A Week of Marketing
Lance and Linda Lawyer of L & L Law are sitting in their conference room early Saturday morning. Their conversation is focused on business development.
"Our phones aren't ringing as much," said Lance, "and our website isn't getting as many hits. We need to step up our marketing."
Linda agrees. They decide to use a week of activities to jump start their marketing, network with other lawyers, and re-establish authority in elder law, their area of practice.
Five days of simple marketing steps can make a difference. It can bring in new clients and remind you to make marketing a vital part of your business.
Try these activities:
Monday: Write a thank-you note to the last person to send you a referral whether or not that referral led to work for you. You're thanking your contact for thinking of you and a hand-written note stands out in a sea of e-mail.
Tuesday: Write the first of your two blog posts for the month. Be sure it offers useful information to potential readers, such as a change in the law or an update on a recent court case. Don't post it—let it rest for 24 hours before you publish it to your blog site. When you post it, include a link to your profile in the SBM Member Directory and your website.
Wednesday: Check your holiday card list for accuracy. Think about sending a card during the year for a holiday you enjoy or a day relevant to your practice. If you're an elder law attorney, perhaps a date from the history of Social Security would be a good choice or if you have clients in the car business, maybe July 30, Henry Ford's birthday, is an interesting day to note. Make a note of the date on your calendar. Sending cards at different times of the year separates you from the many greetings clients receive during the holidays.
Review, edit, and post your blog from Tuesday.
Thursday: Think about your perfect client. Where would you go to meet that person? Find organizations in your area where you could connect with your dream client. Don't forget your local bar association—you can meet lawyers who don't want clients you'd gladly represent. Those lawyers can be a good referral source, and you can reciprocate by suggesting them to your clients when appropriate.
Consider enhancing your referral business with a listing in the SBM Lawyer2Lawyer Professional Referral Directory. The State Bar of Michigan has partnered with ZeekBeek to develop this powerful new member service that provides additional value to your online SBM directory profile by highlighting the specific services you offer.
Friday: Meet a client or potential referral source for coffee or lunch. When you return to your office, make a note of what was discussed. Review your week to determine which marketing activities were effective and should be repeated.
Business development and marketing is vital to your practice. The more business development activities you do and the more consistent you are in doing them, the more clients and revenue you'll bring in and the faster your practice will grow.
Roberta Gubbins has served as the editor of the Ingham County Legal News. Since leaving the paper, she provides services as a ghostwriter editing articles, blogs, and e-blasts for lawyers and law firms. She is the editor of Briefs, the Ingham County Bar Association e-newsletter, and The Mentor, SBM Master Lawyers Section newsletter.
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