Why It Matters for UK FirmsProfessional Services Marketing Survey 2026 Insights
Every so often, something lands in the professional services world that’s more than “just another report”. The Law Firm Marketing Club’s 2026 Professional Services Marketing Survey is one of those moments.[1][2]
From marketing cost centre to strategic engine
For years, marketing and business development in law and accountancy firms have been treated as necessary overheads rather than engines of growth.
The latest survey work from the Law Firm Marketing Club tracks not just what firms are spending, but whether marketing is finally earning a proper seat at the strategic table.[1]
Last year’s data showed average marketing and BD investment at around 3.1% of turnover (excluding salaries), up from a post‑pandemic low of 2.6%.
That’s a practical sign of confidence returning, but the bigger question the 2026 survey is asking is simple: does this increased spend translate into genuine influence over firm direction, or is marketing still “colouring in” around the edges?[1]
A wider lens: brand, content, client experience and AI
What makes the 2026 survey particularly useful is the breadth of what it now measures.
Instead of focusing only on websites, SEO, PPC and social channels, the survey looks at brand and positioning, content marketing, BD and pitch activity, directories, events, networking, CRM, automation, AI and client listening.[2][1]
In practical terms, that means firms will be able to benchmark themselves on questions such as:
- How clear and differentiated is our brand in a crowded market?
- Are we using content to educate and attract the right clients, or simply adding to the noise?
- Is our CRM and automation setup helping professionals follow through on opportunities, or generating “ghost pipelines”?
- Are we genuinely listening to clients and feeding their expectations back into our proposition?
By asking firms to look at both 2026 and 2027, the survey also captures where marketing leaders think the real opportunities and risks lie over the next two years.[2]
Why this matters beyond law and accountancy
Although the survey focuses on law and accountancy, the themes are highly relevant across UK professional services – from corporate finance and advisory through to niche consultancies.[2]
We’re seeing the same pattern in other research: specialist firms with clear positioning, focused propositions and integrated marketing/BD functions are pulling away from generalists whose messages and models feel interchangeable.[3]
For partners and marketing leaders in mid‑market advisory firms, the questions behind the survey are the ones that really count:
- Are we investing enough – and in the right places – for the clients and sectors we want to serve?
- Does our brand genuinely tell a story clients recognise and value, or could it belong to any other firm?
- Is marketing driving or at least shaping firm strategy, or still being asked to “promote” decisions made elsewhere?
Used well, the survey findings will help firm leaders move these conversations from opinion and anecdote to evidence.
How you can use the survey
There are three simple, practical ways to get value from this work:
- Participate and benchmark
Completing the survey takes minutes and gives your firm direct access to the full results when they’re released, allowing you to see how your budgets, team structure, channels and technology stack compare by firm size.[1]
You can access the survey via the Law Firm Marketing Club’s research page: Law Firm Marketing Club – Professional Services Marketing Survey 2026.[4][2] - Use it to frame internal conversations
The data points around investment levels, marketing’s role in strategy, and maturity across brand, content, CRM and AI are perfect prompts for board and partner‑group discussions.[1]
Instead of asking “should we be doing more marketing?”, you can ask “given where comparable firms are, are we comfortable being behind, at parity, or ahead – and what does that mean for our growth targets?”.[1] - Shape your next 12‑month plan
Once the findings are out, they can be used as a checklist for your own marketing and BD plan: where are we weak, where are we strong, and where do we need to re‑balance effort?
In sectors where exits, succession planning and long‑term value are central themes, aligning your marketing story with what clients say they want – and what peer firms are actually doing – is a powerful way to stand out.[5][4]
A moment to take marketing seriously
The professional services market in the UK is facing familiar headwinds: fee pressure, talent challenges, and clients who expect more for less.
Against that backdrop, simply “doing more marketing” won’t move the needle; treating marketing and BD as strategic levers just might.[3][1]
The 2026 Professional Services Marketing Survey gives firms the evidence they need to decide which path they’re on.
The question for every leadership team is whether they’ll use it to elevate marketing’s role, or treat it as another interesting PDF that never quite makes the board agenda.[2][1]
If you’d like, I can now adapt this into a more explicitly Exit‑Factor‑branded piece (tone, examples, calls to action) so it speaks directly to your audience of owners, partners and referrers.
References and Further Information
[1] Professional Services Marketing Survey Now Open for 2026 – PSM https://psm-theprofessionals.com/professional-services-marketing-survey-now-open-for-2026/
[2] Professional Services Marketing Survey 2026 – Law Firm Marketing Club https://www.lawfirmmarketingclub.com/resources/public-research/professional-services-marketing-survey-2026/
[3] Marketing Services Outlook Survey – results – Moore Kingston Smith https://mooreks.co.uk/insights/marketing-services-outlook-survey-results/
[4] Research Archives – Law Firm Marketing Club https://www.lawfirmmarketingclub.com/resources/public-research/
[5] What Clients Want from Law Firms in 2026 https://www.lawfirmmarketingclub.com/resources/public-research/whatclientswant2026/
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