This article originally appeared in Irish Legal News. You can find it at Glenn Reid: How solicitors can build a personal brand online.
Developing a personal brand allows solicitors to differentiate themselves from their competitors and stand out in a crowded legal marketplace. A solid reputation can attract new clients and facilitate career advancement.
Unfortunately, many of the brightest legal minds remain unknown because they have yet to put themselves out there.
This article offers some practical tips on how solicitors can begin to develop a personal brand in as little as one hour per week. There are many ways this can be achieved, for example, by attending networking events or acting in matters that attract media interest. However, for the purposes of this article, I’ll look exclusively at digital tactics.
Be consistent
We all know solicitors can become swamped from time to time (Ok, most of the time) but long-term success will be aided through the exercising of consistency when it comes to personal branding.
Set aside just one hour per week and aim to do the following.
Write blog posts and case studies for your firm’s website
Solicitors should write blog posts and case studies to establish themselves as thought leaders in their respective fields. By regularly sharing their insights and expertise on legal issues through blog posts, solicitors can showcase their knowledge and credibility, thereby building trust with their audience.
Case studies, on the other hand, provide a powerful way to demonstrate a solicitor’s ability to handle complex legal matters and achieve successful outcomes for clients. Case studies are part of a social proof strategy (qualitative), alongside proactively encouraging public testimonials (quantitative).
I would recommend producing these two forms of content in equal number if you can.
Write both in the first person and make sure to include your name in the opening and closing paragraphs. These should both be linked to your website profile.
If your law firm’s website is not capable of publishing blog posts and case studies, know that many of your competitors are already benefiting from these.
Ask for online testimonials
Ask your clients for public reviews on platforms such as Google Reviews, Trustpilot and Reviews.io. Third-party platforms such as these add credibility to a review and help others see it. Be bold and ask your client to mention you by name in their review. I appreciate that this might feel a little awkward at first, but you can approach it in a dignified manner.
Use a design tool like Canva or Adobe Spark to create an eye-catching graphic that contains the review and an image of you.
Build an audience
If you do not have an audience, and most lawyers do not, then producing content for no one to consume is like yelling into the wind. So, start to think about how you can increase your reach. LinkedIn is an excellent social media platform to get started. I would recommend sending out no less than 25 connection requests per week. Use LinkedIn’s filtering options to find people who resemble your ideal client, local journalists and those who you feel would be valuable to your practice.
Any solicitor can build their own brand
Taking the time to develop a personal brand online can be a game-changer for solicitors but, a reputation will not be earned overnight, nor will the number of people who are aware of it. However, with some discipline, patience and consistency, any solicitor can build their own personal brand.
Speak with a legal marketing consultant
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