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Contemporary political rhetoric is rife with false binaries that make it difficult for executive leaders to know when to speak out and what to say. And in 2024, as most of the world’s population participates in elections, this challenge will only continue to grow. 

According to the Financial Times, the outcomes of more than 70 global elections, including those in eight of the top 10 most populous countries and many of the world’s oldest democracies, will play a pivotal role in framing the future of democracy as we know it. The U.S. election is particularly critical due to the position we hold in the world. Given the nature of politics in America — and the heightened tension that accompanies our collective fear around democracy’s decline — we all know just how divisive the coming months are likely to become.

The inflated rhetoric of the U.S. election will surely create moments when leaders are called upon to affirm or reject controversial positions. We know these are difficult situations, as we’ve all seen leaders caught off guard in the recent past. With the repeal of Roe v. Wade and the start of the war in Gaza, many leaders discovered that they risked alienating some segment of their core audience regardless of what they said — or whether they said anything at all.

Mindful of these recent experiences, there is no excuse for being caught off guard again. Stakeholders will demand a clear response and point-of-view from your organization. The time to decide how you will respond to the next social or political controversy is not when it lands on your doorstep. We know that it is coming, whether it’s tomorrow or in six months. The time to prepare is now.

Why Do You Need to Think About the Election Now?

We’ve all seen unprepared leaders lose control of difficult conversations. But if you can’t skillfully and adeptly navigate these pivotal moments as a leader, you risk undermining your own authority and harming your organization’s reputation. To participate skillfully in the conversations that matter most, you can’t afford to be reactive. Foresight, forethought, and careful preparation are key. 

Think back to the summer of 2022 and the conversation around Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health. Despite knowing a landmark decision was coming for over six weeks, many leaders scrambled to figure out how to respond once the news broke. 

One notable exception was Ropes & Gray Chairwoman Julie Jones, who released a powerful, heartfelt and thoughtful statement just moments after the Supreme Court announced its decision. Her readiness to communicate her position set her apart.

Immigration, reproductive rights and the growing conflict in the Mideast are just a few of the issues that will take center stage in 2024. These topics are far too important to ignore — and their complexity deserves your advance consideration. 

Three Steps to Establish Your Firm’s Communication Platform

Navigating difficult communication challenges is not for the faint of heart — and you shouldn’t go it alone. Engaging PR counsel to develop authoritative points of view before it’s time to release a statement is wise and prudent. When you get ahead of the news cycle, you’ll be able to communicate with confidence, knowing your messaging lines up with your firm’s priorities and reinforces your position as an authority worth heeding. 

A good PR partner will know how to guide you in positioning your firm for the executive communications challenges that lie ahead. At a minimum, the positioning process should involve these three steps.

1. Assemble a Representative Selection of Stakeholders 

You need a representative cross-section of stakeholders at the table to ensure your decisions reflect the values and spectrum of diversity of your firm.

The process you follow to frame a response to controversy is just as important as the response itself. After all, it will be impossible for you to please your entire audience no matter what you say. But by demonstrating that you followed a reasoned, logical process — and by communicating about it openly and transparently — you can minimize blowback and prevent the informational leaks that cause reputational harm. 

The Kalven Committee at the University of Chicago

The University of Chicago provides an instructive example of what a collaborative decision-making process can look like — and shines light on the value of thoughtful, open communication.

In 1967, then-University president George W. Beadle convened a multidisciplinary faculty committee to examine the role the University should play in social and political action. The resulting Kalven Committee report includes the following statements:

  • “The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic. It is…a community of scholars. To perform its mission in the society, a university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain an independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures.”
  • “The neutrality of the university as an institution arises then not from a lack of courage nor out of indifference and insensitivity. It arises out of respect for free inquiry and the obligation to cherish a diversity of viewpoints.”
  • “From time-to-time instances will arise in which the society, or segments of it, threaten the very mission of the university and its values of free inquiry. In such a crisis, it becomes the obligation of the university as an institution to oppose such measures and actively to defend its interests and its values.”  

In the span of a few pages, the Kalven Committee articulated the values the University holds dear, argued why maintaining neutrality is the best reflection of those values, and laid out the exceptions that would lead the University to set neutrality aside and take a stand.

Did some University stakeholders disagree with the outcome of the Kalven Committee’s work? Undoubtedly. But the report remains in place today and continues to prove useful in guiding the University’s actions.

2. Align Your Positions With Your Firm’s Values 

What are your firm’s values? What do you stand for? And how do your values connect you to your audience?

It’s unlikely that your firm needs to participate in every conversation or respond to every news headline. Part of communicating with authority is knowing which issues matter most to your audience and focusing your energies there.

As illustrated in the Kalven Committee example, your values and your audience’s needs should guide your communications strategy. Therefore, to decide how and when to speak out on social issues, bring the stakeholders you recruited in Step 1 together to explore questions like: 

  • Who is our audience, and what do they value? Are there factions and opposing viewpoints we need to consider?
  • What issues impact our audience most acutely? Will they expect us to respond when those issues enter the headlines? 
  • Which issues intersect with our mission as an organization? 
  • Given the multiple constituencies we serve, what do we think is the proper role of the firm in the social and political sphere?
  • What are our core values, and how have we expressed those values in the past?
  • What is our history of social and political engagement?

Sometimes the more you think about an issue, the more challenging it will be to articulate a position. That’s normal. Again, outside counsel can help you wrestle with these complexities and arrive at the best course of action for your firm.

3. Make Your Firm’s Positions Public (and Communicate Your “Why”)

Reasonable decisions made with strong rationales will still be met with pushback. That’s especially true if they’re made behind closed doors and without transparency.

That’s why it’s so important to craft a statement about how your firm will respond when public discourse is fraught. Then publish that for your internal and external audiences to see and refer to as needed throughout the election cycle and beyond. This is your foundation – it should be set in stone.

Your goal should be to communicate openly and remove the element of surprise. No matter what position you take, some portions of your audience may not like what you have to say. But removing the uncertainty goes a long way in reducing disappointment and outrage.

Your audience will want to know: 

  • Who you invited into the decision-making process 
  • The questions you asked and the nuances you considered
  • How you arrived at your conclusions 
  • Why you believe your position aligns with your firm’s mission and values
  • What your position means to stakeholders

Don’t forget to ask for feedback. Welcoming the opinions and ideas of your internal and external stakeholders — and responding to their questions and concerns — is an effective way to build trust. Furthermore, inviting your audience to critique and iterate on your ideas is a defining characteristic of true authority.

Meet the 2024 Election Cycle Head-On

Savvy executives scan the horizon for looming threats and proactively put strategies in place to mitigate them. There’s no question that the 2024 election will bring plenty of communication challenges for your firm to overcome.

You might not know exactly what will precipitate the need for your firm to engage in a high-stakes conversation. But with the election news cycle ramping up, you can’t afford to wait for that moment to come. Let’s work together to figure it out now.

About the Executive Positioning Practice

Exemplifying Greentarget’s commitment to being a trusted advisor to clients, our Executive Positioning team provides C-suite executives (managing partners, CEOs, executive committees, and boards) with insights to anticipate, understand and respond to important global and social developments, analyzing key issues that can impact reputation and compel leaders to communicate.

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With anti-ESG rhetoric on the rise — and as greenwashing accusations abound — communicating effectively about environmental, social, and governance issues is more challenging than ever.

One piece of the puzzle is the tension between whether a firm is more responsible to its stakeholders or to its shareholders. On one hand, some argue that firms should balance the interests of a company’s stakeholders — employees, customers, and even the environment — against the need to drive bottom line growth. By contrast, those in favor of shareholder primacy assert that firms should prioritize increasing profits above all else.  

Complicating the issue further, the SEC is preparing to release stricter climate impact disclosure requirements for all publicly traded companies. And of course, ESG-related issues will undoubtedly become points of contention and political posturing in the leadup to the 2024 elections.

Given these very real pressures and the risks they present, how should executive leaders at professional services firms respond?

It may be tempting to stay silent. But if you want to be seen as an authority in your industry, you must be someone who is both trusted and heeded. The best way to earn that status is to contribute to a smarter conversation around the issues that matter most to your audience. Here’s what it takes to do that in regard to ESG.

Be Authentic About Your Firm’s Approach to ESG 

It should go without saying that a key part of communicating effectively is to do so from a place of authenticity. After all, one reason organizations come under fire is that their public statements about ESG don’t match up with their organization’s mission, vision, and values — or with their actions. 

To that end, consider your position on ESG through the lens of who you are as a business and what you’re trying to accomplish. It can be helpful to explore questions like:

  • Are we able to make tangible progress on our ESG commitments — and are we reporting on that progress on a regular basis? Even when the numbers or narrative aren’t as positive as we’d like?
  • How might the ESG work we’re doing strengthen and de-risk our business for the long run? Could our ESG commitments contribute to a healthier bottom line?

How Your Commitment to ESG Can Contribute to Business Success

Let’s take a closer look at that last question in particular — and at the false equivalency that’s inherently present in the “stakeholder vs. shareholder” debate. There’s an assumption that deepening your firm’s commitment to ESG will automatically detract from profitability. But the opposite is often true. In fact, making business decisions through the lens of environmental, social, and governance concerns may play an instrumental role in your company’s long-term success.

My colleague Steve DiMattia puts it this way: “Companies with weak ESG performance often find themselves in situations that can lead to a decline in valuation. If a company is cutting corners on safety protocols, harming the environment, or exploiting its workers, there’s a much greater likelihood it’ll eventually be sued, fined, or otherwise penalized, which can negatively impact its stock price.”

Therefore, making an authentic commitment to the causes that matter most to your firm — and talking about those commitments in terms of how they’ll make your company stronger — is an excellent way to frame your ESG narrative.

Embrace Transparent Communication (Even if You Know You’ll Get Backlash)

In a polarized society like ours, there are good reasons to shy away from topics that are known to spark backlash. And there are certainly people who may decry whatever you have to say about ESG. But if your ESG efforts are truly a core part of driving your business forward, communicating transparently is non-negotiable.

The good news is many clients and stakeholders are increasingly seeking ESG-aligned partners. Since they want smart counsel on ESG issues and are looking for partners who walk the talk, it’s only logical to talk about your ESG offerings and commitments with confidence. 

As socially conscious Gen Zers age and become business leaders in their own right, it will become even more paramount for your firm to establish unique positions of authority about ESG. Demonstrating an authentic and transparent position on the issues that matter most to these emerging stakeholders is an essential part of building trust and winning their future business. 

That doesn’t mean you have to talk about ESG-related issues all the time. Nor do you have to publish an official CSR (corporate social responsibility) report each and every year. Rather, look for naturally recurring opportunities to shine light on the progress you’ve made toward your ESG goals. Let your audience know what’s gone well and what steps you still need to take to get where you want to go. And if you’re a publicly traded company, tell a good and true story about how ESG affects your earnings. 

Still uncertain about whether it’s wise to communicate openly and transparently about your firm’s ESG efforts? Perhaps this will assuage your fears. According to The Financial Times, anti-ESG funds are failing to attract investors and assets. Polls show voters aren’t swayed by attacks on sustainable investing options, either. These articles illustrate that, in many cases, the anti-ESG bark is far worse than its bite.

Tailor Your ESG Messaging to Your Primary Stakeholders

Although you’ll need to be mindful of crafting your ESG communications in ways that align with regulatory demands, it’s also important to remember that regulators are not your primary audience. Your clients and employees are. 

So rather than worry about coming under fire for communicating about ESG, consider who your audience is and what they care about. What do they need to hear from you? What messages will resonate with them? And how can you tell your ESG story in a way that furthers their commitment to and enthusiasm for your firm? 

For example, we recently worked with a law firm to create a communications platform to reach key stakeholders at a time when the firm was under enormous pressure from special interest groups and anti-ESG lawmakers to abandon its ESG endeavors. This platform enabled the firm to amplify the ESG-related counsel it offers clients and provide insight into how it helps firms navigate the very issues and challenges it was also facing.

Reaching your audience with the messages that matter to them should be the primary goal of all your executive communications strategies.

Don’t Be Afraid To Speak Out About the Issues That Matter to Your Firm

It takes courage to speak your firm’s truth in the face of almost certain criticism and backlash. And since anything you do say is subject to fiscal, regulatory, and political scrutiny, it’s absolutely essential to communicate your messages judiciously and effectively. 

Greentarget can help.

Our consultants know how to objectively assess whether or not your ESG efforts are truly an authentic representation of your firm’s values and actions. We can help you craft succinct and precise messages about why you’re doing what you’re doing. And we’d love to work with you to develop unique perspectives and positions of authority that translate into added value for your clients and other priority stakeholders.

So when you’re ready to cut through the ESG-related noise and advance a smarter, more thoughtful narrative, let’s talk.

About the Executive Positioning Practice

Exemplifying Greentarget’s commitment to being a trusted advisor to clients, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning team provides c-suite executives (managing partners, CEOs, executive committees, and boards) with insights to anticipate, understand and respond to important global and social developments, analyzing key issues that can impact reputation and compel leaders to communicate.

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No matter what business you’re in, everyone’s talking about the promise—and peril—of artificial intelligence.

But as executives weigh the efficiency of AI against cybersecurity and other risks, they must remember one key fact: AI is also a communications challenge.

Meeting that challenge requires balancing the need for transparency and guidance with the agility and flexibility necessary to keep pace with a swiftly evolving technology. This is especially important for leaders at professional services firms, whose reputations can depend on providing authoritative counsel on emerging issues like generative AI—which, unlike traditional AI, uses unsupervised models to create new content and data.

In what follows, we’ll assess the current AI landscape for professional services firms and map out the communications obstacles (and opportunities) those organizations may encounter as the technology advances.

AI in Professional Services: New Opportunities, New Concerns

From legal to consulting and accounting firms, professional services providers are tapping into the power of AI to help speed workflows, improve efficiency, and generate data-driven insights.

Internally, our law firm clients have already been using AI and machine learning for functions like eDiscovery—and some are now testing out generative AI in content creation (e.g., job postings, social media posts, document production). Consultants and accountants are using it for everything from predictive analytics to automation of back-office functions and more. At the same time, these firms are also bringing AI into in client-facing offerings: consulting on legal and operational risks related to the technology, helping organizations adopt AI themselves, and/or deploying it to improve client processes and services.

For professional services organizations, it’s not only an efficiency play—it’s also a business imperative, one that clients are increasingly demanding as they look to lower outside spend and operational costs. As one GC told us, “Law firms should be figuring out how they’re going to use AI tools to help their clients rather than sticking their heads in the sand and saying it would be inappropriate for us to use them.”

It tracks, then, that in a recent survey by our client Womble Bond Dickinson, only 13% of executives (including those from professional services firms) said that they are not investing in AI or are unsure; over half are already making investments or plan to do so in the next year. Asked about key obstacles around the use of AI, respondents cited issues including ethical concerns, a lack of understanding about AI, legal risks, costs, and a lack of qualified personnel.

But these aren’t the only concerns for professional services firms. Some GCs want their outside counsel to use ChatGPT to lower billable costs, while firm leaders are worried about the impact of generative AI on training the next generation of talent. The evolving regulatory environment also poses potential issues, though as a new Littler survey notes, most employers have not changed their AI usage as a result.

Key Executive Positioning Challenges

As demonstrated by the above, professional services firms, like other businesses, are moving forward with AI despite widespread risk and uncertainty.

Communication from the top—be it internal policies and guidance or external stakeholder communications (e.g., with vendors, clients, investors, talent, etc.)—is therefore critical. Yet only 37% of the HR professionals and in-house counsel that Littler surveyed report providing policies or guidance to employees on the proper use of AI tools in the workplace. The majority are also underutilizing AI vendors or outside counsel to assess risk.

Clearly, there’s room for improvement. As we learned during the pandemic, moments of flux demand proactive, transparent, and authentic communication. Better to overcommunicate, even if you don’t have all the answers, than leave stakeholders guessing.

Here are a few questions executive communicators should be asking themselves when it comes to AI:

  • Cyber/privacy risk. Do you have a communications plan in place as part of a broader cyber incident response strategy? How are you communicating to external stakeholders about the steps you’re taking to safeguard their data and privacy with new AI tools? How are you delivering guidance to those using AI tools within your organization?
  • Policies. Do you have a usage policy for generative AI (and/or other AI tools)? Are you effectively communicating that to your employees in a way that balances brevity, support for employees, and risk mitigation? Is there a steady cadence of communications to ensure these policies are implemented?
  • Talent. As AI use stokes fears about job displacement—one Goldman Sachs study says generative AI could automate almost half of legal tasks—how are you communicating to current and prospective employees about how AI tools can help them in their work? How are you ensuring effective interpersonal communication between mentors and mentees as technologies like AI continue to throw up obstacles to in-person connections?
  • Operations. Given the range of different functions AI will impact across your business, are you convening the right group of people to make these communications decisions? Who should be involved, and when? Is there a process in place to communicate quickly and with flexibility?
  • Business goals. Perhaps most importantly, are you proactively articulating the value of AI to your employees, clients, and other stakeholders (e.g., how it might cut down on costs or free up bandwidth for more creative or substantive work)? How does it align with your overarching business objectives?

When it Comes to Communicating About AI, There’s No Time Like the Present

AI will change the nature of professional services work. But how your clients, employees, and other stakeholders react to these changes is up to you. Proactive, transparent, and authentic communications—utilizing clear, consistent, focus-group-tested messaging—can build trust in moments of flux and uncertainty.

Now is the time to get started. Learn more about how Greentarget can help by clicking here.

About the Executive Positioning Practice Exemplifying Greentarget’s commitment to being a trusted advisor to clients, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning team provides c-suite executives (managing partners, CEOs, executive committees, and boards) with insights to anticipate, understand and respond to important global and social developments, analyzing key issues that can impact reputation and compel leaders to communicate.

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As Western law firms that spent years growing their footprints in China either exit or retrench, the reason global firm Dentons cited for doing so stands out for its directness.

In a memo to clients, Dentons said it ended its tie-up with Beijing Dacheng Law Offices “in response to an evolving regulatory environment for Chinese law firms in China—including new mandates and requirements relating to data privacy, cybersecurity, capital control and governance.”

As conditions in China become increasingly challenging, how a firm communicates a decision to withdraw need not be left to the last minute – indeed, firms should have plans in place now, especially as the prospect of greater conflict in the region looms. The unlawful Russian invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ more recent incursions into Israel signal the importance of having risk management and corresponding communications plans in hand before the next geopolitical crisis, which many believe will be Chinese President Xi Jinping’s inevitable attempt to take Taiwan.

The pullback among foreign law firms is the latest evidence that the Chinese government’s heightened focus on national security and related geopolitical tensions is impacting the ability of professional services firms to do business there. The Big Four auditing giants have also shut down legal affiliations with local firms in China, according to Law.com. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities earlier this year probed operations at China offices consulting firms Bain & Company and Mintz Group, and detentions of foreign executives are adding further chill to the business climate.

As one anonymous Dentons partner told The American Lawyer, “It wasn’t really a corrosion of our relationship [with Dacheng]. It’s more that it’s become impossible to serve our clients properly, those that have China links.”

Worsening Economic and Geopolitical Conditions Raise the Communications Stakes

The changes global law firms made to their Chinese platforms in 2023 are part of a longer-term trend. The number of foreign law firm offices in China has been in decline for five consecutive years, falling by 16% to 205 as of the end of 2022, according to Chinese Ministry of Justice data, with U.S.-based firms leading the withdrawal. More firms will likely be queueing up behind Dentons and others heading for the exits as China’s economic downturn deepens, limiting business opportunities while trade tensions slow cross-border investments.

These developments come as heightened tensions between China and Taiwan once again fan speculation around a possible Chinese invasion. Affluent Taiwanese are transferring wealth abroad or shifting money into portable assets. Multinational companies are taking force majeure clauses one step further and inserting provisions into contracts specifically tied to China-Taiwan tensions. Meanwhile, America’s military and political leadership are discussing deterrence and timelines of a possible Chinese invasion amid growing economic and diplomatic pressure.

Coupling these conditions with the increasingly aggressive Chinese regulatory stance toward foreign firms, leaders of professional services organizations must consider the possibility that a conflict in Taiwan could further compromise their business and compel them to communicate their position on Chinese aggression – operationally and philosophically – with clients, employees, regulators, and the public.

Recall the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of global companies shut down Russian operations within a few days. Professional services firms were slower to react than other organizations and their responses varied widely—from resigning clients based in Russia to taking no action at all, perhaps reflecting the difficulty of giving up work when it can be done from anywhere. 

Given the difference in the size of the Chinese and Russian economies and levels of foreign direct investment, we would expect even greater difficulty unwinding from China than from Russia despite China’s lackluster economic outlook. The International Monetary Fund last year ranked China the third most prominent destination for foreign direct investment, totaling $3.6 trillion in 2021. (This doesn’t count Hong Kong, which received another $1.9 trillion.) Russia isn’t even in the top 10.

As we saw after the invasion of Ukraine, intensifying Chinese aggression toward Taiwan would likely be followed by swift international condemnation and calls for Western firms to withdraw or to limit activities that could be said to support the regime. Other complications, from head-butting between the Chinese and U.S. militaries to stepped-up regulatory actions against foreign firms operating in China, could elicit similar responses, highlighting the need for firm leaders to be prepared for such eventualities.

In a Volatile World, Organizations Need a Proactive Communications Strategy

It is critical that firms have a clear framework for whether and how to respond to such crises, beyond the compulsory need to communicate regarding local staff who may be in harm’s way.  As a starting point, we recommend the process we developed to help leaders decide whether and how to respond to social and political issues since the murder of George Floyd. 

The Conference Board is aligned with our process. It recommends considering the issue’s alignment with the following:

  • Your organization’s core values
  • The requirements and expectations of internal and stakeholders
  • The connection between the issue and business
  • The significance of the issue to society
  • The incremental impact your organization may have

Firms should choose how prominent a leadership role they wish to play and be transparent with stakeholders about the criteria and process they employed in deciding whether and how to respond. (Firms structured as vereins, with members and affiliates in different parts of the world, should take note of this last point.)

And as consulting giant McKinsey points out, you should also consider adjusting your corporate narrative with an eye to shifting geopolitical risks. If you have an early handle on how you would respond if a specific crisis occurred, consider whether that is aligned with how the firm talks about itself today. If that narrative conflicts with your anticipated position, shifting your narrative early can avoid confusion among internal and external stakeholders down the road. 

Engaging with us in a rigorous scenario planning process can bring significant clarity. That’s especially the case if the process is conducted before the crisis occurs and urgency overtakes the opportunity to be thoughtful. We’ve helped clients navigate the invasion of Ukraine, the repeal of Roe v Wade, and the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Reach out if we can help you, too.

About the Executive Positioning Practice Exemplifying Greentarget’s commitment to being a trusted advisor to clients, Greentarget’s Executive Positioning team provides c-suite executives (managing partners, CEOs, executive committees, and boards) with insights to anticipate, understand and respond to important global and social developments, analyzing key issues that can impact reputation and compel leaders to communicate.

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According to a study by LinkedIn and Coalition Greenwich, institutional investors research potential partnerships and investment managers by looking for useful, authoritative content online — particularly on LinkedIn. In fact, 79% of institutional investors use LinkedIn weekly, and 90% take action at least once a month after viewing a wealth manager’s content. 

Are you creating the kind of content these potential clients and strategic partners are looking for?

These findings came as no surprise to us. That’s because Greentarget collaborates with the Zeughauser Group to produce the annual State of Digital and Content Marketing Report, which tracks the content consumption and decision-making habits of general counsel and C-suite executives. And though our research hasn’t touched directly on the financial services sector, our findings are in line with what LinkedIn/Coalition Greenwich’s Investing in the Digital Age report shows. 

Put simply, well-educated professionals — regardless of industry — behave similarly online and are attracted to the same types of content. And because we know what those buyers are searching for, we can help you tell your institutional story in a way that will secure new business and drive your firm’s growth. 

3 Insights Into How Institutional Investors Consume Content

So what does the research say about the types of content your audience is hungry for? 

When it comes to information that decision-makers value most, our survey of 200 executives found that the clients of professional services firms still look to traditional media and other trusted, editorial-filtered sources. But the pandemic also accelerated the digital shift =, as COVID-19 disrupted in-person networking events and pushed more interactions online. 

We took a side-by-side look at the LinkedIn/Greenwich report and our 2022 State of Digital Report and uncovered three commonalities that should inform your owned media marketing strategy.

1. LinkedIn Is a Highly Trusted Source of Content 

Many professional services firms allocate the majority of their PR and communication spend on working to obtain earned media coverage. And that’s undoubtedly important — 79% percent of the executives we surveyed for the State of Digital Report said traditional media is still the information source they value most. 

But LinkedIn wasn’t far behind, with 69% of participants saying they value the platform highly. In fact, LinkedIn’s popularity has surged among  executive decision-makers.. Leaders are also increasingly visiting websites and blogs and maintaining heightened interest in webinars and other types of virtual events, a trend many expect to continue.

That means your firm as a whole and your individual wealth managers in particular should be active on LinkedIn while also maintaining an intentional role in authoring content for your firm’s blog, website, and other owned media channels. Sharing self-published content that highlights your expertise and unique positions of authority plays a critical role in reaching institutional investors and compelling them toward action. 

2. Personalization and Relevance Are Essential To Cut Through the Digital Noise 

Although institutional investors respect LinkedIn over other social media platforms, that doesn’t mean they value every piece of content equally. They want deep subject matter education from experts who provide timely, personalized insights.

Institutional investors decide which asset managers’ content to consume based on the following factors:

  • Personalization. Investors and executives prefer to read content written by an individual rather than a company or organization.
  • Novelty. Your subject matter experts should add to the conversations that matter to your audience, not merely repeat what everyone already knows. Often, the smaller and narrower the angle, the greater the potential to find something novel to say. 
  • Relevance. C-level executives want research that is in-depth in scope and technical in nature. But an interesting perspective isn’t enough. It should also provide actionable advice leaders can put into practice.
  • Timely topics. Although providing evergreen advice is important, institutional investors and C-suite executives want expert authorities to provide their unique insights on the topics that matter most in the world. In fact, 67% of investors reported they chose content based on a news-driven topic. 
  • Length. When it comes to establishing authority, longer content wins out over short items, and articles are the preferred content type.

Post-pandemic, 23% of investors report being willing to spend 30 minutes or more to consume a piece of content if it’s useful and relevant to them — up from just 9% in 2018. Fifty-seven percent will spend between 15 and 30 minutes. And when it comes to absorbing complex subject matter, investors prefer digital formats. 

3. Your Firm’s Authority Is The Ultimate Factor Driving Buying Decisions

Building your firm’s overall brand — or, in our lexicon, developing your ultimate position as an authority — is the most critical factor in attracting institutional investors and driving growth. Investors look at where content comes from — and who authored it — when deciding what to act on.

That’s why building your unique positions of authority through a strategic owned media program is so important. Showcasing your team’s credentials and regularly publishing your experts’ best thinking is a vital part of convincing executives and investors to engage your firm. 

But remember: the more your experts spark conversation and invite feedback — especially on platforms like LinkedIn — the better. That’s because true authorities don’t just disseminate their expertise. They skillfully participate in uncontrolled situations and allow others to iterate on their ideas. This involves soliciting a response, considering opposing points of view, and being willing to adapt and pivot a viewpoint when needed. 

Let’s Create a Smarter Content Strategy at Your Financial Services Firm

Even in a cluttered digital landscape, reaching the institutional investors your firm wants to attract is possible. But to do so, you need a savvy owned media and content strategy that uncovers and showcases your experts’ unique points of view. 

Greentarget has been studying the digital content landscape for more than a decade. We know what types of content your audience wants to consume. But even better, we know how to work with your team to create that content and publish or share it in all the right places. 
We’d love to help your asset management firm skillfully blend your knowledge with the accuracy and storytelling methods of traditional journalism. Together, we can match your business goals with your audience’s needs. So when you’re ready to start directing a smarter conversation at your firm, let’s talk.

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How consultants can use an ESG communication strategy to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace  

As investors, regulators, and other stakeholders demand enhanced transparency—and progress—around environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, a new market has exploded to offer support: ESG and sustainability advisors. In fact, spending on these services is poised to hit $16 billion by 2027, up from $6 billion in 2021, according to research firm Verdantix. 

Professional services providers—consultancies, accounting firms, financial services companies, BigLaw, and boutique shops alike—are all jumping into the fray. Today’s leaders include members of the Big Four (PwC, EY) and global environmental consultants like ERM, while any number of fund administrators, shareholder advisory firms, and credit rating agencies are also vying for ESG-related business. That’s driving deal activity in the space: from 2019-2021, there were over 18 sustainability consulting acquisitions, while the past two years saw financial services firms spending more than $3.5 billion buying green-ratings companies and data providers.  

Yet demand breeds competition, and competition demands differentiation. Despite the diverse array of providers, most offer a similar set of services, including ESG reporting, screenings, training, risk assessments, and tax solutions. At the same time, the outlook around ESG is getting more complex amid political and investor pushback.  

How can these firms differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded and fast-evolving marketplace? At Greentarget, we’ve worked with professional services firms, financial institutions, and consultants advising clients on ESG-related issues to establish unique positions of authority that help them do just that.  

ESG Advisors Need Authority Positioning  

Professional services firms—be they management consultants, law firms, financial services companies, or ESG advisors–-tend to look a lot like their market competitors. They offer similar capabilities and target the same types of clients. Even the mission statement isn’t much of a place to stand out—unsurprisingly, advisors targeting ESG business all talk about their commitments to ESG and to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Differentiation, then, becomes a challenge. Unlike consumer brands, few professional services firms want to (at least overtly) compete on cost. Creative branding for these relationship-driven firms only goes so far: they’re not selling a product or an experience, but expertise. And expertise can be hard to convey—especially in this increasingly crowded era of so-called “thought leadership.”  

That’s where authority positioning comes in. Where thought leaders hold forth, authorities take a stand—they know. Thoughts are merely part of conversations. Authority directs them, makes them smarter, or, by raising unasked questions, starts entirely new ones. Thoughts are heard, authorities are heeded.  

We help our clients establish positions of authority in numerous ways. Our media relations team connects subject-matter experts with journalists to help them with their stories (and get ‘earned’ publicity when they’re quoted). Our content team crafts newsy, not salesy, content that provides relevant insights to target audiences in dynamic, readable, and narratively engaging ways. Our research team tracks what competitors are saying and finds out what audiences want to hear—all with the aim of finding white space for our clients to meaningfully direct important conversations.  

The four attributes of good authority positioning 

Our North Star is utility, which attracts C-suite executives to content more than any other attribute, according to Greentarget’s more than a decade of proprietary research. Utility disrupts the professional services sales cycle by answering the question “How do I navigate or address this issue today?” Ideally, it provides the answer before the audience has asked it. It empowers audiences to act.  

Case Study: Helping a Third-Party Fund Administrator Establish Authority in the ESG Environment 

JTC is a publicly listed professional services firm focused on fund and corporate administration, as well as private wealth services. A leading fund administrator with expertise in ESG-related funds like those established for Opportunity Zones, the firm now leverages its existing capabilities to provide ESG services like reporting, measurement, data collection, and training.  

Getting JTC’s foot in the ESG door, however, would be no simple task given the influx of competition to the space. In collaboration with Greentarget, the firm undertook a significant initiative to plant its flag: an annual research report about impact and ESG investing.  

This, too, was a crowded arena. So before the survey questions were even drafted, Greentarget conducted competitive analyses and messaging sessions to articulate JTC’s unique value proposition: namely, the firm’s innovative shared ownership model, understanding of both investors and fund managers, and strong track record of measuring the tangible impact (rather than merely ESG inputs or outputs) of that investing strategy.  

That last insight became a fundamental tenet of the report. As ESG ratings, frameworks and standards proliferate, so too will demands for reporting on specific, tangible outcomes to measure results and push back against accusations of “greenwashing.”  

The report, developed by Greentarget’s research team and written by our content and editorial team, provided the foundation for a widespread media relations and content campaign that raised JTC’s profile in this crowded space. Nine articles in publications ranging from Financial Planning to Regulatory Compliance Watch highlighted the report’s findings and JTC’s expertise—leading to nearly 800,000 total impressions and over $160,000 in projected advertising value. Several blog posts and event appearances were also spun out from the report, as well as two bylined articles by JTC executives, in Corporate Board Member and Chief Executive, which articulated what investors really thought about ESG.  

ESG Communications: Best Practices 

The above is just one example of how firms looking to cement their positions as ESG advisors can establish authority in today’s increasingly saturated marketplace. As the industry continues to develop, other communications needs will also rise to the fore—attracting and retaining talent, navigating conflict of interest issues, or combatting anti-ESG backlash.  

ESG-focused firms will face added pressure given the work they do. A few best practices they should consider as they move forward include:  

  • Focus on storytelling. Data points are crucial, but they aren’t enough, especially in today’s polarized climate. The best corporate ESG communicators, from Microsoft to Ben & Jerry’s, tell stories about the communities they help, the impacts they make, and how they do business. These stories illustrate not just the what but the how—a differentiator we helped a BigLaw firm communicate in their own ESG messaging. Stories and practical explanations of the ‘how’ engender emotional responses that help organizations stand out from the pack.   
  • Utility is key. In an increasingly crowded, politically charged, and fast-evolving space, offering insights that deliver utility to target audiences is vital. That may be as simple as providing clear updates on a new or impending regulation—there are already hundreds of ESG reporting standards globally—or clarifying the pros and cons of various measurement approaches. You may be surprised at what some people don’t know, as JTC discovered in their research showing that most U.S. fund managers and impact investors believe impact investing and ESG investing are the same thing.  
  • Prioritize clarity. Don’t add to your audiences’ confusion with jargon-filled insights, wordy web copy, or obtuse mission statements. Use clear language, specific details, and reliable formats (e.g., Axios style newsletters or FAQs) to illustrate who you are and what you can do.  
  • Conduct your own research. One way to differentiate yourself is by showcasing data that only you have, and that reveals your ESG expertise. The key is to make sure you’re not just adding to the noise. That’s where a narrower approach, perhaps homing in on a certain audience segment or emerging issue, can help.  

The ESG consultancy boom is still in early innings. As the space continues to evolve, only those who can establish themselves as true authorities will stand out from the crowd.  

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