Getting Up Close And Personal With Attorney Marketing
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012Intense competition and a rise in the number of legal practitioners have increased the importance of the role of Attorney Marketing in the future of your practice. In order to market your practice better, you must learn what you can do about it.
Can an attorney also be a Marketer?
Many young minds go to law school imagining themselves to be conquering the court rooms, much like how they’ve seen the lawyers on Law & Order do it. Or maybe you already had a more realistic view of what the practice of law would be like. I bet nowhere in those scenarios have you ever contemplated doing any marketing, have you?
Any business involved in earning profit by providing goods and services, law firms included, should acknowledge that they need to apply marketing principles in order to have more customers or clients.
I have been in the legal profession for years now, and I have also worked on the marketing of other legal practices. My firsthand experience has shown me that currently, most attorney marketing is subpar. Why is this good for you?
Because it means that your marketing does not need to be superb or incredibly expensive in order to garner more clients for your legal practice. Before I give you some tips, however, there are a few things you should know:
* Before taking that plunge and hiring a professional marketer, do your research. It is not enough that you take the words of professional marketers at face value. Be specific. Even a good track record is not enough; you must make sure that they are knowledgeable about attorney marketing and that their track record also applies to that field.
* Concentrate. A lot of people fall prey to the attraction of trying to lure in every possible type of client. That’s not such a good idea. Start by dividing potential clients into groups; it could be according to location, practice area, etc. In addition, focus on a particular type of marketing (print, online, tv, etc.) and get it right instead of doing every one in a shoddy manner. Focus is the key – it allows you to expand more easily in the long run.
* Brainstorm with other attorneys. Ask them what has worked for them. Most of them are more than willing to offer advice. There are bound to be a lot of similarities between your and other lawyers’ experiences; consider those in your own situation.
I’m not saying it’s going to be very easy, but here are some tips:
3 Simple Tips in Marketing your Legal Practice
1. Go Online: By far, this is the easiest way to market currently. Set up a website for your practice and fill it with the information that your target market are specifically looking for. Contact an SEO firm to help you with rankings through seo for your law firm.
2. Attend Relevant Events: And I don’t mean just legal events. Look into events of the industries or fields that your target market or potential clients belong in. Insurance litigants can find clients in insurance industry events, practices specializing in medical litigation can also find potential clients in events related to the medical field, etc. It’s the perfect way to get your name out there and to make new connections.
3. Do Pro Bono: Provide free services to charity. Aside from the experience, your reputation will get a boost, and clients can be attained through referrals made by pro bono clients.