The Essential Law Firm Branding Guide
Starting your own law firm is an achievement. To do so, you had to overcome challenges, take initiative and stay determined along the journey. You also had to learn new things and adapt to the demands of running a business. Well, now it’s time for you to start law firm branding.
That’s right, your law firm is also a business and in order to achieve success you will need to market all that your firm has to offer potential clients. Your team may be made up of the most exceptional attorneys, but they’ll never get the chance to show off their skills in the courtroom if no one knows about your firm.
Branding is a big part of any well-thought marketing strategy. Your brand will encapsulate who you are as a company and will help to dictate what people will think of you out in the wild. Branding helps to make that first impression and can strengthen one’s perception of your firm and services before they even need a lawyer.
And when they do, they will think of your firm–and that’s when the branding magic really pays off.
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What Can Law Firm Branding Do for My Firm?
Branding magic can sound a bit elusive, sure, but there are tangible benefits that come along with these efforts.
1. Builds Trust
For starters, law firm branding can help establish initial awareness and fortify the sense of trustworthiness overtime. When people need a lawyer, they want to go with a name that they recognize. Having seen years of advertising or gained association through other businesses can help strengthen that sense of confidence in your firm before they even have a conversation with an attorney.
2. Attracts Potential Clients
The goal for any law firm, like any business, is to gain clientele. Having an inherent element of trust already established is a big help, but having a notable brand will really get people through the door.
3. Expands Your Business’ Reach
Whether your goal is to be the biggest law firm in your town, in your state or in your country–a solid brand strategy will help you grow your business. Consistent messaging and a differentiated value proposition will help spread your name beyond your block or neighborhood.
The 5 Essential Steps to Law Firm Branding
The ultimate outcome of a law firm branding strategy will convey a clear, consistent and confident representation of your business. Here’s how to get started:
1. Determine Who You Are and How You Are Different
When establishing your brand you’ll want to be realistic and thoughtful about the claims or messages you’ll be sharing and amplifying with the public. Genuinely consider what your firm stands for and ask yourself what makes your business different?
In the vast sea of law firms, what’s your unique offering or value proposition? We’re sure you have one. Think: do you have personal experience within your field of expertise? Have you been living in the area for most of your life? Do you have a strong connection to another area of interest that could inform a unique perspective? Is your team diverse?
Ultimately think about what makes you different from direct and indirect competition, and lean in to that. Use your findings to create taglines, copy for your website, informational videos and articles and other marketing materials.
2. Determine Your Target Audience
You don’t have to be everything to everyone–in fact, it’s probably better if you’re not. Partner with a marketing agency or conduct your own market analysis to determine who your target market should be.
To do so, you will need to look at your current customer base, evaluate your competition and analyze your services. You will use these findings to determine things like the target age, location, income, occupation and background of prospective clients.
3. Find the Best Platforms for Your Messages
Messaging that comes out of any brand work needs to go somewhere. But you’ll want to find the right platforms and locations that will best meet your target consumer where they already spend their time.
Consider both in-person and digital opportunities. If your potential client likely commutes to and from work at rush hour–a billboard could be the way to go. However, if your target market is more likely to work-from-home, paid ads on social media or an entertaining TikTok are probably better options.
Ultimately, try to not only be mindful about what you want to say as a brand, but where you plan to share it.
4. Define Your Brand Principles
Law firm branding isn’t just about maximizing your external business opportunities, but it’s also about enhancing your internal team’s experience too. Having a strong employer brand can help you hire and retain staff that align to your overall mission.
One way to build an employer brand is to decide on a few key principles that can help remind your team what’s important to your firm. Example principles can include values like, “The Client Comes First”, “Accelerate Time”, and “Be Frugal”.
You’ll also want to make brand guidelines, so that your team has something to refer to if they want to make individual activations like a YouTube video or social post. Plus it can come in handy if you end up working with an agency for marketing help down the line.
When it comes to gaining new business, personal recommendations are worth their weight in tungsten cubes. That’s why getting your law firm involved in your community is a great way to build and establish your brand. Volunteer as a team in ways that mean something to your firm on a personal level. You could potentially provide resources or equipment to sports teams, donate books, give meeting space to small businesses that are just starting out. There are limitless ways to give back to your community–and in doing so, your firm’s name will be gaining invaluable notoriety.
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Law firm branding is powerful–and an essential component to running a successful business. Don’t let opportunities pass your firm by–with the right amount of intention and effort in the beginning, your law firm branding efforts can pay off for years to come.
Embroker knows that business and liability insurance is just a small piece of what it takes to run a law firm. That’s why we make the process simple. Build a set of policies to protect your firm and name, and be ready to work on other things, like defining your brand.
To find the best policies for you firm, check out Embroker’s digital insurance platform.
