Law Firm Branding: Crafting Your Brand Image
|
February 19, 2019
Think of your firm’s brand image as the person we want to bring to life. A brand image is crafted from doing research into your current market bases, potential markets, and internal perceptions. We craft the brand image following an intensive research phase. Not only do we want to study the market and users, but we also need to study the law firm and how their employees and clients view the firm’s strengths and weaknesses.
Below is an overview of our process and the steps involved in defining a firm’s brand image.
Research Phase
As a marketing company with the goal of branding a law firm, we have a lot of questions to answer. We want to base your law firm’s brand on actual data and analysis, not just a hunch. We need to dig deep and discover who the market is, where your law firm stands, and how we can engage with that market. What differentiates your firm from other law firms? Where is there opportunity? These are questions we need to answer in the research phase.
Market Research
We want to discover and then define the current community where your law firm is established. We also want to look at potential markets and how to expand your brand into these markets. We want to define and answer:
- Who is the current market? What are their hobbies, interests, and overall demographics?
- Who are your current clients? How do they perceive your law firm?
- What are the needs and desires being considered when your services are sought out?
Company Research
After defining the market, we want to see where your law firm can position themselves for ultimate success. In order to do so, we need to discover who the current brand of the law firm is. This includes:
- Identifying company values and goals.
- Assessing internal strengths/weaknesses.
- Comparing against your competitors.
- Identifying where your firm can bring the most value for clients.
Unique Selling Proposition
Once the research is done, it’s time to bring together the analysis. We understand your market, your internal perception, and where the competitors stand. With this knowledge, we can define your law firm’s unique selling proposition. This is when we define what actually makes your firm different and how we can position the firm to your potential clients.
Brand Personality
It’s time to start bringing the brand to life! Based on the research, we need to determine the brand personality. This will reflect the brand’s messaging, identity, attitude, and overall how the brand will be perceived from here on out. We take our findings and then select the appropriate archetype that lines up with our completed research.
Selecting an Archetype
Archetypes were created by psychologist Carl Jung, and in marketing, we use them to define how we will create a deep connection between your law firm and its users.
Defining the Brand Image
This is where we tie each of the above items together. We’ve done the research and agreed on a brand personality that will reflect your law firm’s unique selling proposition. This brand image will be laid out in the first part of your branding book to use for marketing purposes. It will define your brand personality, tone, messaging, and brand essence.
Brand Essence
The brand essence is the heart of the brand. Based on the personality defined, it’s time to write out to the world who your law firm really is. We want a finalized version of what makes the brand beat. Here we write out the values, mission statement, and vision statement.
Brand Identity
Our next step is to visually create your brand based on the image we have developed. Once we’ve crafted the heart and soul of your firm, it’s time to bring it to life.