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Chatbot Software for Law Firms

networking

Marketing, Technology

Virtual Option: Make Sure to Followup Online After In-Person Events

Don’t look now – and, let’s try not to jinx this – but, in-person conferences are coming back in a major way.  As COVID-19 becomes endemic, lots of folks are ready to get back out – literally.

That means you’re likely to start attending again – or, to start to attend more – in-person events.  Lunches, dinners, awards shows, conferences, CLEs.  It’s all back on the proverbial table.

And, that’s great: lawyers thrive in in-person networking environments, and are excellent at developing referral relationships. 

But, that doesn’t mean that you should do exactly what you did before: which was probably to wholeheartedly ignore any web-based marketing in favor of in-person networking and events.  Now, I’m not suggesting that another pandemic is on the way – let’s hope to God it isn’t!  But, what the pandemic revealed to many law firms is that: in-person networking can also be done (more widely) online, and that web-based marketing is important for client generation, too.

So, when you go to an in-person event = double up!  If you meet someone, connect with them on social media.  Schedule a Zoom call to followup.  Add them to your newsletter list.

The key to marketing is diversity.  And, as we’re all getting back to in-person marketing again . . . just don’t forget the web attributes that you can leverage in conjunction with that.

Marketing

Local News: Law Firm Referrals Are Shifting

Most attorneys still focus on referrals from other lawyers, or other business professionals.  They acquire those by attending legal organization events or business networking groups, as they build a professional network over time.

The problem is that that’s all that most attorneys will do to market their practices.

You’ll find no argument here that referrals work to generate law firm business; but, those attorney and business referrals are decreasing, while referrals from specific communities and family referrals are growing.  This was the case before the pandemic (just in case you were wondering), and this divide has likely increased since the pandemic hit – as people were stuck at home, and retrenched back into their local communities to a greater extent than at any other time in the last 100 years.

What does this mean for law firms?

Well, first off, it’s better to diversify your marketing efforts (including beyond referrals) anyway – but, yeah: the more types of referrals you can get, the better.

And, it also means that law firms should more aggressively engage in community-based marketing activities.  That could mean sponsoring a little league team.  Or, being a room parent at your kids’ school.  Or, joining a local committee.

There’s lots of opportunity to get more involved in your local community in a personal way; and, as it turns out, it’s also a great way to build revenue in your law firm.

Marketing, Messaging, Technology

Prestige Worldwide: Business Networking Groups Round Into Form

For enterprising attorneys, business networking groups have presented two main problems.

Lots of lawyers don’t like the pressure of being asked to bring hot leads to meetings; and, those groups were kind of limited, in terms of the people you could meet – which is kind of the whole point of a networking group.

In a world in which you can connect with anyone else in the world with an internet connection, instantaneously, it was always a little crazy that business networking groups were so clipped, in terms of the reach they offered.  I mean, how many times can you show up at the same coffee shop every morning, to talk with the same people, over the white noise of the same old business pitches.

Gag me with a spoon, seriously.

So, what’s cool is that, over the last couple of years, having been forced to go online, and to provide more benefits to members used to a certain protocol that had disappeared, networking groups have massively expanded their reach.

Now, join any business networking group, and you can connect with group cohorts across the world, and across the country.  This ability to pop into and out of local groups changes the game, and expands your reach exponentially.

It seems like something that should have happened before – and could have easily happened before – but, now that business networking groups have expended your opportunities, maybe it’s time to take a fresh look.

Plus, with more connections being made, and the value of the groups being more closely associated with expanding your network than satiating your current network with new leads, the pressure to generate referrals has been reduced somewhat.  The sharks-to-chum energy that had prevailed in a lot of these groups has definitely been tamped down.

And, with in-person networking now making a triumphant return, this is another tactic to exploit via your marketing plan.

Marketing

Inside Out: Why You Need to Seek Referrals from Non-Lawyers, Too

Psssttt . . . I’ve got something I need to tell you: You don’t have to network only with other lawyers.  I know this is a problem for a lot of you, which is why I bring it up.  I just want to help.  And, I get it: it’s so much easier to just talk with other lawyers.  They feel your pain.  They speak your language — Latin.  But, relying on referrals from other lawyers is the most dangerous game.

Why?  Good question.  It’s because other lawyers have the ‘nuclear option’: They can nullify any referral they would have sent you by taking it for themselves.  Think about it: If you’re relying on, say, plumbers for referrals, they’re not going to be like, ‘Hey, I’m just going to go ahead and probate this estate myself.’  They need a lawyer to refer a legal case to.  But, for lawyers, almost regardless of specialization, they can snatch any case back.  A patent lawyer could take a probate case if she needed to, or wanted to.

What that means is that you can do everything right, in terms of finding the right referral partners, with the right complementary practice areas, and do everything you can, also, to smooth the referral process, and to send bulk candies to your lawyer referral sources afterwards — and yet, all that does not guarantee that the attorney you want to receive referrals from is going to actually send you those referrals.  If they’ve hit a revenue trough, maybe they keep that case, in order to stem the tide without having to dip into a line of credit or ease their short-term concern.  Maybe they end up liking that particular practice area, or view it as more viable than they previously thought, and the whole thing starts to snowball, and they hire an associate to handle the personal injury cases they used to send your way.  The point is: they can, the plumber can’t.

So, as an attorney practicing in a competitive environment (that’s you), it’s imperative that you (pl.) diversify your referral network, in order to decrease an overhanging reliance on attorney-to-attorney referrals.  Go forth, then, and meet non-attorney referral sources.  Just like there are complementary practice areas, there are complementary business types out there for you to receive referrals from and to send referrals to.  So, do the legwork to find out where those opportunities lie.  If you need to conduct some preliminary research on the topics, MeetUp.com is a great way to find business-specific interest groups (as well as personal interest groups), that you may never have heard of, or even thought about, before.

Get out of your comfort zone, and you shall be rewarded.

. . . Like, literally, with more money, stemming from further assured referral avenues.

Analytics, Marketing, Messaging, Technology

Gateway: How You Can Build a More Diversified Marketing Program

Trying something new is not easy.  Ever since cave people started becoming cave people by moving into caves, humans and pre-humans have sought comfort.  And, it’s the same thing with running a business.  Once you get into a groove (which an outsider might call a ‘rut’), it’s difficult to pull yourself out of it, and experiment.  Experimentation is the province of the bold; and boldness is certainly informed by desperation, in many cases.

But, you can also start going down a new path by taking the first step.  You’ve heard the term ‘gateway drug’ — well, in business, there’s a gateway drug for any business improvement tactic.  For example, lawyers love Microsoft Office, but fear the cloud.  Enter Microsoft Office 365.  Buy it, use it, see how similar it is to what you’ve used before, and get comfortable with cloud-based technology, in a familiar environment  Then, buy another cloud software product.  Then, do it again.  Pretty soon, you’re throwing your server out the window.

It’s the same with marketing. If you’re uncomfortable using social media, think of it as a global networking event instead of a web platform.  LinkedIn, in the main, features all the same people you’d meet at bar association or lawyers’ events; but, it’s even easier to get someone’s attention.  Just request a connection; no more awkward interruptions of ongoing conversations.  After a while, you’ll become a sought after connection yourself, as you watch your profile and post views rise.

But, this isn’t just a vanity play; the more people who see what you’re doing, the further your brand reaches, the more you increase the likelihood of additional targeted referrals and new client inquiries.  Modern marketing is more about breadth than depth.  The wider your profile extends, the more opportunities you have to make money.  The key to extending your online profile is to increase the number of platforms you use in as inexpensive a manner as possible.  That’s why free social media services and directory profiles are so essential to a cost-effective law firm marketing strategy.

The time to experiment is ongoing.  In business, stagnation is loss.  So, don’t wait for your practice to start flailing before you switch things up.  Try something new, experiment.  Become the first mover, for once, and reap the benefits.

Your gateway awaits you.