No matter what services you offer or marketing methods you use (or may want to), your first step is to identify your ideal client.
Not anyone who may need to hire you, your ideal. They are a perfect match for you, and you are for them.
You want a match because it will make your marketing easier and more effective. You won’t attempt to attract “anyone”–that’s too difficult and expensive, and you might wind up with clients who aren’t a good match.
Create a profile of your ideal.
Start by describing their legal problem. What’s wrong? What is causing them pain? What do they want to achieve? Why do they need an attorney?
Next, define the company or individual you want to attract. What stage of life or business are they in? What industry or market? How big are they? What are their demographics? What do they believe, fear, or want? How much work do they have for you? What kinds of cases?
Be specific. The more focused you are in creating this profile, the more likely it is that they will be attracted to you, and the more likely it is that they will hire you and be a good client.
The simplest way to create this profile is to create an amalgam of the attributes of current or former clients you enjoyed working with.
Go ahead, think about your best clients over the last year or two. The ones that make you say, “If I could only get a few more like (them)…”
Who are they? What are they like? Why are they ideal?
And why are you ideal for them? What is it about your practice, your style, the mix of services you offer, and other factors that make you the ideal lawyer for them?
Do this for each of your practice areas or services.
Once you have identified your ideal client, the next step is to articulate what you would say to them if they asked how you could help them and why they should hire you instead of anyone else. This will help you create your marketing message, which is your next step.
This message is key to all of your marketing. It will be imbued in all of your presentations, emails, web pages, ads, conversations, and so on, and is fundamental to attracting the right clients.
Yes, it takes a lot of time and thought, but it’s worth it, because when you have the right message, you get the right clients.
This shows you how to identify your ideal client and what to say to them:
The Attorney Marketing Formula
