We’ve heard it before. You’re the principal at a small to medium-sized law firm. You don’t have the budget for a dedicated marketing professional, and you didn’t go to school for sales or marketing. We get it. But, in the absence of a marketing plan, how will your future clients find you when they need your services? We’re not just talking about billboards and advertisements in your local newspaper. We’re talking about a strategic road map that aligns with your growth objectives.

A well-rounded marketing plan is essential for any law firm or organization that provides legal services. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you’re ready to get started.

Branding

Your brand is what people connect with, it’s also how you can showcase the personality. It goes well beyond a logo or a tagline. If you haven’t already established your brand, that’s okay, time to get started!

Create your brand promise

It’s a short statement that shares exactly what your clients can expect if they choose you to represent them. You will need to continually deliver on that promise to build your reputation (and hopefully referrals). Be consistent when fulfilling and communicating your promise.

Design your visual brand

This is how the community will visually recognize your firm. A logo, specific typography, and colors should be used consistently on all collateral, signage, printed materials, giveaways, and your website. It should be easy to recognize your firm at a glance.

Communicate it to your team

Make sure everyone in the office can speak to the brand. You may even consider presenting an elevator speech to the staff to ensure everyone is on the same page and can share it in the appropriate setting like a networking event, or when responding to an inquiry. This would include information on what value you bring as an attorney, a couple of success stories, and testimonials.

KPIs

Build out your key performance indicators and define how success will be measured. Start with setting goals. Where are you today, and where do you want to be in three, months, six months, nine months, and beyond? As you dig into the detailed metrics, you’ll be able to refine your KPIs depending on the type of practice and what you want to measure.

CPA

Cost per acquisition is vital here. How much money does it take to acquire one new client? Marketing spend, consultations, responding to inquiries all take time, and time is money.

Trackable numbers

Billable hours, rates, and outcomes are easy data points to track and you can gain a better understanding of pain points and create solutions based on these metrics.

Client satisfaction

How happy your clients are is a great metric to measure so you can understand how your firm is perceived by current and future clients. Are you responsive and attentive to the client, or is that an opportunity? Use the positive feedback to share out, and use the constructive feedback to make adjustments.

Define Audience

– How do you know where to focus your marketing efforts? To build a targeted audience it’s important to know specific demographic information (age, location, job, income, and family status) about who your current clients are, and who you think they should be. For example, if you focus on workers’ compensation claims, you wouldn’t want to spend effort marketing to people who are unemployed.

– Get to know your target audience and adjust your message accordingly. Understand their needs and wishes so you can be the solution to their problems.

– How will customers find you? Learn what content they enjoy, what social feeds and groups they belong to, and which blogs they read. Engage with a digital strategy agency to help develop and define user personas. After all, you’re a lawyer, not a marketing strategist.

Now it’s time to get to work!

If it’s your first time pulling together a marketing plan, be gentle on yourself and start small if it feels overwhelming. Analyze your competitors’ tactics online and in print or ask your mentor for advice. If you’re not sure where to start or are feeling overwhelmed, remember, you also have a friend who works at a marketing agency (hint, it’s me!).

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