Brand Positioning Strategy: Evaluating the Skills of Your Lawyers to Build a Better Brand

In professional services, ultimately, the product you are offering the world is the services of those who work within your firm. That means that your lawyers and staff play a major role in your brand and how others experience it. Because of this, there is a direct correlation between your firm’s brand promise and the commonality of skills, attributes, and aptitudes of your firm’s lawyers and staff.

Despite this, the process of incorporating the voices of your lawyers into your brand may seem daunting at first, given the wide-ranging differences between people at your firm. However, it is worth it, as the professional service brands that truly stand out do so because they leverage the skills and aptitudes of those who work for them in every aspect of their marketing and business services.

But determining the common thread between the services, skills, and offerings of your firm can be challenging – that’s where a brand strategy comes in.

What is brand strategy? 

Brand strategy is a clear set of plans and actions governed by a single stated direction. It should be aspirational and communicate a consistent vision to everyone at the firm and the client. The plans and actions allow a business to improve its competitiveness and boost its position and reputation in the marketplace. A brand consists of multiple elements, two of the most important being your positioning (where you sit in the market and what you do) as well as your personality.

Every firm, no matter how similar their services are, has a unique personality that influences how they deliver services and the value that clients receive during the interaction. For example, some firms prioritize ease of service, going to their client’s homes to conduct business; others employ lawyers with scientific backgrounds to understand highly complex cases; and others focus on traditional client service, prioritizing responsiveness and person-to-person connection over digital forms of communication.

Regardless of how this personality presents itself, the people who work with your firm and the training you provide to help them live the brand ultimately ensure that the personality (AKA brand values) is upheld.

How do we determine our brand values?

When a client interacts with your firm, the lawyers and client-facing staff are the people who make a lasting impression; that’s why, when it comes to determining your law firm brand and client value proposition, the lawyers and staff who choose to work at your firm are an important component.  

Your brand must ultimately reflect the skills and personality of all the people at your firm. While you may not be able to account for the nuances in personality between individuals, a brand cannot be authentic unless you have given thought and consideration to who your firm’s people are, how they deliver service, and who you, as a firm, aspire to be.

Determining the personality or brand values of your firm can be done through two key sets of qualitative information: the opinions of those who work internally with your organization and of those who interact with it, either as a client or stakeholder.

Internal Interviews – determining what makes your team different.

Knowing how and what voices to incorporate into your brand strategy can be challenging. We recommend that you start by interviewing the individuals who understand your firm (perhaps partners or senior lawyers at the firm), those who are newer to the firm, and those whom you believe will grow with the firm (up-and-coming associates or rain makers). By gaining a sample size of individuals from all positions at all stages of their growth with your firm, you will be able to identify the commonalities between these individuals, their skill sets, and their approach to client service. Those commonalities will establish your brand differentiators.

Client & Referral Interviews – discover what clients value most.

Another indicator you can use to determine how the voices of your lawyers inform your brand is by speaking with your current clients and referrals. Clients will be able to articulate the value of why they continue to choose your firm and lawyers over others, whereas referrals will establish why they trust you with their clients. Is it responsiveness? Attention to detail? Hands-on support? The answers to these questions will help you define what it is about the people you hire that makes clients and referral sources continue to turn to your firm as a trusted legal partner.

Ideally, your brand differentiators will align with the qualitative research compiled through both internal and external interviews.

Optional: Industry Interviews – tune into how others perceive your brand.

For many firms, it is also important to understand the perception of your brand in the industry. Speaking to law students, other lawyers, and those you interact with regularly (government officials, vendors, etc.) can help you understand if the brand you are identifying internally is being recognized externally. If these don’t align, that’s okay! You just have a little work to do with your marketing and communications materials to help align your brand conceptions in the marketplace.

Leveraging the Brand Through Marketing

Now that you have determined your brand personality, it is time to leverage the skills and attributes of your lawyers into your marketing materials. Although your brand values should be evident in all of your visual materials, written materials, and marketing strategies, there are 3 key ways you can truly hone into the voices and unique characteristics that your lawyers bring to the table:

1. Bios:

A bio page on a website is one of the most viewed pages. Bios should discuss the individual characteristics, experience, and aptitude that each lawyer has, but it should also subtly reflect your brand and how this individual upholds it. Using personal quotes, brand language, headlines, and other items is an excellent way to promote and leverage the voices of your lawyers to enhance your brand.

2. Content:

Every marketer will tell you that content is King – and that’s because it is. Well-written and relevant content is the key to driving website traffic and increasing brand awareness, and it can even inform all of your other marketing initiatives. Working with your lawyers and staff to draft content is the best way to leverage their voices to expand your brand. Ultimately, they are your brand; that means they know your clients best and are able to clearly articulate what you do and how you do it.

Some lawyers may require more coaching than others to write in an engaging and articulate manner, but taking the time to build a reservoir of branded, thought leadership content can help elevate and promote your brand to its audiences and drive other marketing strategies.

3. Social Media:

Social media is an excellent place for you to highlight the content your lawyers are creating but also emphasize the role they play in the industry, how they support clients, and even demonstrate to potential recruits what it means to work within your firm.

The important thing to remember when leveraging your lawyer’s voice and skills on social media is to always tie it back to your brand. If your lawyer won an award – how does this contribute to the brand’s mission? If someone in the firm participated in a charity event, won a big case, or wrote an article – how does this value your client or reflect your brand promise? Keeping these questions at the forefront of your mind will ensure you continue to align your brand with the exceptional work of those upholding it.

Conclusion

As you can see, the lawyers at your firm are the driving force behind your brand strategy and the implementation of that strategy. Taking the time to craft an effective brand positioning statement, determine your brand values/personality, and establish policies and messaging that align with your brand can benefit every aspect of your business and client service delivery. Ultimately, taking the time to invest in a brand strategy can have a profound effect on client loyalty and support each and every individual to understand their role in making the firm a success.

If you are interested in creating a brand strategy for your firm but don’t know where to start, contact Cubicle Fugitive to learn more about how you can leverage the voices and skills of your lawyers into a formalized brand.