Your personal brand should be a big part of your law firm branding strategy
As you build your independent or small law firm, your personal brand should feature prominently in your law firm branding strategy.
If you create a strong and intentional brand strategy early on in your firm’s growth, it will save you time and energy in your marketing efforts later.
As National Law Review notes:
“A strong personal brand differentiates you in the market, enables you to establish yourself as a leader in your industry and gives you a competitive edge.”
When potential clients see your face rather than an impersonal logo, they begin to connect with you and trust you from the beginning.
What is personal branding?
In short, personal branding entails an intentional and strategic effort to show the world your personal values and strengths.
As HBR describes:
“It is how you want people to see you. Whereas reputation is about credibility, your personal brand is about visibility and the values that you outwardly represent.
You have the power to define your brand by aligning your intentions with actions. That is, changing your decisions and behaviors to influence how others see you and to help them connect both emotionally and intellectually to the image you hope to portray. If that image aligns with the opportunities you want, then you are more likely to secure them.“
That last line underscores the importance of embracing your personal branding effort. Whether you love the spotlight or not, how the outside world perceives you and your value as a lawyer will help you find clients who match your vision and goals.
How to cultivate a personal brand
Personal branding takes time and a multi-pronged approach. Here’s how to begin:
- Whether you know it or not, you have already developed a personal brand. Take a moment to type your name into a search engine and see what pops up. If the engine can’t find your name or buries it three or four pages deep, you have some catch-up work to do. Read whatever you find that’s associated with your name. Do these results reflect how you want others, especially clients, to see you?
- Next, reflect on and write down what you want your personal brand to represent. Not sure where to begin? As outlined in this article, try brainstorming the 5 Cs: Comptence, Connection, Courage, Character and Credibility.
- Work on visibility. Personal branding means showing up as the expert in a variety of settings. Speaking at events and conferences, publishing articles and teaching fellow professionals can help elevate your reputation as a highly qualified professional in your practice area. In-person networking and attendance at industry events can also help you stay top of mind in your market.
- Create content. From feature articles to blogs and social media posts, you have several options for sharing tidbits of your experience and wisdom. Choose platforms that resonate for you and focus on one or two key content strategies.
- Help others. Perhaps nontraditional advice, but placing your focus on others and how you can help support their businesses or careers can bolster your brand. Thinking in terms of collaboration and support helps deepen and solidify professional relationships. When you take the focus off you, people begin to experience your values in a different and more authentic way.
Each interaction you have, whether online or in person, has the power to develop your personal brand. Most importantly, be you. People will be able to sense when you show up as your true self.
How personal branding supports your firm’s brand
Clients do business with people, not firms. While your law firm should have its own business identity and reputation, clients want to have a sense of the people behind the brand. In an independent firm, that’s all about you.
Especially for small law firms, clients expect a more personal touch and a high level of client service. A strong personal brand will help them understand the kind of relationship clients should expect when working with you and your firm.
In many cases, your name and personal brand will become the primary source for referrals and reputation. Your firm name and brand will often play an important, but secondary, role.
