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.

Your problem isn’t lack of time, it’s that you are stuck in a marketing rut. It’s what happens when you are sort of satisfied with your business, but not quite and yet you keep doing the same things to promote your business because you’re used to it and you’re not really sure what else to do. I’ve been there personally and coached clients out of it. The issue is that you’re doing just well enough to feel like you don’t have to make a change immediately so you keep putting it off.

Unfortunately, at some point, it will become a necessity and by that time, you’ll feel pressured to turn things around quickly and that’s difficult. Marketing is a long-term pursuit. Your activities build on themselves to keep you in front of your audience so that when opportunities arise, people remember you and can find you easily. When you feel like you have to make changes because it’s ‘do or die,’ you feel frustrated when results don’t happen right away and you’ll give up on solid tactics prematurely – leaving you in your rut.

How do you get out of this cycle?

1. Write down and assess your short (3 months), medium (6-12 months) and long-term goals (over 1 year). You may be meeting your short-term goals, but are you on track to meet longer ones? Is your sales pipeline where you need it to be to replace clients that naturally fall off or to grow your business beyond where you are now? Look at past and present trends in your business to make projections. Once you have truly evaluated where you are likely to end up if things continue as they are, you may be more motivated to make a change.

2. Identify your concerns about marketing. If you really think that marketing is important, you’ll make time. So, what’s the real problem? Are you worried that your marketing won’t be good enough? Do you think that marketing is a waste of money or not worth hiring someone to help you? Do you feel you should be able to market yourself without assistance from anyone else? Unfortunately, I’ve had clients and prospects with all of these views. These are people who endlessly work on their website or an article for a publication but can’t sign off on the finished product because it isn’t “perfect.” Or they waste time on tasks that should have been delegated to others or believe that random acts of marketing are going to work. But if marketing is really useless, why does it work for other people?

3. Change your mindset. Whatever your worries, you have to realize that paralysis is not the answer. Do you know the expression “perfect is the enemy of the good”? Trying to make something perfect can intimidate people so they don’t even try or they start and don’t finish the job. You don’t have to get it all right. Marketing is about trial and error; that’s how you figure out what works best for you. Also, the alternative – keeping the status quo – is more damaging to your business than most changes you could make.

You should also be realistic about doing it yourself, rather than hiring help. Even if you are willing and able to consistently take on some marketing yourself, remember time is money. You should make the highest and best use of your time – spend your time on the things that cannot be delegated, otherwise you’re just wasting money. Many marketing tasks can be done more successfully and cost-effectively by people with the appropriate skill set and experience – that’s marketers.

4. Commit to trying one new thing. No one said you had to remake everything you’re doing. Start with one thing. Maybe spend 15 minutes a day interacting with people on social media by commenting on posts and sharing your own content. Launch a monthly email newsletter. Join a new networking group or a committee of an existing group. Then make a specific commitment of time and/or money to get it done. Put it on your calendar, set goals and hold yourself accountable. If you don’t meet your goals, then get someone to do it for you.

5. Look at your competitors. Even if someone gets your name from a referral source, they will no doubt get other names from other people. They will research and compare you to your competitors. How do you look in comparison? It doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do if you cannot communicate it effectively on your website and social media and through google searches. If your competitors are doing a better job of marketing, they are more likely to be the ones that get called first and prospects may never get to you. So get motivated to up your marketing game by looking at what competitors are doing. Don’t copy them but educate yourself about the possibilities and look for how you can improve.

6. Get professional help. You’re an expert in your field but are you really a marketer? Those skills are not taught in most schools that offer professional degrees. Ideally, contact a professional for advice but at a minimum, educate yourself about marketing trends in your industry. Know the kinds of things you should be doing even if you aren’t ready to do them all yet.

Your marketing won’t get better by itself; you have to be willing to make a change. If you need help, contact us for a free consultation.

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.

• Women have made up at least 40% of U.S. law students for decades and today, about 48% of law firm associates are women, but only 23% of equity partners are women.
• Approximately 62% of accountants and auditors are women, but only 23% are partners in accounting firms and 14% are CFOs of Fortune 500 and S&P 500 firms.
• Among entrepreneurs, 39% of businesses are women-owned, but only 2% achieve $1 million in revenue.

By strengthening their personal brand, women can raise their profile both within their companies and to a broader network to help position themselves for advancement and better opportunities.

Here are a few tips to get started:

1. Figure out your current brand. Your brand is your reputation and identity. It’s what you are known for and what people expect from you personally and professionally. A good way to think about it is that your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. To determine your brand, talk to people you know – colleagues, clients, managers, and other contacts to learn more about how you are perceived. There are ways you can couch your questions to make sure you are getting helpful and accurate feedback.

You should also ascertain your online brand. Google your name to see what shows up about you. Review your website and social media profiles and compare them to your competitors. It’s important to have a strong online presence with lots of positive information appearing when people search for you.

2. Identify any problems with your current personal brand. Do others have a negative or incorrect impression of you? Or is it that you have a good reputation but you are barely known beyond a small circle of people? Are there aspects of your brand you (dis)like and would like to change? Is lack of confidence, cultural conditioning, a bad work situation, bias or other circumstances affecting your personal brand or inhibiting you from promoting your brand? It’s hard to fix a problem without determining what it is.

3. Create a personal brand story. You want to highlight your personality and values along with your expertise. To do this, it helps to create your personal brand story – consider how your background and past personal and professional experiences have influenced your choices, work and relationships. Why do you do what you do? What do you enjoy most about your work? What unique value do you offer that your competitors don’t? What examples do you have? Your brand story should piece together the different aspects of your personal and professional life to tell a concise story demonstrating that you’re not just knowledgeable, but people can trust you and know what to expect from you.

4. Find brand champions. It’s always better to have other people talk about you in positive ways than talking about yourself. Ideally, you’ll have a few people that are true champions, but anyone you’ve dealt with can be helpful. Regularly request feedback from those you work with and when it’s good, try to document it publicly. (If it’s bad, make sure you address the problem or you’ll develop a poor reputation.) Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations/reviews. Also, ask happy clients for referrals and introductions. If you are praised by your boss, try to make sure others know about it in appropriate ways. Seek promotions, raises, desirable work assignments or even just a public thanks. Women often downplay their accomplishments which can significantly hurt them when they are looking for new opportunities. It’s also a good idea to develop a diverse support network to give you the most options in the future should you decide to take a different professional path.

5. Leverage all channels to promote your brand. Unfortunately, people have short attention spans. You want to be the one your contacts remember so you have to promote yourself. Obviously, networking is important both within your organization and outside of it. However, also take advantage of digital marketing channels like social media and email marketing, your website, blogging, writing and speaking opportunities, publicity and other owned, earned and paid media outlets. You want to share your ideas and expertise publicly so people know about you and you take control of your image.

6. Take small but well-planned steps. Random acts of marketing are a waste of time. Before you take action, it is important to develop a plan. For example, write down your brand message, who you want to target with that message, what you want to accomplish and what steps you will take to improve your brand. Start with a small targeted plan and commit to at least one or two marketing tactics or a set amount of time per week and then expand from there. Marketing is cumulative and the longer you keep at it, the more successful you will be.

If you are looking for help with your brand, contact us for a free 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?

Their efforts can help expand your reach, encourage them to feel vested in the success of the firm and build their skills so they become better employees and future partners. They may be resistant, but there are ways to help get past that.

1. Offer lots of choices. Some people enjoy networking at parties, but that’s not the only option. There are many ways to market. They can get involved in an organization – professional association, charity, or business group. For those who don’t feel comfortable socializing, they can write articles or blog posts, do research, help with social media or other tasks.

2. Give them training. No one is born knowing how to market effectively. Depending on the firm’s needs, bring in trainers or send employees to seminars so they can learn how to network, improve their public speaking, use social media, manage their time, and develop other necessary skills. Remember to also educate them on the firm’s brand message so everyone is consistent about what to communicate about the firm.

3. Provide support. In addition to training, firms can maximize employee efforts in other ways such as by creating marketing materials, researching potential prospects or networking opportunities, making appointments, maintaining an updated contact database and other tasks. There are many marketing-related activities that should be delegated to marketing and administrative staff or outsourced to those better able to handle those tasks effectively. That leaves employees free to focus on their specific contribution to marketing.

4. Develop individual marketing plans. Employees should have their own marketing plan which outlines who they want to target with their marketing, what specific steps they will take and establishes specific goals (ex. number of events they will attend, follow up meetings, articles written, etc.). This helps ensure employees are strategic and focused in their marketing efforts.

5. Ask for their feedback and ideas. Employees often are the ones fielding daily questions from clients and may be able to offer insights about what prospects want to know about. This feedback can help you develop the right content and messaging. In addition, some of your employees may have experience with marketing from prior positions and can make suggestions for improvements or be a source for new ideas. Asking for their thoughts also helps them feel engaged in the firm and that their contributions matter.

6. Use a carrot and stick approach. It’s always best to find ways to incentivize employees to want to market. Public praise for their efforts, touting their successes and monetary recognition (salary increase, bonus, gift cards, etc.) certainly help. You want to show them they are truly valued, and you’re not just dumping work on them that they don’t want. On the other hand, if marketing isn’t a requirement at the firm, many employees will opt-out. This means there must be a consequence for not participating. Make it a part of each employee’s annual review and tie it to compensation and promotions.

Everyone doesn’t have to be a rainmaker, but they can contribute to bringing in new business and spreading your marketing message. Use these tips to help encourage their efforts and give them the tools to succeed.

A while back I spoke on the topic of The Vital Role of Marketing in Succession Planning and the main takeaway from that program is that no matter what stage your business is at, marketing is a long-term investment that can make your business more valuable in ways you probably never imagined. To really make the most of your marketing, consider how it can help you achieve these goals:

1. Increase referrals. Many professionals don’t invest in marketing because they feel that referrals are the best source of business. However, marketing helps you stay top of mind with your network of contacts. We all meet people every day and it can be hard to remember who does what. Also, we often know more than one person who does the same kind of work. If you want to be the one your contacts remember to refer, you must constantly keep in touch with them and networking is not enough to do that. You need other methods like email, social media, writing and speaking, public relations and other methods.

2. Develop a more valuable and diverse client base. One of the variations of the 80-20 rule says that 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your clients. That can be dangerous to a business especially if you have an aging client base or a niche that may not be as lucrative anymore. You need to think about where your business is headed well in advance of those changes. If you wait until the clients are already dropping off, you will be playing catch up and spending a lot of money when you don’t have it coming in. Remember too that if your business seems to be stagnating, it will be less appealing to potential clients, employees, partners and buyers. Marketing can help you develop a more diverse and profitable client base that will enable you to continue growing into the future.

3. Brand your firm with a separate identity. You can also use marketing to develop a distinct “brand” for your firm. This is particularly important for small firms where the practice and business development are based on the efforts and reputation of 1 or 2 people. If the plan is to eventually sell the business, it won’t be as valuable to a buyer if the practice is closely linked to one individual and there is a risk that clients will leave once that person goes. Developing a firm brand helps to separate the key people from the business and make the business more attractive to others.

4. Improve employee recruitment, engagement and retention. Marketing can help you attract new employees and get them more involved with your business. Millennials in particular are looking for workplaces where they feel their ideas and contributions matter and there are opportunities for advancement. Your marketing can communicate to existing and prospective employees that you offer a workplace and culture that will appeal to them. Social media is an especially good way to humanize your business to employees. In addition, encourage employees to get involved in marketing the firm. Help them to help you by instructing them on how to grow their network and present themselves and the firm.

5. Attract potential partners/successors/buyers. Businesses that commit to marketing are demonstrating to the world that they are actively looking to grow. That’s important especially if you are nearing retirement and/or considering your exit strategy. Even the process of developing a marketing plan itself can make your firm more valuable. If you were thinking about buying into a business, wouldn’t you be pleased to see it had a written marketing plan that shows what the owners have been doing to market the business; that they have marketing policies and procedures set up and could demonstrate what successes they have had with marketing?

So, if you are a business owner who is forward-thinking, who’s grooming the next generation or looking for new opportunities or successors to continue the success of your business, you should invest in marketing.

Interested in the long-term growth of your business? Contact us for a consultation.

1. Revisit your marketing efforts year-to-date. What have you done to market your business this year? What has worked and what hasn’t? Are you on track to meet your goals for the year? If you did not set goals, set them now. You should have a written marketing plan documenting what you want to achieve and how you will get there.

2. Set up one-on-one meetings. Summer is a good time to check in with your contacts. Follow up is an essential part of business development. Go out to lunch or coffee. Find out what is going on with your contacts but be prepared. What do you want to accomplish with this meeting? If you are hoping to get some business leads, information or introductions, think ahead of time about how you can help them with their business. It’s better to give than to receive when you are trying to build relationships.

3. Work on your contact database. Too many businesses have incomplete information on their contacts and house them in multiple databases (e.g., Outlook, billing system, email platform, etc.). That makes it much harder to keep information up-to-date and to leverage it to improve marketing. During the summer have someone work on cleaning up your data – checking that information is up-to-date in all places, looking up missing information, reviewing bounces, segmenting contacts, etc. If you don’t have a list of contacts that you can use for email marketing, now is the time to create one. Email is an important and very cost-effective way to stay in touch with your contacts. Leverage staff if they have the time to do this work or use interns or students who can work on an hourly basis at a lower cost than staff.

4. Create evergreen content that you can use for your marketing in busy months. 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.

5. Leverage content you already have. While you are creating content to carry you through the busy times of year, you don’t want to worry about also writing new stuff to market during the summer. Look at what you already have. There is probably information that you can repurpose relatively easily. Also keep in mind that for social media and email purposes, you can repromote evergreen content you wrote previously. Take a blog post or article you wrote a while ago and share it again. Some people may not have seen it the first time or they may not remember it well.

6. 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 can offer the opportunity to network in a relaxed environment. These summer parties may bring out different people than ordinarily attend the regular networking events, so you also meet new people.

7. Do some reading. No one intuitively knows how to successfully build a business. Pick 1 or 2 marketing or business-related books or check out relevant magazines, newsletters or blogs to give you motivation and inspiration to grow your business.

Get started today with these tips to improve your marketing.

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