Even moderately successful attorneys now the nuts-and-bolts for getting the word out about their firms. But this is far from enough when it comes to creating a comprehensive marketing plan.
Understanding the key principles of marketing can help lawyers choose the best marketing tools and nail down specific marketing tasks on which to focus their attention and efforts.
What are the three key principles of attracting clients to your firm?
Clients are the Foundation of Any Good Attorney Marketing Plan
Your clients’ goals and needs are the reason you’re doing what you’re doing. If you aren’t able to help your clients, there isn’t much point in marketing your practice.
But unfortunately, many lawyers forget to use this most basic information when planning their marketing strategy. They know the issues and questions their clients have, but they fail to incorporate that knowledge into their marketing.
Instead, focus on crafting a glamorous image of their firm. It might be attractive, but when it comes right down to it, it isn’t what their clients want or need.
The best foundation on which to build your marketing strategy is the problems of your clients. You must craft your marketing message toward those people. Your firm needs to have a great overall reputation, but to really grow your business, you must target the people most likely to need your services.
The great news is you already have all of the information you need to do this. Think about the questions you usually receive, the needs your clients express, and the things they are most concerned about. Build your attorney marketing materials around that and you get ahead of generic marketing messages about “experience,” “aggressive approaches,” and “protecting rights.”
You’re in a Position to Educate and Inform and You Should Do So
You can’t give away legal representation for free, nor should you. But you can provide information for free. Doing so gives you a significant return on your investment.
Before a prospect becomes a client, he or she must feel confident that the services your firm offers are what they need. In most cases, these are people coming to you during a challenging time in their lives. They need to feel as if you are going to take the wheel and handle their situation.
But they also want to feel empowered. They want to know what to expect and understand that the worst-case scenario is still something they can handle.
You can help them feel this way by educating them. The more information you’re able to provide to people before they even step through your firm’s door, the better. They’ll still come to you with questions, but they’ll already have some idea of what they’re dealing with.
What’s the best way to provide valuable information to prospective clients?
- Conferences and Webinars
- Detailed Website
- Blog Posts
- Videos
- Downloadable eBooks
These things give you a double “bang for your buck.” In addition to offering clients general insight into their situations and giving them confidence that you’re the expert to call to deal with their situation, they also boost your search engine rankings so more people notice your firm.
Creating Personal Connections is Still Important
As valuable as online content is for establishing your firm as a thought leader in your industry, it’s not a replacement for personal interaction. You still need to network. Building and nurturing relationships are just as important as ever in marketing.
Establishing professional relationships helps you build trust and expands your pool of potential clients. You can use your online marketing strategies to spark new relationships or you can use online marketing to nurture existing relationships. The two approaches work together in harmony to create a comprehensive marketing strategy.
Attorney marketing is a never-ending endeavor, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming or frustrating. Legal Web Design can help you create a manageable and flexible plan that allows you to achieve your goals. For more information or to schedule a consultation, give us a call.
