Promotional content > introduction to firm

First impressions are everything. Your blog or Web site introduction may be as important as anything on your site. The introduction should be in the form of a well-crafted mission statement or introduction. It need not be more than a few words in a tag line or a few sentences long. Describe your main practice areas, if possible, philosophy of practice or your unique selling proposition.

Avoid the typical – experienced, dedicated, aggresive, responsive, cost effective etc. Distinguish your firm. Ways to do so include:

• Firm’s history, if established for many years
• Geographic area
• Size in geographic area
• Types of clients you serve
• Why you are proud of what you do

I like what America stands for and the symbols that represent our heritage and values. But if I were trying to make a good first impression I would not be leading with a big picture of the Statute of Liberty, the scales of justice or a judge’s gavel along side a list of lawyers names or links to other areas of the site. That just tells people you are a lawyer, which they already know if they clicked to your site, and that you are not much different than other lawyers they are not real impressed with.

This is your chance to make a statement. Take advantage of it. Take your time, think it through and get all the lawyers & staff involved to help define who you are and why people should be excited to hire you. This could be done in one meeting over a pizza lunch, a white board and some follow up emails. It’s not the end of the world if the introduction is not perfect – this is a site you can update later.