With the new year fast approaching, the only way to outperform your rivals in 2022 is with an effective marketing strategy. Get a leg up on your competitors and position your firm for success next year by planning now.
Follow the strategies below to create your ultimate 2022 marketing plan.
Establish Realistic Marketing Goals
What is your primary marketing goal for next year? Have you considered how you will achieve this goal?
Creating goals is the easy part. Establishing steps to make sure they are realistic, however, is where the work begins.
If your ultimate goal is to generate more clients, realistic marketing steps will include:
- Establishing your firm’s brand
- Developing your firm’s reputation
- Highlighting your expertise as an attorney
Marketing your firm is always a good investment, even if that means hiring professionals to help you set and achieve your goals to grow your practice.
Qualify Potential Clients
Stop wasting valuable time. This sounds like a no-brainer, but many attorneys waste too much time on prospects that are never going to become clients.
Avoid investing time and resources by qualifying clients prior to a consultation. Create a list of qualifying questions for staff to use prior to scheduling a consultation. These questions should determine the client’s motivation to ensure they are a good fit for your service.
A receptionist or paralegal can use the following as examples of screening prompts before connecting a prospect to the attorney:
- What is the nature of your legal issue?
- In which town/ city do you currently reside?
- Are you currently researching your issue or are you ready to hire an attorney?
- Are you currently employed and do you have the means to pay for legal counsel?
Asking the right questions from the start will help save time, money, and resources down the line.
Effectively Communicate The Value Of Your Legal Services
Have you perfected your elevator pitch when speaking with potential clients? What about your receptionist or paralegal staff?
Everyone on your team needs to know how to communicate the value of your services succinctly and effectively.
This is a simple but often missed marketing opportunity to promote your firm’s services. Work with your team to ensure that everyone who interacts with clients can effectively describe or explain your services and value.
Perspective clients want to know why they should choose your firm over the dozens of others in your area. Make sure you and everyone on your team can provide an effective response to accurately sell your services and emphasize your experience, professionalism, and successful results.
Specialized Law
Stop spreading yourself too thin. The truth is you can’t be the best in all areas of the law.
If you specialize in more than 3 areas of practice, you should seriously consider honing in on your most profitable domains. Doing so will be more effective and productive in the long run.
The idea that you can do family law, bankruptcy, tax, personal injury, and immigration is not practical. Plus, clients will be suspicious of your ability if you’re claiming to be an expert in too many practice areas. You will lose more business by being too broad and general with your practice areas.
Track The Source Of New Business
If you’re not already in the habit of tracking where your clients and leads come from, this is the year to start! Not tracking new business is the biggest marketing mistake made by attorneys and can be easily avoided.
Tracking inbound inquiries is not complicated, but it takes a concerted effort to make it part of how your firm operates. Tracing new leads should play a significant role in how you market your business.
Whether you have time to commit to this role yourself or need to hire a marketing analyst to help you track inbound business, doing so will help ensure every marketing dollar you spend in the future will pay off.
No matter what your marketing goals are for next year, now is the time to start planning! Talk to your team to ensure everyone is on board with your marketing strategies and work with an experienced marketing manager to ensure your firm’s success in 2022.
