As a lawyer, you need clients in order to apply your education and training in the real world. That much is obvious – but where do you find those clients? Some of them might find you through your website or even the phone book, but such a passive approach is unlikely to grow your practice. Most likely, you’ll need to market your services in order to gain traction and build a successful office.
To help you get started moving in the right direction, we’ve highlighted a few marketing tips for lawyers below.
Focus in a Specific Direction
It’s hard to be all things to all people. As a lawyer attempting to market your services in a specific geographic location, it’s likely that you’ll have more success if you focus your efforts in a specific direction. What is your specialty? Not only in terms of what type of law you practice – perhaps you are a medical malpractice attorney, for example – but in terms of what kinds of people or businesses you serve. Create a profile of an ideal customer and then think about how to find those people.
Build a Referral Network
One of the best ways to obtain new clients is to garner referrals. If you are referred by someone who has trust and influence in a particular area, you are going to find it rather easy to turn the individuals who are referred into actual clients. It may take some time to build up a network of connections that can provide you with referrals but putting effort into this type of marketing is likely to pay off over the long run.
Invest in Your Website
These days, it’s almost certain that a potential client is going to check out your website before contacting you over the phone. If that potential client finds your website to be sloppy, out of date, and unprofessional, you will have much lower odds of actually receiving business from that individual. It doesn’t take a huge financial investment to create a website which is functional, looks professional, and reflects well on your practice. A well-designed website along with a focus on SEO can take you a long way in terms of productive marketing.
Social Media Matters
Should you bother with social media as a means of promoting your practice? Yes – you probably should. Given the relatively minimal time and effort required to develop a social media presence, your time would be well spent to make yourself visible on platforms like Facebook. While social media alone is not going to make up an entire, well-rounded marketing strategy, it does play a key role for many lawyers.
