I’m sure this won’t shock you, but attorneys often resist thinking about things like their brand. They hear the word and automatically associate it with something unimportant and treat it as an afterthought. Many attorneys associate the word “brand” with their logo.
It’s time to change that. It is important to put real thought into your brand, because it is more than just a logo. In fact, it has nothing to do with graphic design or catch phrases. Your brand is your identity, and until you can articulate that to potential clients, you’ll be seen like just another law firms.
If It’s Not a Logo, Then What is It?
Deny the impulse to think of your brand as something insignificant. In addition, we’re not talking about a marketing tool. Your brand represents who you are and why you do what you do. To understand and communicate your brand, you need to be in touch with the qualities that make you, well, you.
Everyone has a story that helps explain how they arrived at their current place in the world. You have a heritage, a culture and a unique set of experiences that have shaped who you are as both a person and a professional. This is your brand, and you should embrace it.
How Lawyers Get Their Brand Wrong
Branding is usually something that isn’t done very well in the legal field. Attorneys repeat the same platitudes and, occasionally (but usually rarely), throw in a dash of “themselves” in the mix. They aren’t being deceptive in their branding; they simply say the same things every other attorney is saying.
What attorney doesn’t stand up for their clients? What attorney would call themselves anything other than compassionate and hardworking? It’s the same script all lawyers follow. For potential clients, these buzzwords and phrases become white noise. These words lost their meaning a long time ago. Any law firm wanting to set themselves apart must dig deeper to find out what actually sets them apart and then do a good job communicating it to their target audience.
It is also important to note that people (especially attorneys) get their branding all wrong when they see it as just a “marketing tool”. They try to guess what customers and clients “want to hear”, as opposed to making their brand a genuine reflection of their values and identity. This is a sure-fire way to have your brand message (no matter how well intentioned) fall on deaf ears and illicit a major eyeroll.
LMA Can Help You Find Your Brand
If this message resonates with you, then you have come to terms with something countless law firms will never understand. In other words, the fact that you’re thinking about branding your law firm in an honest, unique way means that you are way ahead of the game and even farther ahead of many of your competitors.
We work with attorneys to look for all the ways that they can deliver a better client experience to their clients and ultimately grow and develop their firm. By improving your client experience, building better relationships and, defining and establishing your brand and brand message, you can dramatically increase your firm’s growth and development in both the short and long terms.
If you need help determining your differentiators, developing your brand and brand messaging system and implementing them throughout both your firm’s internal and external communications, we are the experts and we are here for you. Contact the team at LMA today, so we can tell you more about the ways we help firms navigate the firm development waters and define their place so that they stand out in the legal field.