5 Branding Components Your Law Firm Desperately Needs

The practice of law can be a cutthroat business—and if you want your law firm to stand apart from the competition; you’re going to have to invest in some branding. You’re going to have to tell a story about your firm; to provide a hook with which consumers can remember it. In other words, you’ve got to make your firm into one that your clients and potential clients will know and care about.

Effectively branding a firm is a big job that requires a lot of ongoing work. That work is somewhat beyond the scope of a simple blog post, but we can offer you a few tips for getting started—a few basic elements that no law firm branding campaign should be without.

What Every Law Firm Needs for Successful Branding

A name people can remember. If you’re working with a decades-old firm called Henson, Jefferson, Barowitcz, and Gore, well, that’s a bit of a mouthful. Don’t be surprised when clients have a hard time remembering the full name to recommend it to their friends. And no, you don’t need to change the name, but you should work on branding the firm with some sort of shorthand—whether you advertise the firm simply as Henson or come up with a zippy little motto, like “Henson When You’re Hurt” or “Henson for Your Family.”

An angle. Your firm probably wasn’t the first one of its kind to exist in your city—so what makes your firm special? Branding the firm means making sure consumers know what your firm stands for, what it represents. Maybe that means branding your firm as the Customer Service Firm. Or maybe it means emphasizing your legacy of expertise, thought leadership, and successful cases. Bottom line: Branding is about telling your firm’s story, so it’s vital to know what exactly that story is.

Thought leadership. Speaking of thought leadership, it’s always a good thing to provide potential clients with some evidence that you know what you’re talking about. That means exhibiting thought leadership, proof that you know your industry and you’re active in it. Publishing, blogging, e-books, even social media can be used to accomplish this. Make sure this thought leadership is reflected in how you brand your firm.

Visuals. Your firm needs a logo—or at the very least, a consistent font and color choice for displaying your brand name. You need some visual cue for your clients—something that, when it is seen on brochures, billboards, or social media posts, immediately conjures favorable impressions of your brand and what it stands for.

Culture. Finally, remember that branding is not superficial. You have to not only adopt a brand, but exemplify it in all your customer interactions. So, if you’re going to brand yourself as the Customer Service firm, for example, then you have to create a culture in which service really does come first. If not, you’ll be undermining your brand.

To learn more about branding your firm, keep tabs on the ACES blog—and check out some of the marketing resources we have to offer!