Circumstances have required law firms to undergo a marketing revolution in the last few years, with changes to regulations governing how firms operate meaning we’ve had to build a new pipeline of cases and operate under strict cost per acquisition models to remain profitable.
Achieving this in complex markets has taught us a lot about what builds the reputation of a brand.
In markets such as personal injury or medical negligence, we don’t have the luxury of building a regular dialogue with potential clients. They only need us when unfortunate events happen to them or their loved ones. At this moment we need to not only be visible and understandable, but also instantly credible and trustworthy.
Also, being successful brings with it its own challenges. In professional services, even when you build a pipeline of work, you can only grow as quickly as you can recruit people with the right skills and experience. This means our employer brand is as crucial to success as our client brand.
We’ve also discovered that being the biggest and the best doesn’t automatically bring with it reputation and respect. You can’t build reputation just through looking inwards and growing your business. Engaging with key influencers and taking a sector-leading stance on hot-button topics enable you to shape the future of your industry and also earn the respect and support of your peers.
In working to meet such challenges we have come to realize the following truths:
1. You have to ensure your brand means something to all audiences
It’s easy to become blinkered, focusing solely on your main commercial focus, i.e. building a brand to attract new customers.
However, to create an authentic reputation you need to have a clear message that applies to all the audiences who are critical to your sustained success; including employees, potential recruits, work partners, communities and important influencers.
In doing so, you will find your credibility to that main audience also increases. When seeking out a brand to trust, clients want to see a three-dimensional portrait of an organization that displays many attributes and acts consistently in all circumstances.
2. You need to keep the message simple and straightforward
For those of us in professional services there is often a temptation to go into too much detail about what we deliver. Don’t overcomplicate your proposition. Be clear about the problem you address for people and the fact your solutions are useful and effective.
The key to this simplicity is avoiding the ‘professional’ detail – i.e. the technical know-how that may set you apart, but means very little to outside audiences.
Clients want to know you understand their circumstances and concerns and that you are able to help them. Build a brand that reflects their perspective on the world, not your own.
3. It means nothing if you don’t back it up with a service that (at least) matches the gloss
Once you create an expectation, the delivery needs to at least match, if not exceed, the proposition. This is crucial to maintaining trust and creating differentiation in crowded markets.
Building a brand and reputation needs to begin from the inside and work out. Decide on the aspiration you have for reputation, work to make that aspiration a reality and then reveal it to clients.
This is key to building reputation that can be sustained in the long-term. Adding a flashy brand to a distinctly 20th century law firm, for example, simply isn’t going to wash.
4. There are insights to harness online feedback from
Active listening, by analyzing online content and conversation, provides valuable insight into how audiences are reacting to your brand and service delivery. This is a technique that’s common to retail and hospitality, but totally new to professional services.
It reveals where the perceived reality matches your aspiration, but also where it is falling short. By feeding this real-time response back into the business, you can mitigate reputation risks and ensure better performance.
This also helps you better understand the impression new clients will receive when they research you online. In our increasingly digital and networked world, you are who Google says you are.
5. You must be engaged
The expectation on corporate brands in professional service markets has changed. People expect their leaders to be visible and vocal, getting involved in the topical issues that affect the wider wellbeing of their clients and community at large.
Audiences want to know your heart, as well as your head, is in your business and that you follow through on the values and principles your brand espouses.
The challenge of modern audiences is, ‘don’t just tell me, show me.’
