Marketing your law practice is like exercising–it works best when you do a little bit every day.
I started walking recently, about thirty minutes, five days a week. In the couple of months since I started, I’ve lost weight, cut my appetite, and gained energy. I feel better, too. I’m exercising a few minutes every day and I’m getting results. And because it’s only a few minutes a day (and because I’m getting results) I can and will continue.
The results didn’t happen overnight, however. I didn’t see any changes the first day or the second or third. It took weeks of continued effort before I saw appreciable improvements. Marketing is like that, too. You do a little bit every day, and over time, the compounding effect of your efforts kicks in.
Lawyers often feel about marketing like they do about getting in shape: there’s too much to do, no time to do it, and it will take too long before you see results. And so, like an exercise program, they never start. Or they start, but because they are trying to do too much, too quickly, they don’t stick with it. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can be successful in marketing your practice in as little as 15 minutes a day. Here are a few "rules":
- Do something every day. 15 minutes a day is better than an hour, once a week. Consistency, over time (persistency) is key.
- Do it yourself. You can delegate some aspects of your marketing, but it’s important that you are involved in the process, learning, making mistakes, taking responsibility, and developing your marketing muscles. And don’t even think of delegating relationship building.
- Don’t trust your memory–calendar it. Block out 15 minutes a day or 30 minutes a day, five days a week on your calendar, like an appointment, and KEEP THAT APPOINTMENT! Don’t schedule clients during that time, don’t take calls during that time, and don’t re-schedule that time. Trust me, if you don’t do this, in a week, you’ll be completely off schedule. (C’mon, you know I’m right!)
- Focus on the activity, not the results. Marketing professional services takes time, especially since so much of it is relationship building. If you look at the results you’re getting, you can get frustrated and miss the big picuture. If you focus on doing the activities consistently, every day is a success. In time, the results will come, but only if you do enough activity over a long enough period of time.
So, what do you do in that 15 minutes? Plenty. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Read this blog and others, like this, this, or this, and write down marketing ideas
- Call a client and say hello (Yes, that’s marketing and you will be amazed at how well it works)
- Invite a referral source or client to lunch
- Send a client an article you clipped from a trade journal
- Send a note: thank you, congratulations, happy birthday, thinking of you (also amazingly powerful)
- Brainstorm ideas/chapters for a speech, article, report, book, ebook, etc.
- Research local organizations that might need speakers
- Call a client and ask him to introduce you to his CPA or insurance agent
- Write a brief "needs" survey to send to old clients
- Call or surf for information about joining your local chamber of commerce, Rotary, or BNI
- Register to take a public speaking class at community college or Toastmasters
- Write an article: "The top ten things everyone needs to know about [your practice area]"
- Browse through amazon.com to find (a) books for you to read, (b) gifts for clients, (c) ideas for books/articles you can write, (d) books you have read and can comment on (and link to your web site)
- Look at a competitor’s web site for ideas for yours
- Send an email to "friends of the firm" updating them on new hires, successful cases, additions to your web site
- Research services for hosting your online newsletter or website
- Research blog platforms to see which one is best for your new blog
- Read an article from a magazine read by decision makers in your target market
- Send an article to someone in your target market
- Research venues, costs, dates for a seminar
- Email and recommend online resources to some of your clients
- Research professionals with whom you might co-market or network
- Write or revise your "elevator speech"
- Read books, web pages, ebooks, blogs, on marketing, advertising, publicity, search engines
- Buy a domain name for your future web site and branded email
- Brainstorm questions to ask fellow professionals you can interview for your newsletter
- Post comments on a blog, link to your web site/blog
- Post on your blog, or brainstorm ideas for subjects for future articles
- Browse www.infousa.com for ideas for target markets, possible referral sources
- Update your lists: contacts, clients, prospects, newsletter, etc.
- Create a postcard you can mail to inexpensively "clean" your mailing list
- Research online/offline publications where you can submit articles
- Read other lawyers’ blawgs for ideas, information, networking opportunities
- Read about and implement legal technology to "find" more time for marketing
- Find a "work out" partner, to share marketing ideas, accountability
- Research networking groups in your area and forums where you can network online
- Create a marketing calendar and list projects to undertake throughout the year
- Start a marketing "journal" where you record ideas, resources, questions, progress
- Go to classmates.com or martindale.com to find old friends you can contact
- Brainstorm possible niche markets, their problems/needs, publications, groups, advisors
- Write a press release to announce your new report, web site, offer, award, verdict, etc.
- Research online press release distribution services
- Set up an account with Google Adwords and experiment with pay per click advertising
- Find online marketing gurus and subscribe to their mailing lists
- Set up Google Analytics to track traffic to your web site
- Go through your local yellow pages to find professionals you can contact
- Draft a "phone survey" for contacting professionals (publish the results in your newsletter)
- Draft questions someone should ask when they interview you
- Write or re-write your bio
- Examine your brochure or other marketing piece for revision
- Investigate "music on hold" advertising messages for your phone system
Where do you start? It doesn’t matter. Just start.
