The Indian legal industry is growing and becoming highly competitive day by day. Now, more than ever, having a strong brand and setting oneself apart in this rat race is imperative. Key factors like increased competition, firm mergers & acquisitions, globalization, extensive need for greater client satisfaction, and changes to the regulatory landscape make engaging in branding and positioning initiatives essential to detail what makes your firm distinct, relevant, and yet authentic.
However, the road to successful branding and positioning for law firms have several challenges, and it is important to keep some considerations in mind when aspiring for successful outcomes by availing aw firm’s digital marketing services.
In the first four articles of the six-part series, we discussed the overall need for a well thought and planned strategic branding, positioning & business development, the importance of PR, media management through online marketing for law firms and lawyers the role of bespoke platforms in a firm’s branding & positioning canvas, and how important it is to it is for lawyers to write and publish. This part focused on using digital platforms to brand and position law firms.
GO DIGITAL
Well-constructed Law firm digital marketing scopes are vital in helping achieve identified business development objectives. A strategic approach to digital branding can help lawyers and firms stand out in an increasingly cluttered advisory market. Innovatively using digital scopes can help improve its brand and market positioning and enable the firm and its lawyers to compete beyond price. Law firm digital marketing strategy should be focused on developing client-centric content. This is an optimum way to become thought leaders and provide existing and prospective clientele with valuable, engaging knowledge. While all this may sound exciting, the challenge lies in identifying the digital scopes to focus on. Understanding and analyzing the right platforms and the best way to use them is critical to get the best return on digital branding investments. Developing a comprehensive online presence and leveraging social media platforms is becoming an essential marketing strategy for lawyers to effectively reach and engage with potential clients in today’s digital age.
GO PRO
Identify & Plan
Before getting started with online marketing for law firms, it is essential to identify the ultimate objective. Accordingly, one should draw up a plan, timelines, and milestones. Following maybe some of the goals to achieve through digital branding and positioning:
- Reach new prospective clientele
- Position the firm and its lawyers as thought leaders in specific practice areas and industries
- Exploring new industries connects
- Engaging with existing clients by being available and sharing knowledge beyond just the professional engagement
- Sharing firm updates and movements
- Connecting with peers and networking with referrals
SHORTLIST PLATFORMS
It is critical to understand each social media platform’s role and identify their importance concerning your plan, which can easily be achieved by availing law firm digital marketing services.
Website – it is a critical one-stop platform to get all the relevant information the firm wishes to put out for the digital universe. When considering online marketing for law firms, the website should include the history of the firm, details about the services provided and the practice specialization, key team members and their professional experience so far, and contact details. The website should also offer connected links to your other social media platforms like LinkedIn, blog, and others.
Blog – A blog is an important way to disseminate knowledge to the industry and clientele. It is the most apt medium to position the firm and its key lawyers as the thought leaders in their practice. However, it is crucial to understand that a blog is not just to post legal and industry updates. To position oneself as a thought leader, it is imperative to opine on the latest laws and regulations and discuss their impact on business inc. A proper blog can be structured with the help of a law firm digital marketing agency does.
LinkedIn – is a fantastic platform to connect with industry professionals and existing and new clientele. LinkedIn is a great networking platform that enables lawyers to share their firm updates and connect one on one with relevant industry connections to break the ice, exchange profiles, and create possibilities of discussions to explore synergies at law firm digital marketing. However, LinkedIn should not be used to bombard one’s connections with random updates. It is essential to understand the professional etiquette of this platform and play by the rules.
Other Platforms – the firm can certainly use social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but only from a casual interaction perspective. online marketing for law firms also includes posting about firm’s retreats and party updates, along with photos, on such platforms to showcase the light-hearted and fun elements of the firm and the lawyers, who may otherwise be known just as severe professionals to the outside world. A Law firm digital marketing agency can help humanize a firm and its people, but they should not be used as the primary medium for networking and professional engagement.
Stay Consistent – all these maybe exist enough to get started on digital branding. However, what is important to remember is to pace oneself and remain consistent. Your digital branding plan will fall flat and not have any impact if you do not follow through or become inconsistent in your updates and postings. Understandably, lawyers become busy when client matters take precedence, and branding initiatives like such take a back seat. That is why it is wise to connect with a branding consultant specializing in such mandates to work with you in realizing the firm’s vision and aspirations for branding and positioning. This will ensure that you achieve your branding objectives, digitally or otherwise, without compromising on client work.
Stay tuned to learn more about the success secrets of branding your firm.
I am the Principal Consultant at the Lex Witness Strategic Counsel Desk, an invitation based initiative, which caters to various entities who seek to create and improve their brand and undertake market activation strategies in the Indian legal market space. Much beyond the space of the magazine, the Strategic Counsel Desk aspires to provide a holistic framework for the firm’s positioning and business growth, primarily focusing on the strength in the Indian legal industry.
This article was first published in the Lex Witness August 2018 issue.