Drilled into our heads from law school is to work hard, bill lots of hours and provide high quality work. And, building a network of high quality relationships through various events, networking opportunities, and making a name for yourself – as in creating a personalized brand – wait, did anyone say there were still only 24 hours/day???
Look around, those lawyers who have managed to create and sustain a strong personal brand generate speaking opportunities, and visibility generally by attracting the right kind of attention to their expertise in a particular practice area. They managed to drill down on creating their personalized brand, and humanizing their services in a way that resonates with the right kind of clients.
What is a personalized brand? One of the best definitions I’ve heard was by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos “Your brand is what people way when you’re not in the room.” Branding is so much more than a pretty logo or great looking website, more importantly for lawyers is your voice, content and positioning of what makes you unique. 3 questions…
WHO are you?
HOW do you offer your services?
WHAT makes you unique/sets apart?
Building a personal brand requires a good dose of self-awareness and focusing in on your core values, assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and drilling down into your unique personal attributes. This is a very personal feat and requires introspection, discipline, and some time on the front end to create something that sells and promotes you when you’re not there to speak for yourself!
How important is it to brand yourself? According to a Google Consumer Survey, 96% of people seeking legal advice use a search engine, 74% of consumers visit your website or other online profile (LI) to take action, and
An online search is the most common way people find law firms.
To start building your personal brand in a meaningful way, here are the the foundational steps to get you started…
- Audit your search results
- Clean up any content that doesn’t fit your current image
- Define yourself and your personal brand
- Build an online presence that reflects you and your expertise
- Establish and follow a branding strategy and build out a consistent schedule
When you know how to answer WHO you are and HOW you offer value, you’ll have your WHAT that sets you apart clear! This is your personalized brand that shares something valuable with the world, and your most ideal clients.