“Distinctive Competencies” – focused branding

One of the big issues with solos and small firms is finding a way to stand out from the crowd.  This particularly true when competing for space on the Internet but it doesn’t stop there.  This is no easy task – it takes committment, risk and follow-through but I believe it can make a difference.

Susan Cartier Liebel, always worth reading, calls this “distinctive competencies” and illustrates this concept with a personal story of having to find a computer repair service on the web.  She went with the one that offered to come to her.  Now if she didn’t like him or the technician appeared late or in some other didn’t fullfill that initial promise, then that “distinctive” quality would have been lost.  This quality must be real and tie-in with the value a client receives for utilizing the service.

Just after reading that, I ran across a this posting about the value of Facebook fan pages for lawyers and law firm.  The author, Steve Matthews, argues that firms miss out an opportunity by having a Fan page that just acts as a “Website-lite” for the firm.  He suggests they do things to show a different side of themselves than they do on their website or offer potential clients a different experience than they get on their website.

I agree with this approach and would take it one step further which is to connect the fan page to an aspect of the firm’s “distinctive competencies.”  For example, say you are a business attorney who works closely with key players in the real estate construction industry.  Your distinctive brand is that you provide your clients more than a lawyer, you bring them depth of industry experience.  What better way to reinforce that message than by using your Facebook Fan page as the place where you connect with and disseminate information about your favorite charity which you promote within your particular business community?

The advantage to this approach is that it shows what makes you special but isn’t about your law practice per se.  You aren’t using Facebook to repeat information found at your website – though link back to your website.  But more importantly, you are using a Facebook fan page to help you organize and promote your cause and it has a strong side benefit by showing that you are entrenched in the industry working towards positive outcomes with other successful people.  This is something  your website can’t communicate nearly as well.

Tags: distinctive competencies, Facebook Fan page, Linkedin, social networking