- The all-too-familiar navy blue suit. When lawyers look the same and sound the same, they receive the same disappointing results from their marketing and media dollars.
During this dog-eat-dog competitive world of attorney marketing, The Florida Bar Rules of Lawyer Advertising stipulates many mandates for how an Attorney can & cannot represent himself to the public. No celebrities spokespersons. No misleading graphics. No claims of specialization. The list goes on. But no where does The Bar state “All Lawyers must wear the same suit, say the same thing in the same manner on the same stations.”
Today’s legal marketing landscape has become over-cluttered with parity positionings that makes no one win the battle of consumer retention and top-of-mind awareness. (Well, that’s not totally true…the media companies are the ultimate winners.) Around every street corner, on every TV and radio station, and now even Social Media channels, Attorneys are clamering for consumers’ attention…yet they are going about it all wrong. And because most attorneys only advertise when business is down — and since the entire industry is struggling as a whole — this over-saturation and sea of sameness will go on for at least the next 24-36 months.
Why Branding Is Key for Survial for PI Attorneys
The purchase (or action) decision for someone who needs a PI Attorney is one of a reactive nature, ie: no one proactively researches Attorneys in anticipation of a future accident. It is a reactive decision based on a life altering incident; and usually this decision is further complicated by strong emotions, frustrations, concerns, and, of course, phsyical pain due to the nature of the accident. All of this points to the fact that retention and awareness is paramount for ensuring that a specific Attorney is considered during this dynamic and dicey post-accident period.
For these reasons, “branding” is more important than any other marketing rule for Lawyers who wish to capture maximum top-of-mind awareness. Consumers must be attracted and connected to something about you…your look, your rhetoric, your unqiue style…something that tatoos your name onto their brain so that in the case of an accident you are who comes to their mind for making an action toward obtaining legal representation.
See example of unique brand pesonality in text form for Steve Hoskins, Esq here: http://www.floridainjuryaccidentlawyer.com/should-i-contact.php#steve
Nothing Reinforces a Negative Image More Than Repetition.
Contrary to most Attorney’s marketing behaviors, a large media spend and lots of TV spots does not dictate or build your brand…it only aggravates consumers and creates a negative image for your name and your firm’s name. Last we checked, consumers do not like commercials. And they really don’t like boring and drab commercials from dapper dons who talk over them in their slick suits and fancy ties. Furthermore, in general, Attorneys do not have the highest popularity ratings from the general consumer. This means you must represent yourelf in a manner that is emotionally connecting to the consumer in a positive fashion. This emotion can be sincerity, trust, humor, physical attractiveness, etc. — something that engages your target audience which leads to awareness and retention.
The Lawyer Branding Sweet Spot
Your brand must be comprised of 3 segments which make up the foundation of your branding universe. These 3 segments are 1) your inherent personality, 2) the inherent personality of your target market, and 3) steering clear of any existing brand personality of your competition. The intersection of these 3 areas is what I call your branding sweet spot…
And with that, I will stop.
If you would like more intense information on how to build your brand, capture consumer awareness and subsequently boost your business, e-mail me at chris@atenadvertising.com to arrange a meeting at your office.
Chris Aten
Legal Marketing Expert, Aten Advertising
www.facebook.com/atenadvertisinglegalmarketing