If your professional success hinges on the perception on you as an individual more so that the name of the organisation you work for/with, then your personal brand becomes of crucial importance. This article looks at how barristers can start to develop their own personal brand.
How can you distinguish your law firm’s offering from that of a multitude of other law firms offering similar services at a similar price?
More than ever before, firms that provide legal aid need to find alternative revenue streams. In England and Wales, the effects of LASPO are still being felt. North of the border, the Law Society of Scotland are expressing concern about the proposed cuts to legal aid announced in December's 2016's Scottish budget. As such, law firms that provide legal aid services throughout the UK need to look at ways in which they can future proof.
New look, new approach, same focus on results.
The legal sector continues, in our experience, to lag behind other sectors when it comes to using the Internet effectively from a marketing and business development perspective.
Are any or all the items in the list below among your primary business objectives for 2017?:-
We were recently invited to attend a meeting in London with a well-respected law firm with a tremendous history of working on high-profile cases that attract widespread media interest. The firm’s reputation in the market in which they operate is well established and the clientele they act for and type of instruction they receive has undoubtedly evolved with the times. There is however one aspect of their business that hasn’t evolved, and with one eye to the future, they contacted us to ask how they could improve their online presence with a view to attracting more clients.
Increasingly, we find ourselves speaking to law firms that have an in-house marketing resource. Coming from an in-house law firm marketing background myself, I find it heartening that law firms are recognising the value of having in-house marketing support during these times of unprecedented change in the legal profession. I have worked with some incredibly talented marketing professionals within law firms, professionals who have achieved a seat at the top table of their respective firms and who consistently make a tangible difference to their firm’s bottom line. Increasingly, I’m glad to say, having spoken with many legal sector marketing professionals over the past couple of years, marketing within law firms is increasingly being viewed as an investment, not an expense.
Time stands still for no man, so the saying goes. This feels especially true for those of us involved in online marketing for the legal sector. While in my mind I’m still the same fresh faced Kurt Cobain wannabe as the kid in the baggy jumper, as I sit down to write this I suddenly feel rather old (because I am, my colleagues helpfully point out). Incredibly, websites, much like this photograph, have been around for 25 years (which is longer than some of our niche legal sector digital marketers!), while the first search engine was born in 1993 (Aliweb for those of you who are interested) and Google turns 18 this year. Remember a time before Google? Me neither!
As the legal sector continues to evolve and more and more law firms look to leverage the internet for the generation of new business, we continue to increase our resource to allow us to help our clients take advantage of the opportunities that exist online.
At the end of a week that began with me forgetting Valentines Day (again), I found myself in a meeting with a prospective client talking about how, in order to win online, they needed to view their website in much the same way as they view any relationship that is important to them.
We do apologise to our loyal subscribers about the recent lack of an update; it’s been a busy few weeks at Moore Legal Technology. We’re pleased to say that we are growing at a rate of knots, both client and staff wise. Recent client wins include several London based law firms covering myriad sector groups and practice areas as we continue to increase our footprint south of the border. We are very pleased to have grown in size to accommodate these new clients and welcome Kate Flannigan to our team.
Law firms throughout the UK and internationally are facing the same challenge – how to distinguish their offering from that of a multitude of other law firms.
If you are no different from your competitors then you are a commodity. In order to avoid commoditisation you need to be able to differentiate your services with something unique, something that is not easily copied by other law firms and which is valued by clients and potential instructing agents. It’s never been more important for law firms to identify their own unique message and shout from the rooftops about how they offer a better, different service than their competition.
A large part of my role involves me traveling from Glasgow to all parts of the UK. So far this year I’ve been as far north as Inverness and as far south as Southampton. Trips to London are becoming increasingly commonplace.
Just as 2014 was labelled “the year of content marketing”, 2015 has been called the “the year of video marketing,” (probably by somebody selling video marketing services I would imagine. I think I’ll start putting it out there now that the coming years will be those of online business generation for law firms!). I digress, all unnecessary labels aside, law firms, like any other businesses, require to find new and interesting ways to reach potential clients and video remains largely untapped in that regard within the legal sector. Read my new guide to video marketing for law firms including 5 top tips for video marketing excellence for law firms.
It’s been a busy time recently for the Moore Legal Technology team during which we have launched new websites for the following, among others:
I spend a significant amount of my working week speaking to law firms about their websites. Indeed, I recently gave a talk for The Law Society of Scotland on what makes an effective law firm website. I discussed how we see certain issues appearing time and time again, and opportunities missed in terms of not giving your website the best possible chance to generate lots of profitable new enquiries.
There are many people more qualified than us to give you advice about running a successful law firm and how to provide a better service to your clients – indeed, should you require the assistance of a top law firm ‘rainmaker’ we can certainly point you in the direction of one of the best.
Where we can offer qualified, proven advice though is in the area of marketing, and online marketing in particular. We are frequently amazed by how many of the law firms we speak to still don’t pay attention to their marketing.
Following our main guide to law firm branding, we have now published a new guide on law firm rebranding, answering the question "Is it time for your firm to rebrand?" It looks at the top 4 situations where you should be considering a rebrand and 4 instances where you probably shouldn't rebrand, together with rebranding considerations from a digital perspective. Click here to read the guide.
The legal sector continues to evolve at a rapid pace. New entrants to market, regulatory changes and the increasingly varied needs of clients means that if today your law firm is standing still, then most probably you are already going backwards. Below are our top tips on growing your law firm in the digital age.
