Create a Professional Legal Brand Not a Legal Ad

The idea of having the "best" lawyer is something branded into the psyche of anyone hiring an attorney. However, the idea of using advertising techniques to create a complete professional brand is a new concept for attorneys.

Unlike the ads of the past that engendered the stigma of "ambulance chaser", the use of attorney multimedia branding helps create a professional image. Attorney branding is critical to an attorney's success because it simplifies the hiring process for consumers, it ensures continuing relationships and quality branding provides protection from competitive legal firms.

Creating an Attorney Brand

The creation of a quality attorney brand starts with an understanding of the firm's law practice. This helps to establish their client demographics. Client demographics play an important role in the areas of selecting advertising solutions such as mobile websites. Demographics also play an important role in Internet and local listings placement, selecting print advertising solutions and in the development of audio and video ads.

A successful attorney brand consists of a cohesive advertising and visual branding over a multiple media platforms such as Internet websites, video ads and audio ads direct towards the firm's demographic. Other visual branding factors for attorneys include selecting a color palate for the office, stationary, logos, business cards and developing a professional attorney website.

Attorney Brand Promotion

Developing an attorney multimedia brand with quality advertising solutions is the beginning of attracting public attention. Public relation solutions are also required to publicize the attorney brand without the perceived stigma of advertising. Attorneys can develop PR campaigns using informational audio ads, video ads and Internet listings to promote speaking events or when seeking pro bono work.

To maximized the benefits of PR, seek a provider who can offer multiple media platform solutions and assistance. For example, targeted direct marketing solutions, such as pay per call, can promote informational seminars. Targeted press releases to announce mobile websites or other firm events are also creative ways to use direct marketing solutions. These solutions help develop an attorney's reputation without the appearance of direct advertising.

Hire a Professional

Professional assistance is vital in the creation of a cohesive attorney brand image especially when using sophisticated advertising solutions such as audio ads, mobile websites, video ads and strategic direct marketing. Attorneys planning their multimedia brand image should consider hiring an advertising solutions provider that has experience in creating cohesive brand images using multimedia and print small business advertising.

Find the Right Advertising Solutions Provider

To maximize advertising dollars, attorneys should select an advertising solutions provider who also offers implementation services such as Internet and print advertising placement. Certain providers also offer management tools to oversee advertising success and customer response. An example of such a tool is AT&T Solution's Online Presence Manager that also tracks the competition's marketing.

AT&T also offers advanced solutions such as YP.com, the online version of Yellow Pages. They offer the ability to reach consumers who are locally searching for attorney services, as well as a more broad, national scale - a single ad on YP.com can reach over 68 million unique users. They are even able to target your ad to specific groups based on intender segments and using retargeted search data, instead of just isolated to geographic areas.

References:

[1] The Value of Brands: Evaluating Heineken's Global Branding Strategy

[2] AT&T Ad Solutions: Small Business

[3] "Fast Company Magazine"; The Brand Called You; Tom Peters, August 31, 1997