Law firm marketing presents some unique challenges, that much is certain. While yes, there are balances of professionalism and personality that must be addressed, there are other challenges associated with law firm marketing that can make it difficult.
There are some mistakes that many law firms and lawyers make when it comes to marketing their firm, and usually, these are not detrimental mistakes but can definitely slow down processes and make it difficult to onboard new clients.
If these mistakes continually occur, there is a slowdown when it comes to billing enough hours and bringing on new potential clients. Luckily, there are simple strategies that can be put in place in order to avoid these mistakes, and ensure that new and existing clients get the best expertise possible for their cases.
Is Your contact the right fit?
However, there is one mistake though, that can hamper a law firm and its growth, and it is a simple one: Not qualifying the perfect client.
That might sound a tad simplistic, but law firms fall victim to it all too often. Think back, and ask yourself the following questions:
How many times have you spent considerable amounts of time with a prospect only to learn that the prospect does not fit the profile of the clients you want?
Or, how often have you spent time with prospective clients only to learn they do not actually need the services you offer?
And lastly, how often have you spent time with prospective clients only to learn that they cannot afford your fees?
If the answer to any (or all of them) is a lot, then there must be processes in place to help avoid this.
Qualifing Your Client
Your time is valuable, as is the client’s, and you must take the time out to craft ways to ascertain quickly and accurately whether this client is a good fit for you and vice versa. This might seem time-consuming initially, but these efforts will do wonders in optimizing efficiency for your firm. Moreover, having these processes in place will help the long-term growth of your firm, and its business development efforts.
But how do you accomplish this?
ESTABLISH A SCRIPT
The first step is establishing a script, or even just a simple list of questions that you can ask a prospective client during the initial phone calls. Mixed with some general advice and tips, this script can become an invaluable resource
Using a script, you can accomplish two important things all at once:
- Providing real value to a potential client
- Qualifying whether they are a good fit
This is just one component of a great marketing program though. When you are designing your marketing strategy for the year, think of ways that you can qualify prospects before they come into your office.
USE ONLINE TOOLS
This might come in the form of an online assessment, a quick questionnaire or just simply have screening questions in place when they provide contact information. These digital tools can do wonders in providing you the right level of information on the client while helping you determine if they are a client worth chasing at all.
DESIGN YOUR MARKETING PROGRAMS
When designing marketing programs, think of ways that you can offer convenience to the prospective or current client while still giving you the information you need for future conversations with them. This will help make better use of your time and theirs, while still providing them with the right level of service.
We understand that law firm marketing is definitely a niche, but luckily, it is one that we are well-versed in dealing with. To learn more about common marketing mistakes lawyers make, how to avoid them and how to craft tailored marketing strategies for your law firm, please contact us.
