Solos’ Secret Weapon: Personal Branding
Although being a solo practitioner comes with many challenges; one of the greatest advantages lies in being able to establish your firm’s culture. Building your brand is going to be an important part of growing your clientele.
Here are some tips for solos on how to successfully build your personal brand:
Get a website: Having a website is essential to establishing your brand. Your website will provide a snapshot of your practice to potential clients. It’s important to consider the messaging on your website. What do you want people to know about you and your practice?
Blog: Blogging is a great way to establish yourself as an industry expert. In blogging you are able to show your expertise on a wide range of topics or a specific area of practice. Growing your blog following can lead to referrals and help build your network.
Establish a social media presence: Social media is a huge part of marketing. It’s important to have a social media presence, especially on LinkedIn which is a great way to build your network and manage new contacts. Twitter allows you to share both content you’ve created and information shared by others. Once you have started your blog, your social media is a great way to push that content as well. The key in establishing your social media presence is maintaining it by consistently updating it.
Network: It’s not just what you know, but who you know. Building your network is very important. It’s a great idea to connect with other solos, as you’ll be able to help each other navigate the legal world. Networking will also help you build a rapport with your peers. This is your opportunity to give others insight into who you are as an attorney and as a brand; this is your chance to leave lasting impressions.
Get Involved: Joining associations in the industry is a great way to network and learn from others. As a solo, you will have to do a lot of multi-tasking in order to run your firm. Getting involved with associations such as the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) is a great way to learn marketing tips and connect you with vendors and others within the legal community who can provide valuable information.
Be yourself: As a solo practitioner, you are your brand. You are not only promoting your services, but yourself as an attorney. Clients are drawn to attorneys who are genuine and approachable. You are the voice and the face of your firm so be mindful of how you present yourself. Being yourself is the easy part, you will have plenty other things to worry about in running your firm.
As a Solo you are your brand and finding ways to effectively market your brand is going to be a huge part of the success of your firm.
For more tips on building your personal brand check out Personal Branding in One Hour for Lawyers, which is now available in our lending library.
Monisha Yowell is the Marketing Coordinator for Lawyers Mutual. Monisha connects Lawyers Mutual with our insureds and the legal community through the use of social media. You can reach Monisha at 800.662.8843 or monisha@lawyersmutualnc.com.
