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GPSolo Magazine

GPSolo September/October 2024: Election Law

Three Steps for Launching a Strong Law Firm Brand

Kimberly Russell

Summary

  • Branding is the cornerstone of your firm’s growth and survival in a competitive landscape.
  • The foundation of your brand lies in visualizing your ideal clients.
  • Once you’ve identified your ideal client, the next step is figuring out how to reach them.
  • After setting the stage in identifying and reaching your clients, your firm needs to convert those clients into retainers.
Three Steps for Launching a Strong Law Firm Brand
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As law firm owners, most of us live in constant stress due to the scarcity of time. Our to-do lists never end, and there is always something else we need to do or learn in order to grow our practice. It quickly becomes a balancing act. We pick and choose what will be best for our bottom line in real time.

Unfortunately, one mistake that many law firms make is placing their branding and marketing on the back burner. In today’s competitive and accessible legal market, law firm owners cannot afford to overlook the importance of a clear and compelling brand. Your brand is your reputation. It is what attracts, retains, and keeps clients coming through your door. Branding is the key to expanding and scaling your practice. But because marketing doesn’t have the same legal implications as other business priorities (such as taxes or accounting), it is far too tempting for practice managers to procrastinate the hard, creative work of defining and clarifying their firm’s brand and marketing.

In this column, I will walk you through three critical steps to help identify and clarify your firm’s brand. The first step is identifying your customer, the second is reaching that customer, and the third is retaining that customer. We’ll also explore key DIY resources and strategies that firms can implement. I’ll also go over the outsourcing “tipping point” for marketing by showing you just how much time, money, and effort you can save by partnering with experts.

Step 1: Identify Your Customer

The foundation of your brand lies in visualizing your ideal clients. What do they look like? Are they an individual or a corporation or an agency or a family? How old are they? What are their biggest priorities? Where do they go to find information and resources?

If you are having trouble answering these questions, then there is an even more fundamental step you need to take. You must define your firm’s services. This was the most important step I have taken since starting The Russell Law Firm. Many practitioners or new firms lean toward the everything-to-everyone approach. It is a wonderful safeguard for initial business, but there is no quicker way to get lost and overwhelmed. Failing to identify your core services prevents you from developing your brand voice and will absolutely halt any business development. Creating a business plan is easy, and you can find a lot of great resources for free, such as this free workbook from the Washington, D.C., Bar Association.

Once I had a solid grasp of my services, I was able to clearly see my ideal customers—almost like they were sitting in front of me. I thought through their pain points, the kind of information they want to know, and where they’d be looking for it. This exercise not only clarified my brand but helped me tailor my services to meet my clients’ needs.

Resources for Identifying Your Customers

To refine your target audience, you can use a variety of resources, including client surveys, demographic research, or even online forums such as Facebook groups. Engaging with potential clients through these channels helps you understand their challenges, preferences, and needs. From there, you can fine-tune your services and marketing messages.

For law firms, demographic research tools such as Nielsen or U.S. Census data can provide insights into potential client populations. Additionally, joining professional groups on LinkedIn and attending industry-specific conferences can further inform your understanding of who your ideal client is and what they care about.

Step 2: Reach Your Customer

Once you’ve identified your ideal client, the next step is figuring out how to reach them. Marketing your law firm is not as simple as creating a website and hoping clients come to you. I’m not saying to forego a beautiful website. Instead, think of your firm’s website as your virtual law office. That is where your clients go once they are ready to sign up with you.

Before a client even knows to walk through your door (or visit your website), they need to know why they need you. To do that, you have to meet potential customers where they are—whether that’s online, at industry events, or through local networking.

When I started marketing my services, I thought about where my target clients would be looking for information. For attorneys, LinkedIn has been the most effective platform for reaching referral business. Google Ads and Google Local Service Ads are invaluable for clients actively searching for attorneys. For others, attending trade associations and conferences might be more effective. The key is knowing your clients’ habits and being present in those spaces—whether that’s physically or digitally.

Tools for Reaching Your Customers

To help firms efficiently reach their clients, there are several tools available:

  • Google Ads and Google Local Service Ads. These platforms allow you to geographically target potential clients who are searching for specific services.
  • Birdeye or other online directory services. A great SEO tool helps ensure your firm’s information is updated across multiple directories, boosting your visibility.
  • Social media platforms. Maintaining an active social media presence on platforms such as LinkedIn or even Instagram can help law firms connect with their audience. It’s also crucial to register and regularly update your Google Business Profile.

Step 3: Retain Your Customer

After setting the stage in identifying and reaching your clients, your firm needs to convert those clients into retainers. It’s a lot of hard work to do the first two steps, and it all goes to waste if you are not prepared to manage business leads as they enter your inbox. Often, clients will see your value, go out of their way to learn about your firm and services, but still take some time to finally sign that engagement agreement. Sometimes, engaged clients have wandering eyes. Effective communication and consistent outreach are key to building lasting client relationships.

In my own firm, I use multiple touchpoints to stay engaged with clients—whether it’s through phone calls, email newsletters, or social media. By offering valuable insights and remaining accessible, you keep your firm top of mind for clients whenever they need your legal services.

Resources for Client Retention

Tools such as Clio Manage and Clio Grow are essential for automating client correspondence and tracking your engagement. These platforms streamline the entire client relationship process, ensuring that no leads fall through the cracks and that your clients feel valued at every step of their journey. Clio also offers great free resources on starting your firm, developing a business plan, and creating streamlined processes for client management.

Keep customers engaged by sending out regular newsletters through platforms such as MailChimp with content that provides value to their lives. Beware: Newsletters have become so gratuitous because they are so easy to produce. You can quickly lose the goodwill of a client or potential client by clogging their inboxes with information that does not provide value.

Retaining customers also means paying attention to client feedback. Using tools such as SurveyMonkey or even sending out informal surveys through email can help gauge client satisfaction and areas where your firm can improve.

The Value of Professional Marketing Services

Now, I just outlined three steps of the many that create impactful marketing. Each step takes a lot of time and talent to do correctly. Skilled marketing professionals are just like talented lawyers: They make quality service look easy, like anyone could do it. Regardless, a lot of businesses think that marketing is easy enough to handle on their own. It’s similar to accounting or tax services. All these business practices are essential, and the DIY approach might work just fine when starting out. But in the long term, doing your own marketing, taxes, and accounting creates costly mistakes, wastes valuable attorney or paralegal time, and slows growth for the firm. A great way to mitigate these costs is to hire a professional service.

See these services as an investment in your firm’s future that will pay off exponentially. Marketing experts analyze your brand, assess your competitors, and implement strategies that are proven to deliver results. At my legal marketing firm, LegalEase, everything we do is data driven, and we analyze our approach every month to see how to tailor efforts to your goals. We also customize packages to fit firms (and budgets) of various sizes and offer free resources for firms still in the DIY stage to get them started on building a brand identity and creating a solid social media page.

Marketing itself is often misunderstood as something anyone can do with a few social media posts or a basic website. In reality, it’s the cornerstone of your firm’s growth and survival in a competitive landscape. Law firms are quick to hire professionals for accounting, taxes, or IT services—but they often overlook the need for expert marketing advice.

Branding Is Essential

Creating a strong brand for your law firm is essential for attracting and retaining clients in a competitive market. By identifying your target audience, using the right tools to reach them, and investing in long-term relationships, you can position your firm for success. Partnering with a marketing expert allows you to focus on what you do best—providing legal services—while ensuring your brand reaches the clients who need you most.

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