When holidays are around the corner, consumer marketers rev up their collective engines in the race for our dollars. And while the onslaught of advertising may be so deafening and intrusive that most of us will seek to avoid it, legal marketers should pay some attention. There are a number of things that we as marketers could learn some from the consumer side as we prepare our marketing plans for the coming year.
Consumer branding and marketing places emphasis on the emotional aspects of a purchase based on a product’s status or the target’s personal aspirations. Branding and marketing professional services, on the other hand, leverages rational buying decisions based on business values and objectives. The problem for law firms lies in that most seek lifetime relationships with both business and private clients, which means they often find themselves straddling the line between two traditionally different target audiences. Logic and rational decisions prevail over emotion in much of legal marketing, but often at the price of not being connecting with the law firm’s target audience.
Yes, legal branding and consumer branding exist in separate universes in regard to marketing tactics, audiences and objectives. Nevertheless, there are still principles used in marketing to consumers that legal marketers would do well to emulate—particularly when it comes to connecting with a target audience.
Engage your audience
The great adman David Ogilvy once said, “You cannot bore people into buying your product.” Unfortunately, far too many law firms seem to be trying to do just that with their marketing efforts.
To be fair, none of these firms is deliberately trying to be boring. What they are striving to convey is a certain amount of gravitas. Their messages are serious and reflect their knowledge of the practices and industries they serve. They want to be trusted advisors and partners, after all, so their messaging is communicated in the language of the courtroom and the boardroom.
The problem is, marketing is not a boardroom presentation or an argument presented in court. It’s speed dating—especially in the age of the Internet and social media. And faster than you can say, “We provide our clients with objective legal counsel and solutions to help them better manage their business objectives across a broad range of industries,” your audience will have moved on to more interesting pastures.
So, how can legal marketing be more interesting and engaging? We often tell our law firm clients to imagine they’re talking to someone at a cocktail party. Would they tell that person what their firm does in the same way they would in an office setting? Most would not (except, perhaps, for tax attorneys). In such a situation, it’s more likely that they would strive to be urbane, yet approachable. They would be glib and witty. And they would draw someone in by asking that person to talk about themselves. “Engaging the customer,” as it’s called in consumer marketing.
One law firm whose marketing approach has more in common with consumer branding than it does with legal branding is Morrison Foerster—or MoFo (www.mofo.com). Their url and acronym are obviously tongue-in-cheek, but what makes their message particularly engaging is their focus on the firm’s approach to serving its clients. “Imagine lawyers who are as interested in what you do as you are,” the firm’s website asks, and immediately you’re drawn in. Why? It’s not just because they’ve made it about the client and their needs. It’s because the audience is asked to participate. They’ve been made to feel interesting, and by doing so, the firm is interesting as well.
Be memorable
It’s funny how many law firm clients refer to iconic consumer brands when it comes to creating a logo, tagline and theme for them. “I want something our audience can recognize as uniquely us, something they can relate to, like the Nike swoosh and ‘Just do it.’” Yet what do they often end up choosing? “Delivering Legal Solutions,” or something along those lines. Delivering solutions, producing results and commitment to client goals—these are the “ante” into the game that every law firm possesses. Which means that basing your brand message on those principles won’t exactly make you memorable.
Now granted, it’s unlikely that your message is going to be as stirring as “Just do it” or “Don’t leave home without it,” but that doesn’t mean it can’t resonate. The best brands are memorable because they connect with the audience—sometimes on an emotional level, sometimes on a logical level, most often a combination of the two. Part of it is the “poetry” of the words and the design. But mostly it’s because the message creates a personality for the company or product that causes the audience to nod their heads and say, “Yes, I’m exactly like that.” The audience relates to the personality that the brand projects.
Law firms can achieve the same reaction from their audience by building their message on the philosophy or approach of the firm. Don’t start off by telling the audience what you deliver or solve. Start by saying what you’re about. Let the foundation of your brand message be about your firm’s philosophy, which most likely resonates with your target audiences’ beliefs, and it will stand out from those who simply talk about themselves and all the solutions they deliver. Remember, it’s about the client’s needs and not what you can do—which, unfortunately for you and your firm, a myriad of other firms can do as well.
Keep it simple
What makes consumer brands so memorable is that they stand for one thing. Volvo and Michelin promote safety. Campell’s soup is about comfort food. Apple is about user-friendly design. Burger King is about…well, I’m not sure what the freaky King ads are about these days, but they used to be about being “flame broiled” and “having it your way.” In contrast, many law firms try to say too much in their marketing. They try to solve too many problems for too many people, instead of focusing on one or two messages about what they do really well. This is especially true when it comes to their websites. Instead of trying to cram everything onto your homepage, focus on a few important messages. No one likes to read that much, anyway.
Embrace the new
Consumer brands excel at this. They’re always looking for the next new marketing vehicle to help them reach their target audiences. They were among the first to jump into the Internet, social media and mobile applications. Professional services firms, however, have slowly dipped their toes into those waters.
For instance, while almost every law firm now has a website, they have been relatively slow to jump into social media and mobile marketing. In fact, we’ve found that most of the time we have to push them in. Granted, consumer marketers use social media primarily as a means to generate sales. It allows them to announce new products and promotions with greater immediacy, as well as have one-to-one conversations with customers and prospects. For law firms, however, the objectives are different. Social media offers a way for them to stay in touch with alumni and, even more important, attract lateral recruits and staff to their firm. It also provides a forum for lawyer-to-lawyer discussions, many with in-house counsel participants, that can reinforce the human element of a firm’s position on a business or legal topic and drive engagement.
Admittedly, not every new marketing tactic will be applicable to the legal industry. However, with so many law firms proclaiming themselves to be innovative and up-to-date on the industries and practices they serve, it should also be reflected in their marketing as well as marketing tactics.
Generate loyalty
Both consumer and legal marketers strive to build customer/client loyalty. We all know that it costs more to acquire new clients than to retain the ones you already have, so establishing and maintaining good relationships with existing clients is just as important (if not more so). In the consumer arena, loyalty is often rewarded (some might say bought) with special pricing and discounts, rewards programs and promotions. Loyalty is about keeping customers and selling more to them. In the legal arena, loyalty is solely about building and keeping clients through a high-level of service and performance. Beyond being attentive to client needs, delivering on promises, providing positive outcomes for clients and offering greater predictability in terms of costs, there are a few other ways law firms can create a loyal base:
- Webinars and presentations. To demonstrate your industry expertise and thought leadership, consider hosting client-only webinars or presentations wherein senior executives learn about the latest legal developments or strategies affecting their industries. The same can be done for private clients, focusing webinars and presentations on new trends in estate and tax planning.
- Sponsor industry and community events. Invest loyalty where it’s been invested in you. That means becoming more involved by dedicating time and money into the industries and communities that your clients are in.
- Provide a client feedback loop. There is always room for improvement. Learn what your clients’ expectations are for any given case and act on them. Continue to gain client feedback throughout various phases of the relationship to determine where your firm excels or falls short. Not only does client feedback help elevate your levels of performance and service, it lets clients know you care about their opinions.
While consumer marketers are facing many challenges of their own, they’ve at least had many years to research and develop a good understanding of consumer marketing and branding principles. Legal marketing is still in the process of establishing a strong baseline in this regard. However, legal marketers can create more impactful and effective marketing and communications campaigns by adopting just a few of the practices of consumer marketers without fear of diluting their brands.
Reprinted from Marketing the Law Firm's The Business of Branding column, December 2010. Permission granted by the Law Journal Newsletters.
