In a previous thread, I talked about the problems with using stock photos on your webpage. Unless you tell those who are designing your webpage not to use stock photos, the reality is that this is where most marketing companies want to go.
Another direction many marketing companies will want to go by default is to put a picture of you or all the partners or lawyers on the homepage of the webpage. In a lot of ways, the thought makes sense. Give those out there in need of legal services a picture of all the lawyers in the law firm.
With this thought in mind, what lots of law firms do these days is to pay to have a photographer come into the law firm to take a photograph of the lawyer or all the partners or lawyers in the law firm. Conversely, some law firms might opt to go into a studio and have a photograph professional taken of their lawyers or their law firm. No matter the circumstance, the net result is a picture of the lawyer, lawyers, or partners in a law firm being plastered on the front page of the law firm webpage. Often, the law firm webpage is merely a template where the photograph is merely plugged into it.
All things being equal, a picture of the lawyer, lawyers, or partners in a law firm is probably better than a mere stock photo on the homepage of your law firm webpage. Stock photos are not helpful because it can make a law firm webpage look cookie cutter. Often, many law firms end up with the same stock photographs on their webpage. With a lot of law firms, the stock photo consists of the city where the law firm practices or a generic courthouse or courtroom.
Having said that, the use of a photograph of the lawyer, lawyers, or partners in a law firm on the homepage of the webpage is getting pretty stale as well. Instead of stock photographs, it’s what a huge quantity of law firms have on their webpage. At this point, it looks pretty generic, predictable unoriginal. It’s like the guitar solo in the middle of a glam, rock sock. Everybody knows it is coming and is waiting for it.
Instead of using a stock photo or a photo of the lawyer, lawyers, or partners on the homepage of the law firm webpage, think about what else you could do to separate yourself? The reality is there are multiple possibilities.
- Some law firms for example are now using video or video clips on the home page of the webpage.
- Some law firms also have photos taken that depict the area or areas of law in which they practice, but which is not a stock photo.
- Some photos could also be taken, which is not stock, that really depicts the image or message that the law firm is trying to convey.
- Even a photo of the law firm office, versus the lawyers in the office, might be an option. A photo of a lawyer or lawyers in a law firm can really have the effect of looking like you are puffing or a little full of yourself.
- Of course, there are other possibilities as well if one tries to be original.
In the end, the importance at this point is not being generic in terms of what is on the homepage of the law firm webpage. While many marketing companies might want to plaster you or the other lawyers on the homepage of the law firm webpage, that might not be the best approach at this point. Maybe it’s better to save the photographs of you and your law firm’s lawyers for the individual bio pages of each lawyer while coming up with something original and unexpected for the homepage.
If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them below.