According to a study, law firms with a strong brand can charge up to 50% higher rates than their competitors with a weak brand. What a "strong" brand is, how to measure it and what else you need to look out for: all the information is in this article.
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In the field of legal services, branding is often neglected. A simple lettering with the name of the law firm forms the logo, you choose a few colors, write a few lines with a conventional Google font and the corporate identity is ready. For everything else there is supposedly no money and no time. But this is only partly true: In fact, there is a lack of understanding of the benefits of strong branding. Everything else is a prioritization! With this article we want to change that and explain to you why your law firm should definitely approach branding actively!
The benefits of branding are many. Here are a few concrete benefits of a strong brand:
Your brand communicates your expertise, sets you apart from competitors and conveys your vision / values. A brand therefore has an essential influence on the implementation of the company strategy.
Your brand is not just a logo. Branding is a feeling of your clients. This feeling is shaped and influenced by every interaction with your firm. The brand is a blend of a variety of ideas, statements, strategies, products, behaviors, and visual elements. What a law firm is called and what its logo looks like is only a small part of branding. Corporate identity is much, much more!
A brand is therefore the entire "look and feel" of a company. Your brand consists of the entirety of how your target group sees you and talks about you.
Of course, such a holistic "look and feel" is not something you simply get with the foundation. Without a fundamental strategy, no brand will become a strong brand. The price advantage mentioned at the beginning will remain unattainable.
Essentially, a brand consists of two elements:
Especially in the legal market, people are aware of the importance of reputation in marketing. A good reputation usually results in referrals. We have already discussed the importance of referrals in our blog. Reputation consists partly of services rendered in the past. If these are of high quality, a corresponding reputation is formed. But this is only half the story. The communication and appearance of a law firm and its people influence reputation just as effectively. This part of reputation building drastically affects the credibility and recognition value of your firm - and that's without relying on past performance.
Of course, a good reputation is of little use if it is not visible. In legal marketing, one therefore often speaks of "Visible Experts" - the perfect combination of reputation and visibility.
The starting point for branding is the firm's strategy. How are clients and employees acquired? How does the firm differentiate itself in the market? What is the firm's value proposition? What resources are used to implement the strategy?
Essentially: The wording and communication of your firm's pitch. How the value proposition is communicated (in a way that's easy to understand). The tone of this messaging is essential to law firm branding.
Visuals, colours, shapes, typography, layout, logo, etc. All visual elements of communication play a central part in the attractiveness of the firm.
It is important that visual communication is not simply random! Many think: "It just has to look nice somehow". The corporate design must result from the strategy, i.e. on the one hand it must appeal to the target groups and on the other hand it must carry the identity, vision and values of a company.
In legal advice, the employees are the product. The clients pay for the expertise of the lawyers. Strong brands are created where the employees have understood the values and visions. They know what the firm expects from them and communicate accordingly.
There are several reasons why a company should improve its branding. If you can answer "yes" to at least two of the following questions, you should consider optimizing your branding:
Branding and re-branding in the legal industry is one of our core competencies. We approach projects strategically and put your brand on a solid foundation. Aligned with the corporate strategy and the needs of your target groups. If necessary, we concretize certain questions in the strategy and messaging with you before we proceed to the visual implementation.
If you have any questions concerning your firm's branding, please feel free to contact us at any time. I would be very happy to hear from you: tobias@headstarterz.com
HeadStarterz - We are at home in Basel and look forward to your visit in our well located office directly at the Rhine in the heart of the city in the tri-state area!
