“I used to think law firms (like mine) ‘should’ embrace the power of a true brand,” says MSH managing partner Wayne Hassay. Now he says law firm branding is a “must.” Here’s why.
Table of contents
If you have an odd desire to see your staff’s eyes roll, just say this: “To thrive, acquire clients, have a cohesive culture, and assemble an incredible team, law firms must embrace the power of a true brand.”
To be honest, until recently, that eye-roll-inducing statement had one key difference. I used to think law firms (like mine) “should” embrace the power of a true brand. I thought that right up until the day I decided to do something about it. Now I know that it’s not a “should,” but an absolute “must.”
To achieve your firm’s goals, you must embrace the power of a true brand.
What Is a True Law Firm Brand?
A brand is a promise to the public related to the benefits of the product or service a company intends to provide. A true brand pays more than lip service to that promise — it is genuine and transparent in its messaging and operations. It communicates its values clearly and aligns its actions with those values. Ongoing dependable delivery of the brand builds trust with customers — and that trust becomes the basis for loyalty, recommendations, and repeat buying.
But what are the products and benefits a law firm intends to provide?
While great legal skills and hard work influence the outcome of legal matters, the outcome is never the product or benefit, because it is impossible for lawyers to promise the outcome of a legal problem. Unfortunately, lawyer advertising (especially many personal injury ads) often implies the outcome is the brand, for example. Certainly, the product and benefit are not the 800-pound gorilla or the hammer to impact the nail. While these advertisements might be effective in creating awareness and consideration in the event of a consumer’s personal injury, these are not true brands.
Similarly, the brand has nothing to do with what lawyers think of themselves. In the eyes of most lawyers, one brand exists: being a “good, hard-working lawyer.” In truth, being a “good, hard-working lawyer” is table stakes. To find more success, a law firm’s brand must reflect the needs and wants of its clients. Think about how soda pop and automobiles are branded. Those brands reflect the customer—not the company. While being compared to soda pop might seem offensive to us as lawyers, law firm branding is not about the lawyer. Any so-called law firm brand that does not reflect the customer leaves the customer and the lawyer disconnected and is not a brand at all.
Warning: Pushback on Branding Will be Strong
Lawyers and staff in most law firms tend to work in silos, doing things their way. Thus, law firms end up as loosely affiliated groups of good, hard-working lawyers. While that may get the job done, it does not build the firm’s brand or ensure its longevity. Brand strategy development is crucial for establishing a brand identity that aligns with the firm’s values and business goals. Still, many lawyers in your firm will view branding as a waste of billable time — even an affront to their independent professional judgment.
In larger firms, especially those with a focus on business transactions, there is a much better focus on branding. Perhaps this is because of the perceived greater likelihood of repeat business. Smaller law firms, especially general practice firms, must embrace branding to create similar loyalty, encourage referrals and recommendations, and increase repeat buying.
Finding the Time and Money for Brand-Building
Along with overcoming philosophical pushback, finding the time and money will also be difficult. Branding efforts are not free, and investing in thought, people, software, process and training can seem excessive to small firm partners who have tuition and mortgages to pay and often face uncertain cash flow. But in a hypercompetitive world, including new competition from unlicensed professionals and large companies who may be more astute at branding, it is an investment a small firm must make.
When carefully planned, however, investing in your brand — including both hard costs and management time — is a money-maker over the long run.
The Benefits of Establishing Your Firm’s Brand
While a law firm’s brand is a promise to the public, it also establishes a common purpose internally. Every law firm should ask its team, “Who are we?” Responses will run the spectrum, from no answer at all to multifaceted lists. Management must demand one answer.
Why is creating a common purpose so important?
Most small firms likely have enough business — enough rain made by a few partners — to succeed for a few years or even the length of a legal career. Thus, the sole focus becomes serving those clients today. But that one-on-one, partner-client relationship could change for a multitude of reasons. A law firm with a common, stated purpose (the brand) is far more likely to continue beyond a single generation — or, for that matter, the shelf-life of a single partner-client relationship.
In addition, establishing your brand can be the foundation for succession planning. Most law firms lack a succession plan — again, it is difficult to look beyond the day-to-day inside those silos. With a common purpose and vision for the future, it is easier to have those conversations and create succession and client continuity plans. Moreover, true branding gives an organization momentum — a driving, ongoing purpose beyond getting the job done for today’s client.
With that risk in mind, what is your firm’s purpose and vision for tomorrow?
How Did We Arrive at Our Firm’s Brand?
The guy we used for our branding, whom I now refer to as “My Guy,” told me that one of his clients described the brand positioning strategy created for them as a “sense of purpose for all that we do—a reason for employees to care as much as they care.”
I wanted some of that, and I got it. As a result of our branding effort, we landed on this brand statement:
“We are not just legal practitioners; we are advocates for justice, champions of accessibility, and allies to those in need. Our commitment to excellence is matched only by our dedication to making a meaningful difference in the lives of our clients.”
That short statement summarizes our purpose and our motivation.
Our driving force is creating widespread access to legal services. We aim not only to surpass traditional expectations associated with law firms but also to redefine them, revolutionizing how legal services are delivered. Our foremost goal is to forge profound connections with those we serve, going beyond mere representation to become trusted allies on our clients’ journeys. To achieve this, we empower our team to navigate clients through challenges with unwavering empathy and unparalleled proficiency enhanced by technology and fostered by a culture of relentless innovation.
This is the product and service we intend to provide. We proudly proclaim this through branding, knowing it sets us apart in the marketplace. It permeates every member of the firm and every interaction with clients. It reflects the needs of our existing customers and those we would like to attract. It helps us help more people, more often and in more ways than ever before. That in turn, builds customer loyalty, recommendations, and repeat buying.
Our brand has nothing to do with table-stake skills or outcomes.
What Should Your Brand Strategy Be?
Now that we have established that your brand cannot be an outcome or basic legal skill, let’s return to the initial question:
What is your firm’s product and its benefit, and how does your law firm reflect value to current clients?
A strong law firm stand is crucial in distinguishing your services and attracting clients. Once you determine those answers, the question is how to ensure your firm can consistently convey and deliver that product. An all-inclusive list is not possible here, but law firm branding should be a culmination of consistency in everything you do, from your processes for delivering legal services to the way you answer the telephone. Your brand must show up in your documents, your pricing and billing methods, internal and external communications, recruitment and hiring, marketing and your logo. All of these things should be done the same way, every time.
Focus Your Brand on the Client
A strong brand crystallizes who you serve, what value you offer them, and why you are in business in the first place — and this forms the basis of your marketing and communications strategy. While, obviously, some lawyers prolifically produce advertisements about their skills and outcomes, focusing on the client is a smarter, more cost-effective strategy.
FAQs on Branding a Law Firm
What is Law Firm Branding?
Law firm branding refers to the strategic process of creating a distinct identity for a law firm that communicates its values, expertise and unique selling propositions to potential clients. This encompasses not only visual elements but also the firm’s overall messaging, tone, and personality.
By focusing on both tangible elements (like logos and color schemes, your website and advertisements) and intangible aspects (like reputation, processes and client perceptions), law firms can create a strong law firm brand that resonates with their target audience.
What Is a Brand Positioning Statement?
According to Hubspot, a positioning statement ”conveys a brand’s value proposition to its ideal customers or unique selling proposition, including the brand’s identity, goals, and distinguishing features within the context of the buyer’s experience.”
What Is a Unique Selling Proposition?
A USP for a law firm is a distinctive feature or characteristic that sets it apart from its competitors and attracts the right clients. For example, your USP may be your specialized expertise in a micro niche, innovative use of technology, client-centric systems, pricing model — or the way you combine these things.
I Already Have a Logo, What More Do I Need to Establish My Brand?
Law firm branding is not just about logos and color schemes. It’s about understanding your USP and crafting a cohesive and compelling narrative that resonates with potential clients.
Successful brand strategy is rooted in a deep understanding of the target audience. Conduct research to identify clients’ needs, preferences and pain points. Set up feedback mechanisms to monitor client satisfaction and safeguard your reputation. Tailor your law firm branding and outreach efforts accordingly.
What Is a Brand Guide?
A brand guide is a document that outlines the standards for how your brand should be represented across various channels and media. It serves as a reference for maintaining consistency in visual and verbal communication. The guide should define the law firm’s mission and vision, audience, visual brand identity, tone of voice, style and usage guidelines, and brand story.
Note that a brand identity guide (brand standards) provides specific direction on how the firm’s logo may be used, along with acceptable fonts and colors — usually listing primary color combinations and complimentary colors. An identity guide may also include templates for documents such as newsletters, advertisements, letterhead and business cards. This ensures that internal and external marketers and graphic designers uphold the firm’s brand over time.) A style guide refers to the firm’s preferred writing style, including usage and grammar peccadillos. (See “Law Firm Style Guides: Mainting a Healthy Relationship Between Creator and Content.”) For example, does the firm prefer Oxford commas? Banish use of the word “non-lawyer?” Prefer to use an ampersand in the firm name or to spell out the word “and”?
Why Is Consistency So Important For a Strong Law Firm Brand?
Think of your brand as a promise. Every interaction a client has with your firm should reinforce that promise. Whether it’s through your website, a social media post, or a business card, the message and visual identity should be uniform. This consistency establishes credibility and trust, makes your firm more memorable, and increases the likelihood that prospective clients will choose you over other law firms.
One of a Kind: A Proven Path to a Profitable Law Practice
BY JAY HARRINGTON
In today’s legal market, developing a profitable and consistent book of business requires a strategic approach. If you’re open to new ideas and are interested in growing your practice, this book is a great resource to kickstart the next stage in your career.
Image © iStockPhoto.com.
Don’t miss out on our daily practice management tips. Subscribe to Attorney at Work’s free newsletter here >
