Lawyers learn a lot of things in law school, but how to effectively market their skills is rarely one of those things, finds Brian Loncar & Associates. Being an excellent lawyer does not guarantee that you will be able to line up clients and run a successful practice; marketing is essential.
Networking
Networking, the old marketing standby, is still one of the best ways to market your practice. Referrals from other lawyers and community members remain one of the major sources of new clients.
The first rule of networking is similar to what your mom might have told you when you were a child: to get a friend, be a friend. People can instantly tell when you are friendly to them only because you want something. Effective networking is as much about helping other people as it is about helping yourself.
Look for what you can do to help others while getting your name out there. Support youth sports in your community, volunteer for Career Day in local schools, or help local scouting chapters with badge-earning activities related to your field. See if your community sponsors free or low cost Adult Education workshops and consider teaching one on a topic that is useful to the community.
Join regional bar associations and make yourself known by helping out. Volunteer to be a greeter at association meetings and other business receptions. This gives you a great opportunity to introduce yourself to people while being of use.
Refer clients to good lawyers who are your contemporaries. Most experienced lawyers have a long list of people to whom they refer cases they are unable to handle. Form a network of excellent lawyers who are also building their practices, and you can all benefit from each other.
Visibility
People need to be able to find you in order to hire you. The golden standard now is online presence. Run a search for lawyers in your area on the major search engines and see what comes up. Are you on the first page? If not, increase your web presence. Consider hiring a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert to make sure this is done well.
Your website should be updated regularly, and look modern. In the Internet era, a professional’s website is the first impression most potential customers get. Make sure yours is easy to navigate and puts your best foot forward.
If your main client base is made up of consumers, consider having a highly visible office. Individuals with legal needs rarely drive around office parks or peruse building directories, but they will remember the place they drive by every day when they’re running errands. An appealing storefront with a good sign will stick in people’s minds and make them think of you when they are in need of a lawyer.
Eye-Catching Ads
All your advertising should be eye-catching, says Brian Loncar & Associates. The firm has made an name for itself in Dallas, TX and the surrounding area thanks to years of fun, attention-grabbing television ads. “There are many great ways that you can market your law firm,” Loncar says, “Television has worked well for me.”
Above The Law has an entertaining archive of law firm advertising. A look through the site will give you an idea of the good, the bad, and the mediocre out there. It is an excellent resource for getting a better idea of the direction you would like to take in advertising your own firm.
Return On Investment
In order to ensure that your networking, web presence, and advertising are effective, you need to monitor your return on investment (ROI). Keep track of how people found out about you, who referred clients to you, and similar details so you can gauge which activities are worth your investment of time and money.
Install analytic software on your website. This software details what search terms brought people to your site and tells you how long they stayed there. You can use it to learn how effective your site is at helping people find you. It can also be used to discover popular search terms, which you can capitalize on by making sure those terms show up in your website’s content.
Support Staff Excellence
Your support staff – everyone from receptionists and administrative professionals to the other lawyers you hire – represent you. If a potential client calls your firm and is greeted with indifference or incompetence, they will not call back. Make sure everyone who works for you is excellent. Be sure your staff has what they need from you in order to do their jobs well.
People who love their jobs talk them up outside work. Making sure your staff feels valued will inspire them to tell their friends and neighbors how much they love working for you, and will get the word out about you even more.
Be a Business Professional First
As an independent lawyer or the operator of a firm, you must be a business professional first, lawyer second say law marketing experts. You have to take care of your business in order to stay open to take care of your clients.
With a purposeful marketing plan in place and a continued eye towards excellence, Brian Loncar & Associates say you should find success in your field.
Jennifer Davidson contributed to this article.