lawyer marketing - vermont bar association gone smolo lawy… · don’t be ashamed of marketing...
TRANSCRIPT
Lawyer MarketingBe Proud; Not Ashamed
I am not a Marketing Expert
But I am a student of marketing
Building my practice for 38 years
Former Chair ABA Delivery of Legal Services
Tried lots of approaches
Are you happy with your practice?
“To change ones life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.”
– William James
Don’t be ashamed of marketing
• Don’t do “dumb stuff”
• Help people who need you, find you
• Clients must choose you, but you must also choose them
• Helping clients find lawyers is an access to justice issue
• Your happiness and success depend on having the right clients and cases
There is no Magic Bullet
Know Who You Are
• Be who you are and do what you want to do.
• You are not for everyone; everyone is not for you.
• Your market must suit. You must fill a need.
• You must have a service worth buying.
• To be attractive to your clients you must likely prove indifferent or even offensive to others.
Brand awareness is not for SMOLOs
• Short memories
• You will spend a fortune
• You will be addicted
How do most people find a lawyer?
A referral from a trusted source
• referrals from friends/family (62%)
• other lawyers (31%).
• online search (37%)
• directory listings (28%)
• TV ads (13%),
• online ads (13%),
• radio ads (7%),
• billboard ads (6%)
-- 2017 Legal Trends Report, (Clio)
You Must Have a Strong Web Presence
The Yellow Pages are Dead
Google My Business LinkedIn
Your Web Page
Lawyer Directories
• AVVO
• Justicia
• And more!
Have you Claimed your “Google My Business Page?”
Your Website is
Crucial
Build trust:
• Who are you
• What do you look like
• What do you do
• What do you know
Be Generous with your knowledge:
• You can afford it
• Great for generating traffic
Here is our Website
• Clear message: what do you do
• How are you different
• Pictures
• Information/Content
Consider doing video
Have a free offer
Build your Network
•Friends and Family
•Other Lawyers
•Former Clients
•Have a Public Presence
Encourage Referrals
• Be sure lawyers understand what you do
• Ask for referrals
• Make referrals
• Share fees, within the rules, for good cases
• Don’t steal the client
Your Network will wither if you don’t feed it
•Stay in touch
•Don’t be a pest
•Be personal, not commercial
Our Holiday Card
Our Newsletter
Rome was not built in a day
“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt