Strategic Perspective That Transforms Small Steps into Big Leaps

You’re investing in strategic communications. Media outreach, content development, thought leadership. The activities are happening, but here’s what separates firms that achieve breakthrough positioning from those that stay perpetually busy: understanding that putting quality time in today creates next year’s prominent opportunities.

Most firms miss this. They expect communications to work like consumer advertising where you invest money and see immediate results. Professional services communications operate more like the process of designing a building, where early planning phases are the foundation for everything that follows.

The Compounding Effect of Strategic Investment

When Buro Happold engaged Hausman, the global engineering firm had impressive credentials and a decade-long presence in New York City but virtually no North American market recognition. The challenge wasn’t they didn’t have great capabilities. It was that they didn’t have the right kind of visibility for their comprehensive multidisciplinary services.

We didn’t chase random media placements. We built systematic credibility through targeted campaigns positioning specific experts and strategic visibility showcasing complex engineering solutions that demonstrated consistent thought leadership. Each activity built on the previous one and created momentum for the rising firm.

The result? Clients eventually reported seeing “Buro Happold’s name everywhere.” Not from one big placement. From building months of coordinated touchpoints that created recognition.

This is how strategic communications actually works. Your first bylined article may require patience to develop and place. The second happens faster because you’ve established editor relationships. By the fifth article, editors approach you with opportunities because you’ve demonstrated reliable expertise.

Woods + Dangaran understood this from the beginning. The Los Angeles architecture practice engaged Hausman early to create a PR program matching its considerable talents. We began with focused media placements of their residential work in design publications. Each placement built credibility that strengthened editor relationships. Stronger relationships created opportunities for more substantial features. Those features positioned the firm better commissions, and also for their first Rizzoli monograph.

That monograph didn’t happen because of one brilliant pitch. It resulted from consistent demonstration of design excellence through articles in top publications, interviews with key editors, and a robust social media program.

From Tactical Execution to Strategic Vision

The most effective firms evaluate every communications opportunity with regard to their long-term visions. This clarity enables decisions that result in meaningful industry recognition that aligns with their business goals, today and in the future, rather than responding reactively to whatever opportunity appears next.

When we developed Buro Happold’s communications strategy, we made sure that every tactical decision supported the strategic objective of transforming market perception that highlighted their top services and expertise. Client conversations, conference opportunities, and media placements either built toward comprehensive service awareness or we didn’t pursue them.

This systematic approach builds assets that accelerate over time. The content you create for an article or a social media post becomes the platform for speaking opportunities. Speaking opportunities create media coverage that generates more invitations. Media coverage drives business development inquiries that validate the entire investment.

Making It Work

Start by defining your three-year industry recognition goals. Be specific about what you want people to know about your firm – your messages, your projects, your people, and your expertise – and then build a plan around those goals.

Just as important, you need to evaluate every media or outreach opportunity against those objectives. That conference panel invitation? That bylined article request? That podcast interview? Each either builds toward your strategic goals or distracts from them. The challenge is to maintain your focus; you don’t have unlimited time and resources. Be the tortoise, not the hare.

Create systematic processes that turn your team’s authentic expertise into consistent thought leadership. Identify key topics that your firm address with genuine knowledge and practical experience. Develop content around those areas over eighteen months. Track progress with key industry influencers (design editors at top publications, academic leaders at major programs, executive directors at professional organizations) rather than measuring individual placement success.

The firms achieving sustainable competitive advantage make daily decisions guided by multi-year positioning goals. They understand that small consistent actions create the foundation for success that emerges after sustained strategic effort.

Skyline Summary:

• Strategic communications compounds over time rather than delivering proportional returns on individual efforts or placements
• Building credibility through coordinated touchpoints over time creates momentum and reinforces expertise
• Long-term positioning objectives should guide every tactical communications decision
• Thought leadership on key topics builds the foundation for speaking opportunities, media coverage, and business development results

Keep building your influence strategically!