There’s been a curious amount of discussion among law firm marketers, this New Year, about branding. When it comes to launching brand campaigns for law firms, the past two years have been as flat as the world before Magellan. It seemed as if everyone locked down the steering wheel and few boats left the harbor.

However, one seaworthy crew from a well-established Norfolk Virginia law firm, with roots back to 1918 and offices overlooking the lovely Elizabeth River and the world-famous Port of Norfolk, smartly set sail on their journey despite the gloomy outlook.

I had an exceptional opportunity to converse with the ever-illustrious, first-rate mate, Janet L. Davis, (JLD) law marketer at Kaufman & Canoles, P.C, last month after the launch of her firm’s fresh new branding and client service initiative that was in the making since 2007. The following summarizes some of the detailed information, she so generously shared, about how her firm developed core values and incorporated them into a firm wide brand identity that encapsulated what the firm stands for, and how that identity helps them focus internally. Perhaps her experience will give you some wind for your sails.

JN: What was the over-riding or critical event that caused you to revisit your core values and carry out a full-on client service initiative?

JLD: Kaufman & Canoles has always been proactive in regularly reviewing their strengths and weaknesses internally with their lawyers and staff, and compare them to other law firms in our market.  We continually conduct casual interviews with our clients to determine their satisfaction and recommend areas for improvement.  However, the key event was our new chairman’s commitment to branding as part of his vision for leading the law firm into the future.

JN: How did you get started?

JLD: In 2007 we conducted an internal attorney survey, using an online survey tool, to uncover their opinions on the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the firm. In 2008 we enlisted our marketing firm, OTTO, to conduct personal interviews with 20 select attorneys to dig deeper into their thinking, their personal vision for the firm and their opinions on various management and client service topics.

We began to recognize common themes and threads in what we observed and heard both internally with our staff and externally from clients. Using initial value statements developed by the firm, along with the insight from research and interviews, we arrived at 11 core value statements and a brand promise:  “We Can. And we will.”

JN: What happened next?

JLD: After further refining of the value statements through a newly formed Branding committee which consisted of key attorneys, the Director of Administration, the Marketing Director (me), and our CEO, Bill Van Buren, and with the help of our outside marketing firm, we distilled these 11 core value statements into three easy-to-remember ideals; integrity, stewardship and innovation.   We knew that these core values were important to the future of the firm. During the internal launch of our new brand we formally presented the entire staff with a brand architecture model providing a visual framework for the core values and brand promise.

JN: I understand that the branding campaign wasn’t limited to a new tag line, but also placed a high priority on getting the firm to buy into a new era of service.

JLD: Yes, we believe the core values must adopted by everyone in the firm from the receptionist to IT to secretaries to attorneys.   Each person has a specific and important role to play as they interact with our clients and their peers. So, we implemented GEM-Going the Extra Mile.  The GEM program recognizes staff members who adopt and personify our core values.  Any person can nominate any one in the firm and a prize and certificate are given out monthly to the winner.   Winners are photographed accepting the award and the photo is posted in the firm’s newsletter. The firm also has The Beryl Atkinson Award; given annually, with a generous cash award, to the staff person who exemplifies the firm’s commitment to client service.

JN: What do you consider the highlights of the client service part of your brand initiative?

JLD: Return calls or emails within 24 hours; give feedback and updates to our clients about their cases – sometimes regardless of whether they want them (i.e. Hunter Sims video ); and offer more educational seminars and newsletters for clients with the latest, relevant information for their business.

JN: What were some of your first obstacles?

JLD: Variety and diversity of opinion about what the new brand identity should look like.

JN: What are the ongoing challenges?

JLD: Successful branding can’t be completed and placed on a shelf. We continually look for strategies to reinforce our core values among staff and promote them consistently to our clients through our actions.

JN: How long did it take to get things going and how long did it take to arrive at a point where you felt you achieved your goal?

JLD: Once the momentum started, most people were on board and excited about the prospect of having a unified reason to be the very best law firm we could be for our clients and for future generations. The process took about 12 months.

Thanks Janet.  Visit www.kaufcan.com to see their BRAND new website. Check out the videos tab on the upper right utility bar. They’re some of the best I’ve seen!

Do you have a new brand roll out in your future? Let us know how it’s going…

I just got back from a little trip around the legal blogsphere and I was pretty surprised to find that A LOT of blogs written by lawyers and law professors don’t use Categories. What’s up with that?

Categories help readers navigate your blog.

As a blog reader, a blog without Categories is like a restaurant without a menu. Why lawyer bloggers aren’t including Category menus in their sidebar is a puzzle to me.

Categories are a navigational convention. Readers browsing a well-designed category structure will benefit from the organization and will likely stay on your site longer, read more content, and be more likely to subscribe to a feed.

I’m a big fan of Categories. They help me to efficiently cover a lot of real estate in the least amount of time. ProBlogger recently suggested that blog owners  watch a first time visitor read your blog. It is an interesting exercise that should help you understand what’s important to your readers and why and how they navigate your blog. If you were to watch me visit your blog for the first time this is what you’d see….

After I skim the post I linked to, I will rely on your Categories to learn more about you and your focus. Your Categories will help me to determine if I want to subscribe to your feed. If there are no Categories on your site, you’ll probably lose me as a reader because I will likely scan your blogroll and find something interesting there, and leave your site.

Archives? –Too much trouble. Search? -If I know what I’m looking for, A-OK. Calendars? –Like a box of chocolates, you never know what’s inside. Categories? –essential.

Don’t make me think too hard either.

I don’t want a zillion Categories – why bother. Here’s an example where it looks like  the blogger created a separate category for each blog post.  The Trademark Blog In all fairness, this blog is 7 years old. (WOW!) There is a lot of great content that covers a lot of ground.  However, it’s not a bad thing to retool categories every year.

I want the Category names to be clear, and I want them to be consistent –in tone and style. This eliminates guesswork, enhances my reading experience, and brands the blog in my mind.

I want the Category menu to tell me how many posts are in each category -that helps me to know which Category the blogger is more fluent in or passionate about. For a good example of a category list see Adam Smith, ESQ

Like newspapers have conventions making them easier to read, the best blogs will also follow some well-established conventions. One of those is Categories in a drop down menu on the right sidebar. Takes up less space than a list and is just as easy to use. I like an original and attractive blog face, but not a tricky interface -Category menu is in the right sidebar.

This blog, Crime and Consequences, changed the name Categories to Issues. No big deal, but it tripped me up the first time I visited.

Don’t give me a category that I can’t understand; e.g. Expressions of Cleverness.   Surprises are good when it comes to the prize in a box of cracker jacks, but not when I’m browsing your content and have limited time to do so.

Multi-author blogs sometimes use the Categories feature to separate out each author. Here’s an example: The University of Chicago Law School Faculty blog

A name tells me nothing about what I’m going to find within that Category.  It will probably lead me somewhere that I don’t have time to go so I leave.  I understand the practicality of the organization in the mind of the blog owner, but I personally think this is an ineffective use of Categories.

I don’t mind if you make your Categories into Pages. The Categories then become your primary navigation. It’s becoming more conventional, especially for blogs with very focused content. Using Categories as navigational architecture moves your blog into more of a traditional Web site. It replaces those non-descript  About Us, Practice Areas, Attorneys pages, and so on.

Two good examples of blogs that use Categories as Pages in the top nav bar are  Biker Law blog and Scotusblog.com

Categories, are probably more important to me than to most. (Maybe I’ll add it as a Category!)  The non-use of Categories takes me back to the days when law firm Web sites were new. Their interface just didn’t make it easy for the visitor to find real content.

I know this blog has readers, so what think you? How do you use Categories? Do you think Categories are as important as I do?

For those readers who fall into the small-town-upbringing category….Happy May DAY!

If your law firm Web site has decent architecture and a serviceable content management system, a face-lift or resurfacing may be just enough to get you through till the next generation of the Web hits the market.

If you’re having a tough time convincing yourself or your firm to invest in a face-lift, you’re not alone. Plastic surgeons are also wondering what to do in light of the down turn in elective surgeries.

Here are a few things you might consider to determine if the face-lift investment is right for your law firm:

1. What interactions are prospects having with your Web site?

It’s a fallacy to think that you “get” clients from Web sites. As I stated in Renovations Part I

Engaging someone to quarterback your legal needs is a high involvement purchase. It’s not like purchasing a book download for your Kindle.

Before signing the engagement letter, a prospect will do more than just visit your Web site. People use a variety of sources to find trustworthy information; including that which comes from the lawyers’ own mouths and from those they know, like and trust. Relationships.

There are a number of ways to gather that data.

2. Your can create a specific landing page with a call to action that requires the visitor to fill in a short, simple form. Call to action might be a give away something of value, a white paper, an audit of some sort, public domain cartoons they can use in presentations, anything that compels them to participate. Send them there via traditional marketing tactics; e.g. eNewsletters, advertisements, sponsorship events, etc. Make sure your page is optimized with key words to return high in key word searches and get some action from the general public.

3. Add a few questions in a client feedback form that draws out data about Internet usage and habits. Alternately, during a client interview ask your clients about what they do on the Web? What sites or services do they frequent to get their information? What kind of information do they go to the Web for? Do they read or read and participate. Do they buy stuff? How many hours a week are they on the Web?   It’s a short step from there to understanding the Internet usage of others in their industry that may be viable prospects.

4. Make sure you look at your Web stats a few days after submitting a proposal or going on a sales call. Did they go to your site? What pages did they visit? Did they download anything? Document that data and compare it monthly against client intake forms.

5. Use a service such as OpenTracker that shows you more than just the referring URL which may often be generic. It will convert the computer IP address to the name of the company. Who’s visiting you, what are they doing? How did they get there and WHY?

When you understand who’s visiting and understand what they want to know, you can determine if you should invest in an update to your law firm Web site. Key areas to update are:

1. Content. Reader friendly. Conversational. Benefit driven. Concise. Fresh. Contemporary. Key word rich.

2. Meta data. Title tags and page URL’s should be words, not code.

3. Design look and feel. Modern. Colorful. Clean. Simple. Avoid image cliches and flash.

4. Lots of resources. Content with links. Add blogs. Contact info in the footer of each page. Make it easy to find you. Good site search technology.

You may find that the perceived white elephant is actually a real work horse. Dress it up and you’re off to the races.

Can you add anything else to this list?

More often than not these days, I am speaking with law firms who are interested in renovating their Web sites –getting a face lift or adding search friendly content instead of rebuilding it. Makes sense.

Hey, many law firms and marketers are still skeptical that they “get clients” from their Web sites and hesitate to pour more money into a new one. Frankly, I’m still skeptical that a lawyer “gets” a client from anywhere except from their own wits.

Engaging someone to quarterback your legal needs is a high involvement purchase. It’s not like purchasing a book download for your Kindle. Before signing the engagement letter, a client will likely do a lot more checking on a lawyer than a quick browse of a Web page or two.

I previously blogged about the power of a referral in the development of new business, here.

People use a variety of sources to find trustworthy information prior to engaging a lawyer, including that which comes from the lawyer’s own mouth. Certainly their win/loss record is of interest, and certainly the number of successful deals they’ve done can be convincing.  It’s also pretty certain that you can’t underestimate the touchy feely stuff like presentation, demeanor, tone, and even chemistry.

So, if you think about it, a Web site can actually be a decent proxy for a referral. At the very least, it serves a purpose in the decision chain. I’m almost positive that even if Uncle John, the Mayor of Our Town, or a law school classmate refers a client to your firm, that prospect still does a search of your site to learn more about you.

Why wouldn’t you want that proxy to be as engaging and thorough as it can be? It hedges a solid bet in your direction if it is modern, well-executed, answers the right questions, speaks to the client, and represents your value proposition clearly and accurately without cliches.

Often these touch ups do not require an extreme make over. But, it is not a simple project either. It may cost less cash, but takes more staff and attorney time to get the messaging right and adjust the look and feel to the improved content.

If you’ve got decent architecture and a serviceable content management system, a face-lift or resurfacing may be just enough to get you through till the next generation of technology hits the Web.

There are more hidden gems in that pile of Web code sitting on your server. It just takes focus and creativity to make gems into valuable jewels.

I plan to write a follow-on post with suggestions on how to convince your firm to invest in the face-lift. Stay tuned.