It’s not necessarily the lack of knowledge of the law that makes young lawyers not successful enough. It is more the lack of experience, clients, marketing tactics etc.
Financially successful attorneys have got a stable client base that they have acquired through high-quality work as well as consistent marketing.
However, there is no need to turn to a costly marketing firm to promote yourself. Basically, young lawyers cannot afford it especially with the huge law school student debt that they might have.
So what I am suggesting is trying some DIY marketing tactics that won’t cost a penny and might actually bring you some on the long run. And because marketing a lawyer or a newly established law firm is quite different from marketing other specialists and businesses, let’s see what you can do. Following are a few law firm marketing tactics that you can try especially if you are a young lawyer.
Do some planning first
Planning never killed nobody. A simple one-page business plan could be of great help because practicing law is also a business. Write down the most basic steps you need to take to enlarge your client base. Ask yourself what your expectations are and what you want to achieve. Formulate your answers and generate a to-do list accordingly.
Engage with your local community
Right after graduating from the law school, young lawyers should join local and state bar associations. But merely joining is not enough. You must be an active member of the organization and move up the career ladder through leadership and commitment. Never be afraid of volunteering, providing advice and receiving some.
Also, take advantage of the things you like to do. If you like to golf, take your potential clients or partners golfing. If you are passionate about writing, write articles for business publications or assist your bar association with their newsletter creation.
Let people know what you specialize in
You can be good at many aspects of the law. And while you might start out as a generalist, eventually you must become known in a specific area of the law. This will help build trust toward you since most people are looking for an expert in a specific area.
Create a cool website
Great design and top-notch content are what you need. For a website, you will need a domain name, hosting, and a WordPress website theme. Have a programmer do the magic for you by connecting these three together. Usually, WordPress website themes are not so hard to handle. But if you do not consider yourself a WordPress guru, then ask someone to help you with the settings and the design.
Once completed move on and write some really helpful content for the website. Still, if you think you are not into the digital marketing thing, hire a freelance writer with law background to do the work for you. The content you provide should add value and should be entertaining and fun. Avoid legalese since your target audience will most probably not understand it. Instead, write in an easy-going, clear, and fun manner.
If you think that having a separate website might be too expensive for you, try LinkedIn and Avvo. These two are really good tools for attracting readers and potential clients. Be active on these social media platforms and offer useful content on a regular basis.
Maintain and nurture your contacts
All your contacts are your potential clients. Whether it is a former classmate or someone from your local community or a friend, try to develop a large list of them. The larger the pool of contacts, the more potential clients you will have. But a long list of contacts is not enough. You must nurture them by congratulating on birthdays, knowing what business they are currently in, what challenges they are facing. Take some of them to lunch from time to time, let them know that you are there for them whenever they need legal help.
At the end
When people are in law school, they usually believe that quality work will ensure a lot of clients for them. However, there are many other young lawyers like you who do no less quality work. So, what can make you stand out from all the other lawyers? It’s all about positioning yourself as an expert in your field and as someone who is passionate about his/her community and is ready to fight for their rights. Apart from doing a great job, you need to do enough business development activities to ensure a constant flow of clients. Take the aforementioned tips into consideration and start nailing it!
