Human Branding For Cold, Hard Pros
LIKE A BAD PENNY!
Yes, Hot Shots is back in your face yet again.
And be prepared. You might be seeing a lot more of us round these parts.
Slow Burn Marketing has always thrived in questionable times. We don't like being told that things should suck so just deal with it. We suffer from a high degree of polarity response. (You might, too. It's probably one of the reasons you're here.)
We also have a habit of giving stuff away.
So, with the high weirdness that's upon us, we're just gonna kick it up yet again. There's some exciting free stuff on the way. You might love it. You might be apathetic. Either way, we're kinda jazzed. It's DIY-branding related and should be dropping soon.
We'll just leave the tease there and let you know as things unfold.
LAWYERS IN LOVE
With no apologies to Jackson Browne, we have an unusual episode of the CoupleCo podcast available for your listening pleasure.
If you're new here or you've destroyed too many brain cells since we last spoke, the podcast is called CoupleCo: Working With Your Spouse For Fun & Profit. The Fabulous Honey Parker and I have been navigating the nation in search of standout couples in business together. We bring their inspiring stories to the world in a weekly podcast format. We have even been very big in Zimbabwe.
But I digress. About the lawyers in love...
Episode #123, " Lawyer-Humans In Love & Biz, Part 1" is a conversation recorded in Seattle. It happened the same day that the viral craziness went full-COVID for the US.
We were sitting down with Shreya and Colin Ley, a couple of married lawyers who have an asset protection firm called LayRoots.
What's unusual about Part 1 of this CoupleCo conversation is much of it centers around branding.
Their law firm brand is unusual. It's also instructive for anyone marketing a law firm or other professional services business.
LAWYERS ESPECIALLY PERCEIVE MARKETING AS SOMETHING "ICKY"
Yes, "Icky."
That is a technical term.
It comes directly from the mouth of an attorney who happens to be a Slow Burn Marketing client.
They Leys do not see anything icky about marketing, branding included.
Interestingly, the LayRoots Lawyer-Human brand was almost accidental.
The story of how Colin Ley fell into that concept is part of the story in the episode. And the brand has become very potent for them.
The brand demonstrates that being evocative with purpose and intent engages customers and makes things happen.
It also matters that the Leys are living up to their brand
SHREYA AND COLIN ALLOW THEMSELVES TO BE SEEN AS HUMANS IN THEIR MARKETING
They reveal themselves and talk about their own challenges.
The clients who call them often play that human material back to them.
Bottom line: humanity sells.
We've seen this work for our own clients, especially the ones who've always been told to maintain a clinical distance.
This includes doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants and consultants.
If you're a longtime reader to Hot Shots, you know about Dr. Sam's Eye Care. His "Straight talk, better vision" brand is very human and real. It's centered on a core customer called New England Mom, and speaks in plain, unvarnished terms.
Upon learning about the new brand, Dr. Sam's research-scientist father-in-law, looked askance at Sam and asked...
"So, you're OK with this?"
There is a longstanding paradigm in certain professions, including science and medicine, of maintaining professional distance in all things, including emotion.
But yes, Sam is OK with it.
Among other things, it has made him a local celebrity. The brand has changed his business and changed his life and he is indeed OK with that.
If you'd like to hear Shreya and Colin talk about their brand (and other aspects of being a couple in business together), visit www.CoupleCo.com. You can hear the episode right there on the site, or you can link to the show on Apple Podcasts or Google.
Resist The Virus!