Most smaller and mid-sized law firms want to grow their practices so they can depend on a steady stream of new clients to serve. Reaching and engaging with potential clients remains a primary goal for the overwhelming majority of law firms, as is cultivating long-term relationships with current and former clients. Whether your practice is just starting to build a digital marketing strategy for law firms or you are in search of ways to improve your content marketing efforts, it’s highly beneficial to devote some time to defining your law firm’s brand. Although thinking about your law firm as a brand may seem strange, the reality is that creating an identifiable brand for your law firm can boost awareness of your legal services and cultivate public trust over time. Legal branding builds your firm’s reputation and authority throughout your community, increasing the likelihood that someone will seek out your services when the need arises. Defining your law firm’s brand in a coherent and consistent way will maximize the effectiveness and impact of your content marketing efforts, attracting the interest of potential clients and improving your position among the search results pages. This post will explore some of the key questions to consider when defining your law firm’s brand identity and some of the tangible benefits you can expect from your brand identification efforts.
Who Are You, Both Professionally and Personally?
Building a successful brand identity for your law firm begins with an examination of the professional and personal aspects of your legal practice. Take some time to reflect on what drew you to this field and profession in the first place. What motivates you to practice this type of law? What drives you to help your clients? In addition to articulating your professional identity as an attorney, consider the personal motivations you have to help others. What core values do you hold? How do you, as both an attorney and an individual, measure success? Reflecting on your responses to these questions can give you a solid foundation from which to start building your law firm’s brand identity.
What Drew You to Practicing Law in the First Place?
Whether you have been practicing law for several decades or you are just beginning your legal career, it’s helpful to consider your “origin story” in this career. Why did you choose to become an attorney? Do you come from a family of lawyers, or were you the first in your family to attend college or law school? Reconstructing your backstory can be a powerful tool to help you set your law firm apart from other law practices providing similar legal services in your area. When potential clients visit your law firm’s website, they will appreciate learning more about your background as an attorney and the factors that inspired you to serve in this capacity. Even if you don’t think your story is particularly compelling or unique, taking the time to verbalize your path from student to attorney can help you identify the qualities that distinguish your law firm from others in your community. For example, if you were inspired to practice law because you always had a passion for pursuing justice and advocating for the underdog, incorporate this information into your website and digital marketing strategy.
Who Are Your Clients, and What Are They Looking For?
Once you’ve spent some time reflecting on your professional and personal motivations and goals, shift your focus to your target audience. Devote some time to identify the ideal client your law firm is hoping to serve. How old are they? Where do they live? What matters to them most? What challenges are they facing? What emotions are they experiencing? When you can understand these characteristics of your clients, you can tailor your content marketing for law firms approach to address the needs and goals of your intended audience. For instance, if you are a divorce attorney who wants to serve more high-net-worth clients, positioning your law firm as adept at handling complex divorces and well-versed in the nuances of asset division is a great strategy for anticipating the concerns of your clients and appealing to their priorities. Moreover, you can use insights about your target clients to construct a social media marketing strategy that reaches potential clients on the platforms they are the most likely to frequent. Simply put, understanding your ideal clients enables you to develop and launch a digital marketing for lawyers strategy that boosts your chances of steadily and sustainably growing your law practice.
What Sets Your Law Firm Apart From Other Firms in Your Area?
When potential clients look for legal services in their area, they will likely realize that there are several firms providing similar services. So, what can your law firm do to set yourself apart from your competitors? What makes your firm different from the other law firms? Just like any other business attempting to distinguish itself from its competitors, your law firm needs to identify and promote unique features and services that clients cannot find anywhere else. Take some time to articulate what makes your law practice different from others. If you are a smaller firm, you can play up this quality by explaining how you handle all of the cases yourself—unlike larger firms, where various legal staff may handle your case at different times. Or, you may point out that your exclusive focus on just a few practice areas allows you to provide exceptional service to those you serve. Whatever the core difference may be, promote this distinction with pride. If you are looking for additional content marketing for attorneys strategies, reach out to an experienced law firm content marketing strategist to learn more.
Now’s the time to make some tweaks to your law firm’s digital marketing strategy to ensure that it’s delivering the results you’re after. Give the dedicated team at LegalRev a call today at (800) 893-2590 to discuss your goals with a highly qualified legal marketing specialist.
