Building Trust Online – A How To Guide For Professional Services

To show you just how impactful digital marketing can be, let’s take a look at some recent research into the impact of marketing, on the success of law firms. Research[1] carried out in 2025 found that:

• 92% of legal consumers read online review before selecting a lawyer;
• 78% of prospective clients use online search engines to find legal services;
• Video marketing increases the likelihood of legal engagement by 70%;
• And 64% of clients chose a lawyer who had a strong online presence.

We’ve worked with a good few companies who provide professional services, and we’ve witnessed first-hand how a strategic approach to digital can build brand awareness and transform your credibility (you can check out a case study on that very topic, here). Here’s a roundup of how we help our clients to do just that…

Getting the basics, right

Before we go into the fine detail of your marketing – there are a few key things you have to get right from the off. When it comes to support with high-value services – it’s a serious business, and you want to trust whomever you appoint. Your digital footprint will most likely be the first interaction a potential customer has with you. In fact, data shows that the average B2B customer will consume eight pieces of your content and five pieces of third-party content, before making a ‘buying decision’[2]. That’s why it’s vitally important to get your ducks in a row, to inform that all important digital presence.

To win the trust of potential clients, ensure you collate your various credentials – accreditations, awards, and client testimonials, armed with these your marketing efforts will be a lot easier!

Also be clear on your services, and confident in how you communicate your value –  including pricing, where appropriate. Your website is often the first place customers go to explore this information, so make sure it’s easy to navigate and that the essentials are displayed clearly, helping visitors find what they need, fast.

Thought leadership that serves, not sells

When it comes to professional services, content is all about value. Demystifying your profession; giving topical, timely guidance in a way that showcases your expertise and why it’s helpful; even examining changes in your industry, to show your expertise and knowledge of your sector. Shaping the above into the following formats is usually a good place to start:

• Craft regular blogs that respond to common questions you’re asked by clients, or that respond to topical changes and times throughout the year (whether it’s changing legislation, or deadlines for action).
• Yes, your website is your mainstay for content, but if you’re neglecting LinkedIn you are truly missing out. Get your team at Partner- or Director-level to publish their own insights, always tagging your main company page.

Want to see an example of what this looks like in practice? Check out Foxley Kingham. Thought leadership, expert guidance, and timely reminders makes Foxley Kingham’s content useful – no, indispensable – for its clients.

Social proof in multiple forms

A pivotal part of building trust, is showing social proof of your expertise – and even better, how you’ve benefited your clients. And luckily, in today’s digital world, collecting that proof is easier than ever.

You can collect reviews and testimonials using a variety of methods – and where you’re certain you’ve done a good job, the more public the forum, the better. Always ask clients politely to provide feedback and remember to get permission to share and use that feedback as a testimonial.

You can also encourage clients to share their experiences on Google Reviews, Trust Pilot, or even provide individual LinkedIn Testimonials. The more you get used to building the collation of this feedback into your everyday dealings with clients, the more ‘social proof’ you’ll have to add into your content across the board. And it’s great content for proposals, pitches, and award submissions too!

Case studies

Sometimes the work carried out in the professional services sector is complicated, and often we find these types of businesses don’t offer a ‘one size fits all’ solution when it comes to their services. In these cases, the clearest way to demonstrate your impact is with a case study.

Even when confidentiality and discretion is required, you can still explain what you did, and where you added value, without giving names and details. Finishing it off with an anonymised testimonial will still give potential customers a clear idea of why they need you.

Being seen

So, you’ve got the content nailed – you’re collating the right things and posting on the right channels. Now it’s about getting it seen. The digital world has evolved past text and image; audio listening and podcasts, long-form material, and most importantly, video, are all standing out across channels and driving higher engagement levels.

Consider producing short-form videos of your team, either introducing them and their expertise or having them cover short topics in a simple, jargon-free way. The quality of most phone cameras these days is enough to use online, so you don’t need a complicated filming set up to get it right. Your marketing team can always employ their top-notch editing skills to polish up your raw file, ready for publishing. These short-form videos can always be accompanied by longer form written pieces, making your content work harder and leading potential customers through various touchpoints, to get more accustomed to your brand.

Common mistakes to avoid

Whilst making the following mistakes aren’t disastrous, they can impede your efforts to build trust with your audience! Try to avoid doing the following…

• Having an outdated website that’s not in line with modern useability standards. The higher the quality of your website, the more your visitors will see you as professional.
• Being inconsistent with your messaging. A concise, clear messaging matrix will help you communicate well with potential customers – this is especially important for Professional Services, where it’s easy to get bogged down by detail. And while we’re talking about messaging, speak to your audience in a way that’s suitable for them, keeping industry jargon to a minimum, but still sharing your expertise!
• Being inconsistent with your efforts! Consistency and momentum counts for a lot in marketing. Being reliable with your updates, maintaining a consistent frequency with your content across various platforms, will build the momentum that results in success.
• Ignoring social media. We understand that you’re working on important things; but if you ignore social media, you really are missing an opportunity to promote your business. Invest time and effort in it – you will reap the rewards.
• Being defensive with online reviews. Occasionally, an online review isn’t going to go your way. Don’t jump on it and respond with a rebuttal or ignore it entirely – instead assess whether an action is required or show your professionalism by responding calmly and sympathetically.
• Forgetting to measure your success! Track your progress against a number of metrics – digital and customer related and always remember to ask new customers where they learned about your services. This data, collected over time, will give you a solid idea of what’s working to drive your success.

We understand that teams in Professional Services are quite often time strapped. And it feels easy to lose sight of marketing for ‘bigger priorities’. But like any other business, it’s vital you invest in your marketing – and that’s where we can help. We can help with all aspects of marketing – including demand generation to help you nurture your audience to become customers. We’re intuitive, proactive, on top of being natural, born marketers. Get in touch if something we’ve said above, resonates with how you’re marketing your business!

[1] https://wifitalents.com/marketing-in-the-legal-industry-statistics

[2] https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2021/46283/why-it-should-no-longer-take-13-pieces-of-content-to-convert-a-buyer