Serving Clients: From expertise to recognition: Keys to building market visibility

By Brenda Plowman

Standing out in a crowded legal market is never easy. Even some of the largest international firms in the United States, Canada, and the UK – with thousands of lawyers and marquee clients – have learned that talent and deal flow alone do not automatically translate into recognition that drives new business.

The ultimate goal of market positioning is not prestige, but growth. This column explores practical strategies and tactics that firms of any size can use to raise awareness and strengthen business development.

Many firms handle sophisticated, high-value matters, but clients and referral sources often do not see that work. Legal expertise rarely speaks for itself; it must be translated into something meaningful and accessible for the client or prospective client. To complicate matters, much of what lawyers do is confidential, unpublished, or simply not packaged in a way that highlights value to the market.

Even once expertise has been gathered into a coherent story, it must be easy for clients and prospects to discover through their own research. According to SiriusDecisions, 67 percent of the buyer’s journey is now conducted digitally. While conversations still matter, online searches are now an essential step in how clients evaluate counsel. That makes search engine optimization (SEO) and digital visibility foundational important considerations when positioning or repositioning a practice.

To move the dial on awareness, there must be a clear strategy with ownership and accountability. Visibility cannot be left to chance. Small, consistent actions add up over time, but only if someone is responsible for making them happen. That might be a marketing professional, a senior partner, or a hybrid arrangement. What matters most is commitment. Alignment is also important: Lawyers within a practice group may see positioning differently, so gaining buy-in on approach can be a useful first step. An outside advisor can often help assess positioning and provide a fresh perspective.

Here are four scalable tactics that any firm, large or small, can use to strengthen practice visibility.

1. Track your wins

This may sound obvious, but many firms fail to do it consistently. A simple deal or matter tracker centralizes key details and ensures the information can be leveraged across multiple uses: rankings submissions, proposals, pitches, website highlights, and social media posts. Without discipline, it is too easy for this work to be postponed indefinitely. Tracking wins is the foundation for every other visibility effort.

2. Spotlight client success

With client permission, highlight outcomes that demonstrate your value. Success stories can be repurposed across newsletters, websites, LinkedIn pages, and speaking engagements. They also build goodwill by showcasing the client’s achievements as much as your own. Some of the most effective stories are told collaboratively on panels or webinars where the client participates, reinforcing trust while deepening relationships.

3. Own a niche

Concentration creates power. Mid-sized and smaller firms may not outspend larger competitors, but they can out-specialize them. By focusing on an industry or issue, your marketing spend and content efforts work harder and reach the right audience. Tactics include publishing guides, FAQs, or commentary; running webinars; or authoring a book on a specialty. This type of thought leadership establishes authority, builds trust, and often generates inbound opportunities more efficiently than broad advertising.

4. Drive digital visibility

Digital discovery is no longer optional. Prospective clients expect to find authoritative, current information online before they engage with a firm. That means investing in SEO, building out practice pages on your website, and maintaining accurate profiles on directories and industry platforms. Strong digital footprints not only make you visible in search, they also position you for AI-driven discovery tools that are rapidly becoming the norm.

As CosmoLex has noted: “SEO is crucial for law firms because it improves their online visibility, gives them a competitive advantage, and makes them more credible. With effective SEO practices, law firms can become authoritative in their practice areas, expand their practice online, and gain more prospective clients.”

Conclusion

Positioning is not about one-time campaigns or splashy marketing. It is about consistent, intentional visibility. Over time, these efforts create a compound effect: stronger referrals, improved client confidence, and more opportunities. Legal excellence on its own is not enough. Visibility is a habit. By pairing expertise with deliberate, repeatable tactics, firms of any size can build the recognition needed to drive growth.

 

 

Brenda Plowman spent nearly 20 years at one of Canada’s largest law firms, nine as chief marketing and business development officer, where she built its first-ever client service excellence program. She was president of the International Legal Marketing Association in 2022 and is now a consultant to professional services firms specifically around service excellence and client listening, business development and growth strategies, and brand development and repositioning. She can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendaplowman/.