How to create a brand in the legal business?
Why is it important to build a brand? The problem with all marketing tools is that they are easy enough to copy. For example, you have made a cool selling website. Pretty quickly, your colleagues can do the same. Therefore, if you want to stop aimlessly competing in the market, you must focus on the most important strategic tool in legal marketing – a personal brand.
Americans have a wonderful saying: “Until the age of 30, you work for a name, and then the name starts working for you.” The same thing happens in the legal business. The first 5-10 years are the most difficult. We are developing a name, we are developing our brand. Legal marketing allows you to shorten this process and earn a name as quickly as possible.
Positioning and brand values
The first step in building a brand is positioning. It is very useful to look at your law firm from the outside. Are you conveying the same values? Do you show those expert qualities to your clients? In order to stop competing hard in the legal market, you must fix a clear thought in the minds of potential clients: you are a real expert in such and such specific matters.
Building a brand can be compared to educating a person. What distinguishes a mature person? It has established principles and values. The same is true in the legal business. What values do you bring to your clients? What are your principles? How are they formulated? How do you deliver them?
Brand Attributes
Imagine two lawyers. One is simply Ivan Ivanov, and the other is Ivan Ivanov, a member of the Russian Union of Lawyers. What do you think, whose lawyer’s name looks more prestigious in the eyes of consumers? Of course, the second.
Participation in associations is a component of prestige. In marketing practice, this is called a “brand attribute”. And in order for your brand to grow, you must acquire some attributes. Let’s look at what brand attributes you can have:
- Participation in associations. See what associations there are and which ones you can join.
- Degrees, including your employees.
- foreign universities. Maybe you studied at foreign universities, and you have their diplomas. Place them on the site, it will be a good contribution to your branding strategy.
- Awards and ratings.
If you don’t have any of these, consider how you can acquire them in the short term.
Youtube channel
Previously, all lawyers dreamed of getting on television. Many actively aspired to become the heroes of the TV show. Now the situation has changed somewhat, the modern generation watches the Internet more, in particular, Youtube. Start your YouTube channel and start uploading professional videos with your participation there. Youtube has become the most powerful analogue of television today. Every year the audience of this resource is growing.
Develop a strategy to build your brand. What public events can you take part in tomorrow? What kind of articles can you publish? In what media should they be placed? What information can you share with your potential customers on a Youtube channel? Plan specific actions to implement your brand building strategy.
Book writing
A good way to build a brand is to write a book. After all, an expert without a book is half an expert. Unfortunately, many of you perceive the publication of your book somewhat inadequately. You consider this a kind of titanic work that can only be done in retirement, when you have a lot of free time.
However, look at your colleagues, for example, Sergei Pepelyaev. He has published a lot of books, and he constantly writes new ones. Today the situation is as follows: if you set yourself such a goal, you can release a book in 6-7 months. You will receive an excellent marketing tool and an effective investment in building a personal brand.
Having written a book, you, firstly, will be able to give it to potential clients. Secondly, it can be placed in online stores and advertised, as a result of which you will gain access to a much larger target audience than you could get before.
Public performance
Speaking at public events is a great way to attract clients to the legal business. A person performing on stage is a priori perceived by everyone as an expert. You simply have to become a good speaker. Having the skill of public speaking, knowing how to apply it, you will be able to build your brand, relying only on this tool.
Article PR
The simplest thing you can do to strengthen your brand is to do what is called “article marketing”. Its essence is simple: you write cool articles and place them in the maximum number of sources. Why do articles work well in the legal business? There are some simple answers:
- Psychology. If we read a person’s article, we begin to perceive him as an expert.
- Articles attract consumers to you. What is an article? This is essentially your virtual consultation. A person reads your advice and begins to work with you, as it were.
- Articles allow you to reach many potential customers. If you publish in the media, then more than one thousand people can read your article.
What elements of a personal brand do you use in your legal business?
Internet marketing expert. Head of marketing agency MAVR.
Business degree “Master of Business Administration” (MBA).