Here’s a recent example that caused me to laugh out loud, where the rest of my family looked at me like I was crazy.

In the 2013 “Dark Knight Court” episode, Bart is accused of a “crime” which he denies, and is put on trial before Springfield Elementary school’s Youth Court.  (The judge is former US Attorney General Janet Reno, and Bart later calls his floundering lawyer, sister Lisa, “Gloria All-wrong.”)  My favorite little slice of genius?  A grammar school court wouldn’t have Measuring Scales balancing their third-grade Justice.

What would they have?  Obviously…

A teeter totter.

Here’s the logo:

Come on, admit it – that’s awesome.

THE SIMPSONS tm Copyright  © 2013 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Lorne MacLean is likely British Columbia’s top consumer lawyer.  He grew his family law practice into one of Vancouver’s largest and finest practices (remember our award-winning wedding cake ad?), then diversified into other areas, including e.g. personal injury, criminal defense, and estate litigation.

Here are the two visuals we developed to describe his Estate Litigation practice, designed to grab the viewers’ attention and convey the complicated family issues which often cause clients to contact his firm.

Here, two interlopers are inserted between the patriarch and the family’s inheritance, i.e.: 

1. a young trophy wife, and
2. a pampered pet.

It’s funny, but according to Lorne, they’re unfortunately common occurrences, and he is seeing more of it in certain geographic and ethnic markets he is targeting.

And as a savvy marketer with a team of professionals who skillfully handle these issues, he asked us to develop an eye-catching advertising and marketing campaign and separate practice-specific micro-website to stay ahead of the issue, below.

]]> http://www.fishmanmarketing.com/tell-your-firms-story-with-pictures-like-this/feed/ 1 http://www.fishmanmarketing.com/is-your-website-a-247-cheap-suit/ http://www.fishmanmarketing.com/is-your-website-a-247-cheap-suit/#comments Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:00:15 +0000 Ross Fishman http://www.fishmanmarketing.com/?p=5534 Read more >>]]> Is your Website a 24/7 Cheap Suit?

A lawyer I know is obsessive about his appearance. 

He wears $2,000 Italian suits, starched white shirts with French cuffs, and has a personal shoe-shine guy come to his office every few days.  He drives a highly polished 7-series Mercedes he’ll only park indoors, and he hired a renowned interior decorator to ensure his office is perfectly appointed.  His mahogany desk could have small planets orbiting around it.

He clearly understands the power of appearing successful.

After meeting him, I looked him up online and found a seven-year-old, poorly designed, template website, with stock photos of columns, handshakes, and other typical marketing cliches.

Seriously, guys, it’s not that complicated.  Your website is available 24/7/365.  It’s the first place people will go after meeting you.  It’s how many of them will form or reinforce their impression regarding the quality of your practice.  They routinely admit that a bad website can remove a law firm from consideration.

If you wouldn’t wear a leisure suit or sit on beat-up furniture, consider — are you still using a “flea market” website? 

Here’s the website of ThompsonMcMullan – one of Richmond, Virginia’s top law firms.  Outstanding lawyers with an incredible client-service orientation.  Their clients say they go the extra mile every time — trust me, I talked to a bunch of them.  They’re Richmond’s Meritas firm, so you know they’ve been thoroughly vetted, inside and out.  The Marketing Director, Amy Smith, is one of LMA’s national leaders.  I could go on, but you see where I’m going here.

And when Amy called us to redo their branding and website, this green version is what their website looked like.  It was probably terrific when it was launched, but design changes fast online, and firms must ensure that their website validates the high-quality skills prospects suspect that you have when visiting your site to double check.

So we quickly identified outrageous client service as their brand message, designed an eye-catching visual platform supporting it, and developed a robust WordPress website that showcased all the good things about them.  A firm this good deserves to look like it.  Below shows the “After” version, along with other elements from the marketing campaign.

Now, with the branding materials supporting them, all of their lawyers’ marketing and business-development efforts work just that much better.  And when everyone’s rainmaking improves, so does the bottom line.

Ahhh, doesn’t a new suit feel better?  Of course it does.

C’mon, isn’t it time you gave Fishman Marketing a call? We’ll fix your website right up!

In this brilliant one-minute clip (click here), Mad Men captures precisely how Pitch Meetings can go tragically wrong, in any industry or organization.  And this definitely including law and professional-services firms.

Helpful ad executive Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss) has been persuaded to bring her significant professional talents to the flyer for a middle-school dance.  She pitches her expert creative work to two classic church ladies.

… who suggest changes.  De-provements, of course.

This hilariously painful excerpt shows precisely what happens when the client is not in a position to make a good decision.  Peggy’s muted reaction shots are wonderful.

These two old ladies (the event’s Marketing Committee) have no experience, are not the target audience, and can’t possibly recognize how good her work is.  But of course, they have no compunction about insisting upon significant revisions.  And once the first one expresses a concern, the second one jumps on board with her own, and the well-intentioned but equally inexperienced priest enables it.

Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, which to them feel entirely valid — regardless of their lack of expertise or foundation.

Here, Peggy wasn’t able to persuade her “clients,” the church ladies, that they should accept her opinion as the expert.  Clients won’t simply “take your word for it.”  I’ve never met a lawyer who would say, “I hate it, but you’re the expert, so we’ll do what you recommend.”  They shouldn’t — it’s our job as the subject-matter experts to provide them with the education necessary to make an informed decision.  It takes a lot longer, but it’s one of the most-important steps in the process.

A smart client is the best kind of client.  That is, if we actually have the right answer, the real solution to their problem, then someone who is sufficiently educated should recognize that.  So we have to teach them, to put them in a position to make a good decision. And only then should we show them what we’re recommending.

Fortunately, lawyers learn fast.  My mantra is, “Lawyers get it the first time, they just haven’t had the class.”

That’s why when we pitch a new marketing campaign or creative platform for a new website, I insist on being able to give them a PPT presentation in which I give them the education they need before showing them anything we’ve developed.  It only takes ~20 minutes – but it’s often the most-important 20 minutes they’ll spend in their marketing committee that year.

It’s what enables us to turn the website from an online brochure no one will read, into something that helps them take over the world.

From Season Two.

Video and images copyright (c) 2007 AMC Entertainment Network. All rights reserved.

You meet someone at a party or conference and she seems smart and skilled.  So you get her card and do the next thing people do, you visit her firm’s website.  Then you see this home page:

Does she still seem as smart as you originally thought? What do you think about this firm?  Are the lawyers tough? Smart?  Skilled? Is this the firm that’s sure to win the bet-the-company case?  What does their lobby look like? What type of building are they in?  They call themselves here “A top litigation defense firm.”  Do you believe them?

What schools do you think they recruit from? Ivy League or the local city schools?  Are they strong and powerful, or average, dull, boring, nothing-special?  Is this an A-tier firm?  Or perhaps a B- or C-tier firm?  Think - Do you have an opinion?  I’ll bet you do.

Now look at this home page.  Same questions:

Is this firm smart or average? Strong or weak?  Skilled or mediocre?  Dynamic or dull?  The real question is – DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION? 

Because if you have an opinion, then we can agree that marketing works.

Because it’s the same firm, just before and after the marketing makeover.  So, if you thought that one firm was better, smarter, tougher, or more skilled than the other, then you have been subconsciously influenced by its marketing.  You don’t know these lawyers, but you still couldn’t help but have an opinion regarding their respective quality.  Compare the two home pages below – see the point?

Both sites work just fine, but what made the real difference was the Marketing.   Hedrick Gardner is an outstanding litigation-oriented firm.  But the perception of its reputation and skill wasn’t created by the technology, you were influenced by the marketing.  Candidly, today, every agency offering websites to law firms provides roughly similar technology — because we’ve all created features in response to law firm demands.

The suite of WordPress features and functionality that we’ve developed for law firms is extraordinarily comprehensive.  Of course, NO client has ever said, “We’re hiring your firm because your website’s technology is superior.”  But clients routinely admit to excluding from consideration law firms whose sites convey a sense of mediocrity.   That’s just perception.  And perception is a function of Marketing.  (You can see the complete marketing campaign detailed here.)

Looking to upgrade your firm’s image, reputation, or website?

Contact Ross Fishman at Fishman Marketing today!

moc.gnitekramnamhsifnull@ssor   1.847.432.3546

I always thought this was one of the best examples of opportunistic and strategic marketing by a major law firm.

Jones Day’s Washington DC office apparently has a great view overlooking the US Capitol, because whenever there’s a major DC event, CBS News broadcasts from Jones Day’s building.  And every time they do, CBS publicly acknowledges the firm:

“And with the thanks to the Jones Day law firm for this incomparable view of the Capitol, I’m Scott Pelley…”

According to Cherie Olland, Jones Day’s terrific CMO, CBS has “a permanent installation on the roof of our building.”

Great marketing by Jones Day.

The firm gets recurring visibility with a huge national audience connecting them to major national events.  They look successful because of CBS’s implication that the building is in an extremely expensive location.

They likely have a carefully drafted and approved sign-off line, which subconsciously anoints the firm with the integrity and credibility of CBS News anchor Scott Pelley, who I think is among the best in the business, or whatever other CBS News broadcaster identifies them.

One recent example was the CBS broadcast of President Obama’s 2012 inauguration.  You can watch the brief clip here.

Video and photo (c) Copyright 2012 CBS. All rights reserved.

Lawyers love having their names in the logo.  Hey, who wouldn’t?  It’s the gold star, the brass ring, the highest honor law firms bestow, our industry’s Oscar.  But it can get ridiculous, as over time more and more names get added for personal or ego-driven, not strategic reasons.

Firms with more than one or two name have to abbreviate the name somehow, for simple comprehensibility.  Some choose to do so with initials.  And don’t get me started on how silly it is to use initials instead of selecting a name that people can actually remember.

Here’s “Ross’s Rule Re Law Firm Initials”:

“Unless you’re DLA, don’t use initials in your name or logo.” 

(OK, K&L Gates too.  But we’re still on the fence about “V&E” outside of Texas.)

Here’s an example of a firm that needs to have a hard conversation with 6 or 7 of its lawyers:

Really, guys? 

Before:

After:

When launching a new brand or website, I think it’s time for a party.

Some firms launch via memo from the marketing committee or managing partner.  What a wasted opportunity!  When we launched Hedrick Gardner’s new marketing campaign and website, their internal team really took it up a notch. Here’s the story:

Recently I wrote about the launch of the Hedrick Gardner “We Don’t Blink” campaign ( See “Smoothing a litigation firm’s sharp edges”), an aggressive new marketing campaign, ad campaign, and website for one of North Carolina’s top litigation firms.  Using a few inexpensive-but-impactful materials and giveaways, the in-house marketers created a series of festive events in three different offices that really helped get their people on board with the brand.

The marketing message is aggressive and shows that the lawyers are strong, tough, and confident trial lawyers, rather than paper-pushing “litigators.”

The tag line is “We Don’t Blink.”  Believe me, they don’t.

Here’s an example of the visuals (on the left), the firm’s dynamic managing partner, Mel Garofalo — one of the region’s top trial lawyers.

They look tough and strong; we spent a little more to get a great photographer.  But the roll-out party showed their collegial culture as well.  When shooting 15 different branding photos for the home page, the terrific photographer had the brains and expertise to shoot some candids as well.

Good photographers shoot what they’re told.

Great photographers see a great photo and take it. 

When rolling out a new logo, website, or marketing campaign, we typically recommend printing the marketing materials on the cakes (described here), which we recommended to the firm’s creative in-house marketers, Alyson Willisand Sara Snavely.  They took this a step farther, using the candids on the cakes — dynamic and charming Managing Partner Mel Garofalo grabbing his tie next to top partner Martha Surles.

On the Wilmington office’s launch-party cake, managing partner Erica Lewis is shown doubled over laughing.

(She burst out laughing right after shooting her “tough” photo, and the savvy photographer captured it.)

And, in the Raleigh office, a little Photoshop and frosting showed the Raleigh office’s new and former managing partners, Jeff Doyle and Tom Buckley, parodying 21 Jump Street.

Then they blew up the Mel-and-Erica shot and cut out the faces to shoot Comic Foreground photos. How many managing partners would agree to that?  But it added to the festivity and boosted morale – and that’s the point.  Smart. 

They also handed out cool “We Don’t Blink” sunglasses:

We launched the site in three offices, starting with a PPT presentation in which I explained the rationale and process behind our work, to get the entire firm educated and bought in. The more people understand the brand, the more they get on board.

The net effect was terrific parties in all offices that helped all personnel buy into the brand, with enthusiastic and well-received speeches by the managing and marketing partners to help boost morale and camaraderie.

Images (c) Copyright 2013 Hedrick Gardner

When launching an aggressive marketing campaign and website for a top litigation firm, we wanted them to be perceived as tough and strong, but still approachable.  Here’s how we walked that fine line, without weakening the campaign:

Hedrick Gardner is one of North Carolina’s top litigation firms — 100 lawyers with hard-core trial skills. They resolve their clients’ business, worker’s comp, and insurance matters efficiently, but are quite happy to pick a jury when the case or situation merits it.

Many commercial litigators are terrified to go to trial (I worked with many of them back when I was a litigator myself).  Deep down, they’re more likely to settle on the courthouse steps, to avoid going to trial.  Their willingness to take a case to trial gives Hedrick Gardner clients a big advantage.  This led to the “We Don’t Blink” tag line, and a variety of analogous headlines, like “We never back down from a fight.”

Here’s the new home page:

I absolutely love this firm and this campaign.

With art photography and in-your-face headlines, we show that the Hedrick Gardner lawyers are strong, tough, skilled, and confident. Marketing Communications Coordinator Alyson Willis (a wedding photographer herself) and Marketing Event Coordinator Sara Snavely supervised the chosen photographer to ensure the lawyers’ expressions walked a fine line – powerful, but not jerks. Fearless, but not mean. Direct, but not harsh.  This is important because we want to show prospects that they’re also friendly and approachable.

That is, you sure don’t want to oppose them at trial, but you’d be happy to grab a beer with them after work.

Here’s Tonya’s strong, confident, branding photo for the home page:

So, to reduce any possibility that the home page banners might convey to prospects that the lawyers are harsh, we asked them to smile in their biography photos, to show their genial personalities.  You know, just in case.

Here’s Tonya’s friendly headshot:

See the point?

Here are some juxtaposed comparisons, below: 

We think these materials are pretty powerful – dramatic and eye catching, but still appropriate for a law firm that had not done any previous marketing of this type.  This is a pretty big first step.

Nice job, guys. 

Is your firm “Committed to Mediocrity™”?

Tag lines are hard – a few strategically selected words that encapsulate everything you stand for and want your target audience to know about you. It’s the slogan that tells your own people how to act, what makes them different, and help them bring in business. Does your firm have one? Does it stand out? Is it unique and memorable?

Consider FedEx’s brilliant “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Nine simple words that tell FedEx buyers precisely what they’re going to get, while simultaneously informing all of its employees what their mission is, and its vital importance.

Law firms tend toward weak platitudes like “Committed to clients” or “Results Matter!” or “When Success Matters!” These vague “we’re totally awesome” statements makes a firm feel good about itself but aren’t specific enough for your lawyers or employees, or differentiating for your target market. They apply equally to nearly every firm in the market (when don’t results matter…?). They’re easy for a committee to agree on (“Good idea; let’s tell people we’re smart!”), but they don’t set you apart in a strategic way that generates revenue. What if FedEx’s slogan was “We mail things!”?

Would Nike be as successful if it allowed a marketing committee to red-pencil “Just do it” into “When you need great shoes”? How would BMW’s vision change if “The Ultimate Driving Machine” became “Your Car Matters!”

Here are law firm tag lines from the Feb-April 2011 issues of Inside Counsel magazine, a publication where many large firms advertise.

• National Firm. Midwest Value.
• Driving Business Advantage.
• The confidence to proceed.
• Canadian Lawyers.
• Deep relationships. Forward thinking. And not just one lawyer. A team.
• More together.
• Top of Mind.
• Singular focus. Outstanding results.
• Intellectual property law by the numbers.
• Driving Business Advantage.

Do you know which law firm is “More together?” Which firm gives you “the confidence to proceed” or “drives business advantage”? How does “Top of Mind” benefit a client?

Here are some examples of brand-related messages we’ve created that are clearer and catchier. They help define the firm internally and externally. They set the tone and help the firm stand out in a meaningful way. They give the lawyers something to say in new-business meetings when the prospects ask, “How is your firm different?”

They act as the platform for a larger campaign that helps the lawyers sell new business. It aids recruiting by defining the personality type and skill set of the laterals they should seek to hire.

Below are twenty law firm tag lines to compare and consider, that support a range of firms, practices, industries, and strategies. They are, of course, just a small part of larger campaigns, but their role can be significant in setting the tone, breaking the ice, and helping create a dialogue. OK, maybe they’re not the nation’s 20 absolute best law firm tag lines, there are some pretty good ones out there, but these are a pretty good start.

Two hours. Period.™

Laner Muchin, Chicago. The world’s most-responsive law firm. A labor and employment boutique where every client phone call is returned within two hours, even less in emergencies.

Seriously Unbelievably Client Service.™

Sandberg Phoenix, St Louis. The nation’s first firm to offer clients a written service guarantee. Their clients rate them an A+ in objective surveys.

Small but mighty.™

Novack and Macey, Chicago. A small litigation powerhouse with an amazing record of success at trial.

The Art of Law.™

Williams Parker, Sarasota, FL. High-quality full-service lawyers targeting a conservative tax and estate-planning audience in arts-oriented Sarasota, FL.

A law firm that really moves.™

Goldberg Simpson, Louisville. A dynamic, entrepreneurial, full-service firm.

Bigger is good. Smarter is better.™

Schopf & Weiss, Chicago. High-powered litigation boutique that beats larger firms by finding the uniquely creative, winning strategy.

Our name is easy to remember. Our work is hard to forget.™

Bryant Miller Olive, Florida. A finance-oriented firm using an “Olive”-themed campaign to generate name recognition (See www.bmolaw.com)

Putting Imagination to Work.™

Shefsky & Froelich, Chicago. An innovative full-service law firm whose culture teaches its lawyers to find the unique solution to its clients’ problems.

Product LiABILITY™

Carlton Fields, Florida. National products liability-specific practice campaign for prominent Florida-based firm.

Ready for Trial.™

Murphy & Hourihane, Chicago. Trial-oriented litigation boutique that declares that they are “Ready for trial” in nearly the first court status call.

Fewer Lawyers. Bigger Impact.™

Massey & Gail, Chicago/DC. Dynamic litigation boutique intending to stay small and highly skilled, with minimal leverage.

Bug Law™

Crosslin Slaten & O’Connor, Alabama. Full-service firm that targeted and dominated the pest control industry.

The Label is as Important as Your Wine.™

FB Rice, Australia. IP practice, brand-protection for the Australian wine industry.

Lawyers You Want to Know.™

Gordon Arata, Louisiana/Texas. Full-service firm with a friendly, client-oriented culture. They handle tough litigation cases, but their clients love them.

Extremely Floridian™

Gray Robinson, Florida. Full-service firm with statewide coverage, and a unique understanding of Florida.

For Litigation Results. Come to our House.™

Hinkhouse Williams Walsh, Chicago. Experienced litigation boutique, building name recognition around its unique name.

Built for Speed.™

Levenfeld Pearlstein, Chicago. Aggressive, full-service firm with especially dynamic leadership.

Vedder Price. Vedder Equipped.™

Vedder Price, Chicago/NY/DC. Practice-specific name-reinforcing campaign for one of the world’s leading Global Transportation Finance practices.

The Lettuce Lawyers.™

Noland Hamerly, California. Full-service firm’s targeted agricultural industry campaign.

We make the complex simple.™

Segal McCambridge, Chicago. National class action defense firm that emphasizes winning at trial by simplifying the issues for the juries in complicated cases.

Consider whether your tag line is equally applicable to your competitors. If it is, your marketing is wasting an opportunity. Take a step back, rethink your strategy, and focus on a message that helps you stand out and achieve measurable ROI for your marketing investment.

MAY 4 UPDATE:

Honored to have been picked up in Non-Sequiturs: 05.04.11 by the must-read Above The Law Blog:

“* Law firm taglines. If I had a firm, mine would be: “If I wouldn’t vote for you, I sure as hell won’t represent you.” But that’s probably why I don’t have a firm. [Ross's Law Marketing Blog]“