How Do Consultancies Leverage LinkedIn? A Tale of Different Strategies

LinkedIn has emerged as a critical marketing and branding tool for consulting firms, providing a platform to share insights, engage with potential clients, and reinforce their industry presence. However, a firm’s success on LinkedIn is not just about posting content—it’s also about who is actually seeing it. With follower counts ranging from a few thousand for boutique consultancies to millions for industry giants like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, the disparity raises some interesting questions about how consultancies use LinkedIn and what their strategy might reveal.

Daniel Cremer

1/28/20252 min read

What Drives LinkedIn Following in Consulting?

  1. Employee Engagement
    One of the biggest drivers of LinkedIn follower count is a firm’s own workforce. Larger firms with thousands of employees (and naturally high turnover) tend to have a built-in audience, as both current and former employees follow their company pages. This creates an organic base of followers who engage with company updates, career opportunities, and thought leadership content.

  2. Content Strategy & Thought Leadership
    Some firms treat LinkedIn as a content hub, regularly publishing reports, case studies, and industry insights. Firms that consistently produce high-quality content tend to attract a more engaged, external audience beyond their own employees. Does quantity matter, or is it all about the quality of engagement?

  3. Brand Perception & Awareness
    Naturally, larger and more established firms have greater visibility and recognition. But does having more followers equal greater influence? Some boutique firms may have a more niche but highly engaged audience that values their specialized expertise, even with a smaller overall reach.

  4. Market Positioning & Visibility
    Not all consulting firms want to be highly visible. A restructuring-focused firm or a highly specialized boutique consultancy may intentionally maintain a lower profile. For these firms, staying under the radar might be a deliberate strategic choice rather than a failure to build an audience.

Follower Count: A Marketing Metric or a Vanity Metric?

The key question remains—does LinkedIn follower count reflect true marketing success, or is it simply a function of firm size and history?

Firms with millions of followers may have reach, but do they have engagement? Smaller firms may not need massive audiences if they effectively target the right clients.

Ultimately, LinkedIn’s value for consulting firms comes down to how they engage their audience and whether their content strategy aligns with their business goals.

How Important Is LinkedIn for a Consulting Firm’s Brand?

Would love to hear thoughts from fellow consultants and marketers:

  • Is LinkedIn essential for firm visibility and brand positioning?

  • Does a high follower count translate to more business impact?

  • What makes a consulting firm’s LinkedIn strategy truly successful?

(Note: Data reflects LinkedIn company page followers as of January 2025 for selected top strategy consulting firms and boutiques.)

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