In the law industry, branding is essential to demonstrate the value of your work and stand out from the competition. When law expertise is associated with a specific firm name or last name, it is most likely the result of a strong personal brand.
Personal branding refers to the strategic approach to establishing your brand through personality, colors, logo design, social media, and online reviews to create a memorable impression.
Personal branding for lawyers: why does it matter?
In my previous piece “Branding basics guide: Everything you need to know about branding for services providers”, I went in-depth into the extraordinary value of personal branding, no matter the field. Especially in an industry where people associate a name with expertise. Indeed, law firms are commonly named after their leaders, like McCarthy Tetrault. To create your branding as a lawyer, you must build trust in a specific field.
What is your best personal branding tip for black lawyers?
To help law professionals build an impactful brand, we compiled the best insights from branding experts and business owners. Here’s the 4-step plan for branding yourself as a black lawyer :
Lay the foundation for success
Find out more about your target
Shape your vision
Build something great
The 4-step plan to effectively build your brand
Step 1: Lay the foundation for success
Before building your brand, you must define a few things: how do you want to interact with your target? In what way do you want to showcase your expertise? Think about building a funnel, Your goals should be more precise as you reach the bottom. For instance, you can start with your area of expertise as a lawyer. Then, narrow the funnel by applying this legal expertise to a specific demographic.
Step 2: Find out more about your target
From there, you will be able to create your brand persona. A brand persona is very different from a buyer persona. While the latter relates to the individuals your firm wants to interact with, the brand persona indicates how they do so. Branding personas are essential to your strategy because it encompasses what people perceive in your brand every time they interact with you, your services or your content.
Step 3: Shape your vision
To create your visual and editorial branding, you will rely on key info about your target audience. Starting with primary colors that blend well with each other, then visual branding and messaging. Visual branding refers to all the visual elements used to represent your business from your logo to the font on your business cards. Messaging on the other hand represents how a brand communicates to its customers and highlights its value.
Step 4: Build something great
Once step 3 is complete, focus on creating something that represents your brand. A website, for example, is a good opportunity to showcase your skills, areas of expertise and core values.
6 advice to keep in mind for a successful roll-out:
No more than 5 colors
Keep your audience in mind while choosing your colors
Prepare a checklist for your website launch
Choose a set of platforms to spread your brand
Let your clients and leads know about your upcoming website
Have a consistent and clear message
The value of branding
When it comes to successful personal branding, I believe the plan needs to be driven by you. With the support of a few trusted advisers, you should be able to :
Have a branding on point! Which is essential to market your business
Be ready to market yourself and your business the right way (easily)
Identify the competitive edge you need to attract clients
Demonstrate pride of ownership
Have the best tools to turn leads into clients
Show up with confidence (no more excuses)
Looking at data from Ontario’s Law Society, accounting for 50 000+ professionals in the province, only 3.2% of registered lawyers are black. It’s time to shine a light on your business and share your expertise!