1. Start with your business goals. Your marketing budget should directly support your business goals. Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Grow revenue? Launch a new service? Expand your client base? Be specific about your objectives and how quickly you want to achieve them. It’s usually less expensive to pursue steady, incremental growth in your existing business than to seek aggressive revenue targets or reach out to new markets.

2. Translate business goals into a marketing plan. You need to develop more details to figure out your budget. For example, if your goal is to increase revenue by 10%, where will that business come from? Upselling existing clients? Increasing your networking? Other ways? Estimate how many new clients/matters you’ll need to achieve that goal and outline what you’ll do to generate those leads. Who will you target with your marketing? What types of marketing and strategies will you use? Write it down in a marketing plan. Later you’ll go back to your plan to prioritize your strategies as you develop your budget.

3. Research relevant benchmarks. A common benchmark for small professional service firms is to allocate 5-10% of annual gross revenue to marketing. However, if you’re starting out, looking for high growth, expanding into new territory or services or in a highly competitive industry or geographic area, aim for the higher end of that range or even more. If you’re focused on maintaining revenue or growing slowly, the lower end might suffice.

Also, research norms in your industry and gather competitor information where possible. At a minimum, you can investigate what marketing channels your competitors are using to get a sense of what they may be spending. However, don’t blindly follow others as every firm has different circumstances. Current economic trends may also vary greatly from past conditions. Finally, remember you’re looking at averages across many firms as opposed to those firms that may be the most successful.

4. Review your current marketing spend. If you’ve spent money on marketing previously, assess past expenditures. Where did your marketing dollars go? Do you know what tactics brought in the most leads or clients? If so, that can help you decide where to cut back or increase spending. If you aren’t tracking leads, start now so you’ll be in better shape next year.

Importantly, remember that new business is often the result of multiple marketing efforts continuing over time. For example, you meet a referral source through networking and keep in touch via in-person meetings, email marketing, social media marketing and other means. At some later point, the referral source passes along your name to a prospect who researches you online and goes to your website and social media pages to verify your credentials. All these touchpoints are crucial in getting business. One meeting is rarely enough.

5. Capture all costs. Marketing encompasses a wide array of potential costs, including:

• Networking (membership dues, event registration fees, travel, entertainment, etc.)

• Outsourcing (content writers, graphic artists, website designers, videographers, consultants and agencies)
• Software and tools (purchasing and maintaining CRM systems and marketing tools)
• Printing (firm brochures, business cards, folders, etc.)
• Advertising (online, radio, television and print ads; sponsorships; promotional items)
• Salaries/Internal time (time spent on marketing activities).

Note that you should also account for how you spend your time. Time is money. Avoid doing tasks that could be delegated to another person who can work more cost-effectively than you.

6. Consider the stage of your business. If your firm is new, you’ll need to invest more money to establish and build awareness of your brand. As you grow, you’ll want to expand your marketing efforts and develop relationships to generate leads. Established firms should focus on leveraging existing relationships and closing the gaps in their marketing to ensure they stay competitive.

7. Have some unallocated money set aside. No matter how well you plan, you may want to make changes to your budget throughout the year. Maybe you want to take advantage of some unexpected opportunities, or you need to counteract some negative business developments. Set aside some portion (10%-15%) of your marketing budget for unplanned expenses.

8. Track results and make changes as needed. If you see better returns from some strategies over others, revise and reallocate your budget accordingly during the year. There are tools to measure website traffic, advertising, social media, email, phone calls and other marketing to ensure you base your decisions on real data.

When determining your budget, remember that marketing is an investment in your business rather than just another expense. There is no typical marketing budget for a small firm. Start your year off right with a budget that is tailored to your needs and goals.

If you need assistance with your marketing, contact us for a consultation.

1. Have a plan and goals. Who do you want to target with your marketing? Why do you want to make more time for marketing? What are your goals? How much time and resources are you willing to commit to marketing? What specific activities will you undertake? Creating a plan that answers these questions helps ensure you don’t waste time on random acts of marketing that aren’t well-coordinated and won’t bring you closer to your objectives.

2. Block off time for marketing. Set aside time daily or weekly and put it on your calendar like any other appointment. Also, ensure that you schedule it at a time of day when you have the energy to put toward marketing and can guard against distractions. Hold your calls. Don’t check emails. Stop multitasking. Even if all you can manage is 10-15 minutes at a time, engage in some kind of marketing activity to help you stay accountable to yourself and keep your momentum.

3. Determine what is the highest and best use of your time. Recognize that you can’t and shouldn’t do everything on your own. You should not spend time on things that can be done by others. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Prioritize work that only you can handle and delegate the rest.

4. Effectively delegate and/or outsource. Professionals often hesitate to delegate or outsource marketing activities due to concerns about cost or relinquishing control. However, delegating or outsourcing certain tasks to employees, specialists or freelancers can be a smart investment. Remember time is money. If others can do it more cost-effectively, efficiently, or with more skill than you, give it to them so you can focus on your core responsibilities and high-value strategic initiatives.

5. Leverage technology. There is no shortage of products to help you market more efficiently. These include email marketing automation, social media scheduling tools, content management systems, and customer relationship management (CRM) software to automate repetitive tasks and save time. Artificial intelligence tools have also exploded in use. For example, ChatGPT and its competitors can significantly cut the time needed to research and produce content. AI has also been incorporated into a wide variety of existing products like grammar checkers, marketing analytics tools, design software, customer service chatbots, etc. Importantly, AI can also help you get your client work done and run your office more efficiently, freeing up time for marketing. (Note: always verify the accuracy of information from AI tools and edit and tailor results to your specific needs and circumstances.)

6. Start small; don’t overcommit. A common problem is making unrealistic commitments of time. If you get busy, you won’t be able to meet your goals and you may pull back even more. You market less, which means your efforts will be less effective and results will take longer to achieve so you’re tempted to give up until you have “more time to market,” which never happens. Instead, it’s best to focus on one area and make a small commitment and stick to it. Make it a habit. As you get used to it, add additional time and/or responsibilities to your plate.

7. Review your results. When you write down your goals in your marketing plan, you should also put down how you want to measure success. Marketing is cumulative and there is rarely a straight line from one marketing activity to new business. Instead, many activities intersect and build on each other to help you bring in a new client. However, you should check your metrics. Are people opening your emails, reacting to your social media posts, commenting on your speech or article? Is website traffic up and where is it coming from? Are you getting calls? Use analytics tools to help you identify which marketing efforts are yielding the best results and which should be adjusted or eliminated. By prioritizing high-impact activities and eliminating ineffective ones, you can optimize your marketing efforts while maintaining a balance with other business priorities.

8. Set aside short periods of time for social media. Social media is one of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing tools that exists because it allows you to reach new people as well as strengthen relationships with existing contacts. Incorporate social media into your marketing plan and make sure that every week you take a little time to both post content and interact with people online. Setting a timer will keep you from spending too much time on social media. Also, focus on one social media platform to start (Linkedin is the best for professionals). Then as you get comfortable with it and are ready to devote more time to social media, add another platform.

9. Repurpose everything you do. Did you write an article or do a presentation? Then, slice and dice it into a blog post, social media posts, charts, infographics, or video. Or vice versa – take multiple short pieces of content and combine them to create something longer. Revise social media posts a little and reuse them again a few weeks or months later. Promote your activities and achievements in your email newsletter, on all your social media platforms, and your website. The point is that you should always be looking for ways to reuse and repurpose whatever you do or create. Not only does this save significant time but you can reach more people by delivering information in many formats using multiple marketing channels.

10. Be consistent. Many professionals make the mistake of engaging in marketing sporadically. They work hard to get attention, then vanish. They lose momentum and visibility that they have to spend extra time to regain. Consistency builds brand awareness, establishes credibility and fosters trust with your audience. Whether it’s posting on social media, sending out email newsletters, networking, writing, or speaking, maintaining a regular presence will help you stay top-of-mind with your target audience.

The next time you say you don’t have time for marketing, ask yourself whether you are taking these steps to prioritize marketing.

Step 1

Your marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a few written pages that outline specifically what you are going to do to market yourself. Before you get to that part, however, you first have to answer a few key questions:

(a) What’s your personal brand? Your brand is your reputation– what you are known for and what people expect from you personally and professionally. You should be able to succinctly state what you do, who you help and how you add value to relationships. Focus on what differentiates you from your competition.

(b) Who do you want to target with your marketing? You have to develop a profile of the person you are trying to reach, including their demographics, industry, geography, etc. Then identify their interests and concerns and the best places to find them (ex. industry organizations, publications they read, etc.). This will help you develop a strong marketing message and promote it in the right places.

(c) What are your priorities and goals? Where do you want to focus your efforts? For example, is your objective to get new accounts, retain or upsell existing clients, get a promotion/new job or attract media attention? Once you know what you want, then set a concrete target, such as a certain number of accounts, amount of revenue generated, positive reviews from clients and so on.

(d) How much time and money are you willing to devote to marketing? If your firm is supporting you, then you may not need to outlay money. However, the firm will have a budget. If you aren’t getting assistance, set your own budget. Regardless of whether you are getting money, you still need to devote your time to marketing. How many hours a week will you set aside?

Step 2

Next, you have to outline what specific marketing activities you will undertake and set goals for yourself. For example:

(a) Outreach to referral sources or prospects. Who will you meet with? How many people will you contact every month?

(b) Speaking engagements. How many per year? What types of organizations?

(c) Articles. How many per year? What types of publications?

(d) Networking. How many and which groups will you join? How often will you attend meetings?

(e) Marketing to past and current clients. What materials will you send and how often?

(f) Social media. How often will you post? What types of content will you post? How often will you interact with your contacts online?

(g) Website. What content will you create for the firm’s site (blogs, videos, eBook, etc.) and how often?

(h) Publicity. Will you submit your name for awards, reach out to reporters or podcasters, send out press releases, etc. and how often?

Step 3

Finally, you need to determine whether and how your firm will assist you. Can they create appropriate marketing materials, provide social media and business development training, research and pitch organizations and publications on your behalf and/or provide client data, prospect lists and competitive intelligence?

This may seem overwhelming but once you answer the first few questions, the second part is basically a spreadsheet listing your activities and goals. Importantly, you don’t have to do it all from the start. Pick one or two things to focus on and be diligent and consistent in your activities. Then expand from there.

If you need help with your personal marketing plan, contact us for a consultation.

1. Update your contact list. People change jobs regularly or information is entered incorrectly and we never notice. If your data is wrong, it’s useless because your marketing won’t reach those individuals. Interns can take care of tasks like researching bounced emails and gaps in your data. They can also compare your social media and email contacts to find individuals that are missing from either list.

2. Create and send an email newsletter. A great way to stay top of mind with contacts is to send out an email newsletter every month. An intern may be able to help with creating an email template if you don’t have one, gathering materials that could be included in the newsletter, formatting the newsletter, and/or sending the finished product to your contacts and then reporting the results to you.

3. Post to social media. An intern shouldn’t decide what should be posted on your behalf but may offer suggestions. In addition, they can assist with the mechanics of scheduling posts, finding accompanying images, recording video, designing ads and monitoring and reporting on the results of your social media marketing.

4. Send social media invitations. If you’re not good about sending invitations to new connections, an intern may help. Further, an intern can assist with inviting your personal contacts to follow your business page on social media. In most cases, you want to have a separate presence for your business, but it means making an extra effort to get people to follow your business rather than your personal page.

5. Identify speaking and writing opportunities. It’s time-consuming to pitch yourself as a speaker or get an article published. An intern can research organizations and publications where you may want to appear; find out the requirements; and prepare, send and follow up on your proposals.

6. Write/proofread marketing copy. It can be useful to have a fresh perspective on the promotional materials you prepare. If your intern is a good writer, have them draft copy, provide feedback on your materials or proofread.

7. Get reviews from happy clients and referral sources. Reviews carry a lot of weight. Even when prospects have been referred to you, they will still google you and check reviews. If you don’t regularly ask for reviews, have an intern help send out requests for a review on Google and/or your social media pages.

8. Run marketing reports. Marketing involves significant trial and error. An intern can run social media, email, phone, google website and advertising reports to help determine what activities and campaigns are working better than others so you can make adjustments.

9. Design marketing materials. If you are fortunate to have an intern with graphic art and design abilities, make effective use of it. They can help spruce up your ads, flyers, invitations, PowerPoint presentations, social media posts, blog posts, website and other materials.

10. Update your website. It’s easy to forget to update your website, but it looks bad when a prospect visits the site and sees that all the “News” and activities are a few years old. Interns can review the site and add information on anything that has occurred in the intervening period, such as articles, speaking engagements, press, awards, community involvement, etc. In addition, the copyright information on the site should be updated.

This is not a complete list but provides suggestions for how you can leverage your marketing intern to promote your firm. Remember to give your intern adequate training and supervision so you both get substantial value out of this experience.

If you need assistance with your marketing, including training interns or other staff, contact us. We offer social media and email marketing training as well as writing and consulting services.

Problem #1. Relying on a generic marketing message. Many firms use the same overused language to describe what they do, who they help and how they’re “different.” The problem isn’t lack of creativity; it’s being afraid of standing out. Many professionals feel more comfortable saying the same things as their peers; they just want to claim to do it better. However, they offer no proof that they are actually better so it’s just the same old marketing copy.

If you want to improve your results, you have to focus on marketing your differentiators. Identify exactly why someone should hire or refer you over your competitors, what unique value you bring to the relationship and how you help. Be specific and make sure you have proof, such as positive reviews, success stories, case studies, activities like writing and speaking, media quotes, awards, relevant group memberships and other evidence that you are who and what you say you are.

Problem #2. Too much selling and not enough helping. Yes, promote your differentiators, but rather than telling people how great you are, prove it with helpful content. I believe in the 80-20 rule – 20% of the time you can be self-promotional but 80% of the time provide useful information that helps people with their problems. This will demonstrate your expertise and build trust and credibility with your audience. It will help you both attract new attention and stay top of mind with the people you already know. However, in developing content, focus on what your audience cares about – their interests and concerns. Also, remember to repurpose your content so you get the maximum return on your investment. For more on repurposing, see No Time For Content Marketing? 7 Tips For Successfully Repurposing Your Content Part 1 and Part 2.

Problem #3. Neglecting your total online presence. There is more to your online presence than your website or your social media pages. Prospects and referral sources will google you even if they got referred to you and they will compare you to others. First, google yourself and your firm to find out what people will see. Then google some of your competitors. Once you determine where you are lacking, focus on making improvements like adding useful content to your website, becoming more active on social media, stepping up your writing and speaking for third parties, getting more online reviews, increasing backlinks to your website, claiming your Google business listing and employing tactics to improve your search engine ranking.

Problem #4. Having a narrow view of social media. You want to take full advantage of social media especially since it is more cost-effective than many other forms of marketing. It’s a great way to stay top of mind with contacts and get found by new people. So, post a few times a week. Also, interact with others by responding to comments to your posts; liking, commenting on and sharing other people’s posts; sending personal messages to your contacts; and leaving a good review for your contacts on their social media pages. Also, use social media for market intelligence. Look at what your competitors, clients, industry are doing and saying. This can help you better target your message and where you promote it.

Problem #5. Overlooking your follow-up process. The best marketing in the world means nothing if you don’t follow up properly. Document your process for follow-up and track your activities and results to determine if you could be doing better. Explore technology that may help. For example, a CRM (customer relationship management) system may be useful especially if you have multiple employees involved in business development and account management. It provides a more robust database for tracking and managing your contacts and can interface with other programs. Email marketing automation can also help you nurture leads more effectively and with less manual work.

Finally, pay attention to everyone a prospect or referral source may come into contact with on the phone or in person. Poor interactions can easily lose you business, while good ones can help seal the deal. Customer service or sales training may be a good investment for you or your employees to give everyone the people skills they need.

Problem #6. Failing to have a written marketing plan. Before you leap into any significant marketing, create a written marketing plan. This is your roadmap for achieving your goals and putting it all in writing keeps you focused and accountable over the long term so you aren’t distracted and you prioritize your efforts where they count. The worst thing you can do is engage in random acts of marketing where you do a little of this and that without a strategy or thinking about whether it is the best use of your time and money. For more information, read How to Create an Effective Marketing Plan.

Want help with your own marketing, contact us for consultation.

Mistake # 1: Having a generic marketing message. We all have competitors. Why should someone hire you or refer you over a competitor? Are you highlighting what makes you different and how you add value to clients in your marketing? If you can’t explain these things very clearly and concisely, you will struggle to get good clients. It can be hard to figure out your differentiators. Too often firms rely on generic and vague assertions like they care about their clients, they provide exceptional client service or they deliver results. While that’s wonderful, doesn’t every firm say that? Your differentiators must be more specific and measurable with examples of how you go beyond your competitors.

Mistake # 2: Too much selling and not enough helping. You are probably sharing lots of information with the world whether on your website, social media, networking, or through third parties. Is that information mostly a sales pitch – or in other words, is it all about you? Professional service firms need to educate, not pitch – at least most of the time. Ideally, follow the 80-20 rule in providing information: 20% self-promotional; 80% useful content that helps people with their problems. This will demonstrate your expertise and build trust and credibility with your audience. It will also help you to stay top of mind with existing contacts as well as attract new prospects.

Mistake # 3: Neglecting your total online presence. If you have a small business, it’s about the total package – you personally and your business – and both need visibility and credibility. The first step is to google yourself and your business. What information shows up about you and your firm? How do you compare to your competitors? Whether you get business through referrals or otherwise, those prospects will research you and they need to see lots of positive things about you. So how can you strengthen your online presence? I recommend getting more online reviews and recommendations, writing articles, doing educational presentations to relevant groups, becoming active in industry/professional organizations, and volunteering with charitable organizations. Also, consider hiring a company to help with your SEO particularly if you have a consumer-oriented business and get a significant amount of web business.

Mistake # 4: Limiting your social media marketing to posting. Yes, it is important to post at least a few times a week. Consistency is key. However, social media can also be used to help build and strengthen relationships. Like networking, you have to interact with others on social media, so remember to monitor and respond to comments on your posts. Also go online a few times a week to like, share or comment on posts by your contacts. They will be appreciative and will probably reciprocate in the future. You should pay attention to notifications about your contacts as well – birthday, anniversary, job changes– and use this as an excuse to reach out and reconnect on a personal level. Offer to make recommendations or introductions for your contacts. Social media sites make this easy to do. Finally, you can also use social media for market intelligence. Look at what your competitors, clients, and industry are doing and saying. This can help you better target your message and where you promote it.

Mistake # 5: Overlooking your follow-up process. The best marketing in the world means nothing if you don’t follow up properly. Consider a CRM system (ex. Salesforce) to help you manage your contacts with prospects and referral sources. Marketing automation tools can also help handle some follow up for you. For example, Constant Contact allows you to set up a series of emails that are automatically sent out to prospects to help nurture your leads. You or your staff may also benefit from customer service and sales training. You have to pay attention to everyone a client may come into contact with. Poor interactions can easily lose you the business, while good ones can help seal the deal.

Mistake # 6: No marketing plan. This is your roadmap for achieving your goals. It should be in writing to keep you focused and accountable over the long-term. Your plan should detail your marketing message, target audience, priorities and goals, and what steps you will take to achieve them.

It’s a competitive world and you must market to stay visible and memorable all the time. While no two firms are exactly alike in what works best for marketing, avoiding these 6 big mistakes can help every business.

If you need assistance with your marketing, contact us for a consultation.

1. Assess your Google results. What shows up on the first page? Presumably, your website and social media profiles will appear at the top, but what else? Are the other results on the page little more than directory listings? Is there anything that demonstrates expertise or credibility, such as articles, presentations, professional memberships, awards, media mentions and the like? Do you have any reviews or recommendations? It is not enough to ensure that bad things don’t appear in your search results, you want to make sure a lot of good things show up as well. A minimal presence can hurt you because people want to know you are active in your profession, in your community and so on.

2. Google your competitors. How are they marketing themselves? How does their online presence compare to yours? Review their Google results, website, and social media profiles. It is important to know what you are up against. However, if your competitors aren’t doing much online, don’t take that as an excuse to continue to ignore your online presence. You have an opportunity to lead the field and make everyone else catch up to you.

3. Do the easy stuff first. Your website and social media profiles are typically the first results that show in Google. Fortunately, you have complete control over what appears there and should be taking advantage of them to demonstrate the value you offer clients. Highlight your strengths, but don’t make it a marketing brochure. Instead, provide information that your prospects would find useful and interesting. It might be insights about their problem, what they can do to help themselves, and when they may need extra assistance. Blogs, articles, eBooks, newsletters, videos, podcasts, presentations, FAQs, and case studies can be added to your website and highlighted on social media to build credibility.

Also give prospects a reason to like and trust you. Tell them a little about your background, your motivation for doing the work you do, and your other interests (charitable activities, hobbies, etc.). Social media is great for this because you can be a bit more informal than on your website, just don’t go too far into the personal.

4. Develop content for third-party sites. Appearing on reputable third-party sites is invaluable because you can’t control it. The more authoritative the other website, the more it affects your credibility and search engine ranking. Start identifying a list of sites where you could provide content, such as articles and presentations. Likely sources include associations relevant to your profession (e.g., bar associations) and to your client base (industry and business groups). Consumer-oriented, community, and charitable websites may also be possibilities. In addition, reach out to contacts in complementary businesses and offer to guest blog on each other’s websites or otherwise partner on creating content to cross-promote.

5. Ask for recommendations/reviews. Contact people you know well – referral sources, colleagues, vendors, and happy clients – to ask them if they would be willing to give you a recommendation or review on your firm Google listing, on social media pages, and other relevant websites. Remember to give them one as well if you can. Depending on the nature of your relationship, encourage them to be detailed in the review and suggest things they could share in the review. When dealing with clients, it is best to ask for a review at the conclusion of a successful engagement.

6. Downplay the negatives. If you have negative reviews, you should respond online carefully. Do not engage in a debate online, but do tell the person you want to discuss the problem and follow up offline to try to resolve the situation. If you are successful, try to get the person to retract the review or add a comment that the matter was resolved. If you have negative press, there may be little you can do but if there is a possibility of responding to limit the damage try to do so. It may be worthwhile speaking to a public relations agency if it is a serious matter. Again, take care in your response that you are not making matters worse or drawing more attention to the situation. Assuming you cannot eliminate the damage, you can counteract it by getting more positive reviews and publicity and taking the other steps mentioned above. Most businesses end up with some negative feedback so it is not as bad as it may feel. Over time, the impact will lessen.

7. Have a marketing plan. It takes time to implement these steps and we all have limits on the resources we can put towards this. A written plan can help you think through your options and prioritize, set goals, and determine what time and money you will need to achieve your objectives.

Following these suggestions has additional benefits. First, it will improve your search engine ranking when people search for a professional with your expertise or want more information on a specific issue that you have written or spoken about. It also makes you more visible with existing contacts. Assuming you are actively promoting your activities through your website, email, social media, and other means, they help you stay top of mind with your referral sources.

Finally, it makes you more aware of what your competitors are doing so you can be more effective in your own efforts. Studies show that prospects research and talk to multiple firms before making a decision. If you want to compete, a strong online brand is essential. It may not guarantee you get the business, but the lack of one may lose you the business.

If you are concerned about what Google says about you, contact us for a consultation.

1. Clients are putting less weight on referrals. According to the report, while 59% of clients asked someone they know for a referral, 57% searched on their own through some other means (online search, website, etc.); and 16% did both. However, younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials) gave more weight to a lawyer’s website, online reviews, brand, and image and less weight to referrals as compared to Gen X and Boomers.

Marketing/sales takeaway: It is important to invest significantly in online marketing particularly if you want to attract Millennials and Gen Z clients. Even if that isn’t your client base now, it will be in a few years and you need to be preparing for it. Anyone can search online and find your competitors and make comparisons. While a great online presence may not guarantee you get the business, a lackluster presence could lose you the business as that prospect decides to call another firm before yours.

2. Clients are shopping around and rejecting firms based on first impressions. Regardless of how clients look for a lawyer, 44% believe they need to talk to more than one lawyer to find one that’s right for them, and 57% of those who have shopped for a lawyer say they contacted more than one law firm. Of those who contacted multiple firms, many clients report rejecting firms based on the poor responses of the law firm in their initial contact.

Marketing/sales takeaway: Your first interactions with potential clients are crucial. While marketing might lead someone to you, you could be losing them when they talk to or email your assistant, your associate, or yes, even you personally. The study had some sad statistics about lawyer responsiveness and client service experience. Clio did an email survey of 1000 lawyers and then secretly called and emailed 500 of those firms. Guess what? While the lawyers thought they were doing a good job responding, the reality was very different. Take a close look at how those initial phone calls and emails are really being handled within your firm. Consider sales and customer service training for all lawyers and staff who communicate with clients. All the marketing in the world won’t fix problems like failing to respond in a timely manner or providing vague answers to questions.

3. Clients want concrete information to make their decision. The consumers surveyed indicated that they want to know that a lawyer has handled the type of problem they have and has clients like them. In addition, they are interested in specific information on what to expect from their case, how to proceed and the total cost for their case. If they can’t get answers to their questions, they move on to the next lawyer.

Marketing/sales takeaway. Some of this information can be highlighted on your website and in your marketing (social media, email, writing, public speaking, etc.) Your materials should be clear and concise. Avoid overbroad and generic descriptions of your practice. Showcase your niche expertise instead of trying to be all things to all people. Also remember to provide information in terms your audience will understand. Don’t give them “lawyer speak.” Research your target audience – what they care about, what drives their decision-making and their level of knowledge about the problem they are facing. Tailor your materials to those matters so clients want to talk to you further. In addition, as noted above, all lawyers and staff should be trained to respond to inquiries, so they do not turn off prospective clients.

4. Lack of confidence in running the business is a problem. The survey showed that while 92% of lawyers are very confident in their skills as a lawyer, only 53% are confident in running the business side of their firm. Those feelings have an impact on their level of engagement in some key business aspects of their firm. For example, 70% of lawyers who are more confident in their business skills indicated spending time on marketing compared to only 49% of those not confident in their business skills.

Marketing/sales takeaway. When people are not confident in doing something, they tend to avoid it or minimize its importance. However, lawyers cannot grow their practice if they don’t invest resources in marketing and business development. If you fall into this category, you must actively seek out more opportunities to get education and training in business skills, but particularly in marketing and business development. In addition, bring in outside expertise to help guide your efforts. No one can be an expert in everything. Part of running a business effectively is understanding what you must handle yourself and what to delegate.

If you are a professional trying to grow your business, what are you doing to counteract these trends?

For help with your marketing, contact us for a free consultation.

1. Identify your “best” existing and past clients. How do you define “best?” Are your best clients the ones who paid you the most last year (i.e., gross revenue)? Or are they the most profitable (i.e., you realized the highest hourly rate for your time)? Maybe they represent clients who are the easiest to get or who pay promptly and never complain? Or it could be clients who hire you for the kind of work you enjoy the most? Your definition of the best does not have to be the same as other people’s. It should fit your needs and highlight the specific types of clients you want to have.

2. Create a client profile or buyer persona. If you want to get more clients like your best ones, you need to understand as much about them as possible. You do this by developing a client profile or buyer persona which documents pertinent information to guide your marketing efforts. For example, what are their demographics, stage of life/business, interests, pain points, etc.? How did you get them as clients? Did they come through a certain category of referrals (past clients, colleagues from other firms, specific networking groups, etc.) or some other manner? What drives their decision-making? This information will help you target them more effectively by identifying where you can find them and what message will resonate with them.

3. Prioritize your efforts. Many business experts recommend putting your existing clients into 3 buckets – A, B, and C. Bucket A has your best clients. You want to give them the most attention to retain them and encourage them to give more referrals to you. In addition, you want to use the bulk of your marketing time and money to target more clients like them. Bucket B has your average clients. They need to be kept satisfied, but more importantly, focus on how they could become A clients. What kind of marketing and business development will help you get more business from them directly or through referrals? Bucket C consists of clients who take up a lot more time than the revenue they generate warrants. Often, the C clients are the ones who are easier to get and hard to get rid of because they help pay the firm’s bills even though they are only marginally profitable, if at all. When professionals complain they do not have the time to market, it may be because there is a significant amount of time spent on C clients. Time is money and you must decide whether it makes good business sense to let go of C clients in order to focus on getting As and Bs.

4. Develop a marketing plan. The key to successful marketing is to have a written marketing plan which lays out what you want to accomplish and the actions you will take. The plan should focus specifically on getting more clients like your best clients and outline the strategies and tactics you will use and the resources you will invest in achieving your goals. Random acts of marketing don’t get results. You need to concentrate on targeting your audience consistently using multiple marketing tactics.

Stop wasting time going after any client and use these 4 steps to get your best clients.

For help with your marketing plan, contact us for a consultation.

1. Mid-year checkup. We’re 6 months into the year. What have you done to market your business? What has worked and what hasn’t? Are you on track to meet your goals for the year? What should you be doing differently? If you did not set goals at the start of the year, set them now.

2. Work on your contact database. Leverage staff and interns or hire students to help create or clean up your database. If you don’t have a database, now is the time to build one, especially for email

3. Attend summer networking events. During the summer, many groups go on hiatus, but not all of them. Those that have events often schedule more casual networking which may bring out different people than ordinarily attend the regular networking events.

4. Update your website and social media profiles. Verify your credentials and activities are up to date including memberships, new positions, writing and speaking, publicity, awards, etc. Also, go to the My Network tab on LinkedIn and check out suggestions of people you could connect to and add a personal note if you send them an invitation. You can also email them to further build the connection.

5. Create evergreen content. Evergreen content is content that doesn’t go out of date quickly. Develop blog posts, articles, video or other content that you can use months or even years from now, so you have material you can promote when you don’t have time to create something new.

6. Get into the habit of marketing. If it seems like you are always too busy to market, start with a small commitment of time every week. It doesn’t matter how much time you set aside but pick a set amount and keep to it even if it’s 15 minutes. Then gradually add more time as you get comfortable with your efforts. Little things add up.

For more help, read our related post – It’s July. Do You Know How Your Marketing Is Doing?