by Greentarget
Marketing leadership
Generative AI is already threatening to change our lives and take our jobs—now, it’s coming for search. The implications are scaring content creators, including marketers at professional services firms who worry their experts’ thought leadership will get lost in a sea of AI-generated noise.
They have cause for concern. In addition to AI clogging up Google with more garbage SEO clickbait, search engines’ own generative AI-powered answers could give users all the information they need without requiring a click at all.
It might be tempting to cower in fear; after all, it’s hard enough to break through as it is, and that was when you were just competing against other people. But, as we’ve written before, the emergence of generative AI is actually a significant opportunity for professional services firms. That’s because they specialize in the niche, insightful, and timely perspectives on complex topics that AI, which merely generates content based on what’s already been said, can’t mimic.
Remember, the audiences that professional services firms want to reach (i.e., executive decision-makers) aren’t going to base multimillion-dollar decisions on four bullets spat out by an AI-powered search engine. They want strategic counsel from trusted authorities whose content shows they know what they’re talking about. And as you’ll see below, that kind of high-quality content still rises to the top.
What’s Actually Happening to Search?
It’s important to first clear up some common misconceptions about the current state of search. Namely: generative AI—and/or the use of generative AI in developing an article—won’t cause a drop in search rankings on its own.
Google’s SEO rules still apply, however complicated or ever-changing they may be. In fact, just this week Google announced adjustments to its search algorithm aimed at surfacing high quality, helpfulcontent over spammy, recycled results—effectively taking aim at content produced for the sole purpose of ranking highly.
Yet even as Google looks to limit low-quality content, existing SEO best practices—particularly those that help to balance readability and searchability—should still be applied. At their core, these include:
- Make your site accessible, fast, and optimized for mobile.
- Use multiple subheads that align with what people need to know and are searching for.
- Strategically weave in relevant, “winnable” keywords (those that balance search volume and ranking difficulty), and use clear, simple prose when possible.
- Demonstrate expertise, experience, authority, and trust (EEAT)—for instance, by citing links, firsthand examples, and drafting substantive bios for contributors.
In short, the quality of content being produced is still, and perhaps increasingly, a critical factor in SEO, whether you’re using generative AI to help you write it or competing with other AI-produced articles.
“We’ve given longstanding guidance to create content that’s first and foremost helpful, and we work very hard to ensure that our ranking systems reward content designed for people first. Many sites perform well on Search simply by creating this helpful content, without undertaking extensive SEO efforts,” Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz told The Verge this January.
The real concern, then, is generative AI-powered tools offered by Google itself, which they’ve started to rollout through its “search generative experience” experiment, which summarizes results and presents it as the top answer. Worries follow: for instance, why go to a law firm’s article describing a new regulation when Google can answer the question itself?
On the other hand, as noted above, leading executives will make hiring decisions based on more than whether or not you can merely describe a new regulation. They’ll want to see that professional services firms can provide unique insights, points-of-view, or guidance in light of that regulation. Generative AI can’t replicate that.
The Opportunity for Professional Services Firms
So what will help your content rise in the search rankings?
Making it helpful and relevant. Ensuring it showcases expertise and experience. Using keyword research to identify targeted, but relevant search terms. Deploying clear, concise, and easy-to-follow prose. And making sure you’re talking about something unique and complex enough that it can’t be simply (or merely) answered or summarized by a robot.
This is familiar to us at Greentarget. After all, our North Star for strong thought leadership content has long been this matrix, highlighting the importance of relevancy, urgency, uniqueness, and utility:
Each day, we work with professional services firms to do just this. Our research team helps uncover winnable search terms that fill white space, ensuring our clients are speaking on timely topics that aren’t saturated with existing content—AI generated or not.
Our content team distills complex insights into clear, engaging prose, drawing out what’s most useful to key audiences and highlighting experts’ firsthand experience and unique perspectives. And our digital team optimizes those pieces for search, be it beefing up contributor bios, identifying strong keywords or revising subheads and headlines.
This has led to a timely IPO readiness guide discussing tax and accounting challenges for prospective public companies, an award-winning research report on M&A disputes, and countless bespoke topics that our media relations team has leveraged to secure highly visible opportunities for our clients—all of which drive real referrals and website traffic.
To sum up, here’s a quick primer:
- Showcase Expertise / Experience – Author bios with details on qualifications and well-researched content that demonstrates a deep and unique understanding of a topic.
- Manage / Build Authority – Ensure your existing online reputation is strong. With each article, try to increase the number of backlinks and sources citing the piece, and encourage sharing and engagement.
- Be Trustworthy – Be factual and accurate, cite trustworthy sources, make your content is accessible, and focus on quality content.
And remember the new golden rule: if generative AI can already say it, maybe you don’t need to say it at all. Quality content, that which is truly novel, distinctive and timely, still reigns supreme.
The Importance of Owned Content in the AI Era
Eventually, generative AI may cause organic search traffic to plummet on all but the most niche topics. Yet, as we’ve discussed above, this is an opportunity for professional services firms and thought leaders to stand out in a crowd: by creating unique and insightful content that only they can, based on their firsthand knowledge and experience.
But that’s not the only opportunity. In fact, as AI threatens already-struggling newsrooms, the importance of owned thought leadership content only grows. Fewer outlets and the declining viability of those outlets to rank high in search underscores the potential of owned content—be it a branded digital magazine, feature style articles and whitepapers, research reports, blogs, or LinkedIn posts.
These platforms put marketers back in the driver’s seat, empowering them to deploy targeted distribution strategies (e.g., email newsletters, paid social, even print) that are not (solely) at the whim of Google’s ever-fluctuating SEO rules. They can even complete the circle and provide fuel for earned media opportunities. Our IPO readiness guide, for instance, led to a byline opportunity for our client in TechCrunch.
To learn more, contact our team here.
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.
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.
ChatGPT can’t replace the kind of thought leadership that true authorities are capable of producing. Its prose is still too wooden, unoriginal, and full of jargon to meaningfully convey your expertise.
But as a marketing leader at a professional services firm, reading the output ChatGPT generates should make you wonder: Is my firm’s marketing content truly any better? Are we saying something new and insightful? And are our subject matter experts providing content that’s genuinely useful to our audience?
AI can help you strengthen your content strategy and reach your audience more effectively — if you learn how to make it work for you. ChatGPT might not be able to write your content for you. But you can use it to spin up user-focused topic ideas, see what others have said about an issue to uncover a unique POV, and discover what your firm can add to the conversation.
Check out our ChatGPT Article Roundup to discover more ways to make AI the useful tool it has the potential to be.
