Simply put, blogging is the
process of branding, and branding is what you need.
McDonald’s, Blockbuster,
Coke, Apple, Google, Intel, Microsoft, and Betty Crocker all represent
businesses that have created strong, successful brands.
A brand, however, is more
than a single product, or just a company name. It is a shorthand businesses use
to connect with customers, or in the case of a law firm with their clients and
potential clients.
What I have come to figure
out is that these large corporations are not the only ones that need to take
advantage of developing such connections with the public. Law firms, and especially Third Wave lawyers,
need to do so as well. Having an
identity, an image and an expertise that is identifiable, memorable, and projects
the image, the reputation and the business description to the client pool you
are looking for is indispensable.
Brands create a positive
emotional connection with that client's products and services.
The reason that branding is
so important to law firms and lawyers is that strong brands typically command
higher margins. Clients will pay more
for the services they need. Further, if
yours is a name the clients’ trusts, like, and remember you will have to spend
less in marketing and advertising.
A strong brand builds
loyalty for the reason that clients and potential clients feel attached to that
brand and stick with that brand.
But what a brand represents
above all else is authority. It paints
you are the authority in your area and in your region. A sense of authority is built upon
information and knowledge and accomplishment.
So how do you build a
brand? Well, image is obviously
important. Logo, color and design
help. But what helps most is getting
your thoughts, your ideas, your knowledge, your accomplishments out into the
market place.
There is no better way to
do this than by creating, and maintaining a well written and updated blog, that
projects your image, and illustrates your authority in the field.
It takes time, but by and
large it is cheap.
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