‘Visibility’ is about how your practice is perceived and how you come across. Building visibility and reputation involves creative thinking, knowledge of the market, and taking the time to learn and apply the techniques.

‘Reputation’ is about what you actually do and the impact it has. Reputation is built around the exercise of your values, and it is built one conversation at a time, one project at a time. Reputation involves hard work and tenacity.

PR helps promote your business or practice to an audience of potential clients or influencers and helps them to build up a store of knowledge that will ultimately make it easier for you to sell to them. People buy brands that they know and trust. The brand needs to be known by its target audience. A brand makeover can be bought, but long-term reputation-building is priceless.

To improve your practice visibility and reputation, follow these five tips.

Freshen up your online bio

Your digital presence is more important than ever, so make sure it is current.

You should update your bio on LinkedIn and your website at least a couple of times a year. Those are bound to be your most visible pages on the internet, so you want them to accurately reflect who you are and what you do.

When you review your details, ask yourself some questions. Is it easy to read? Does it reflect your latest accomplishments? Does it include a testimonial? If you were a potential client reading it, would you want to work with this practice?

Add a recent photo-friendly image on your bio.

Share your expertise

You want people to visit your LinkedIn bio and get in touch if they need your help. You should be posting regular news updates and valuable legal content on LinkedIn to build up an audience. The more active you are on the platform, the more likely it is that people will notice what you’re doing.

Get your website in top condition

Typically, clients find legal services via word of mouth or by searching online. You have to be where your ideal clients are looking for solicitors and for information regarding their legal needs.

Make sure your website is up to date and clear for users to navigate. Create a dedicated landing page for each service that you offer. Provide a detailed explanation and description of the service, and include testimonials if you can.

Specialise

Picking a niche area is also an excellent way to improve your practice visibility and reputation, both online and offline. Remember: it’s hard to have the necessary experience and knowledge of every aspect of law. While it is possible to serve all kinds of clients, it can be tedious and stressful. Specialisation makes it easier to market your services, and it also makes it easier for potential clients to reach you.

Be helpful

The key to getting more clients is to answer clients’ questions. The more helpful your web content is, the longer you keep them on your site, alongside giving helpful advice in person. This all helps with increasing referrals.

Collectively, these actions – implemented regularly – will all help to increase visibility and reputation and to attract new business.

Justin Purcell is the Law Society’s practice support executive (j.purcell@lawsociety.ie). Further resources are available in the Business Hub.