Many lawyers say they don’t have time for marketing, but the reality is, they “do” marketing every day.
Because everything a lawyer does in his or her practice is marketing.
The way you speak to a prospective client is marketing. Your words and how you say them make the client feel hopeful about their situation and confident about your ability to help them, and that’s the quintessence of marketing.
The way you do your work is also marketing. You do it efficiently, expeditiously, and effectively, and show your clients and market why they should hire you and refer you.
It’s all marketing.
From the way you greet a new client at their first appointment, to the way you describe the documents you ask them to sign, how you talk about your fees, the trinkets on your desktop, the clothes you wear—it’s all marketing.
And you do it well, or you don’t.
Take a look at your website the way a client might. Does it look clean and modern and inspire confidence in your practice? Does it provide answers to FAQs, explain the law and describe your services in enough detail that visitors understand what you do and convince them that you’re very good at what you do?
Marketing.
How often do you stay in touch with clients and prospects? What do you say to them and send them? Do you share success stories, warn them about changes in the law, and strenuously tell them what to do to protect their business or family?
It’s all marketing.
Some people look for you on social media to see what others say about you or ask you and how you respond. Do you say the right things? Do you “talk” too much or too little? What impression do you make?
When you turn down a case, do you make sure the client understands why and feels good about you even if you can’t help them? When you deliver bad news, do you do it with compassion and intelligence and help clients see that you did everything you could for them?
When something goes wrong, when there’s a delay, when you don’t get the results you expected, how do you handle that? How do you explain what happened? How do you respond when a client is angry?
What do you say about the other party or their counsel? What do you tell clients about your personal life? When you speak with another professional, do you show interest in their business or personal life, or are you all-business-all-the-time?
How about your staff? Are they friendly? Dedicated? Interesting? Do they treat clients with complete respect? Is it obvious that you hire good people, train them well and support them?
It makes a difference. Everything you do makes a difference. Everything you do is marketing.
And you’re doing it well or you aren’t.
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