Law Firm Branding
Establishing your brand adds credibility to your law firm and the attorneys who work there. Every firm wants to be recognized for their proven track record and vast experience. However, these concepts can be a bit esoteric to a prospective client who isn't from the legal community. Having a well-established brand tells others what you want people to know about your attorney practice without requiring them to peruse multiple pages of information.
Although it might be desirable to have your entire practice recognized as a brand, it's also beneficial for an attorney or division within your firm to have distinct brand recognition. Just as a corporation like Proctor and Gamble contains many easily identifiable products (Gillette, Nyquil), your attorneys, legal teams, associates and partners can each be a distinct, recognizable brand in your community or for your area of practice. For lawyers, reputations are often hard-won in courtrooms and by successfully representing clients. Branding capitalizes on the earned reputations of attorneys by establishing an image for them and their firm.
For instance, if your firm has a division that has established a solid reputation in your county or state for Estate Planning, you probably want to capitalize on it. With successful branding, you can be the instantly recognizable, "go to" attorneys in that area. When someone hears the name of your firm or sees your firm's logo or standard, they think, "I know them. Those are the Estate Planning attorneys for this area. Everyone uses that firm." There may be other attorneys that practice the same type of law, but in the minds of potential legal clients, they are not of your caliber. You're the firm that they need to use if they want the job done properly.
Establishing a brand requires a multi-tiered approach. An online presence is essential to law firm branding. Most firms don't have the instant brand recognition of a soft drink or a petroleum company, but they don't necessarily require it. A law firm's brand should be recognized by the people in their field of law and by the clients in the community in which they practice. When a potential client finds that he or she is in need of a lawyer who works in your field, they should click on your page because yours is the one name they recognize out of dozens.
Strategic Legal Web makes law firms and attorneys into brands. To begin a branding campaign for your practice, contact one of our representatives at 1-800-508-4489.
