David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Your perfect client

February 18, 2025 by David M. Ward

I can’t tell you what type of client is right for you and your practice. But you should be able to tell me.

You should be able to describe them in terms of their legal issue, of course, but also by their industry or market, their financial strength, their experience with lawyers, the volume of work they can provide, and many other factors.

You should be able to describe your ‘ideal’ client.

Clients who will eagerly hire you, pay what you ask, give you lots of work, stay with you for years, and recommend you to their friends and business contacts.

I can’t tell you who they are, but I can tell you who they aren’t. They aren’t “anyone” with a legal problem you are qualified to handle. Because no matter how good you are at what you do, you’re not going to appeal to everyone.

Some prospective clients want to work with a big firm. Some prefer a sole practitioner.
Some prioritize low fees. Others are willing (and able) to pay more for more experience or premium service.
Some want a lawyer close to their home or office. Some are comfortable working remotely.
Some want a lawyer who speaks their primary language. Others will hire a lawyer who has an employee who can translate for them.
Some want a lawyer or firm that specializes in a specific practice area. Some want a firm with multiple practice areas.

And the list goes on.

You may want to appeal to everyone with a legal problem you are qualified to handle because it means a bigger market. But from a marketing standpoint, it’s a bad idea.

Because you won’t appeal to everyone.

And if you try, you will weaken your marketing message and lessen your appeal to your ideal clients.

Your ideal clients see your marketing message and immediately identity that you are speaking to them. If your message doesn’t do that, a prospective client will assume you’re not the right lawyer for them.

It comes down to this: if you want to attract an abundance of ‘perfect’ clients, your marketing should instantly communicate that you are the ‘perfect’ lawyer for them.

And you can’t do that when you try to appeal to everyone.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

You and only you

February 13, 2025 by David M. Ward

You’re not merely good at your job, you’re the best in your marketplace. That should be your mindset and marketing message.

You’re the best lawyer for the job. The only lawyer your clients should choose.

Yes, it borders on arrogant and is open to dispute. But it is the very message your clients want to hear, the very message that will attract them to hire and refer you.

Clients want to know they’re getting the best advice possible. Not just good advice, the best.

They want to know that you will take care of them, work hard for them, and competently and completely solve their problems. And do it better than anyone else.

You want them to know you are the best lawyer for the job, and hiring anyone other than you would be a colossal mistake.

To accomplish this, you have to believe it’s true. If you don’t, if you think you’re good but not necessarily better than anyone else, it will show.

If you don’t believe you are the best of the best in your market, you need to work on that. You need to improve the quality of your services, add more value, work harder, or target a different market, one that is aligned with who you are and what you offer.

Or all of the above.

So that when you say you’re the best, you believe it, because it’s true.

When you believe it, your clients will believe it and you won’t have to use clever marketing (or lie) to be seen as the best choice.

You, and only you.

Filed Under: Communication, Image, Law office management, Marketing legal services

Help me help you

February 11, 2025 by David M. Ward

A client tells you what they want, but what they want isn’t necessarily what they need.

They tell you they want surgery to repair their medical problem and need money to pay for it. What they need is a second opinion, more options other than surgery, and if there are no other options, only then money to pay for the surgery.

The client tells you they want a divorce. What they need is information and advice about separation, support, custody, counseling, and a path to reconciliation.

What the client (says) they want isn’t necessarily what they need. They may not know their options, fully understand them, or appreciate their significance.

The best lawyers educate their clients and help them understand their options, and why the course of action their lawyer is recommending is their best choice.

When you educate your clients,

The client can get what they want AND what they need
The lawyer ends up with a satisfied client, or at least a client who makes an informed decision and doesn’t blame the lawyer for a negative outcome
The lawyer’s reputation for knowledge, understanding and patience grows, attracting more clients

Educating your clients is a big part of the job. You can (and should) start doing that job before anyone hires you.

Teach the marketplace about the basics in newsletters, blog posts, seminars, or videos. They will still need to hire you to get your advice about their specific situation.

If you do a good job of educating them, they will.

Filed Under: Communication, Content creation

Wouldn’t you like to know?

February 6, 2025 by David M. Ward

Curiosity is one of the most powerful marketing strategies there is. Prospective clients want information about the law, their risks, potential costs, their options, and the best way to handle their situation. That’s why they find your website, watch your presentation, or contact you.

Many lawyers provide that information.

They write detailed articles, liberally post FAQs, and answer as many questions as possible, thinking the more information they provide, the more likely prospective clients will be to take the next step.

Unfortunately, it often does the opposite. Too much information often is too much information.

You should provide a basic level of information, so they can see what’s at stake and that you have the knowledge and experience to help them, but anything you do beyond that can hurt your marketing efforts.

Marketing should ignite curiosity, not satisfy it. Tell prospective clients enough to inspire them to call or email or make an appointment, but not so much that they don’t have to.

And don’t do what many lawyers do: tell prospective clients next to nothing.

We’ve all seen attorney websites and ads that are merely a list of services or practice areas. That’s not enough.

Give prospective clients enough information, examples, and stories to inspire them to take that next step.

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services

Don’t target newbies

February 4, 2025 by David M. Ward

There are two kinds of clients in the world: those who have hired attorneys before and those who haven’t. I suggest you focus on the former.

You want to appeal to clients who understand what lawyers can do for them and why they are worth their seemingly high cost.

You don’t want clients who need to be educated about everything or continually need you to hold their hand. You want clients who know what they want, and how to help you do the best job for them.

You want clients who can pay top dollar for your services, have lots of work for you, and know other sophisticated clients they can refer. You don’t want clients who have to wait until payday to cover the check they just wrote you, or regularly ask for more time to pay your latest bill.

Yes, there are more “beginners” out there. But there are also more attorneys competing for their business.

Tailor your marketing strategies, your fee structure, your image, your website, your articles and blog posts and other content o appeal to experienced clients.

Everyone else?

Accept them as clients if you want to, but don’t target them.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services Tagged With: clients, target market

Attraction marketing

January 30, 2025 by David M. Ward

It’s better to have prospective clients find you and contact you rather than the other way around. When clients come to you, they’ve seen or heard something they like about you, which makes your job much easier.

It’s called inbound or “attraction” marketing. It’s good for your bank account and your ego.

The most successful attorneys and firms use it to attract clients and cases, subscribers and followers, and inquiries from professionals, meeting holders, publishers, and content creators seeking to connect.

The most successful attorneys attract business by making themselves attractive.

My blog is one example.

Lawyers are attracted to my blog for marketing tips and resources and then contact me to hire me, or forward my posts to their colleagues and business contacts who do the same. I don’t have to do any advertising or “outbound” marketing to accomplish this; clients et al. come to me.

There’s nothing wrong with “outbound” marketing. Do it if you want to or need to. There’s nothing wrong with advertising, networking, speaking, and other marketing strategies, many of which I use from time to time. But there’s nothing better than inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing brings you more clients with less expense and effort. Those clients are often more “qualified” to hire you, having heard or read some of your wisdom, or being tacitly vetted by the clients or professionals who refer you.

It’s a more effective and profitable way to bring in good clients.

Good clients prefer it, too.

They prefer to find you via a referral from someone they trust, by finding your blog or article or video or by hearing you interviewed by a professional or other influential person on their blog or channel.

There are many ways to find new clients, but it’s almost always better to have them find you.

How to get maximum referrals

Filed Under: Content creation, Marketing legal services, Referrals

3 ways to get more clients to sign up

January 28, 2025 by David M. Ward

A prospective client watches your presentation, reads your ad or email, or talks to you about their case or matter. They see the need and value of your services, they can afford them, they’re interested, but, alas, they don’t sign up.

Maybe they have a good reason, or maybe they just want to think about it.

What can you do?

The simplest answer is to give them more information. Tell them more about their problem or situation, how bad it is and how it could worsen, more about their options, more about your skills, more about the benefits you offer, and more about how they will feel once you help them solve their problem or achieve their aim. You can also give them more proof—testimonials, success stories and your bona fides.
You can use “scarcity”. You only have a few appointments available this week, or only five more special packages (bonuses, bundles) for new (or returning) clients.
You can use a deadline—they must respond by a certain date to get the special offer or get an appointment.

All three options play on the prospect’s desire to improve their situation or their “fear of loss.” Both are powerful mechanisms for motivating clients to take immediate action instead of thinking about it.

Filed Under: Copywriting, Marketing legal services

Your fees are too high

January 23, 2025 by David M. Ward

If a prospective client says your fees are too high, they might be saying your fees are too high for them. If you hear this repeatedly, however, it might be time to figure out why and do something about it.

And I don’t mean lowering your fees.

The first thing to consider is the market, industry, or niche you’re targeting.

As a group, they might not have the income or cash flow to pay for legal services. They might be unsophisticated or unfamiliar with hiring attorneys, or how much attorneys charge. They may need your services, but be unwilling to pay for them.

There might be too much competition. Most prospects do at least some research before hiring an attorney, which means they’re not just looking at what you offer, they’re looking at what you offer and comparing that to what other attorneys promise.

In which case, target a different market.

On the other hand, it might not be the market, or not only the market, it might be your marketing that needs improving.

You might need to give prospects more information about their problems and your solutions, or tell them why they should choose you to help them
Your marketing might be too flashy and scare them, or it might be too boring and unmotivating
Your image or branding might position you as low-priced (and you’re not)
Your fee structure and how you present it might be too complex
Your marketing might not show them enough benefits to justify your fees, or benefits they don’t care about
Your marketing might be too aggressive, suggesting you need the business and aren’t that good or experienced or confident
Conversely, your marketing might make it appear you don’t need their business, suggesting you won’t treat them well or work hard for them
Your marketing may be generic instead of tailored to the market or prospects you are targeting
Your marketing may be too similar to other lawyers in your market
Your marketing may not tell prospects what to do to take the next step, or make it easy to do it
Your marketing may say a lot but prove little, e.g., no testimonials, success stories, endorsements, awards.

And many more issues.

But these issues are fixable. And worth fixing.

Don’t lower fees. Either choose a different market or improve your marketing.

Or both.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

If you don’t like marketing, don’t do it

January 21, 2025 by David M. Ward

Maybe you don’t like marketing. You find it frustrating, expensive, or a waste of time.

Maybe you don’t like social media, networking, or advertising.

It’s not right for your practice or you’re not good at any of it.

Stop doing it. There are other ways to bring in business.

WORD OF MOUTH

You can bring in business by inspiring your clients and business contacts to talk about you, and by getting people in your market to notice you and do the same.

Start by treating your clients better than any lawyer has done. Let them see how much you love what you do and love helping your clients. As you surprise and delight them, they will naturally tell others about you.

You can also stimulate word of mouth by sponsoring charities, volunteering for committees, and supporting causes you care about.

People notice you, ask what you do, and want to know more.

CONTENT

Do more interviews (blogs, podcasts, radio).

Write more articles, blog posts, or books.

Create reports, videos or audios, and make them available to your market.

REFERRALS

Equip your clients, prospects, and business contacts with handouts, success stories, and information about your practice area. They’ll see you as an expert in your field and refer clients to you (or hire you themself).

Stay in touch with everyone you know via a newsletter or blog.

Meet new people via informal networking, e.g., getting involved with groups and interests you like and when people ask what you do, tell them.

In short, stop doing marketing you hate and start growing your practice in ways that feel authentic and natural.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

The simplest way to improve your marketing

January 16, 2025 by David M. Ward

There’s a simple way to get more people to read what you write, listen to and engage with your message, and contact you to learn more.

But most lawyers don’t do it. Or do it enough.

Most lawyers do a good job of presenting facts and logic, and that’s certainly important, but you can’t rely on the left side of a reader’s brain when you want to persuade them to do something. For that, you want to stimulate the right side of their brain, i.e., their emotions.

The best way to do this is to tell stories.

Tell them about someone they can relate to and what happened to them. A client, a friend, someone you heard about, or even yourself. Tell them in your articles, blog posts, emails, and presentations. Tell them when you’re talking to them on the phone or in your office.

If you want bring in more clients and keep your clients coming back, if you want your clients talking about what you do to their friends or business contacts, include stories in everything you write or say.

Stories dramatize the facts and make readers feel the fear or other emotions of your “characters”.

Facts tell but stories sell.

Besides making the logical case for hiring you or following your advice, tell your reader or listener about people who did or didn’t follow that advice.

The best stories involve people who are “like” your audience, with a similar background or circumstances. You want clients and prospect to see that the people in your stories are “just like them”.

Stories don’t need to be lengthy. A brief anecdote or mention is often enough. Neither do stories need to be overly dramatic. You can use irony or satire or a bit of fun to make your case.

Clients and prospects often want to do what you’re telling them and are just looking for an excuse to do it. A simple story with a happy ending is often enough to give them that excuse.

Filed Under: Communication, Marketing legal services, Salesmanship, Writing