Is it time to stop talking to everyone?

Learn how you can capitalise on an area of expertise by building a sub-brand, according to Martin Whincup, associate director at Berwins Solicitors.

“So, who’s your target client?”

“Well, everyone. Anyone could need what we can do at some point in their life.”

It’s a conversation that, at some point in their careers, most marketers have had. In many ways – especially for full-service law firms – it’s an understandable response. Everyone should be making a Will, any company should be looking at their employment contracts and most people, at some point in their life, will need a conveyancer. In many ways it doesn’t matter what demographic a prospective client falls into, or the sector in which a business operates. Everyone needs that advice.

Except any decent marketer knows that it does matter. Because, while you could act for anyone, it doesn’t follow that you would want to. Even if you did, it’s an impossible task to try and appeal to them all. That’s why the right response is – “let’s dig a little deeper”.

Digging deeper

Whether they realise it or not, most of those in the “everyone” camp, are already engaged in some form of segmentation, perhaps derived from their geographical location or the area of law they practise. There is, however, more digging to be done and for a law firm, that usually comes down to one of two headline factors: business sector or individual demographic.

When considering sectors, it’s important to ask where your target clients are based, what size company you would like to work with, how many employees they have, what level of turnover are you comfortable with and where they are in their business lifecycle.

For individuals, again ask where people are based but also think about wealth, age, employment status, interests, and concerns.

In both categories though, consider:

• Are there enough of these targets out there?
• Is there sufficient demand for legal work?
• Can I win and do the work profitably?
• Do I, or my team, have the expertise necessary to do this effectively?

If you have a satisfactory answer to each of these questions, then ask yourself one more:

• Will my targets want to work with me?

Speaking clients’ language

You may have created an exciting product offering that meets your clients’ needs, but it’s of little value if you can’t persuade those you want to work with that you can deliver for them. That is where effective marketing and, at the heart of it, brand is invaluable.

As a full-service law firm, at Berwins we work with a range of clients. There’s nothing unusual about that. What is unusual, however is the deep expertise we have in the tech and digital space. Through strong relationships, networking, and business development, we had built a solid reputation in the tech community, but a recurring comment – often after a visit to the firm’s website – was “but I don’t want a Will.”

In short, the main brand was not entirely helping to position us as specialist lawyers for digital businesses. Here, we considered our options and came to the decision that a digital sub-brand was an important step to overcome that issue, build the sector and convince prospective clients that they very much did want to work with us.

The basics

A sub-brand is a secondary identity which a business can utilise to position a specific product or service. It will usually have its own personality, identity, and a distinct tone of voice, all of which will align closely with client needs and expectations.

The sub-brand can tie closely to the parent brand – in the case of Berwins Digital, logo elements are similar, but colour and context are key points of difference – or the brand can be a free-standing entity, linked, but different.

Reaping the rewards

Stepping outside the confines of your main brand can offer flexibility and the ability to better hone in on demands of clients and prospects. In short, a sub brand can help you to:

• Engage directly. When acting for a client, a good lawyer will seek to understand their needs, act accordingly and speak in a way the client understands. Marketing the same product should be no different – that’s why you can never market to everyone. A focused sub brand can give you the ability to speak in a way which may be alien to the rest of the firm but is highly relevant for your targets.
• Explore new markets. One of the standout benefits of a sub brand is that it allows you to promote your business in markets which may not, traditionally, be your natural environment. Imagine inviting a lawyer to a networking event. They arrive in a twin set and pearls – perfect for entertaining the high-net-worth private clients they usually deal with. Except the event is for tech startups. In a world of trainers and t-shirts, you have to adapt and when you can’t adapt, there’s no use in pretending you can.
• Build trust, loyalty, and credibility. Aligning with your clients’ goals is far more than simply having great content or relationships. Wording can be forgotten and the lawyers who hold the relationships can depart. Setting a standalone identity allows you to build an asset which transcends this and, if carefully nurtured, becomes the trusted source your clients come back to.

Getting your fingers burnt

As with any new initiative, there’s a chance of failure. You must be prepared for that and the possible negative impacts, including:

• Harm to your existing business. Reputations matter – especially for law firms. So, if the new initiative, perhaps launched with great fanfare, flounders there will naturally be a risk of reputational damage.
• Spiralling costs. One of the surest ways to avoid failure is to have a realistically resourced strategy, but make no mistake, brand building can be expensive. That cost goes far beyond simply setting up and launching a brand and must extend to maintaining and developing what you have created. It’s important to be realistic about this, especially as it could mean diverting resources from other more established areas of the business.
• Structural changes. Just as budget may need to be carefully managed, so must internal structure and communication. That could mean change, perhaps in deployment or reporting, but it’s important to ensure that the change is carefully managed to avoid the risk of creating a silo which starts to compete with the rest of the business.

Getting things off the ground

So, you’ve decided that you’re not in the business of working with everyone. You’ve defined who your targets are and designed an outstanding product they’ll love. You’ve created a business plan, secured buy in from the firm and the budget to make it happen. What next?

Ask yourself again – will my targets want to work with me?

For all the excitement something new can bring, it’s important to be clear that you’re not just innovating for the sake of it. If you’re convinced that isn’t the case and can see a clear business benefit to building a sub-brand, then there are a few steps to consider.

• Position your brand. Clearly set out where you’re trying to be and where this sits in relation to both your current brand and competitors operating in this space. Remember also that you are creating a sub-brand – a part of your existing organisation – so there should be a very definite point of connection here. The chances are that you have a different legal (or perhaps other professional) service in mind, so keep that strong. If, however, you’re thinking of opening a doughnut division, it may be time to re-think your strategy.
• Get creative. Use the position you are seeking to own and combine it with the understanding you have built of your target market. Work with creatives to build an identity – likely including a logo, imagery, and associated assets – to bring your vision to life visually.
• Make sure the experience matches the hype. If you’re going to build a sub-brand which is all about deep expertise, make sure you’ve got some experts. If you’re all about service, train your people and get them to buy into the vision. In short, if you’re going to make something exciting and new, it’s essential that you live up to it in everything you do. It’s the only way to effectively build that trust, loyalty, and credibility.
• Talk to the market. We all get things wrong, get caught up in the excitement of a new venture, lose sight of what matters. So, before you launch – perhaps even before you create your offering – speak to some trusted voices in your market. Get their take on what you’re producing and take it on board.

• Launch and maintain. Once you’re ready to go, take your sub-brand to market. Use a predefined marketing plan to enable you to do this effectively and within any time or resource constraints you have. Once it’s out there, focus on maintaining both your new creation and the established brand – that cannot suffer simply because you have something new to look at.

Sub-brands can offer a valuable tool to penetrate new markets and strategically grow your business. Though, they do take time, resource, and careful planning, which must be matched by effective execution.

If this is a development which will work for your firm, be very clear about what is needed to succeed – and remember, sub-brands aren’t for everyone. But then again, neither are you.