What Do McDonald’s, a Beauty Brand, and Your CPA Firm Have in Common? More Than You Think.
When you think about bold marketing moves, you probably don’t think of your local CPA firm in the same breath as McDonald’s or a beauty startup. But surprisingly, the same principles driving their success apply directly to professional service firms.
I recently took a glance at the top marketing headlines, stories about the biggest campaign in McDonald’s history, an AI-driven ad strategy boosting results for a European fashion brand, and a beauty company finding success by slowing down and launching fewer products.
And while these stories span completely different industries, they shared two themes that matter more than ever in marketing today, and especially for service-based businesses like accounting, law, financial advisory, and consulting:
1. Customer Experience Is the Core of a Successful Business
Whether you’re serving millions of fast-food customers or managing a book of high-touch tax clients, one truth remains: if your customer experience falls short, people talk about it.
Negative reviews, complaints, and poor word-of-mouth don’t just damage your brand, they directly impact your ability to grow. A poor experience creates a revolving door of clients who leave just as quickly as they come in.
On the flip side, investing in client service leads to retention, referrals, and long-term trust. In professional services, where relationships and trust are everything, this matters even more. When someone finds a CPA or attorney they like and trust, they tell their friends, family, and business network. And that kind of organic growth is both powerful and sustainable.
2. You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone, Find Your Niche
Another pattern that stood out in the headlines: companies that win in marketing today aren’t trying to be all things to all people.
McDonald’s goes broad with pop culture campaigns like their Minecraft meal deal. But brands like Merit, the beauty company mentioned in Vogue Business, are taking the opposite approach, building trust by narrowing focus, launching fewer products, and leaning into a minimalist message.
In professional services, this is even more important. When you try to appeal to everyone, your message gets diluted — and so does your value proposition. But when you focus on a specific industry, problem, or type of client, you build deep credibility. Your marketing gets more effective, your referrals become more aligned, and you become the go-to firm in that space.
You don’t have to be loud, flashy, or have the biggest ad budget. You just have to be clear about who you serve, how you help, and what makes you different.
Why This Matters for Your Marketing Strategy
Marketing isn’t about copying trends or checking boxes. Whether you’re running Google Ads, posting on LinkedIn, or sending monthly emails to your client base, your strategy should come back to these two questions:
- Is this helping us provide a better experience for our clients?
- Does this reinforce our niche and how we uniquely serve our market?
If the answer is yes, you’re headed in the right direction, no matter what the headlines say.
Need help building a marketing strategy that’s tailored to your niche and focused on client experience? That’s what we do best. Let’s chat.