Ego as a Target Market

In business one of the most commonly displayed trophies is the list of "who I know". The better my list, the better I must appear to be to all that know my connections. We produce our own aura fueled by the aura of importance we assign to others.

Marketing for a law firm, at least to me, is about the marketing of people to people; Or, in different words, it's about creating an aura about my attorneys that lures the egos of the audiences I'm targeting. For that reason I do not believe any marketing strategy for a law firm can succeed unless it includes heavy doses of increasing the perceived aura of individual attorneys. How can I get them higher on "A" lists? Who are they seen with and where do they hang out?

There are a lot of parts in the reputation of my firm that are complimentary and great to have; Things like being known for fair pricing, good advise, excellent lawyering skills. Without these complementary parts my firm would fail. BUT, to really succeed, I need people out there proclaiming, "I need THAT attorney!" Words coming from an ego state-of-mind. The aura of association.

So, my marketing goal is to target the ego of my audience by building a positive and powerful aura around my attorneys. That shouldn't be too hard... should it?

By the way, thanks to Seth Godin for his discourse on the mistaken belief by marketers (or anyone making strategic and tactical marketing/business development decisions) that money equals motivation. His thoughts about ego is what got me writing tonight.