How a strategic approach to digital and the right stakeholder conversations delivered tangible business results
In professional services, marketing is often still reduced to execution: “doing the digital,” managing LinkedIn posts, updating the website, and sending a few emails.
But digital marketing, done right, is a strategic growth lever. One that can directly contribute to business development, client acquisition, and long-term positioning.
This case study is about a project where I was brought in to lead a digital transformation at a wealth management firm. But more importantly, it’s about how marketing earns trust from senior stakeholders, not just by driving activity, but by translating that activity into business impact.
The Situation
The firm had a strong market reputation, but its digital marketing efforts lagged behind those of its competitors. The website was underperforming. Campaigns were siloed. Data reporting lacked relevance at senior levels.
They knew things weren’t working—but didn’t yet know why, or what to do next.
I was brought in to lead digital marketing on an interim basis and to reset the firm’s approach.
My brief was threefold:
- Shift the business to a digital-first marketing strategy
- Improve performance and lead generation across channels
- Give leadership clear, actionable insight into what marketing was doing, and whether it was working
My Strategic Approach
Rather than jumping straight into campaign activity, I started with three questions:
- What are the firm’s growth objectives over the next 12–24 months?
- Where are we underperforming or missing opportunities digitally?
- How can marketing provide data that means something to the board?
With that in mind, my approach focused on five strategic areas:
1. Replatforming for Agility and Growth
The legacy website was built on Drupal. It was slow, hard to manage, and poorly optimised. I led the replatforming project to WordPress, which is faster, more flexible, and easier to optimise for both search and users.
This wasn’t just a tech upgrade. It was about building a foundation for scalable digital activity, making it easier to iterate campaigns, update messaging, and respond to market shifts.
2. SEO and Content Alignment
I conducted a comprehensive audit of the site, encompassing technical, structural, and content-based aspects. I mapped existing pages to business goals and identified key areas of opportunity, particularly on service pages that weren’t surfacing in search results.
We rewrote and optimised high-value content and introduced new pages that spoke directly to user intent. We weren’t just chasing rankings—we were guiding the right visitors to the right content at the right time.
3. Business-Relevant Analytics
One of the biggest gaps was in reporting. Marketing data was being compiled, but not communicated in a manner that mattered to leadership.
I developed new dashboards tailored to different audiences—from the CMO to business heads—focusing on metrics that aligned with revenue, pipeline, and market visibility.
We shifted our focus from vanity metrics to narratives that the board could act upon.
4. Channel Integration and Budget Efficiency
Paid and organic search efforts were being run independently, often targeting the same audiences with overlapping keywords.
I implemented a unified search strategy that allowed us to control spending more intelligently, prioritise organic investment where we could rank, and use PPC where speed or competition demanded it.
This saved budget and improved lead quality, especially as we aligned campaigns around service-specific buyer journeys.
5. Team Development and Strategic Mindset Shift
Ultimately, I collaborated closely with the internal digital team to enhance their role. We focused on upskilling, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and helping them understand the business language.
Marketing became more proactive, commercially aware, and confident in engaging senior stakeholders with insights rather than just outputs.
The Results
Over the 12-month period:
- Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) increased by 52%
- Organic traffic grew by 30%
- Reporting dashboards were adopted across the business, giving leaders regular visibility into marketing performance
- Website engagement improved significantly, particularly on high-value service pages
But beyond the numbers, what really changed was the perception of marketing.
Marketing went from a service function to a strategic contributor. The boardroom conversations changed. Leadership saw where investment was paying off—and where we could push further.
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t a flashy campaign. No TV ads, no viral videos, no stunts.
This was strategy, structure, and stakeholder alignment. The kind of work that professional services firms often overlook, but which consistently delivers the most meaningful results.
If you’re in a firm where digital still feels like a bolt-on, or where marketing reports don’t land with decision-makers, here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.
With the right strategy and the right narrative, digital marketing can become one of the most valuable levers in your business.
Would you like to discuss how this approach could be applied in your firm? Feel free to connect or message me. I’m always open to a conversation about how marketing can have a greater impact.