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  • Tell Great Stories With Bios and Photos

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    Posted on August 31, 2012 at 9:42 am

    You might not know this, but the most trafficked section of your website is very likely to be your biographies. Rich biographies of the attorneys, complete with custom photographs, are portals into the compelling personalities of the firm. That’s not surprising since your people are your product. But how do you make them engaging and persuasive?

    Bios give you an opportunity to create a dialogue with clients before you even meet. Think of your bio as a greeting, your accompanying photo as a handshake. Clients are coming to your site to find out a few specific things: Who have you worked for? What did you do for them? Describe specific matters and emphasize successes (always with the client’s permission first, of course). If you include case studies, tell them as stories. And, even if you graduated from your alma mater back in the iron age, clients still want to know where you went to school as well as which associations and boards you may be involved in.

    Your bio is also an opportunity for clients to get a sense of what it is like to work with you. Take this example from law firm Gesmer Updegrove. Gesmer occupies a unique position as advisor to the big idea-driven founders and CEOs of start-up and emerging companies. Their bios deliver informal but informative details of their professionals. Gesmer’s personal touch is emphasized through the use of a handwriting font and inclusion of a humorous detail or two at the end of the bio.

    And don’t forget about the importance of your accompanying photograph. Great portraits bring out the soul of the subject. The standard fare you get from the local portrait studio is flat, uninspired and soulless. Your individuals are your assets. Bring out the best in them. Go bold. Move away from the traditional and boring high school head shot and use pictures that portray you as a confident professional.

    Here’s a list of questions to consider that we’ve assembled to help you get the most out of drafting your bio:

    1. How has your practice changed since your current bio was written?

    2. Which part(s) of your practice should now receive greater or lesser emphasis?

    3. Which industries are most important?

    4. Are there new developments in your area of the law that present opportunities or threats?

    5. What is keeping your clients up at night?

    6. Have you developed new high-value services or innovative ways of delivering or pricing your services?

    7. Why should a client hire you instead of other lawyers in your specialty?

    8. Which three recent matters best represent how your work can make an important contribution to a client’s business or well-being?

    9. Have you written articles or made speeches that should be included in your bio?

    10. Have you received awards that should be included?

    11. Does your service on legal or industry panels provide evidence of your expertise on issues important to clients?

    For more details about how Greenfield/Belser can help you craft winning bios and deliver high quality, stylish photographs of your professionals check out our photography page.

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