Championed by Silicon Valley heavyweights like Meta, Google and Amazon, ‘growth marketing’ has been credited as one of the innovations that has helped build some of the world’s most valuable brands.

“What unites these founder-led brands is their holistic approach: branding isn’t a department; it’s the business.”

The centrality of data in these companies and their ability to experiment with and iterate product features in real time are undoubtedly new. However, as a brand-building philosophy, growth marketing mirrors the entrepreneurial approach of the founders who created iconic brands like Apple, Virgin, and IKEA when real-time data was in short supply.

I highly recommend listening to the Acquired podcast on the IKEA story, where customer interactions in the early days were conducted by mail. Snail mail.

What comes to mind when you think of the brands that Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, or Ingvar Kamprad created? High-profile PR and iconic advertising campaigns, of course. But what truly set them apart wasn’t just their marketing campaigns—it was their ability to weave marketing into every corner of their businesses.

That’s also the growth marketing playbook. What unites all these iconic brands is their holistic approach: branding isn’t a department; it’s the business.

Growth marketing principles are profoundly relevant to those of us immersed in the strategies and brands of today’s high-performance professional service firms.

Let’s take a closer look.

Growth Marketing: More Than Communications

At its core, growth marketing is about optimising the entire customer journey. It doesn’t stop at winning customers—it’s about keeping them, engaging them, and expanding relationships over time. It’s not just what you say to customers; it’s how you deliver value at every step.

Richard Branson didn’t just market Virgin Atlantic with iconoclastic advertising; he designed every touchpoint of the experience—from the quirky safety videos to the Upper Class lounges. Steve Jobs didn’t just sell cool gadgets; he turned product launches into must-see events, influencing everything from the unboxing experience to the Genius Bar (aka customer services desk).

For professional service firms, this means thinking beyond traditional marketing campaigns. It’s about embedding your brand and value proposition into the very fabric of how your firm operates.

“Growth marketing asks: What happens after the first engagement?”

Holistic Thinking: The Whole Enchilada

The growth marketing mindset at Amazon, Google, and Meta refuses to compartmentalise marketing. It spans acquisition, retention, and beyond—every stage of the customer lifecycle matters.

Imagine a leadership consultancy. Traditionally, they might focus on securing new clients through referrals and case studies. Growth marketing asks: What happens after the first engagement? To maintain momentum, are you offering follow-up services, like progress reviews or additional coaching? Are you exploring opportunities to cross-sell relevant services?

Holistic thinking is what IKEA did when they introduced flat-pack furniture, solving both customer cost and convenience issues in one stroke. It’s what Apple does by ensuring its products are intuitive to use from the moment you open the box.

“One of the hallmarks of growth marketing is experimentation.”

The Role of Data: Insights You Already Have

Professional service firms collect plenty of data but often don’t know what to do with it. Growth marketing thrives on using data to make better decisions. Companies like Meta use data to analyse user behaviour, and professional service firms can take a similar approach.

Take a law firm, for example. By analysing feedback from post-matter surveys, they might discover nuanced preferences that key clients have for handling their matters. These insights could lead to new processes that enhance client satisfaction—and, by extension, loyalty.

Data doesn’t have to mean complex algorithms or expensive systems. IKEA used simple observation to refine its store layouts, noticing how customers wandered through aisles and interacted with products. Professional service firms can apply the same curiosity to their client interactions.

Experimentation: Start Small, Learn Fast

One of the hallmarks of growth marketing is experimentation—testing small ideas, analysing results, and scaling what works. This isn’t about risk-taking for the sake of it; it’s about finding more intelligent ways to grow.

For a consulting firm, this could mean trialling a new webinar series aimed at a specific industry. If it resonates, roll it out further. If it flops, tweak the format or the messaging. Think of it as the professional services equivalent of IKEA testing new product designs or Meta tweaking its News Feed algorithm.

Growth marketing recognises that not every experiment will succeed, but each provides valuable insights. And the best ideas often come from these iterative processes.

Personalisation: Making It Relevant

Today’s clients expect more than generic pitches and one-size-fits-all services. Growth marketing prioritises personalisation—tailoring your messaging and delivery to specific client needs.

Steve Jobs famously said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

In professional services, marketing teams already create industry-specific insights for different client segments, such as tech start-ups or infrastructure. But what about micro-segments: tech start-ups in infrastructure? Or tech start-ups in infrastructure in Texas. By addressing their unique challenges, you demonstrate understanding and build trust.

Personalisation isn’t about pandering—it’s about relevance. The more aligned your services are with your clients’ needs, the more valuable you become.

“Professional service firms with the strongest brands are 2-3x as profitable.”

Breaking Down Silos: Collaborating Across the Business

Entrepreneurs like Richard Branson don’t draw strict lines between marketing, operations, and product development. Growth marketing encourages the same cross-functional approach and is at the heart of Meta’s Growth Team, first established to fend off the threat from Google+.

For professional service firms, this might mean involving delivery teams in thought leadership content or having marketing contribute to implementing AI technologies. When every team is aligned around a common goal—delivering exceptional value to clients—your firm operates as one cohesive brand.

Conclusion: A Mindset Shift, Not a Tech Gimmick

Growth marketing is a Silicon Valley invention, but it’s also about thinking like an entrepreneur—viewing marketing not as a department but as an integral part of your firm’s entire business.

The principles are simple: focus on the full client lifecycle, use data to inform decisions, experiment with new ideas, and personalise your approach. These ideas aren’t new—Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Ingvar Kamprad practised them long before the term “growth marketing” existed—but their relevance to professional service firms has never been greater.

Brand is the single most valuable asset that a premium professional service firm owns in today’s market. Our analysis shows that professional service firms with the strongest brands are 2-3x as profitable as their peer firms, delivering similar services to similar clients from similar locations.

The challenge now is to apply these principles to your firm. How can you move beyond communications and influence the entire client experience?