Five Steps to Effective Law Firm Marketing Positioning
In my last posting, we discussed the importance of creating effective positioning in your law firm marketing strategy.
Today, you will see a proven, five-step process you can use to formulate a solid positioning statement.
Not to be confused with a unique selling proposition for your entire firm, a positioning statement is specific to a particular area of practice, such as estate planning, product defect or personal injury law.
The goal of an effective positioning statement in your law firm marketing strategy is to clearly define what perception you want to instill in your clients’ minds when they think of how your law firm practices a particular area of law.
In the end, your law firm marketing positioning statement must be . . . .
- Unique – it must clearly differentiate you from your competitors and your other areas of practice
- Positive – it must create a positive image in the clients mind.
- Memorable – While your clients certainly do not have to know or recall the specific words you use to describe your unique position, the key ideas should come through loud and clear.
Steps to creating your law firm marketing positioning statement:
Step 1: Know and Understand Your Competition
- Names of law firms
- Names of their partners
- Which services they do and do not provide
- How much they charge (per hour, any retainer size)
- Who they target with their legal marketing efforts
- Approximate annual revenues
- Which law firm marketing techniques they use to find clients
- Growth strategies
Step 2: Know How the Top Three Position Themselves
Are they. . . .
- Elite
- Inexpensive
- The biggest firm in the region, in the field
- Highly-specialized
- Bi-lingual
Step 3: Know Their Strengths and Weaknesses
- Do they have a reputation for settling out of court or do they litigate more often than your firm does?
- What is their win-loss record?
- What do they do better than you do?
- What do they not do well?
- Where are they vulnerable?
Step 4: Identify What is Unique About Your Area of Practice Relative to the Competition
Once you know your competition very, very well, the next step is to use that information to clarify how you are
- Different
- Better
- Faster
- More responsive
- More experienced
- Smarter
Step 5: Articulate Your Position in Two Sentences or Less
When you are able to clarify your law firm marketing position in a concise manner, it is easier for you, your associates to remember it, articulate it, emulate it and use it to guide your law firm marketing messages.
That is where the greatest value comes. The result is a consistent, clear voice that guides your interaction with clients and your law firm marketing efforts.
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