In this third installment of our 2023 Law Firm Branding Checklist, we will focus on the Two Cs of a winning brand: Clarity and Consistency.
When law firms send mixed signals about who they are and what they do, they sabotage their own success.
“If you aren’t clear, then your audience certainly won’t understand the message you are trying to communicate,” according to CLIO. “Many law firms make the error of outsourcing everything about their brand creation to a brand or marketing agency without any real input or involvement in this process by everyone in the law firm. This is a good idea in theory, but how can another company possibly know your brand message better?”
Once the brand message has been honed and fine-tuned, the firm must (1) clearly identify its Target Audience, and (2) promote its brand to that audience with consistency.
Now more than ever, solo and small law firms need a distinctive and unique brand. Otherwise, they risk being swept away by the stormy seas of stiff competition, economic uncertainty and market disruption. Alta Pro is here to help. We created the 2023 Law Firm Branding Checklist to guide lawyers in solo and small firms through the step-by-step process of building a winning brand. The checklist and accompanying blogposts cover everything from choosing the right brand to marketing your brand effectively. Discover other ways Alta Pro Lawyers Risk Purchasing Group (RPG) can keep your practice safe and successful.
Clarify Your Target Audience:
“If You Sell to Everyone, You Sell to No One”
Some law firms take a scattershot approach. They define their target audience as anybody who will pay their fee. The result is usually a large marketing budget, because that is what it will take to reach this vast, unsegmented pool of prospects.
The alternative is to narrow your Target Audience to those prospects who are most likely to need your services and with whom you most enjoy working.
If you’re unsure about your Target Audience, try this exercise. Go through your client roster for the past few years. Identify your “A” clients (i.e., the ones who were a pleasure to represent, the ones who paid on time, etc.). Write down the personal attributes of these stellar clients. Pay attention to patterns and trends. This will create a profile of your ideal client.
Next, nurture and cultivate these ideal clients. Learn about their family, friends, and neighborhood. Go where they go; read what they read. Join their professional associations. Attend their trade shows. Scan product reviews and online sites to gain more insights on them.
Maintain Brand Consistency
Marketers like to measure how many “touches” (phone calls, in-person meetings, emails, newsletters, website visits) are required before a prospect remembers you. Pre-COVID, the number was 3-5 touches. Now, with all the online noise and increased competition for eyeballs, it might take as many as 9-10 touches before you break through the pack.
Regardless of how many touches are required, your branding must be consistent in all your communications.
“Consistent brands bring about a sense of safety—if you tell me the same thing consistently, then I’m more likely to feel safe with you because I know what to expect,” according to Katy Goshtabsi and CLIO. “Safety leads to trust. Prospective law firm clients trust what feels safe to them, and they buy what they trust. If your brand message is clear and consistent across all marketing channels, your target audience [is] much more likely to recall your brand and bring their business to your law firm.”
Consistency also means establishing a distinctive voice for all your messaging. Make sure your communication style (casual or formal), graphic elements (logo, color themes), and approach to technology (modern or old-school) all work together to reinforce your brand.
Branding Tip: Here’s another “C” to keep in mind: confidence. Express confidence in who you are and what you can do for your clients.
Sources: Law Firm Branding: How to Build and Nurture Your Brand | Clio
CLICK HERE FOR 2023 LAW FIRM BRANDING CHECKLIST, PART 4: It’s All About Feelings.
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