Law Firm Branding: A Best Practices Guide
By PaperStreet on January 26, 2022 in Branding Ultimate Guides & Best Practices Web Design Web Design Tips and Tools
Because law firm branding is so important, we’ve created this guide to help you understand the basics of branding, how to create one that stands out from your competition, and some key considerations for developing your brand strategy moving forward.
What Makes a Good Web Brand for Attorneys?
Your web brand is anything that improves your reputation and generates business. In the alternative, your web brand can ruin your reputation and cost you business.
So, what can go wrong? Well, too often, companies and law firms lack focus. They try to do everything and please everyone. Good marketing is exclusionary. Your web brand should exclude those you don’t want as clients, and target those who are potential clients. Stop trying to practice and sell in all areas. Pick a topic and focus your attention. If you pick a topic, one that you have passion for and knowledge in, you will succeed
Key Factors in a Strong Web Brand for Lawyers
So, what does it take to actually establish a good brand?
Below, we go through the key factors to consider when thinking about your web brand.
Differentiation
- Brand your firm as unique – avoid vague terms in your brand persona like “quality” or “we do it all.” Instead, showcase things like your unique leadership, market specialty, and heritage.
- Don’t make a service for everyone.
Tell a Story
- Tell a story to your audience – your story should highlight your values and the strengths of your services.
- Make your story true – while you want it to be engaging, your story must be true and non-contradictory.
Basic Communication
- Every interaction is important – this is true whether it’s on your website, on the phone, in a meeting, or via email.
- Domain – Pick a short domain name that will last. When possible, we recommend that you get a .com address.
- Email Address – Pick one that is easy to type and user-friendly.
- Email Signature – Use one in every reply and email sent. Put in your logo, address, and contact info.
Your Website
- Design something unique – Don’t just copy or use old templates. Highlight what makes your firm unique.
- Organize content – Make sure your content is organized into appropriate categories. This will allow you to focus your message.
- Logo – Make sure you have a compelling logo. Put it in the top left or top right of your site.
- Make your contact info prominent – Put near the top and at the bottom. Don’t make people work too hard to get to you.
- SEO – Optimize your site using SEO for top search rankings.
- Menu – Standardize your menu to allow for easy navigation.
- Don’t clutter your site – Don’t add too much to your page. Instead, focus the user on what you want them to see.
Analytics
- Install an analytics tool, such as Google Analytics, to track traffic, inquiries, and more.
- Keep reviewing them to improve your website.
Blog
- Focus, focus, focus – Pick what your practice area is and write solely about this topic. (For more on this, see our guide on content writing.).
- Add content regularly – Try to post weekly and, if you can, daily.321
- Communicate – Interact with others and respond to comments both directly on your blog and on social media.
Publish Online
- Email Newsletters – Create something on a regular basis to publish online and blast out to your subscribers.
- White papers – Create informative, in-depth articles to publish.
- Articles – Create shorter topic articles, like this one.
Develop Your Social Network Accounts
- Create accounts – sign up on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and/or Instagram
- Build your following and engagement – post your content and repost others’ (who are not your competitors). Interact with your followers.
Types of People & Brands: How They Apply to Your Marketing Plan
One helpful consideration while defining your brand is the psychological aspect of how your brand might be perceived. Taking a “big picture” perspective on your brand and thinking about the different types of people out there can help you define your brand strategy and marketing plan. We discuss this more below.
Types of People
The following are the main different types of people. By engaging all four of these populations, you will encourage them to interpret your brand messaging and act on it.
- Intuitive – These are people who are looking for the next, best thing.
- Thinkers – Thinkers focus less on feelings, and more on logic.
- Feeler – Appealing to feelers means leveraging endorsements and emotion.
- Sensors – These are people who are all about the facts and how they apply to their situation.
Trying to Brand a Commodity
Consider the following ideas/concepts to brand your services effectively.
- Identify – How do people already identify with what you’re offering?
- Personify – Does your brand resonate? What emotions are associated with your service?
- Redefine “normal” – Highlight something about your firm that stands out from the norm of what others are offering and emphasizing.
Helpful Tips / Facts
- Humans make decisions on almost no data. What does your website say about you?
- Because we make snap judgments, your “big picture” needs to be defined. What is your website about?
- You need to be authentic to back up your claim. Provide the data so the sensors and thinkers of the world can make their decision.
- We make split second decisions and resist change, once a decision has been made. When a visitor chooses you, they won’t recoil unless you give them a reason too.
- The color of your website says something:
- White = Purity
- Black = Luxury
- Blue = Leadership
- Purple = Royalty
- Green = Health, Nature
Six Reasons to Design a Website and Logo Simultaneously
Your logo and website go together like ham and cheese. It just doesn’t make sense to update one without the other. If you are considering a logo revamp in addition to your new website design, it is our recommendation that you do a redesign of both together.
In the infographic below, we lay out six reasons why you should redesign your website and logo simultaneously.
Suggested Design Practices for Good Branding
There are quite a few strategies to keep in mind when designing websites in alignment with your brand. The team at PaperStreet uses the following strategies on a regular basis. Below are some suggestions on these strategies along with some examples.
Large Photos
Most modern homepage designs have very large, high quality photos that reflect industries, practice areas, firm culture, locations, and/or a creative concept.
Testimonials & Reviews
Feature your clients’ testimonials, Google Plus ratings, and other reviews high up on the page in an area that draws attention and helps users see what service or results the firm has provided.
Icons
Illustrations in the form of icons can be used to highlight your key factors or bullet point features. This helps users quickly identify which topic is important to them and read more about it.
Large Call to Action
Display your phone number and any important action copy at the top of the website, such as “same day returned phone calls.”
Contact Form
Forms should be a bright color, with a simple call to action at the top of the form, such as “Get a free consultation. Fill out our form below.” Don’t let your form disappear or blend on the page with poorly designed fields and font choices.
Recognition / Accolades
Feature awards logos or badges, as well as recognitions your firm has received. Formatting them in a nice grid system offers a clean and organized look.
Establish a Compelling Brand that Sets You Apart from Other Law Practices
Here at PaperStreet, we know how complex the process of effectively designing and marketing a cohesive, engaging brand is. That’s why we have multiple experts on our team dedicated to this essential aspect of online marketing.
To connect with us and see how we can help your law firm develop a winning brand strategy, contact us.
