Branding Your Law Firm

<h1>Branding Your Law Firm</h1>Author: <a title="Richard Hughe" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/richard-hughe/125928.htm">Richard Hughe</a> A client looking for legal assistance today has to make a tough choice. The options available to him are numerous and he really can't choose between them because they all seem to be promising him the same thing. What can you, as a lawyer, do to make his quest easier? Simple, create a brand for your law firm. With reference to law firms, Branding is how you want your clients and prospects to perceive your law firm. A successful brand is a differentiator, the relevant and positive attributes that makes you stand apart from your competition. These attributes should help your client or prospect to make a decision and enhance your firm's value in their mind. The differentiating attributes for your law firm could be Price, Size, Practice areas/specialties offered, Response time, Geography/market presence, Expertise/experience, Client list and others. However, make sure your differentiating factor is not just a claim but a long lasting, honest, relevant, demonstrable and unique attribute in your target area. Don't confuse it with an advertising slogan. Internet marketing can play a major role in almost all aspects of Branding, especially brand communication (visibility and publicity). For identifying attributes and to test your positioning, you could float an email or website based survey on the intranet. Similarly, for competitive research too, you could use search engines and other online marketing tools. Finally, for communicating your new Brand positioning, the internet is one of most cost effective and targeted mediums, allowing accountability and extensive reach. A good brand can bring you very clear benefits, higher fees and subsequently higher profits. An exhaustive UK study had concluded that brand recognition in professional service organisations, including law firms, is worth a 10 to 20 percent premium in fees. More recently, the 2006 most valuable law firm survey, conducted by Intangible Business, also concluded that better branding results in higher profitability. Specifically, it found that Linklaters, Freshfields, Slaughter and May had higher lead generation profitability due to their strong brands. Arguably, all magic circle law firms in London, which have had a strong brand identity, command higher fee premiums. You might be worried that Branding is a time and cost intensive exercise, suited only for large law firms. But fortunately this is not the case. In fact, by using the latest technological resources, like internet marketing, you can cut down on your branding costs significantly and build your law firm brand in considerably less time. Using the various online marketing tools, such as a website, e-newsletters, and blogs, you can spread your branding across different mediums. You just need to make a start. To find out more on how to brand your law firm and utilise technology to do so effectively, visit <a href="http://www.legalimarketing.co.uk/"><a href="http://www.legalimarketing.co.uk" target="_blank">www.legalimarketing.co.uk</a></a>.  About the Author: Richard Hughe heads the Customer Experience Management function at iMarketing Advantage (iMA) helping professional services firms, esp. the legal professionals in growing their practices using innovative marketing practices.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/branding-your-law-firm-798788.html" title="Branding Your Law Firm">Branding Your Law Firm</a>

A client looking for legal assistance today has to make a tough choice. The options available to him are numerous and he really can't choose between them because they all seem to be promising him the same thing. What can you, as a lawyer, do to make his quest easier? Simple, create a brand for your law firm.

With reference to law firms, Branding is how you want your clients and prospects to perceive your law firm. A successful brand is a differentiator, the relevant and positive attributes that makes you stand apart from your competition. These attributes should help your client or prospect to make a decision and enhance your firm's value in their mind.

The differentiating attributes for your law firm could be Price, Size, Practice areas/specialties offered, Response time, Geography/market presence, Expertise/experience, Client list and others. However, make sure your differentiating factor is not just a claim but a long lasting, honest, relevant, demonstrable and unique attribute in your target area. Don't confuse it with an advertising slogan.

Internet marketing can play a major role in almost all aspects of Branding, especially brand communication (visibility and publicity). For identifying attributes and to test your positioning, you could float an email or website based survey on the intranet. Similarly, for competitive research too, you could use search engines and other online marketing tools. Finally, for communicating your new Brand positioning, the internet is one of most cost effective and targeted mediums, allowing accountability and extensive reach.

A good brand can bring you very clear benefits, higher fees and subsequently higher profits. An exhaustive UK study had concluded that brand recognition in professional service organisations, including law firms, is worth a 10 to 20 percent premium in fees. More recently, the 2006 most valuable law firm survey, conducted by Intangible Business, also concluded that better branding results in higher profitability. Specifically, it found that Linklaters, Freshfields, Slaughter and May had higher lead generation profitability due to their strong brands. Arguably, all magic circle law firms in London, which have had a strong brand identity, command higher fee premiums. You might be worried that Branding is a time and cost intensive exercise, suited only for large law firms. But fortunately this is not the case. In fact, by using the latest technological resources, like internet marketing, you can cut down on your branding costs significantly and build your law firm brand in considerably less time. Using the various online marketing tools, such as a website, e-newsletters, and blogs, you can spread your branding across different mediums. You just need to make a start.

To find out more on how to brand your law firm and utilise technology to do so effectively, visit www.legalimarketing.co.uk.

Richard Hughe heads the Customer Experience Management function at iMarketing Advantage (iMA) helping professional services firms, esp. the legal professionals in growing their practices using innovative marketing practices.

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/branding-your-law-firm-798788.html

Article Tags: Business Development, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Lead Generation, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Marketing, Law Firm, Practice Management, Law Marketing, Legal Business, Practice Development.

Related Articles
Related Q&A

Latest Law Articles
More from Richard Hughe

Secrets of FICO Credit Scoring Revealed ... Finally!

By: Robert F. Brennan, Esq. | 25/12/2009
Shrouded in mystery for years, the Fair Isaac Company has finally let consumers have a slight peek into the vault of their credit scoring model which is responsible for "FICO Scores," otherwise known as your credit score. (FICO, by the way, is a shortened version of "Fair Isaac Company".) FICO's revelation...

Where Do I Retrieve Criminal Court Records For Free Online To Lookup Someones Background

By: James Nash | 25/12/2009
Finding someone’s background isn’t hard as it used to be because you can find all the records that you need on several different ways. You don’t have to deal with waiting in lines and paperwork, not anymore when you can access criminal court records on the internet.

Where Can I Find Court Records For Free Online To Lookup Peoples Background

By: James Nash | 25/12/2009
If you wish to check someone’s background you can do it on so many ways. You can for example look for it at the police station or hire an agency to do it for you. But simplest way is just to search for court records online.

Chinese Drywall - The Great Drywall of China Problem

By: Dave H | 24/12/2009
Chinese Drywall - it's all over the news. Like a plague with devastating effects, its mere mention can wipe out home values in affected communities as homes are considered guilty by association. What exactly is the problem?

HOW KEEPING PROPER MEDICAL RECORD DOCUMENTATION AND AVOIDING PROBLEMATIC BILLING AND CODING PRACTICES MAY REDUCE THE RISK TO YOUR NEW YORK MEDICAL PR

By: Joseph Potashnik | 24/12/2009
Medical billing is essential in the practice of medicine. Just like everyone else, doctors want to be paid for their services. While timely and proper billing is the key to financial success and stability of a medical practice, improper billing practices may get a physician in trouble beyond any imagination. Medical billing and keeping medical records are two absolutely interrelated areas and proper documentation maintenance is crucial to avoiding many billing issues.

Where Can You Retrieve Divorce Records Free Of Charge To Check Peoples Background

By: James Nash | 24/12/2009
When it comes to finding divorce records there are some good news. You can now find them, free of charge on the internet and save precious time and money. Sounds interesting ? Well, why don’t you give it a try?

Violent and Property Crime Statistics

By: Richard Armen | 24/12/2009
Just how likely are you to become a victim of crime? It is believed that crime is increasing in many cities across the United States. Most of the country's large cities, from New Orleans to Los Angeles and everywhere in between, have disturbingly high numbers of violent crime (which include...

Where Can I Locate Court Records Free Of Charge To Access Peoples Past

By: James Nash | 24/12/2009
If you want to check people’s past you can do it in so many different ways. You can find it at the courthouse, but why wait in long lines for single court record when you can find it online faster than before?

Want to make a Personal Injury Claim? This is how you can do it…

By: Richard Hughe | 25/03/2009 | Personal Injury
Meeting with any kind of accident can make anyone feel helpless, not knowing how to deal with the situation. If the accident resulted due to someone else’s fault, you can surely seek claim for it. So, you should be extremely careful in choosing the perfect lawyer who can offer you assured success.

Get Started With Professional Networking

By: Richard Hughe | 03/03/2009 | Law
In today’s world, where people often need to work together to achieve their goals within a set time period, knowing the right people is an indispensable advantage. So, the ability to develop and maintain a broad network of business acquaintances is a critical skill for every career professional. With the advent of online social professional networks and internet marketing, law firms are finding better ways to find potential mentors, communicate with fellow attorneys and find better avenues.

Legal Outsourcing

By: Richard Hughe | 03/03/2009 | Law
In the current economic climate, corporate law departments are not alone in having their budgets progressively tightened. Whether through an innovative sourcing strategy or shared services, a variety of methodologies have emerged which enable the legal departments to control costs and improve efficiency. Legal Process Outsourcing is the most substantial out of them all.

Gaining Visibility

By: Richard Hughe | 03/03/2009 | Law
Clients are your lifeblood, without them no legal business can be successful. So, you must have a sound visibility strategy for improving your legal business, and a method for extending your client base. Gaining visibility using internet marketing and traditional means together can help you in tackling the problems of falling revenues, of a shrinking practice, and of stiffer competition better than any other means, without incurring high costs and other resources.

Client Management: How To Do It Effectively

By: Richard Hughe | 03/03/2009 | Law
Efficient client management is more about a mindset rather than anything else. Effective implementation of client management leads to higher customer satisfaction, greater client retention and ease in getting new clients. Effective client management not only gives your law firm innumerable benefits but is also a key differentiator separating you from your competitors.

Building Quality Business Development Through Internet Marketing

By: Richard Hughe | 03/03/2009 | Law
The current, challenging times seen a dip in new business generation for your law firm. Even if your law firm has not experienced a decline in business, it must undoubtedly have heard about other businesses that are taking a hit. The need of the hour is to focus on business development and lead generation activities that employ a different tactic and yield the same or greater results without the high price tag. Internet marketing is one such activity.

Building Quality Referrals

By: Richard Hughe | 03/03/2009 | Law
Referrals are the fastest way to expand your business, along with being one of the most profitable methods for doing so. If the right kind of approach is followed, using effective technology, it will result in long-term relationships with clients, in branding and in an increased reputation, which in turn will create future business prospects. A referral-friendly business is one which can continue to send you new clients day after day, year after year. Encourage it, develop it and reward it!