The Best Social Media Strategy for Consulting Firms: A Guide

In an age where 97% of Fortune 500 companies live on social media and 75% of B2B buyers use social media before making a purchase decision, consulting firms must have a robust presence on social media if they wish to grow their businesses.

Unfortunately, creating an engaging social presence isn’t as simple as turning on a light switch.

Keep reading to learn more about why consulting firms need to be on social media, how consultancies can develop effective social media strategies, and some best practices to increase the chances your firm unlocks the full potential of social networks.

Why consulting firms need a presence on social media

For consulting firms, social media is a powerful way to showcase expertise and connect with potential clients who are actively searching for solutions online.

By maintaining a strong social media presence, consultancies can build trust, boost visibility, and open the door to valuable business opportunities.

Increase brand recognition

Today, more than 5 billion people around the world use social media. If your goal is engaging with any of these folks, your firm needs to be on social networks, too.

By being active on social media, firms can increase brand recognition while consistently highlighting their expertise to a broader audience. With a steady stream of posting, firms can stay top-of-mind when potential clients start looking for insights on whatever issues ail them.

In addition to strengthening your brand’s reputation, an active social media presence can also lead to more referrals over time. You never know when a friend or colleague of one of your followers might need your services.

Attract new clients & retain existing ones

Social media helps consulting firms attract new clients by boosting the reach of your messaging. Posts that show success stories or impart expertise may resonate with would-be customers among your followers.

At the same time, it also allows you to stay connected with existing clients by providing valuable updates, tips, and industry insights that keep the relationship strong.

According to the 2024 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 73% of decision-makers agree that thought leadership content is more persuasive than marketing materials.

Demonstrate thought leadership

Since the people you’re trying to reach are already hanging out on social media, it’s the perfect place to share thought leadership. Consistently delivering posts that highlight your firm’s expertise, successes, and predictions keeps your audience engaged while building trust and authority.

According to the 2024 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 73% of decision-makers agree that thought leadership content is more persuasive than marketing materials. With social media, your firm generates new business by catching the eye of buyers where they’re already consuming content.

How to develop an effective social media strategy

To get the most out of social media, consulting firms need to be precise and strategic with their approach. A successful strategy requires intentional planning to ensure that every post aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience.

As you begin sketching out what your social media strategy should look like, here are some tips to keep in mind throughout the process.

Understand business goals

When creating your social media strategy, kick things off by identifying what you hope to get out of your investment. Whether you’re aiming to increase brand awareness, accelerate lead generation, or just showcase successful projects, having clear objectives to guide the type of content you create and how you engage with your audience can help you accomplish those goals.

For example, if your goal is lead generation, your strategy might focus on posting case studies and sharing client success stories that highlight your firm’s past wins.

Identify your target audience

Knowing the audience you’re speaking to — whether it’s CEOs of mid-sized companies or software developers at tech startups — helps you create custom content that’s aligned with their interests and needs.

To illustrate, if you’re targeting HR departments, you might focus on sharing content relating to effective employee engagement strategies, tips for improving workplace culture, or updates about the newest HR tech solutions on the market. This way, you’re addressing specific challenges that HR professionals face — increasing the chances your firm is seen as a valuable resource.

Choose the best social platforms

To unlock the full potential of social media, your firm doesn’t need to be on every single platform. When it boils down to it, it’s all about finding the right fit.

Since 64% of CEOs are on LinkedIn and 32% are on X (formerly Twitter), chances are your consulting firm will want to set up shop on both platforms. Unless your target audience is a younger demographic keen on using services like TikTok and Snapchat, chances are you won’t need to publish on either.

By focusing on the platforms that align with your audience and expertise, you can save time and ensure your content makes the biggest splash.

An example of a consulting firm posting on LinkedIn

Create a social media content plan

To stay organized and focused on your goals, it’s important to create a social media content plan that will guide your efforts. By outlining specific tactics — like posting weekly thought leadership articles and sharing case studies regularly — you can ensure your content engages your audience.

Social media success doesn’t happen overnight. Having a plan helps you maintain consistency — something that’s key to building trust and engagement with potential clients.

When your logos, colors, and tone are consistent across platforms, it builds recognition and trust with your audience.

What is the best social media strategy for consulting firms?

Now that you understand the basics of getting started with social media, let’s examine some best practices you can use to increase the chances your efforts pay off.

Use consistent branding and messaging

Consistency in branding and messaging is table stakes for consulting firms looking to make an impact on social media. When your logos, colors, and tone are consistent across platforms, it builds recognition and trust with your audience.

For example, if your firm is all about innovation, make sure your posts reflect that through language and visuals. By doing so, you can create a cohesive brand identity that keeps your firm top of mind.

Incorporate visual elements

Social posts with photos, videos, and other visual elements consistently get more engagement than posts without them. For this reason, incorporating eye-catching graphics, pictures, and video content can increase engagement while enabling you to convey complex ideas in a more easily digestible manner.

Instead of just sharing text about a recent market trend, try creating an infographic that highlights interesting statistics and insights, making it easier for your audience to understand what you’re trying to convey.

A post from a consulting firm that incorporates eye-catching imagery to boost reach

Engage with your audience

If you want to build trust and establish relationships, you need to engage with your audience on social media. By responding to comments, participating in discussions, and asking questions, you can help create a community around your brand.

If someone comments on a post about a recent consulting project, take the time to reply with a thoughtful response or ask a follow-up question. It’s an easy way to show that you value their input and are genuinely interested in their perspectives.

Share useful content

Just because you can post something on social media doesn’t mean you should. Just ask Ryan Salame, the former CTO of disgraced crypto exchange FTX who ran into trouble after making light of his incarceration on LinkedIn.

By sharing articles, white papers, and case studies that provide valuable insights to your audience, you can demonstrate your expertise and build credibility.

Accenture shares mission-critical knowledge with their following on LinkedIn

Partner with a social media agency

Worried that you don’t have the time and resources necessary to effectively execute asocial media strategy for your consulting firm? You’re not alone.

More and more organizations are deciding to partner with social media agencies, who can take care of the heavy lifting on your behalf. While the global social media management market will bring in $27.03 billion this year, it’s expected to grow rapidly over the next several years, ballooning to $124.63 billion by 2032. That means more eyeballs on social content and more pressure on your firm to show up with content that’s engaging and cuts through the noise.

To learn more about how partnering with an agency can supercharge your social media strategy, read this.