As policymakers wrestle with the implications of AI, many professional services firms are going all in. They understand that our present era is being defined by this technology, and they are using it to create new efficiencies, extract deeper insights and gain an advantage over less AI-savvy competitors.
But a question arises: How do they talk about AI in their marketing? And should they position themselves as an AI-centric firm?
I’m going to give away my answer up front. Then I’ll explain my thinking and propose a path forward.
In most cases, my advice is no, you should not make AI the centerpiece of your positioning or marketing messaging.
While there are exceptions—for instance, you sell an innovative AI product or have an all-new process that could only be delivered with artificial intelligence—the vast majority of firms should think carefully about how they talk about AI.
Why? For one thing, and this is probably my biggest reason, AI is everywhere in business already. And it’s only going to spread more widely as the technology matures and easy-to-use solutions emerge. In other words, what seems special today is likely to look ordinary tomorrow. Even the true leaders in AI adoption may find the noise drowns out their differentiators. Frankly, it’s expected that today’s firms use AI—so staking a claim around it as a differentiator can create the impression of being late to the game.
Second is AI fatigue. I don’t know about you, but I can’t absorb the national or business news without being inundated with scores of articles about AI. I often skip right over stories that once might have piqued my curiosity. Overexposure makes people jaded. And that’s a problem for the AI-focused firm.
Third, with so many firms touting their AI prowess, some buyers may eye these claims with suspicion. Are these guys the real deal, or are they just pretenders?
Finally, there’s what the French might call l’éléphant dans le salon. A lot of people simply don’t trust AI. They have experienced AI hallucinations first-hand. And they have read about AI agents behaving badly and grim doomsday scenarios. Everywhere you look, there is a great deal of skepticism about this technology.
If you want to position your firm directly around AI, you’ll need a plan to address these challenges. Hopefully, you will be speaking to a sophisticated audience that understands the difference between the specialized AI you use and the LLMs that have captured the attention of the world. But you never know for certain. If you keep these four perspectives in mind as you craft your messages, you can write them with real-world concern in mind.
Most firms, however, would do better to avoid branding their business as AI-forward. This is not to say you should avoid AI. Nor am I suggesting you avoid talking about it altogether. Rather, I’m recommending that you avoid saying you use AI everywhere.
Instead, use a light hand when you refer to AI in your firm and service descriptions. For example, you might describe how the technology is enhancing your professionals’ expertise. How it helps you do your work faster and with greater accuracy. How it allows you to work with more data and extract greater insights from it. How you can automate previously expensive, laborious tasks. How you can produce more robust deliverables. You get the point.
Note how these messages are both specific and address people’s natural skepticism. They speak directly to questions such as accuracy, precision and cost—and present them as benefits.
Remember, AI probably isn’t the thing that makes you different. It’s the thing that makes you even better at what you are known for.
