Yesterday, we talked about the value of educating other lawyers about your practice area, to build your reputation and get more referrals. You can do that, I said, by disseminating information, e.g., reports, checklists, that helps other lawyers understand your field, spot issues, and answer their clients’ basic questions.
But there’s a lot more you can do.
If you want to be perceived and followed and sought after as the go-to expert in your field, you can do the kinds of things experts do.
Number one on that list is to write a book.
As an author, you will, by definition, be an authority. Your book is a doorway to requests for interviews, being invited to speak and sit on panels, and otherwise expand your reach.
When you are introduced as “the lawyer who wrote the book on. . .”, you are at the top of your game.
Publishing a book is also a great way to get more leads, both from other lawyers and other centers of influence, and also from prospective clients.
If you’re not ready to do that, or perhaps while you are writing your book, there are other things you can do to establish your authority and get more referrals.
You can conduct seminars, start a podcast, or write blog posts, teaching lawyers the basics, discussing changes in the law, and answering questions. You can interview others in your field (or your client’s industry), and offer downloadable resources (which helps you build a list so you can stay in touch with these prospective referral sources).
If you’ve got enough to share, and the quality is there, you can even turn these into paid seminars.
Your object is to establish yourself as the go-to lawyer for all matters related to your field, and you can start with a single video, blog post, or seminar. You’ll begin to build a following and, before long, one of your followers will ask you to look at one of their cases or speak with one of their clients who needs your help.
