It has been said, “I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.” (P.T. Barnum) And, “There is only one thing worse than being talked about and that is NOT being talked about.” (Oscar Wilde) And finally, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.” (Brendan Behan)
But try saying any of those to Michael Pines. As reported by Amanda Bronstad at Law.com:
“Branding” is a choice buzzword in the marketing world. Karin, who is an actual marketing expert (rather than a lawyer who plays one on the internet) has done a bunch of posts about branding, which is a useful concept for lawyers, as well as any other business. In a nutshell, branding is how you are perceived, especially by potential clients, referral sources, opposing counsel, etc.
So, do you think about it?
Your brand involves more than just creating a logo and it is commonly defined as your customer’s experience. A brand is what your customers think of you and a reflection of everything you do: the way you send emails, your website, your Tweets, how you describe your business, and the logo on your business cards. It’s a complex mixture of feelings and personalities that make your customers love your work.
I think it’s safe to assume that most practicing attorneys never took a trademark law course in law school. It’s not a topic on the bar exam. It’s not a topic that comes up in family law, criminal law, real estate (usually), or estate planning. Most lawyers never have to deal with any trademark law issues, so I can’t blame people for not understanding the basics.
Effective law firm branding is critically important to generating new business for your practice both offline and online. While a strong, narrowly focused law firm branding strategy can distinguish your practice from the increasing legal noise, an unfocused, catch-all approach can lead to invisibility.
Referencing 365 Marketing Meditations: Daily Lessons from Marketing & Communications Professionals by Larry Smith and Richard Levick with Levick Strategic Communications, Legal Marketing Blogger, Tom Kane offers some insight to law firms developing their professional law firm brand:
(click for big)http://flic.kr/p/4ZfkcN
Good branding is more important than ever, and while a logo does not equal a brand it is usually the place most companies begin. Your company’s logo is a powerful symbol that offers significant information about your style, approach, and overall philosophies. Logos are meant be powerful symbols to help raise your company’s visibility, credibility, and, most importantly, its memorability.
I am, like many people who have chosen to enter into the legal profession, by nature an arrogant person. I have lived for years with an over-inflated sense of my own abilities and intelligence. While law school did a marvelous job of tempering my ego, nothing truly terrified me until I started my own practice straight out of law school.
There are countless reasons for starting a law firm right out of law school, and while most of my friends and family may not believe it, hubris was not my main reason; though it has helped me to meet the challenges in the first year in business. Simply put, I started my law firm because of two factors: 1) an ability to find clients, and 2) an inability to get responses to the hundreds of resumes and applications I sent out. I have always known I would have my own firm one day… I just assumed that day would come after about 5 to 10 years learning the practice of law in a nice medium sized firm. Instead, I am now learning all the practical skills needed as a lawyer and as a small business owner. Starting a law firm has been both terrifying and rewarding.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ripton/2605794078/
Is your law firm uniquely identified and differentiated from the competition online?
The financial crisis that swept the nation last year shook the legal community deeply. Across the country, numerous law firms implemented pay reductions, reduced billable hours, froze new hires, and cut back on philanthropy in order to stay afloat.
The wake of these setbacks only instills the need for law firms to pay closer attention to their brand management. Strong branding translates directly into revenue and profitability for law firms as it increases market share and allows for premium pricing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fliegender/14805213/
Guest post by Kristien Vermoesen.
Many managing partners at business law firms today are faced with the difficult question of how to market their firm effectively. After all, most top tier firms offer the same range of services, at more or less the same internationally accepted price points. The in house talent is perceived as superior to that of competing law firms, but then again marketing is not always about delivering superior quality. It is about convincing prospects and clients of the superior quality that is on offer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonask/2414136268/
Guest post by Kristien Vermoesen.
Brand: A name, sign or symbol used to identify items or services of the seller(s) and to differentiate them from goods of competitors. (Dictionary of business and
management.)
In recent years, law firms have begun to understand the need for branding, hence the arrival of the “fantasy” name in law circles like Altius, Elegis, Eubelius and more recently, Lydian. Unfortunately, having a brand is not the same as having brand equity (“a measure of the influence that a brand exerts on the buying behaviour of customers”).
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