The average consumer paints attorneys in a bad light; whether they’re personal injury, mass tort, class action, or otherwise. You’ve heard the stereotypes; arrogant ambulance chasers with dollar signs in their eyes. Working in the mass tort space, Broughton Partners has found that to be far from the truth. As Crisp so handsomely depicts, the work that attorneys do can be life-changing, financially liberating, and provide closure. Unfortunately, a few unsavory attorneys have made a bad name for everyone else. Stereotypes about attorneys make their uphill battle even steeper and engrains distrust in the system. Learn about three ways to overcome those stereotypes and generate confidence in your brand.
Importance of Branding
To your clients, your brand communicates what they’ll receive when they work with you, known as your brand promise. Your reputation communicates the proof of what you can do. Crisp is remarkably well versed in this practice, and their video content shows it. Crisp believes in setting your firm apart from others, and they do this by creating captivating video content. Here are some tactics for most effectively building your brand promise and reputation.
1. Let the People Do the Talking
It probably comes as a surprise to most attorneys that word-of-mouth is still the main driver of cultivating a successful brand. People want to hear from people, not from companies. There is an inherent trust that is generated from testimonials. Make a habit of collecting reviews and testimonials from client cases that have been won. This organic content that can be utilized on social platforms, websites, and other forms of media. Testimonials also enable you to avoid the attorney stereotype of being deceiving.
Crisp knows this to be true better than anyone. On their website, Crisp dedicates a page to testimonials of their work with attorney clients. Attorneys have witnessed the authenticity of Crisp and shared their glowing reviews of the experience. A firm can say they are reliable in a million different ways, but that doesn’t instill trust. Happy clients, on the other hand, will do the hard work for you to generate confidence in your brand and a trustworthy reputation.
2. Prove You’re Not On Autopilot
Often when people need an attorney, they’re in the middle of some of the most stressful events in their life, such as divorce, death, accidents, or lawsuits. The last thing they need is to feel like they’re just another case to profit from. Attorneys can be perceived to be unsympathetic and monetarily driven. This stereotype can be avoided by presenting yourself on a more human level.
Make sure to display compassion to your client during their difficult circumstances. Listen to them closely and communicate in a clear manner in order to make them comfortable. All digital correspondence should be presented as if it’s coming from a real person and not an automated system. During stressful instances, people want to feel heard, understood, and taken care of.
Crisp allows attorneys to show their support and compassion for their clients through the use of video content. Showing the people behind a business is essential to conveying authenticity and relatability. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told law students that they should try to use their degree to “make things a little better for other people”. By showing compassion and genuine care for your clients, you can advocate for those that can’t advocate for themselves, and in turn you can associate trust with your brand.
3. Be the Piccasso of Problem Solving
Perhaps the most important thing that attorneys do is help their clients solve complex problems. In most cases though, the toughest problems require the most creative solutions. Attorneys do not merely work by the book, they also evaluate those problems with a creative mindset. Thinking outside the box is essential to making sure all avenues are explored when searching for a solution.
Contrary to the stereotype, attorneys are not always looking for the easiest option. They work in the best interest of their clients and tailor their creativity to suit every situation. These solutions are often very future-facing, as attorneys help assess and mitigate risk to prevent problems on the horizon. Leave your client knowing that you’re in their corner, and that your brand is there for them to lean on.
Put Stereotypes in Their Place
Professions in the legal system come with some baggage. Attorneys are subject to stereotypes and mistrust. When building a strong brand, attorneys should work towards defying the stereotypes placed upon them. They can do this by offering testimonials of their good work, connecting to their clients on a more personal level, and by providing creative solutions to the most complex problems. Broughton Partners and other clients will be joining Crisp at their Game Changers Summit Conference on November 5 & 6. A reinvention of what it means to be an attorney is long overdue, and by implementing these practices, we can finally put these inaccurate stereotypes to rest.