that you need to stay in front of and the tens of thousands of professional firms that you need to be top of mind with, the old methods of networking and marketing no longer work.”
Rehmann’s first highly targeted, international, digital marketing project: the US Employee Retention Credit
When we first started down this road, we were not sure what could be achieved. We wanted to talk to businesses or subsidiaries in other countries that had a US payroll. Many of these companies had not claimed all the COVID allowances they were entitled to from the US government. Many did not realise that even if they had claimed a US government PPP loan (a different US COVID allowance) they were highly likely also to be eligible for the US Employee Retention Credit. In fact, they were likely to qualify for up to $5000 per employee for 2020, and $21,000 per employee for 2021. We had the skills to help them claim and had done it successfully for many other businesses. It was important that they used us to make a claim as soon as possible. The deadline for claiming was, and is, fast approaching.
The challenge was that we were not sure how we were going to identify:
- The appropriate people in the right job roles
- In the right US businesses and subsidiaries
- In specific countries.
How we went about it
We developed a very clear (non-technical) message which was benefit-led, i.e. what was “in it for them” and “why should they do something about it”. We then gave them actions to follow up, so that we could track them through the technology and see how interested they were.
Saltwhistle, our marketing partner in the UK, advised us on the technological side of this. We were also able to access the contact details of the right people in the right US companies/subsidiaries. This meant that we could get in touch with them directly via their personal email addresses and be GDPR compliant. The technology we were using gave us a new level of insight. If a John Doe engaged with an email and other content, we could see his level of engagement, and we would know that he was a hot prospect for us. We could then go on to arrange a meeting. Initially, we decided to concentrate on the UK market, but we had the facility to expand into other countries.
By using regular content that was both interesting and relevant to our target market and presenting it through a variety of communication channels, we were able to reach people we had never been able to before. The key point was that we had the experience and the knowledge – the marketing simply allowed us to demonstrate our expertise to a much wider audience faster than we could in any other way.
Chip Hoebeke commented: “We needed to combine the traditional marketing approach and our ideas with the latest technological developments. We needed to take the relevant information and get it out in front of the right people globally. If you start doing it on a frequent enough basis, then you stay top of mind with the people you want to reach around the world. It delivers opportunities from abroad even when you’ve never put a foot in the country. We have expanded our global network of ‘touches’. Next time a client needs someone we are the firm next in line.”
Rehmann project result
We wanted to see a return on our investment with this new approach. We set a target of 3 to 4 new corporate clients over a six month period in order to achieve this. In a period of 10 months, only having done marketing to one country, we achieved new corporate clients, including a High Street name in the UK. We were also offered other opportunities, e.g. speaking platforms and media interviews in Australia.
Rebecca Harding at Saltwhistle said: “The reason Rehmann were so successful was that the advice Chip, Director of the Business Consulting and Turnaround, Restructuring and Insolvency Practices, produces as quality content is gold dust for business, and when we get it out there, in the right way, they grab it with both hands. He talks to them as individuals and so they engage. He treats marketing as being as important as any other work – he is forging relationships with potential clients.”
Next steps for the firm Rehmann in digital marketing…
We have subsequently expanded our marketing to cover a range of issues. Some are short-term actions, such as this very specific campaign, and some are much longer term and contribute to building brand and reputation. Since we can measure the results in real time through the technology, we can adapt and amend as we go to ensure that we’re getting the results that we want. If something doesn’t work we change it. This new approach has expanded our reach as professionals and has built on our strong international work and client base. As well as “doing it”, we can now “tell the world” about it. It has built the brand on the international landscape and it’s opened our eyes to what can be achieved.
CASE STUDY two
International Law Firm wants to find specific targets
An international law firm wanted to contact alumni who had left and gone into business over a 10-year period.
They needed to search throughout Europe because they were unsure as to where people had gone. They wanted to contact them and see if they could engage with these people and generate business.
The challenge was to identify:
- People who had left the firm over 10 year period
- To find only the people had gone into business rather than into another practice
- To find them across multiple countries
The key to this project was finding these people, and we were able to identify these individuals across multiple countries and extract only those who had moved into business roles. We were then asked to prepare a strategy and action document, in order to engage with these people by using mailings and other marketing tactics, such as events.
CASE STUDY THREE
Cyber Security Website, UHY (New York)
What was the project?
Saltwhistle produced all the content/copy for the new cyber security website, as well as establishing tone of voice and key messages with fee earners and with the marketing department.
How did we achieve positive results for content development and collaboration with service professionals?
- Saltwhistle was able to add value to the content by advising on competitors in the marketplace and helping to position UHY so that it was different to others.
- Saltwhistle proposed and ran a session to develop tone of voice and key messages to ensure marketing and fee earner involvement.
- Saltwhistle and UHY worked closely as a team, ensuring that the project was collaborative, as well as building on the collective expertise of the team.
- Saltwhistle provided support for the marketing personnel through clear and effective communication with fee earners.
- Saltwhistle provided regular updates to ensure the project kept up pace and was finished successfully and within a good timescale.
CASE STUDY FOUR
Weightmans Law (UK)
What was the project?
Creating an international marketing strategy and action plan, and also preparing business materials.
How did we achieve positive results for content development and collaboration with service professionals?
- Saltwhistle supports the professionals by providing background research.
- On one occasion, we found an entire speech from the target client’s CEO, which he had delivered at the staff conference. It contained all their internal company strategy and objectives. As a result, saltwhistle structured the content of their materials around these objectives to demonstrate how the client could contribute to their business. The target client was delighted, as it showed they understood them, and gave them the work. We produced content that was client-focused and tailored to the end reader.
CASE STUDY FIVE
Consultancy targets a geographical area
A professional services firm had never marketed themselves before and wished to market themselves across the southwest of the country. Their targets were lawyers and bankers.
We needed to identify:
- Lawyers and bankers working in the correct technical sector
- Identify those working in relevant industry sectors
The identified individuals also needed to work within the southwest of the UK
We developed regular content and themes each month which were promoted on social media and via mail outs on their website. Engagements increased tremendously, and the CEO was contacted by those he had not heard from in years. It raised his profile generally and established his credibility, and he acquired the work overtime as a result.
CASE STUDY SIX
Positioning a Boutique Accountancy Firm
What was the project?
Saltwhistle was to develop a unique selling proposition and brand for a specific target market in collaboration with the fee earners. They specialize in retail. All meetings are held online, all accounts are maintained and delivered online, as is all advice.
How did we achieve positive results for content development and collaboration with service professionals?
Salwhistle’s suggestion was that the firm’s branding be bright, colourful and young – highly unusual for an accountancy firm, but still something that sits well within the retail sector. The firm presents themselves as a similar business. Their reflective positioning is utterly appropriate and their client offering is highly appealing as it is definitively tailored to their target market. There is currently no clear competition for them as a result, apart from more generalist accountancy firms, who do not have the same appeal. By focusing so closely on a niche, they are standing out in the market and maximising referral opportunities, too.
