In professional services marketing — whether for law firms, accountants, mortgage brokers, or financial advisors — the majority of spend is wasted chasing quick wins. This happens because firms focus almost exclusively on the 5% of clients who are in-market today, ignoring the 95% who aren’t yet ready but will be in the future.
Research by Les Binet and Peter Field, supported by Byron Sharp’s work in How Brands Grow, proves that sustainable success comes from balancing the short and the long. Short-term activation (Google Ads, lead buys, retargeting) drives immediate results but fades quickly. Long-term brand building (consistent messaging, thought leadership, community presence, SEO, storytelling) builds trust, mental availability, and pricing power that compound over years.
The evidence is clear: the most effective marketing split is roughly 60% brand building and 40% activation. Yet most firms invert this, funnelling their budgets almost entirely into ads and lead generation. This creates dependency, higher acquisition costs, and margin erosion.
Smart firms take the opposite approach. They invest in brand, develop a strong voice, and commit to consistent, memorable campaigns. Over time, this ensures that when the 95% move into market, they already recognise and trust the firm. The result is lower acquisition costs, stronger referrals, and more sustainable growth.
For practices seeking to rebalance, the steps are straightforward: audit your spend, define your brand voice, set both short- and long-term objectives, adjust towards a 60:40 mix, and measure beyond just leads by tracking awareness and recall.
The choice for professional services firms is simple: keep chasing today’s leads and stay stuck, or invest in brand to dominate tomorrow’s market. The firms that commit to the long and the short are the ones that truly grow.