Nexa hosts East Midlands event on personal branding for solicitors
Nexa hosts East Midlands event on personal branding for solicitors
On Nexa’s behalf, I was delighted to host our personal branding for lawyers event in Leicester recently where we all considered whether, and why, personal branding is crucial for lawyers who want to win new business.
The speaker at the event, Ben Trott, is a leading marketing expert for lawyers. He is Managing Director of Marketing Lawyers and a consultant to a wide range of law firms, and we were all eager to hear his expert opinions.
Ben shared his thoughts on what a personal brand is and why it’s so important for lawyers, as well as giving us lots of useful tips and tricks for developing our own brands.
There was plenty of lively discussion as we debated the whys and hows of personal branding and we would like to say a big thank you to all our delegates who contributed to such a thought-provoking lunchtime event, with the bonus of some really valuable face to face networking too.
Here are a few of the key messages we took away:
A personal brand is your reputation when you are not in the room, it’s people’s perception of you both on and off-line.
Everyone already has a personal brand, but it’s all about standing out from the crowd and projecting your personality – why should a client choose you? What sets you apart?
Law is a relationship business – you need to be an expert in your field, but clients are more likely to instruct you if they know you and like you.
You can distinguish yourself in a crowded market by occupying a niche space.
Lawyers need to have a clear vision of who their target client is and to think about what they can do to help that person?
Ask yourself, what will a potential client think when they look at my website or Google me? Can they tell that it will be easy to work with me? Is it obvious that I go the extra mile for my clients? What is their journey to instructing me?
Build your brand by engaging with your potential clients, don’t just broadcast but add value and insight to what you are talking about.
Producing content (written or video) will help you build your brand. Don’t be shy about sharing your personality but don’t be too personal!
By gaining the trust of your audience you will strengthen relationships. People like to hear stories; case studies are a great way to build trust.
Align your values with your marketing – for example by talking about your about pro bono or other charitable activities.