When it comes time to send out Christmas or holiday cards at the end of the year, most law firm owners manage that process about as effectively as Clark Griswold lays down Christmas lights.
It’s usually a scramble to construct a full client list, and then actually sending out physical cards is a time-consuming and repetitive process, like no other – it’s enough to give you carpal tunnel syndrome, all by itself.
This can, and should, be much easier.
First, law firms should be able to easily and quickly call up a complete client list. And, that list could be housed in any number of places: the contacts feature in a productivity software, the client or matters tabs in a case management software, the contacts list in an email marketing program or customer relationship management software – and, all of those lists should be downloadable as an Excel or CSV file, which would allow the list to be transferred to another software.
Second, there’s probably no need to send paper cards anymore, unless you’re of the mind that that substantially differentiates you from others in a largely online world. If paper cards are your thing, send your list to a vendor, and farm out that work. If you’re cool with electronic cards, send them out via your email marketing program or CRM, which should always have your full list of clients and referral sources readily accessible.
It makes little to no sense to sink your own and your staff’s productivity for the sake of sending out season’s greetings, when you could be spending that time finishing out the year on a strong note, by completing some work for client, or planning for the next year, by generating revenue projections, selecting new marketing campaigns and flattening bottlenecks blocking efficiency.
And, if you really want to stand out, try sending out holiday cards for lesser holidays, like Flag Day or local holidays. You’ll have far less competition, and you’ll be more likely to get noticed.