Act in accordance with what your brand promises

Listen to this article

In a tough economy, brand focus can help you compete.

As clients pull back budgets wherever possible, a well-articulated brand can help you compete for available pots of money. Whether developing a brand for an entire firm or branding an individual attorney practice, it all comes down to knowing what makes you different and valuable compared to the competition.

Once you know what value you bring to clients and prospects, then all that’s left to do is consistently articulate that message in every form of communication. Here are some things to consider as you develop your brand or, maybe, re-think the relevance of your brand.

A brand is more than a logo and a tagline. The brand represents your promise to produce a specified experience for your clients. A reputable brand allows clients and prospects to trust in you and what you offer, which allows them to say yes, quicker. And, maybe, even pay a premium for your services.

As you consider what your brand represents, ask the following questions. Who are my audiences? What does each think about my offer to them? Are there shared perceptions among different audiences that move them to act on my offer? Is my offer still relevant to them today? Will it be relevant a year or two from now? And, finally, can I deliver on my promise to them?

Once you have clearly determined your audiences, and answered these questions, you are ready to formulate your identity or brand in the marketplace. This is the driving statement for everything you do as a firm or individual attorney. FedEx, for example, is driven by being “the world’s most reliable overnight delivery service.” From operations to strategy, this is the guiding force for all FedEx does.

If FedEx employees face a purchasing decision between the most reliable package scanner and a lesser model, they know to buy the most reliable because it will help ensure what FedEx wants to be known for in the marketplace. If new business development strategists are considering entering new markets, they know to pursue markets where they can be the most reliable delivery service. Or perhaps a caveat to entering a new market calls for investment in faster planes, more reliable airport infrastructure or package handling systems to allow them to live up to their promise.

Now that you have positioned your practice for success by developing a relevant identity, you must determine what you want people to learn, feel and do regarding your offer. With this in mind, you develop the logo and tagline, which brings to life the desired perception with audiences. FedEx, for example has evolved its tagline from “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” to “Relax. It’s FedEx.”

Both taglines desire to instill confidence in FedEx’s ability to deliver on its promise. One tagline implies you can relax and the other blatantly tells you to relax. I suspect this came from a review of how the competition positioned itself in the market and a review of what customers and prospects found valuable or wanting in a delivery service. In our fast-paced world, one less thing to worry about sounds appealing.

Finally, we arrive at the narrative or story we will use to communicate your brand. Within three to five tightly written and focused paragraphs, your narrative describes the benefits of your offer. Please note this is not a story about features, such as having office space on the top floor of the tallest building. Unless features directly benefit your clients, features are nice-to-haves, whereas benefits are must-haves that result in clients’ affairs running more efficiently and/or effectively.

The consistent and repeated use of the messages contained in your narrative is imperative to successful brand development. Equally important, however, is acting in accordance with what your brand promises.

Karl Robe, APR, counsels attorneys and executives on communications strategies that support achievement of growth objectives and overcome business challenges. Contact him at Karl James & Company LLC by emailing [email protected].