David M. Ward, Author at The Attorney Marketing Center

Specialization 2.0

December 19, 2024 by David M. Ward

Many lawyers specialize in one or two fields of law and that focus has benefits. Continuing education and law firm management is less demanding, marketing and advertising is less time consuming and expensive. They also tend to get more referrals from lawyers in other practice areas who don’t see them as a competitor.

But there is still plenty of competition.

My father had a general practice, and did well, but I think he would have done even better if he had chosen one or two practice areas and stuck to his knitting.

If you wrestle with the specialization question, know that there is another way to specialize. You can specialize in the clients you work with instead of (or in addition to) your field of law.

For example, you could work only (or primarily) with professionals, business owners or leaders in an industry or market, or in an ethnic or social community.

By specializing this way, you get to know more about their industry or market and understand their problems and goals better than other lawyers. You speak their language, so to speak, and develop relationships with the leaders in that market.

In time, you become known as an authority in that market, and other authorities seek you out.

When that happens, building your practice is a lot easier and a lot more remunerative.

How to choose a specialty and get the most out of it

Filed Under: Specializing

Which type of legal marketing has the highest ROI?

December 17, 2024 by David M. Ward

It’s not what you’re thinking. It’s not advertising, networking, social media, blogging, or speaking. It’s not even referrals, although that’s a big part of it.

Many lawyers don’t think of it as marketing, but it is. The smartest and most profitable kind of marketing a lawyer can do.

And here it is in a nutshell:

Give your clients more value than they pay for and expect.

Don’t roll your eyes. . .

Yes, it takes times and energy to do this. You’re giving away what might otherwise be billable hours, your knowledge and advice.

So there is a cost. But if you do it right, it’s not an expense, it’s an investment. With an astronomical return.

When you give clients more than they expect, they fall in love with you. As a result

You increase client retention. Clients aren’t tempted to hire another lawyer or firm, even if that lawyer or firm has significantly lower fees. This means the lifetime value of your clients is much higher than what most lawyers get. They are relatively immune to leaving and this is true no matter what the state of the general economy or your clients’ industry or local market.
Higher retention means you get more repeat business. It also means your clients are likely to give you more of their legal work, not just some of it.
Stronger client relationships mean you can charge fees commensurate with the higher value you deliver.
You also get more referrals from your clients and their business contacts to “repay” you for all the added value you deliver.
You develop a reputation for proving excellent service and, through word-of-mouth, attract better clients who hear about you. You also attract bigger cases and more business opportunities.
Your reputation allows you to attract more professionals and business contacts who want to work with you.
Your enhanced reputation makes your other marketing easier, more effective, and more profitable. Overall, you have lower marketing costs, better results, and higher profits for you.

Surprise and delight your clients. They’ll be happier and so will you.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

You don’t need to be a brilliant lawyer to be brilliantly successful

December 12, 2024 by David M. Ward

Average is good enough.

If you’re reasonably competent, deliver value to your clients, and you’re not an asshat, that’s all you need to bring in a steady stream of clients and make a great living.

Well, almost.

You also need to be good at marketing.

Look at your competition. What do you see? I’ll tell you what you see. You see average lawyers with excellent marketing beating excellent lawyers with average marketing.

Your marketing doesn’t have to be amazing. You don’t have to write a lot of big checks. But it needs to get a lot of things right.

Your marketing needs to

Get the right prospective clients to find you
Get them to view your website and read your marketing materials
Get them to understand what you can do for them, and why you are the right lawyer to choose
Get them to contact you
Get them to meet with you
Get them to hire you
Get them to pay you in full and on time
Get them to hire you again (and again)
Get them to send you referrals
Get them to give you an excellent rating or review

It’s all about marketing.

So, in the upcoming year, do yourself a favor and pay more attention to your marketing.

Here’s a good place to start

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, success

Separate the planning from the doing

December 10, 2024 by David M. Ward

I used to call it a “weekly review” but now I call it “weekly planning” because I don’t just want to look at what I’ve done, I want to figure out what I need to do next.

Whatever we call it, why do we do it once a week instead of more often? Because we need some quiet time to step back from our busy week to reflect on the big picture. During the week, we need to focus on getting the actual work done.

Planning requires a different state of mind from doing.

When we’re planning, we’re relaxed and thinking about the future. When we’re doing the work, we’re focused on making the calls, drafting the documents, and negotiating the cases.

It’s better to break up the planning and the doing into two separate tasks, and do them at different times. It’s more efficient that way and produces better results.

If you’re writing an article, for example, choose the topic a few days or a week before you do the actual writing. This allows your subconscious mind to “think” about the article ahead of time and find better arguments and examples that make your article easier to write and more effective.

Whether writing an article, planning your week, or starting a new project, give yourself some space between the planning and the doing.

Filed Under: Productivity, Writing

Offer of (social) proof

December 5, 2024 by David M. Ward

You’re good at what you do. You’re a “trusted advisor” and deliver good results for your clients. Great, but can you prove it?

It’s probably awkward for you to say you’re the lawyer people should choose but it’s a different story when someone else says it. When a client refers a friend or business contact to you, for example, they’re telling their friend or contact that you’re good at your work and can be trusted to do a good job for them.

Which is why referrals are so powerful.

Referrals are a form of social proof and while they are often the best form, there are others and you should use as many as possible:

Testimonials (written or recorded) from satisfied clients
Success stories about your cases and engagements
Endorsements by other lawyers and industry leaders
Reviews on legal blogs or other publications
Media coverage of your firm or a case you successfully handled
Sharing via social media of articles and posts by or about you
Being photographed in the company of (some) famous people
Being interviewed by notable podcasters, bloggers, and reporters

Because these also tell the world you’re good at what you do.

Social proof gets people to pay attention to you and influences prospective clients who see or hear it, or people who can recommend or refer them to you. Social proof is an effective way to increase your exposure and name recognition, build your credibility, and get more people to visit your website to find out more about what you offer.

It works by tapping into basic human tendencies like the desire to follow the crowd (the “bandwagon effect”) and/or the fear of missing out.

Social proof can also help retain clients who might otherwise be lured away from your firm.

Bottom line, the more social proof you have, the more successful you’ll be.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Referrals earn referrals

December 3, 2024 by David M. Ward

It’s simple. You get referrals by giving referrals. Send clients or customers to your business clients and contacts and they’ll do the same for you.

I’m sure you do this when the opportunity presents itself and you “think about it”. I’m suggesting you think about it regularly and go out of your way to find referrals to give.

It starts by getting to know your clients and contacts beyond their legal profile or situation. Learn about their business and industry, find out what they do, for whom do they do it, and why they do it better or differently than their competition.

And then, promote them. Tell people about their business, practice, or organization.

And do it proactively.

Don’t wait until you hear that someone needs their products or services, pass out their flyer, brochure, or business card or do the equivalent online.

Talk about their business to everyone. Ask if they know someone who might need what they offer. Consider featuring them in your newsletter or blog.

If you’ve hired them yourself and liked what they did for you, write or record a testimonial for them.

Be an ambassador for their business.

They’ll get more clients or customer, sell more products or services, and the people you refer to them will get products or services they need and want.

You? You get the gratitude of both of them and, eventually, a lot more referrals.

Filed Under: Referrals

Hold on to what’s working and let go of what isn’t

November 21, 2024 by David M. Ward

Most of what we do we do out of habit. We do the same things, the same way, and rarely think about it.

We evaluate cases the same way we always have. We use the same process to decide to take them, settle them, try them, and drop them.

We solve problems, draft documents, conduct depos and hearings and trials pretty much the same way this year as we did ten years ago.

We talk to friends and family the same way as we have always done. We buy the same computers and software, hire the same employees and vendors, and conduct our life and business very much the same as we have before.

Not much changes from day-to-day.

This is a good thing if everything is working well, but a problem if it’s not.

Which means at all times, we must stay alert and be prepared to anticipate and fix problems and take steps to avoid or lesson them in the future.

But even if all is well, we’re safe and profitable and growing and happy, even if what we’re doing is clearly working, we don’t know if there’s something we could do that might work better.

Unless we ask.

In fact, we should always assume there are improvements we could make and regularly look for them. Ways to lower costs, increase profits, and improve our systems.

We must examine, evaluate, and interrogate everything we do. Train ourselves to pay attention to everything and everyone. And ask lots of questions.

That means doing quarterly and annual reviews of our entire operation, in addition to our weekly reviews.

It’s how we know what’s working and what needs fixing. It’s how we can follow the sage advice to “Hold on to what’s working and let go of what isn’t”.

Effectively managing a successful law practice and happy life depends on it.

Filed Under: success

How to be the top lawyer in your niche

November 19, 2024 by David M. Ward

The top lawyers are different. Not necessarily smarter or more accomplished, they do things differently.

The key is their mindset about serving their clients better than any other lawyer could or would, and the reputation they develop as a result.

They make a commitment to their clients and to themself to be the best at every aspect of what they do.

Because they do, their clients unfailingly turn to them whenever they need advice or help.

It starts by letting their clients know that they (or someone on their behalf) will be available whenever they call with a question or to discuss a legal matter.

They aren’t just willing to do it, they are eager to do it.

Being the best also means being honest with their clients or prospects about what they can and can’t do for them. If they aren’t the best lawyer for the job, they don’t fake it, they tell the client. If the client insists that they handle the matter anyway, they say no, even if the client is happy to pay for it.

They explain that the client doesn’t need what they’ve asked for, or that they’re not the best lawyer for the job, and suggest a different solution or refer them to another lawyer who can help them.

The best lawyers are also proactive. They rigorously stay in touch with their clients, even when they’re not actively engaged in legal work for them. They go out of their way to

Share useful ideas, information, and resources
Introduce them to prospective clients or customers for their business or practice
Invite them to sporting or entertainment events they know would appeal to them
Educate them about how their legal services work so that the client will be better able to recognize when they need help or advice and be better able to work with them
And they look for ways to spend time with them (off the clock) getting to know them, their families, their customers, and their advisors

It all boils down to this: the most successful lawyers don’t just provide good legal services for their clients, they build strong relationships with them.

As a result, these lawyers never struggle to attract great clients or need to sell them anything. Clients seek them out, stay with them through thick and thin, and go out of their way to refer other clients.

It feels good to be the best, and it pays well.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Image, success

How to never run out of ideas for your blog or newsletter

November 15, 2024 by David M. Ward

If you’re like me (and I’m sure you are), the writing is easy. The hard part is figuring out what to write about.

What do your readers want to know? What do they need to hear? What will they find interesting or useful?

If you create content, you need ideas. Lots of them. And you should start working on compiling a big list you can tap into when you need to write something and don’t have a topic.

A great way to get ideas is to steal them from other content creators. Or, if you prefer, “borrow” them because ideas don’t belong to anyone.

So, borrow ideas from other lawyers (in your field or in a complementary field). Borrow ideas from consultants, accountants, financial experts, business owners, and other smart or interesting people.

Borrow ideas from newsletters or blogs that target readers in your clients’ industries or local markets.

Borrow ideas from anything you see or hear that catches your attention and might be good to share with your clients and subscribers.

When you find a blog that has something you might use someday, bookmark it. If they have a newsletter, subscribe to it, so their posts wind up in your inbox.

A few good newsletters or blogs might give you enough ideas to last for months or years.

(NB: You might want to set up another email address for that purpose).

Then, use those ideas to create your own content when you need it and are late for court or need more sleep or can’t think of anything to say.

Grab someone’s article or post, summarize what they said and tell your readers why you agree or disagree. Or write about the same subject with your own examples or stories or reasoning.

Or just use their article or email as a prompt and write whatever comes to mind.

Because you don’t want to be late to court.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content creation, Newsletters

A simple way to start using email marketing

November 12, 2024 by David M. Ward

You know a lot of people who could hire you (or hire you again), share your content, or send you referrals. You have their email address and would like to stay in touch with them, but you don’t want to look like you’re hungry for business. Or you don’t know what to say.

What can you do? Send them a “thank you” email.

Thank them for being your client, colleague, or friend. Don’t ask for anything, just say thanks.

Thanking your clients and contacts can:

Build trust and foster loyalty
Make them feel important
Reduce “buyer remorse”
Remind them you are still available to help them (or someone they know)
Encourage them to think about you and perhaps visit your website or call to ask a question

In other words, saying “thank you” is good for business.

And what could be simpler than thanking people for their patronage or friendship?

Your email should be short, informal, and from you, not your firm.

You can make it more effective by mentioning something about them, their case, their business or family, your last meeting or conversation, or by simply addressing them by their first name.

NB: Mention their first name in the subject line and you should get more “opens”.

If you want, you can do more. You can encourage them to connect with you on social media, for example, ask them about their new product or project, or tell them about your latest article or upcoming event. Or invite them to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe to your blog.

Or you can save these for your next email, and yes, there should be a next email, but you don’t have to think about that right now—for now, sending a thank you email is enough.

Filed Under: Client loyalty, Client relations, Email