Reciprocity theory is the simple yet powerful idea that when someone does something beneficial for us, we are instinctively inclined to return the favour.
In marketing, this means creating a give-and-take dynamic with your audience.
For supermarkets, this might look like a free sample that encourages you to buy the newest brand of cheese.
In restaurants, the waiter brings over bread and olives – “on the house” – in the hope of a bigger tip when delivering the bill later.
But for professional services, like accountants and solicitors, one of the best ways to create reciprocity is through free, insightful, and useful information disseminated to their audience.
Blogging, email marketing and thought leadership articles are great ways to deliver this free marketing.
By providing valuable and engaging content to your audience, you create an unspoken bond that makes them more likely to engage with your services time and time again.
Building credibility through quality content
The key to using reciprocity in your marketing lies in the consistent delivery of high-quality content.
However, it is important to know that while useful information fosters trust, low-quality or poorly written blogs could erode it.
Tom Mason, Communications Director at JE Consulting says:
“Trust is the foundation of any lasting client relationship, and in the digital world, content is the building block of this trust.
“By regularly providing insightful, accurate, and engaging blogs, you can establish yourself as a credible source in your field and build greater awareness of your brand.”
High-quality content comes from your own insights in the field as well as by tailoring content to meet your client’s specific interests.
This means understanding your audience’s needs, questions, and pain points, and addressing them directly through your blogs.
By showing that you understand them you are showing that you can serve their best interests.
Using blogs to create conversions
High-quality blog posts and articles are fundamental tools that generate engagement with your brand.
However, they can also be used to build and nurture relationships with potential clients and these relationships, fostered over time through consistent and meaningful content, can lead to a strong network of loyal customers.
On top of this, we have found that blogging and article writing have a direct impact on the conversion rates of our clients.
They do so by nurturing leads through the sales funnel, from initial awareness to decision-making, to contact with your team.
Well-crafted content addresses customer queries and concerns, gradually building confidence in your brand, which ultimately leads to increased conversion rates down the line.
Additional benefits of blogs
There are some hidden benefits to including blogs in your marketing strategy that many firms overlook.
Improved SEO: Well-written blogs can boost your search engine optimisation (SEO) score considerably in the eyes of Google and other search engines. By doing so, you could move your site further up the rankings and even overtake some of your competitors.
Social media content: Without a firm grasp of social media marketing your firm’s brand is unlikely to thrive in the current digitally dominated space. Writing blogs gives you access to a library of shareable content to use on relevant platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.
Personal branding: By sharing blogs authored by key figures within your firm (directors, MDs, etc.) you can boost their personal brand as an industry leader. This could get you and your team invited to networking events, podcasts or asked to comment during press releases. All of which boosts the reputation of the firm as a whole.
A blueprint for blogging success
So, how do you go about fitting a blogging strategy into your already busy work schedule?
The first step is to understand your audience and what they value.
This should guide your content creation, and you should aim for relevance and engagement with your target demographic.
Secondly, you should aim to post blogs consistently and regularly.
This helps in building an audience and improves your website’s search engine optimisation (SEO).
Thirdly, consider your distribution methods.
Promoting your blog through social media, email newsletters, and other channels increases its reach and the chances of potential customers seeing your insights.
Why you should let us do your blogging for you…
We understand that many of our professional service clients are highly educated, and many are good writers who have tried to take on the blogging responsibilities of their firm in the past.
However, most fall out of practice within a few months due to the sheer commitment of writing regularly, developing content plans and coming up with new ideas.
The solution for several of our clients has been to outsource their blogging responsibilities to an external agency – us!
We have the knowledge, skills, and over 25 years’ worth of experience in copywriting for accountants, solicitors, the healthcare industry and FinTech clients.
Let JE Consulting handle your blogging responsibilities and watch as your client relationships grow.
