This is an excerpt from an interesting article titled: Learn From the Big Guys: Tested Marketing Tips Work for Law Firms, by Janet Ellen Raasch from the National Law Review's Website.
The article quotes branding consultant Gerry O'Brion.
All too often, law firms believe that their brand is what they think it is. Rather, they must understand that their brand is what clients think it is.
The article is long but worth the read and has some simple analogies that I enjoyed, particularly this piece about finding a point of differentiation.
O’Brion used the example of an auto repair shop that branded itself as servicing all makes and models of cars, with little success. When the shop realized that much of its work came from servicing Audis and VWs, it changed its message to specialize in these makes of car and business tripled. Customers wanted to go to a shop that specialized in solving their particular problem.
“Successful branding boils down to just one thing,” said Gerry O’Brion. “You must be different from your competition in a way that clients value. Big brands thrive by continually refining their understanding of what their customers value and by consistently delivering their messages in a way that stands out from the competition. Law firms can do the same.”
You can be an attorney. You can be an attorney representing all businesses, everywhere. You can be an attorney representing hospitality businesses in Colorado. Or you can be an attorney representing restaurant clients in Denver. If you are a Denver restaurant owner, which lawyer will you choose? The sharper you focus, the better your brand and the more-profitable your business.
See? I told you it was good.