4 Visual Ways to Get You and Your Practice Noticed

Admit it, you like words. You’re in good company, since many lawyers worldwide generally love speaking eloquently and making sure our paperwork is weighty in terms of sheer mass, not just serious subject matter. After all, why stop at one word when a compilation of words can drive your point even more clearly.

But if it may please the court, there’s more to being an enchanting lawyer than demonstrating decent oratory skills. Visual components are interictal in providing an effective and long-lasting impression on your recurring clients. The human brain can recognize and compute a visual image within 13 milliseconds, so visual imagery must be strategically applied to grab your audience’s attention right away.

Like any modern businessman or businesswoman, part of the modern profession includes making sure your clients come back when they need future representation, and that you’re constantly bringing in new ones. This marketing aspect of the legal business can be a challenge since it’s usually not something that prospective lawyers ever trained in.

Part of this overall marketing effort includes defining your “look,” which is the visual image you want the world to see, or at least local residents looking for representation. If they see poorly-designed ads, or worse, no ads at all, they may assume that you’re lacking in other areas.

Here are some visual strategies for making sure your marketing efforts pay off.

• Include your face. There are probably dozens of lawyers in your area trying to attract attention. But if you’re the only one who shows who you are, you could become more recognizable. Make sure you have images in different positions, such as in a courtroom, behind your desk or in the community, always wearing professional attire. Your expression can also help define you and your style of law – are you super serious with a big scowl? Are you cautious and neutral with no expression at all? Do you want to come across as cheery, upbeat and ready to fight for your client?

• Convey the same theme/voice in all your promotions. Use similar fonts, colors and logos for everything from your site to your advertisements. This consistency can effectively help build your brand. If you give yourself a catchy nickname, “Dr. Defense” “Enchanting Lawyer” make sure it’s referenced wherever you appear.

• Engage, educate and entertain through social media. Having a page that you occasionally update isn’t good enough anymore. Experts now suggest at least two updates a day at minimum on larger sites like Facebook, and even more often for networks like Twitter and Instagram. Figure out ways to engage your readers, such as questions or stories, but also post plenty of photos. Maybe your support team. Maybe a closer look at your office. Maybe your family.

• Use the right tools. Creative lawyers can come up plenty of ways to advertise on everything from traditional media like newspaper or TV, to alternative outlets like benches and billboards. In the online realm, there are plenty of plug-ins and methods to extend your reach and keep track of your activity. Post Planner helps you schedule social media updates. TweetDeck helps organize posts over different platforms. Tailwind helps you keep track of Pinterest, including when best to pin something.

We’ve all heard the adage “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Images representing your brand can actually create a lot more than just discussion, they can generate a positive or negative light of your firm in the eyes of your current or prospective clients. Have you gained brand visibility from a specific visual image strategy? What challenges do you have with providing good visuals? Graphic design? Call to actions? Thank you for sharing your story below!