Personal branding is no longer an option but an absolute must in today’s technology-dominated, cutthroat business arena. Lawyers are increasingly expected to establish a distinctive personal brand that will set them apart from the crowd. The more traditional paths have been explored multiple times such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Still, there are other more obscure avenues that offer unique alternatives for advocates to enhance presence, build reputation, and extend their network. This article investigates five unconventional platforms on which the advocate can effectively build one’s personal brand. How these different platforms possess singular features that may prove efficacious for lawyers is elaborated on further.

This article identifies the following platforms-

1. Medium, 
2. Avvo, 
3. Reddit, 
4. Clubhouse and 
5. Quora. 

Indeed, these are very powerful but really unconventional tools an advocate can use to establish his or her personal brand. Each of them offers distinctive capabilities that can help build up a lawyer’s credibility, visibility, and professional influence in their line of work when leveraged strategically. The following explains how they are associated with personal branding objectives.

Medium – The Lawyers Thought Leadership Hub:

Medium is a blogging platform open to various professions. To lawyers, it is a great avenue where they can demonstrate their competence and distribute thought leadership pieces. Unlike legal journals which have been created for small communities, Medium allows one to reach a wider population of readership, including potential clients and partners.

The following establishes the rationale behind choosing Medium-

1. Publishing essays on matters of current legal concern is a great way to develop your authority in your subject matter and build your credibility.
2. From the SEO point of view, Medium posts tend to rank very high in Google, which means they are more likely to be seen.
3. Medium gives data on how your content is performing to help you understand your branding strategy with the help of engagement analytics.

Actionable Measures- 

1. Create a profile directed towards showcasing your legal acumen and your areas of interest.
2. Write regular articles based on changing laws, case studies, or FAQs on common legal queries.
3. Cross-promote the posts on various platforms for increased visibility.

Avvo – The Platform for Client Evaluations & Legal Enquiries:

Avvo allows advocates to display profiles and obtain ratings from consumers, in addition to answering legal questions open to the public. Because it’s meant for advocating solicitation of clientele primarily, it’s a great branding tool as well.

The following establishes the rationale behind choosing Avvo-

1. You can gain trust and build authority by answering questions that pertain to your niche.
2. Improve your credibility with reviews having positive customer comments will help improve your credibility online.
3. Avvo’s niche is legal services, which means you will target the right audience.

Actionable Measures- 

1. Make your Avvo profile complete and to include your achievement, credentials, and practice areas.
2. Engage by responding to questions in the question-and-answer area.
3. It is very important to encourage happy customers to submit reviews.

For example, a criminal lawyer who frequently gets asked about drunk and driving (DUI) can, over time, position themselves to be an expert that others in their region go to. This is one very desirable example of how Avvo can help a lawyer and enhance their personal branding.

Reddit – Fostering Community Via Specialised Legal Subreddits:

While Reddit may not be the most intuitive destination for advocates, the diverse breadth of subreddits offers a unique opportunity to connect with niche audiences. Communities like r/Law, r/LegalAdvice, and r/Lawyers provide a hub for information sharing and discussion.

The following establishes the rationale behind choosing Reddit-

1. Instead of other networks, Reddit really discourages blatant self-promotion and puts a premium on genuine engagement.
2. You are able to join communities based on a specific issue, for instance, where lawyers are discussing the current trends or where clients are looking for legal help.
3. You can build yourself as a trusted authority in your niche by actively and thoughtfully participating.

Actionable Measures- 

1. Create an account and subscribe to subreddits related to the subject and read the community guidelines of each of those subreddits.
2. Answer questions with valuable answers without self-serving promotion of service.
3. Provide content value by explaining how a certain legal procedure works, pointing to a legal resource.

For instance, a real estate lawyer may want to show their expertise and earn some trust in the r/LegalAdvice subreddit by posting insight into property conflicts. This is one highly desirable example of how Reddit can help a lawyer and enhance his personal branding.

Clubhouse – Networking Via Voice Centric Communities:

Clubhouse is a voice-based social networking application and has of late caught up as a platform for live conversations. Lawyers could use this either to guest on or moderate a panel discussing legal topics.

The following establishes the rationale behind choosing Clubhouse-

1. Engage an audience directly through personalized insights, answering questions, among other interactive branding.
2. A thought leader can be created through continued involvement in vital topics.
3. Get to meet other professionals in other fields and expand your network.

Actionable Measures- 

1. Find groups or clubrooms that teach law, business, or a related subject.
2. Lead discussions on modern legal issues or case analysis.
3. Interact with fellow professionals to collaborate on running sessions for mutual promotion.

An apt example of the aforementioned is the participation of business professionals in need of legal counsel who can be attracted to a conversation on “Navigating Mergers and Acquisitions” moderated by a corporate lawyer.

Quora – Cultivating Expertise Via Q&A:

Quora is a question-and-answer forum where people go to share knowledge on all kinds of subjects. It gives advocates a platform where they can answer legal questions and showcase wisdom.

The following establishes the rationale behind choosing Quora-

1. Legal professionals are given the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in their field through erudite and informed responses to client enquiries, thereby establishing themselves as authorities in their field.
2. Many Quora responses pop up in Google search results and, therefore, reach an even larger audience.
3. Engagement builds trust and rapport with the audience through the community.

Actionable Measures- Advocates can focus their practice in particular aspects of the law, be it family law, intellectual property law, or any other field, from startup legal issues to corporate queries in which they may apply their knowledge to answer appropriate questions.

Conclusion:

In the case of an online presence, one would say that it is essential for a lawyer to take personal branding seriously. Innovations on Medium, Avvo, Reddit, Clubhouse and Quora represent some uncommon, effective means of revealing knowledge, involving an audience, and establishing oneself as different in the competitive field of law today. Customization allows them to have established credibility on each platform while pursuing industry leadership with potential clients. It is time to innovate and change the legal profession’s way of addressing the world varying from traditional approaches for once and by starting to build your brand by allowing your voice to be truly heard.

 

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