In Black And White : Legal Marketing Strategies & Insights : Paula Black & Associates : Law Firm Marketing, Branding and Positioning

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You can never be all things to all people. It’s important to recognize your target market and make THEM your focus.

This week we asked: My target market:

1. Is abundantly clear - 53%

2. Is somewhat clear - 47%

3. Is not clear to me at all - 0%

My Thoughts: It’s great that over half of you have a clearly defined target market. That’s a huge step in making sense of your personal brand. For the rest of you, take some time to look over your client list… then make a list of the dream clients you want to have. Market to them. In simple terms: market to what you want, not what you have.

Identifying your target market is an extremely important step in not only building your brand, but in all aspects of your marketing and business development. Here’s why: Once you’ve defined your market it makes it easier to speak to them. You can focus on what THEY want, what THEY value, what THEY look for in an attorney. Once you’ve identified those things you are better able to speak to them in their own language. Don’t tell them what you want to say… tell them what they want to know.

Some great advice from my friend Patrick Mead of Carter Newell: 

"Differentiate yourself through specialization and expertise. This takes time--be prepared to invest time in building your own sphere of excellence and then do the same things well over and over and over.” 

Black Pearl: Defining a target market is a basic principle of smart marketing. Here are two great pieces that focus on non-law firm examples... but do a great job of illustrating its importance. The first discusses the now-famous Apple iPad and its search for a target market; while the second is from Business Week and looks at an equally important group: the clients your firm DOESN'T want.
 

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Strong branding REQUIRES that you have a clear target market. In other words: any group, or individual (for that matter) that you need in order to succeed. Your homework for the week:  Sit down and think about who YOU want to gain business from. It could be fortune 500's, financial institutions, rocket scientists OR... other lawyers. Narrow your focus and see where you stand…

Question of the week: Do you know who your target market is?

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From Martha Stewart to Alan Dershowitz, all successful marketers need a verbal identity to illustrate what they stand for and how they stand apart.

The question this week was: I can verbalize what sets me apart:

1. In one sentence - 0%

2. In one paragraph - 0%

3. In a somewhat rambling way - 50%

4. I can’t verbalize it - 50%

My Thoughts: An even split between "rambling" and "can't verbalize it"... not so good! The questions for most of you become: What exactly do you stand for? What COULD you stand for? What makes YOU stand out in your firm culture? You may be the one with all the answers; the one that can make on-the-spot decisions; the one who takes on the toughest of cases; or simply the one who knows their clients inside and out. The key is to communicate that to the rest of the world…and especially to your target market (but more on that next week).

And if you don’t know what you stand for? Don’t be afraid to ask. Others who have worked with you might have a great sense of what makes you rise above the crowd, so take their comments to heart and see how it fits in with the brand you want to build.

Some great advice from my friend Jeff Kennedy of Martin Pringle:

“Always have a ‘30-second commercial’ ready in your mind, so when someone asks you what you do, you have a prepared response.”

Black Pearl: When crafting your message read “Made To Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath. They offer great insight on creating a message that will resonate with your market.

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This week we need to address the second step in defining your personal brand. The verbal identity. You’re not just a lawyer… you’re a specialist. It may be in criminal law, real estate law or immigration. How can you own a slice of your specialty? This is the time to verbalize the big idea that will resonate with your market. It may be a keyword or an original name, an approach or simply a point of view. What’s yours?

Question of the week: Do you know what you stand for?

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Whether it’s bow ties, a bald head or a signature pin, never underestimate the power of your visual identity… it can make you memorable.

This week we asked:
I have a clear visual identity or trademark…

Yes 0%
No  50%
Maybe 50%

My Thoughts: So, no one is clear and we are evenly split between uncertainty and no vision. Pinpointing what makes you memorable is the first step in using it to your advantage. I hope this conversation has opened eyes and encouraged you to find your own. Can’t think of anything? Ask your friends, family and colleagues!

As for mine? I always wear black. Everywhere, everyday, and to every meeting or event that I attend. And you can bet that people remember my name. That’s the power of a visual trademark. A personal brand means a package that may not be perfect, but is certainly unique. Think about the last time you met someone new—on first glance what would they remember about you? What makes you stand out?

Some great examples of linking a visual identity with a memory can be seen within the fragrance industry. I would be willing to bet that almost everyone reading this would be able to identify their favorite perfume or cologne simply by the shape of the bottle. Now close your eyes and imagine the smell of that fragrance. Got it? That’s packaging. On the people side there are more examples than I can even relay: think Larry King’s suspenders, Jackie Kennedy’s sunglasses, or even Albert Einstein’s hair (I bet you immediately recognized him--even in bobblehead form!). The key is to stand out from the crowd.

As my colleague John Genovese of Genovese Joblove & Battista says:

“First impressions are the most important, you'll never get to re-do a first meeting.”

Black Pearl: For those of you who watched "The Today Show" segments I posted on Friday (and if you didn't, I encourage you to go back and do so!), I thought I would share Martin Lindstrom's  book, Buyology. It's an interesting study on what influences our  decisions and shapes our taste ...  

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Research shows that it only takes two seconds for people to develop a strong first impression. Smart? Likeable? Trustworthy? And it’s all based on the visual. YOUR visual identity, your package, your trademark. Just like a trademark Tiffany-blue box or the bright red of a Coke can… you can create a memorable image as well.

Question of the week: Are you making the most of your visual identity?
 

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*Special Friday Post

While we’ve just begun our discussion on creating a personal brand, the ideas behind it have been around a long time. The best and most creative personal brand examples? Celebrities! I recently caught this segment on personal branding on The Today Show and wanted to share it with my readers. I think it’s a great introduction to the idea of a personal brand, and a great example of translating the visual and verbal trademarks we all have into business development. I hope you enjoy it!

PART 1:

PART 2:

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How do you create a personal brand? You make a commitment to do something every single day.

This week we asked: My personal brand is...

1. Crystal clear to me. 0%   
2. Somewhat clear to me. 8%
3. Needs some work. 90%
4. I haven’t thought about it. 2% 

My Thoughts:

Surprisingly, almost all of you who voted said your personal brand "needs some work." It's fine to admit that your personal brand may not be instantly apparent, it simply means that it's time to sit down and take inventory of what makes you stand out from the other millions of attorneys in the world.

As I said on Tuesday, creating and furthering your personal brand is an important part of building a foundation for all of your marketing and business development efforts. Not everyone wears black everywhere (but I do!), not everyone has worked with high profile clients (have you?) and not everyone is an expert in your field (aren’t you?). These are all basic elements of personal branding. The key is figure out how to make them work for you.

In my opinion there are 4 basic steps to creating your personal brand:

1. Create the package…your VISUAL identity
2. Stand for something… your VERBAL identity
3. Narrow your market…FOCUS, focus, focus
4. Increase your visibility… STAND OUT from the crowd

In the coming weeks we'll be discussing all four points in-depth. For now, as my friend Dr. Andreas Bittner of the German law firm Grützmacher/Gravert /Viegener says:

“Show your personality and charisma, it is not necessary to be always in line. We and our firm need to differentiate from other law firms and their art to handle business. In a people business we must show our individuality and not be afraid of it.”

Black Pearl: Those of you who are a little skeptical about personal branding will enjoy this column from The New York Times. It's a great first-person account of one woman's foray into the world of personal branding. My favorite quote? "If you don't brand yourself, Google will brand you." How true that is.
 

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We’ve spent the past few weeks looking at your firm brand. What it is, how it’s conveyed and what it means. Now I’d like to move on to another branding topic: your personal brand. We all know it’s not enough to simply do a great job anymore… you need a competitive advantage. Something that will make YOU stand out. YOU are your brand. Your personal brand will help you leverage your assets, strengths, expertise and experience. Forget what others think today—perception is reality, and if you can create a memorable brand you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

Question of the week: Have you defined your personal brand?