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Marketing, Messaging

Time and Temperature: How Far Can Lawyers Advocate?

Lawyers advocate for their clients all the time; it’s literally ‘the job’.

But, most of that advocacy, that ‘zealous representation’, is made in private.  No one knows, but the client.  And, the client may not even know (likely doesn’t know) how hard you’re fighting + how much you believe in their cause.

That’s okay; nobody ever said your clients would be baking cookies for you – even if they sometimes do.

But, from a marketing perspective, it’s really hard to let other knows how effective a counsel you are, since you’re bound by ethical strictures regarding the confidentiality of your clients’ information.  You’re not like a contractor, who’s got a new home addition (and an advertising sign) right out in the front yard, for people to look at, and drive by.

That’s why some attorneys go public with their advocacy.  Employment attorneys address the need for better parental leave laws in their state.  Immigration attorneys are decrying the state of affairs across the whole country.  Landlord-tenant attorneys highlighting potential unfairness in the system, on both sides.

Does that play in the media, including on social media?  You bet it does.

Is every attorney willing to do that?  To take a side, and stand on it?  Not so much.

But, if you do, it could be advantageous to your practice, and generate more of the kinds of clients you want to work with.

So, if you’re passionate about representing your clients, it’s okay to let everybody know.

Marketing, Messaging

And, in the End: Why All Your Marketing Content Needs (Is) a Call to Action

The Beatles wrote that ‘All You Need Is Love’.  But, from a marketing perspective, that’s not exactly right.  You need love, sure.  But, you also need a call to action.

What’s a ‘call to action’?  It’s simply what you want someone to do.

‘Hey, visit my website.’

‘Let’s schedule a time to get coffee.’

‘Listen to my new podcast, at this link.’

One of the reasons you need a call to action is because people are so busy these days, with so much information flying in their faces at all times, that you really need to generate an obvious next step.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, especially for potential law firm clients, many of whom have never worked with a law firm before, and don’t know much about the legal process – they want to know what happens next, and what they should do to move things forward.

So, in the end, any piece of content you produce, reproduce or repurpose, should have at least one call to action, so that you can allow your potential clients and referral sources, to move the ball forward.  Otherwise, they won’t, and you may lose new business because of it.

Marketing, Messaging, Technology

The Goldbergs: The Real Trick is to Uncomplicate Your Marketing

A Rube Goldberg Machine is an overly-complicated chain reaction program, kind of like the one in the opening sequence of ‘Back to the Future’.

A lot of law firm marketing programs look just like that: half-formed marketing strategies, untested hypotheses, unknown results.  When it comes to marketing their practices, most law firm owners rely almost exclusively on referral marketing, and just hope that it keeps working.  Literally everything else is left up to chance.

Maybe a Rube Goldberg Machine is the kinder, gentler way to describe it.  But, it’s more like they’re throwing shit against the wall, to see what sticks.

And, you can bet your ass that those overly-complicated marketing programs you’ve designed, aren’t particularly inviting to your potential clients, either – who have to wade through the morass.  Legal consumers, like all consumers in the convenience economy, most highly prize engagement and speed above all else.

So, as 2022 draws to a close, and if your law firm marketing program seems less like a program, and more like a mess, you can still take some small steps to launching something better in 2023.  But, it will require you to be thoughtful about what you’re doing, and to get granular about the processes you build, as you try to place yourself in the shoes of your clients.

It’s possible to generate an effective marketing plan that features helpful automations; you just have to put the time in . . . and put away the duct tape.

(As it turns out, everything is not fixable with duct tape.)

Marketing, Messaging, Technology

Thanksgiving: How to Treat Your Best Referral Sources

Since many law firms rely almost exclusively on referrals to generate business, it’s essential that those law firms tend to the care and feeding of their best referral sources.  But, lots of lawyers tend to take referrals for granted, and just assume that they’ll keep on coming in, even if they don’t do anything to maintain the sources of those referrals.

But, even the healthiest of referral sources can drop out of your program, if you ignore them for too long.  So, here are a few ways to make sure that your best referral sources stay that way.

-First off, (literally) reward them for referring you cases.  Some law firms keep gift cards on hand, to hand over when a referral is made.  Others send an end-of-year flower arrangement, or a collection of candies.  This is probably the most overt way to make sure that your referral sources seem cared for.

-Next, make sure that you stay in touch with your referral sources, in at least a couple ways: First, maintain contact with your best referral sources, so you can talk to them about how your business is going, and tell them about your evolving clients needs.  Second, send them marketing messages on a recurring basis, whether it’s adding them to your enewsletter list or even creating a specific drip campaign for referral sources.  Keeping tabs on your referral sources both in-person and online is really useful for ensuring future business.

-Lastly, you should make an ongoing effort to educate your referral sources about the kinds of clients you’re looking.  Even if your requirements don’t change, it’s useful to keep reminding the people who send you cases, and about the kinds of cases you want.

Staying on top of your referral sources, means that your baseline business revenue should remain stable, as you add new referral sources and marketing channels.

Messaging, Marketing

All Saints Day: Hallmarks of Good Clients

The quest for most lawyers is to acquire the best possible clients, who always pay in full.  I know, right: from your lips to God’s ear.

But, how do you know if a client is a ‘good’ client, before working with them?

Just as you can look for ‘red flags’, indicating that clients would be a poor fit for you law firm, you may be pleasantly surprised by some attributes of your potential clients, which will make their hire by you ‘no-brainers’.

What does that list look like?

-Potential clients who are inquisitive about the legal process, but aren’t bossy about what they want you to do, likely better understand your role as a guide into the legal system, than the sort of client who wants you to just bend to their wishes all the time.

-Potential clients, who are inquisitive about the payment process, and the total cost of representation, aren’t potentially bad clients – they’re just asking the right questions.  You can start to worry if they begin to hunt for discounts.

-Potential clients who have reasonable expectations, and don’t rush you, are likely to give you some space to breathe, when you do start to represent them.

-On a related note, potential clients who aren’t asking you to do things before the attorney-client relationship is agreed to, have a good understanding of how the attorney-client relationship works – and have a certain level of respect for your work, even before it’s begun.

-Potential clients who do things for you when you ask for them during the intake process (like scheduling appointments, paying fees and signing things) are likely to become the sorts of clients that get you things when you need them, when you start representing them.

Better to find out in advance, about who your best clients will be.  And there are clear markers that will help you to identify them.