5 Marketing Tips for Lawyers

So you done all the work – or at least you think you have.  You have gone to school, and more school, and more school.  Then you sat for the Bar Exam and passed and are now a litigation attorney Newport Beach!  Now you can sit back and relax – you naively think the customers will come to you in droves because you have worked so hard and spent so much time and money to get here… Oh if only that were the case.

Like anything you need to market yourself.  If you become an associate in a law firm – you may not need to do a great deal of marketing.  You will of course need business cards but chances are your firm will take care of that for you.

Many of you will want to branch out on your own though and without plan-ful marketing the clients will not just flock to your door.  Your work is not over.  This may be the most difficult part of the entire process – school was predictable, passing the bar exam was exciting BUT putting yourself out there and persuading people that you should be their choice – their only choice can be difficult and frustrating. For more about it, read on.

Here are my five tips to help new lawyers along their way:

• Set your business up on social media.  It doesn’t need to be every platform you can imagine – but pick at least 2 or 3 that you feel you can really devote yourself to without spreading yourself too thin.  Share legal tidbits for free on your social media – there needs to be a perceived value in what you are offering and potential clients will need to trust that you are an expert at what you do.

• Create a blog – simply google what other successful attorneys are doing.  How do they use their blogs to engage the masses?  How do they use their blogs to draw people in?  Present timely information in your blog posts – for example tax season.  Offer certain services at a discount until you build up your clientele – at least at a perceived discount.  It can be all about perception.

• Offer discounts for referrals from clients who you have already worked with.  Word of mouth can be the best advertisement ever.  Always treat your clients like they are your advertising firm.  How you present yourself and your business is how they will present you to others.  You can’t have a bad day – every day is a good day… Potential clients are looking for Lawyers of Distinction – be one!

• Partner with other organizations that may complement what you have to offer and send referrals to one another.  This is a tried and true approach in pharmaceuticals to be sure.  Always partner with someone who is more accomplished and has already paved the way.  There is a certain benefit to helping those who are not quite as far as you – but that is more of a philanthropic service rather than your ladder to success.

• Give back to your community. Participate in community events.  Be present and be out there.  Become a name that potential clients will think of first.  Be a problem solver – not just for your problems but help others.  Share your time and your earnings – you will reap the benefits over and over.  Don’t just be a lawyer – Become part of the world of Lawyers of Distinction!