The Business of Branding: The Brand Behind Business Development

After more than a decade of consistent growth, law firm profits began to plunge and layoffs and pay cuts followed close behind, so it's not surprising that law firms are now ramping up their business development efforts. When the flow of work slowed from a steady stream to a drip from the spigot, a realization set in: Many, if not most, attorneys don't know how to market. They need to be taught business development skills ' and fast ' in order to hold on to existing clients and meet prospects. But we believe something more is going on beyond just a commitment to generating new business. What we're seeing is not simply a change of focus from traditional brand awareness to business development, but a rise in an entirely new kind of branding for law firms.

In the past, law firms and the companies they represent marketed their brand through print, radio and television advertising, direct mail and e-mail campaigns. Now, RSS feeds, spam filters and recycling bins are making it even easier for people to ignore these perceived intrusions. The Internet, websites and social networking have ushered in a new era in marketing, one that is participatory, conversational and reciprocal.

Brand Ambassadors

Firms are still investing in their brands; in fact there is a renewed commitment to branding at law firms. Only now, firms are encouraging their attorneys to meet with clients more often and to become more involved in professional and industry organizations. Some attorneys are connecting with clients and prospects on Linked
In, Twitter and even Facebook.

s branding becomes personal in the legal industry, some firms are taking steps toward this new approach. For example, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, a 130-plus-attorney firm with offices in California, has committed to more client outreach activities and events. It has increased spending allowances for meetings with clients and referral sources, and opened these opportunities up to any attorney who is interested in business development.

Niles, Barton & Wilmer, a 30-plus-attorney firm in Baltimore, doubled its business development efforts by working with a handful of attorneys one-on-one. Not only is the program a success and already paid for itself in new business, it's also benefitting the firm in other ways. Inna Kolomiytsev, director of marketing, has seen “an increase in attorneys' confidence as it relates to business development and increased participation in traditional business development techniques like articles, referral development, and speaking engagements.”

Social Networks

Denise Nix, marketing and business development manager for Glaser Weil, an 85-plus-attorney firm in Los Angeles, says “about a third of the lawyers use LinkedIn strategically and regularly,” but she's struggling to get her attorneys to participate in other forms of social media networks, so there is room for growth.

Marketing professionals at other firms report having an easier time convincing their attorneys to take conversations online. Freeborn & Peters, a 120-plus-attorney firm in Chicago, is cutting back on traditional outreach like direct mail and print advertising to focus on getting individual attorneys to start connecting with clients and prospects through social media. Ian Turvill, the firm's CMO, encourages attorneys to start conversations through blogging, webinars and social
networking.

“Our analytics shows us that there is a strong correlation between visits to the biographies of attorneys in our firm who are very active online,” says Turvill. “But that is only the first step. Attorneys have to close the gap between 'lots of exposure' and 'lots of business' by converting digital activity into personal relationships.” To facilitate this part of the process, Freeborn has worked with business development coaches who have helped its lawyers make the most out of their efforts.

Gail Lamarche, director of marketing for Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, a 60-plus-attorney firm with offices in Florida, identifies social networks as an impetus for law firm branding. “The drive is that we want more face-to-face time with prospects and clients and social media is the vehicle helping us get there. Instantaneously you can share news and other legal updates, as well as photos and events. You can measure your effectiveness by looking at your LinkedIn shares and Facebook likes, as well as your Twitter retweets. If you have Google Analytics set-up, you can see the traffic back to your blog or website.”

Conclusion

During the boom years, high-performing attorneys had their own books of business that would go with them if they decided to move to another firm. In contrast, these new attorney brand ambassadors are building relationships with clients; identifying needs outside of their area of expertise; and cross-selling the services of other practice areas within the firm. With the new approach to brand building through business development, we anticipate seeing more clients become clients of the firm and not the guarded gems of individual attorneys.

Building that kind of solid client base ultimately depends on a firm's commitment to the relationship building inherent in building their brand. Cultivating an environment focused on supporting brand ambassadors and helping them discover new ways to spread the “story” of the firm is a great place to start.

Jeff Roberts is the founder and creative director at Moir' Marketing Partners, and may be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter (@jeffreymroberts).

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An interesting legal marketing trend has been gaining momentum recently. In conversations at events, articles referenced on Twitter, and commentary on blogs, presentations and webinars, marketers are talking more and more about spending less of their marketing budgets on traditional advertising and investing more time and money in brand awareness, attorney coaching and business development. The Wall Street Journal has cited research that says, “business development is one of the few areas of marketing in which law firm executives are most willing to increase spending. Nearly 70% said they plan to provide more marketing and business development coaching to their lawyers.”

Instead of placing print advertisements or other “throwaway” media forms, marketers are training their attorneys to be brand ambassadors and teaching them how to share stories about the value their firms deliver, thereby raising the firm's brand awareness.

What This Means

After more than a decade of consistent growth, law firm profits began to plunge and layoffs and pay cuts followed close behind, so it's not surprising that law firms are now ramping up their business development efforts. When the flow of work slowed from a steady stream to a drip from the spigot, a realization set in: Many, if not most, attorneys don't know how to market. They need to be taught business development skills ' and fast ' in order to hold on to existing clients and meet prospects. But we believe something more is going on beyond just a commitment to generating new business. What we're seeing is not simply a change of focus from traditional brand awareness to business development, but a rise in an entirely new kind of branding for law firms.

In the past, law firms and the companies they represent marketed their brand through print, radio and television advertising, direct mail and e-mail campaigns. Now, RSS feeds, spam filters and recycling bins are making it even easier for people to ignore these perceived intrusions. The Internet, websites and social networking have ushered in a new era in marketing, one that is participatory, conversational and reciprocal.

Brand Ambassadors

Firms are still investing in their brands; in fact there is a renewed commitment to branding at law firms. Only now, firms are encouraging their attorneys to meet with clients more often and to become more involved in professional and industry organizations. Some attorneys are connecting with clients and prospects on Linked
In, Twitter and even Facebook.

s branding becomes personal in the legal industry, some firms are taking steps toward this new approach. For example, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, a 130-plus-attorney firm with offices in California, has committed to more client outreach activities and events. It has increased spending allowances for meetings with clients and referral sources, and opened these opportunities up to any attorney who is interested in business development.

Niles, Barton & Wilmer, a 30-plus-attorney firm in Baltimore, doubled its business development efforts by working with a handful of attorneys one-on-one. Not only is the program a success and already paid for itself in new business, it's also benefitting the firm in other ways. Inna Kolomiytsev, director of marketing, has seen “an increase in attorneys' confidence as it relates to business development and increased participation in traditional business development techniques like articles, referral development, and speaking engagements.”

Social Networks

Denise Nix, marketing and business development manager for Glaser Weil, an 85-plus-attorney firm in Los Angeles, says “about a third of the lawyers use LinkedIn strategically and regularly,” but she's struggling to get her attorneys to participate in other forms of social media networks, so there is room for growth.

Marketing professionals at other firms report having an easier time convincing their attorneys to take conversations online. Freeborn & Peters, a 120-plus-attorney firm in Chicago, is cutting back on traditional outreach like direct mail and print advertising to focus on getting individual attorneys to start connecting with clients and prospects through social media. Ian Turvill, the firm's CMO, encourages attorneys to start conversations through blogging, webinars and social
networking.

“Our analytics shows us that there is a strong correlation between visits to the biographies of attorneys in our firm who are very active online,” says Turvill. “But that is only the first step. Attorneys have to close the gap between 'lots of exposure' and 'lots of business' by converting digital activity into personal relationships.” To facilitate this part of the process, Freeborn has worked with business development coaches who have helped its lawyers make the most out of their efforts.

Gail Lamarche, director of marketing for Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, a 60-plus-attorney firm with offices in Florida, identifies social networks as an impetus for law firm branding. “The drive is that we want more face-to-face time with prospects and clients and social media is the vehicle helping us get there. Instantaneously you can share news and other legal updates, as well as photos and events. You can measure your effectiveness by looking at your LinkedIn shares and Facebook likes, as well as your Twitter retweets. If you have Google Analytics set-up, you can see the traffic back to your blog or website.”

Conclusion

During the boom years, high-performing attorneys had their own books of business that would go with them if they decided to move to another firm. In contrast, these new attorney brand ambassadors are building relationships with clients; identifying needs outside of their area of expertise; and cross-selling the services of other practice areas within the firm. With the new approach to brand building through business development, we anticipate seeing more clients become clients of the firm and not the guarded gems of individual attorneys.

Building that kind of solid client base ultimately depends on a firm's commitment to the relationship building inherent in building their brand. Cultivating an environment focused on supporting brand ambassadors and helping them discover new ways to spread the “story” of the firm is a great place to start.

Jeff Roberts is the founder and creative director at Moir' Marketing Partners, and may be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter (@jeffreymroberts).

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