Law firms are (usually) not the most creative bunch, and those who work in the legal field are risk-averse, seeking to maintain neutrality, and don’t want to make false claims or engage in unethical advertising and marketing practices. This is why law firms keep it safe, and identifying your law firm’s unique selling propositions (USPs) might be a challenge. What makes you so special? Let’s dive into it:
Questions to Ask Yourself as a Law Firm
When it comes to law firm services, we hear the same stuff over and over about why your firm is fantastic, why everyone is so awesome, and it’s becoming redundant at this point.
- How can you stand out from the crowd?
- Are all your services the same?
- How do you send a message that connects?
- Why do you want to make people feel a certain way?
- What services do you provide that set you apart from the competition?
- Are they different? And if they’re not, what are you doing about it?
Brainstorming: This Elementary Exercise Can Bring Massive Results
Make a list of what differentiates you. If your list looks something like this: Our firm is excellent, we have an incredible team, we provide high-quality services, we are innovative and unique – these are all great qualities to have. However, every firm says the same thing.
This is a crucial question that shapes your marketing communication – how you communicate with your customers, what you become known for, it’s the lead magnet that attracts new customers, and in some cases, it can even become your slogan or mantra. A law firm in Minneapolis, for example, always plays kickball and represents all the sports teams. That is unique. They’re playing kickball because it has a special meaning for them, and they want to make a connection with it. You have to go beyond these broad generalizations and deconstruct them.
Getting Into the Crux: Let’s Break it Down
It’s critical to know why you’re high-quality, how responsive you are, how clients react to you, and what the client journey looks like. Consider how those clients find you when they are looking for a specific representation, service, or industry as you go through this process. What will set you apart from the crowd? People often get stuck right here and they can’t take it any further. Let’s break it down.
1) Great Team
When you say you have a great team, what do you mean?
Your team has a lot of experience, but what type of experience do they have? Perhaps your firm has more courtroom experience than the next 5 firms in your area, or your team is multi-generational and can provide perspective.
People have put their trust in you to do this over and over again to get results. You can do this because you have put the time and effort into your education and exposure to specific clients. Awards, reviews, and client testimonials are excellent validators of that.
2) Responsive
“We’re very responsive and won’t leave you hanging”. What does that mean in reality?
We guarantee that we will respond in 12 hours or we guarantee a 24-hour response. These are things that not every firm can say and commit to providing services that quickly. You can expand on that and say why you’re able to do that. It could be because you’ve put the processes in place to offer the services that your clients need.
3) Clients Love Us
Your clients love you and you are the most awarded firm. Why are you most awarded? Is it that clients love you or is it your success rate that becomes another USP?
Maybe you’re more successful than the next 10 firms combined. Say that in a way that resonates with the new clients that need to find and hire you. Take this moment to let your personality shine through because that could be a reason people want to work with you.
4) Diverse Team
What does a diverse team look like?
“We speak 20 languages amongst us which means we speak your language too.” Not everybody is saying that because it’s special to your team. That’s how you can uniquely sell. That’s how you connect with people – you speak their language. Firm Forward helps you identify and build on your USPs.
5) High-quality Services
What makes your services so high quality?
“Working with us is easy because we’ve found out how to get things done faster than anybody else, which means you can relax on the beach while we take care of the complicated legal work so you don’t have to.” That’s what a unique selling proposition looks like.
6) Innovation
This is something we hear all the time. How are you innovative?
“We were the first firm to go paperless in our city.” That sounds like something. Display your uniqueness. Don’t just say it.
7) Secure
Why are you secure?
“We’re more secure than anyone else since we’ve invested in a global network of safety for you. We innovate by utilising technology and developing processes that are best for the client, allowing us to accomplish work more quickly.” Spell out your WHY.
Painting that picture of what makes you uniquely you is a good way to connect with your audience and with potential clients. Firms are striving to figure out how to be more diverse, and sustainable now more than ever.
Are you doing something in your community that makes you unique?
Unique Selling Propositions For Law Firms Can Be Complicated. Shoot Your Questions!
We understand that it can be challenging, but make sure that you’re at least addressing your core values and sharing what’s different about your firm. What matters is creating something that resonates and becomes memorable.
This is meaningful for your firm and can make a difference when it comes to whether people choose you or not. If you need help with this – we’re happy to walk you through it. Reach us at solutions@firmforward.com via contact form. See you soon!