10 Marketing Tips - For A Successful Solo Law Practice

10 Marketing Tips – For A Successful Solo Law Practice

By Sabrina Siracusa

Like marketing guru Steuart Henderson Britt said, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.” Legal marketing is not difficult but it will require a consistent dedication to it. It’s the only way you will be able to grow your practice into a successful business. So whether you are thinking of starting your own law firm or have been doing it for a while, these tips can help catapult you to the next level.

Carefully choose how you represent your brand

For your brand to be effective, it must be consistent with your firm’s culture and the actual business of your practice. It must also be attractive to your target clients and prospects while standing out from your major competitors.

Communicate your brand widely and often. Express your brand in all you do—from your website, media releases, ads, and event invitations, to the script your receptionist uses answering the phone. Do all that, and you will build brand equity. It is much better for you to control the image you and your practice will project. Build your reputation or someone else will do it for you.

Decide the type of clients that you want

The most successful attorneys obtain and continue to retain quality clients because they know exactly the type of client that they want. Here are steps you can take to attract and retain the type of clients you want:

Seems trivial, but start with your reception room. Does it represent the image you want for you and your practice? It should be welcoming and have your law firm’s marketing materials easily available for clients to read while they wait.

Set up a script for you and your staff to use during communication with potential and current clients. Every interaction with a potential or existing client should be to assist them and to create your brand.

Create content that is accurate, interesting and relevant to clients you are trying to attract and retain.

Referrals are still the best way to get clients

It may sound old-fashioned, but it’s true and here’s why. First, referred clients are almost always better clients. They already know you by reputation so you are ahead of the competition. You also will not have to haggle your fees, because they came to you. Presumably, they already know your fee setup.

Secondly, with referred clients, half the battle has been done for you. The client is interested in hiring you. Your only job now is to live up to the referral someone gave them on your behalf. So quite obviously, the more referrals your practice receives, the lower your stress levels and the higher your profits. Here are some quick (and fairly easy) tips to start collecting some referrals:

Identify and reach out to your best possible referrals through sites, such as LinkedIn.

Advertise your interest in receiving referrals with a letter of interest. These types of letters work better if mailed versus emailed.

Book face-to-face interviews with other lawyers; then, follow up with him or her if you feel good about exchanging referrals.

Establish yourself as an expert in your specialty

There are several ways to do this that don’t necessarily include fancy, expensive television ads. A more effective and economical way is to write about your chosen specialty. Post informative and interesting blogs on your social media and on your website, and create case studies and newsletters aimed at specific target client groups. Do this consistently and you will create a following and will be viewed as an expert in your legal specialty.

Another tactic is to volunteer your time. Giving away time for free may put you off due to your own limited time and finances; but attorneys who speak at their local legal aid, for example, are not really giving their time away because they are building credibility as experts in their legal specialty.

Create a core message to attract and keep clients

The only way you will connect with new and current clients is to show them how you can resolve their problems. This can easily be done by using the “cause and effect strategy.”

Telling potential clients how skilled and experienced you are is not enough. What is, is creating content that will comes across as empathetic to the legal problems a client may be facing, while providing a solution. A core message can help differentiate you from other attorneys who practice similar law. For example, many personal injury attorneys state this or something similar on their websites: “Our personal injury attorneys have the skill and experience to help you.” However, that is not as compelling as: “I help severely injured clients find solutions for their recovery.” The latter addresses the needs of the client and sends a message of your expertise with a specific type of personal injury.

Recognize that you will always need to market yourself

This is one of the most difficult steps for most attorneys. But in reality, it is very easy once you get into the practice of doing it. It should be imprinted in your mind that the only way you can continue having a successful law practice is by consistently marketing yourself. Like marketing guru Steuart Henderson Britt said, “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.”

Be picky about how you network

As you probably already know, not all networking events are created the same. Networking should be viewed as a type of return on your investment (ROI) of your time. Before attending any type of networking event, consider your goals for the specific networking event, whether it’s to get new clients or promote a new legal specialty. This will help you stay focused and avoid wasting time on networking with people who are not going to help you reach your goals.

It’s also a good idea to research the network sponsors. Volunteer your time to be a speaker in your legal specialty. This helps you gain a reputation as an authority and will help your practice get attention and possibly some solid references from fellow attorneys.

Develop a consistent follow-up strategy and sequence for when you meet new contacts.

When you have done all the legwork and have obtained some good leads—or even better, referrals—it’s time to keep the momentum going. The next step is to create an ongoing rapport or relationship by consistently reaching out to them. This can be done through direct sales such as weekly emails that contain interesting information about your practice, or news about your legal specialty. Additionally, a monthly or quarterly newsletter is an invaluable tool to staying in touch with clients.

Refer other attorneys if you can’t take a client

There will be times when you can’t take a client due to time constraints or just a lack of interest. Be sure to refer this person to an attorney that you think will be able to help them and that can one day return the favor. This will help create an extended network of possible clients you may not have otherwise had access to.

Delegate your marketing activities.

There is no reason that you have to take on all the marketing strategies listed here on your own. The first step here is to identify what will help you to grow your practice. Create a master plan of what you think needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly (think website updates, press releases, email content, and newsletters). Then, delegate tasks to skilled staff or freelancers. In doing so, you can focus your energy on practicing law.

If you follow just a few of these tips, you are way ahead of many other lawyers. With a little time and consistent action, these small steps will make a big difference on ROI and in the survival of your solo law practice.

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