The Attorney Marketing Center--Earn More. Work Less

Fake deadlines

June 19, 2025 by David M. Ward

You’ve heard me talk about the value of using “fear of loss” in your marketing and that it is usually more effective than speaking to a prospective client’s “desire for gain”. A client or prospect will be more likely to call you, opt in, or sign-up when they know that if they don’t, they may lose something valuable—their freedom, money, access, peace of mind, or something else they “own”.

More prospective clients will sign up because they fear losing their home or business, for example, than will sign up to increase their income or profit.

So, when you have a choice, show clients and prospects what they stand to lose by NOT taking action.

But whether your message is about fear of loss or desire for gain, you can increase response to your proposition by telling prospects there is a deadline.

When you tell them they might suffer financial loss if they don’t act before a specific date, for example, the urgency of that deadline gets them to focus on their situation, increasing their fear and motivating them to make a decision they might otherwise have delayed or rejected.

Bottom line, when you point out (emphasize) a deadline, you usually get more business.

Deadlines are effective because they tap into one of the strongest motivators in business—scarcity. There are a limited number of days left to sue and time is running out. There are only a few seats left at your seminar, and they are going fast. You are accepting only five new clients this week because you won’t have time to handle more.

The client or prospect doesn’t want to lose anything. You’re doing them a favor by telling them about the deadline. Tell them what to do, when to do it, and what they will lose if they don’t.

The urgency of deadlines is good for your clients and good for you.

What about “fake” deadlines?

Telling prospects there are “only two days left” when there is no real reason for that deadline, for example? You could extend the deadline, add more seats, or make room for one more client, couldn’t you? So, technically, the deadline is artificial.

Do fake deadlines work? They often do. Should you use them? Maybe.

If you get more people to say yes and those people benefit by doing so, that’s a good thing for them. Where’s the harm?

The harm in using fake deadlines is that clients will deduce that it is fake and their trust in you will diminish.

So, if you use fake deadlines, don’t do them too often or too ?capriciously.

Filed Under: Closing the sale, Copywriting, Marketing legal services Tagged With: Deadlines

Reminder marketing

June 17, 2025 by David M. Ward

Many attorneys don’t advertise because they believe it is inappropriate. They consider it overly aggressive, constantly pushing for sales and leads.

There is an alternative.

Unlike “lead generation advertising” and other forms of marketing featuring a “call to action,” the focus of reminder marketing is to show your audience that an issue exists, or still exists, and what could happen if it is ignored. It may mention your ability and readiness to address the issue, or this may simply be implied.

Reminder marketing isn’t restricted to advertising. Reminder marketing also occurs through emails to clients, prospects, or business contacts, newsletters and blogs, social media posts, press releases about news stories, and other communication mechanisms. It is a viable way to attract new clients, as well as stimulate repeat business and referrals.

Sometimes, you remind your audience that they may have an unaddressed problem or impending deadline, sometimes you remind them that updates are advisable, or that certain benefits are available to them they may not realize or might have forgotten.

You provide information and use examples of cases in the news or in your practice, and in doing so, not only remind them about the issues but keep your name or “brand” top-of-mind.

Reminder marketing is the essence of staying-in-touch with your market. Your messages remind your clients that you are still practicing, still protecting and supporting your clients, regardless of your message’s content. It’s a simple and effective mechanism for bringing in more business.

On the other hand, just because the focus of this type of marketing is educating or reminding, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t persuade your audience to do something. You should.

But you can do that without pushing.

Filed Under: Advertising, Marketing legal services

A simple tool for attracting new clients

June 12, 2025 by David M. Ward

Your phone rings. A prospective client has a few questions or wants to make an appointment. He wasn’t a referral, didn’t see your ad or article, didn’t hear you interviewed, doesn’t follow you on social media, and hasn’t met you.

How does he know what you do and how you can help him?

He knows because he’s on your email list and, for weeks or months, or even years, has been hearing all about what you do and how you can help him.

He’s heard you discuss law and procedure and tell stories about cases you’ve handled. He’s heard what you do for your clients and believes you’re good at your job.

Whether you write a weekly or monthly newsletter or email your list from time to time, your list keeps you in touch with prospective clients, former clients, and business contacts. When they’re ready, they call.

You can’t do that effectively on social media. It’s out of your control. Algorithms change, policies change, and you never know who sees your information.

If you have an email list, however, you can contact your target market any time you want and know you’re addressing people who have actually chosen to hear from you.

They may not open every email, but they’re much more connected with you than they might be on social.

So, you need a list.

But you can’t (shouldn’t) just add names to a list and hit send. You want them to “opt in”.

You get them to do that by offering an incentive. Not just the information they get in your newsletter or blog or channel.

Something else.

It could be a report about a legal problem and solution you offer. It could be a guide to accomplishing something your target market wants to accomplish. It could be a form, a list of resources, or anything else a prospective client might want and be willing to sign up to get.

Offer them something they can download in exchange for their email address (also known as a lead magnet).

It has to be good. Don’t just throw something together. It should be valuable enough that people think, “Wow, I can’t believe they give this away for free.” That’s how you get more opt-ins and build trust with your audience.

On the other hand, it doesn’t have to be amazing. Solid information and a benefit-rich title can do the trick.

If you target small business owners, for example, a report or guide entitled, “22 Smart Strategies Business Owners Need To Stay Out Of Court” could be plenty.

Start with one lead magnet and use it to build your list. Over time, you can add more lead magnets, for different practice areas, different target markets, and different types of cases, to help you grow your list.

Filed Under: List building, Marketing legal services, Newsletters Tagged With: Lead magnet

Fake productivity

June 10, 2025 by David M. Ward

We all do it. Scroll through websites and call it research, update our task management system and call it productivity, try different apps and tell ourselves we’ll find one that’s better or faster than what we already use.

We’re not actually being productive, we’re having fun and distracting ourselves from our daily burdens. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, all that playing and tinkering leads to ideas and improvements.

Go ahead, ask me how many task management and notes apps I’ve tried before landing on my current favs.

Don’t ask.

Fake productivity is okay. Unless we overdo it, or do it instead of doing things we really need to do.

I’m not talking about our regular work. We usually get that done, because we have to. Clients are waiting, deadlines are looming, and we do what we have to do.

I’m talking about the things we don’t have to do, but should. Big things that help us take our practice or career to the next level.

Otherwise known as “deep work”.

Deep work requires a lot of thinking, concentration, and hard work. We know we should do it but, too often, we can’t find the time or energy.

Marketing often falls into that category, unfortunately. Planning a series of seminars, writing a book, starting a blog or channel, for example, takes a lot of time and creative energy and are especially difficult when we try doing them at the end of a busy day, or on Saturday after a busy week.

Most advocates of deep work tell you to block out an hour or two each day, ideally in the morning when you (arguably) have the most energy.

Most professionals can’t do that. They have too much else to do.

There is a compromise. Instead of scheduling an hour or two every day, schedule an hour or two every week.

Chose a day. Choose a time. Put it on your calendar, and… do it.

You can accomplish a lot in one hour. Especially when you make it a habit. When you do anything regularly, your subconscious mind continues to work on the subject during the rest of the week while you’re doing other things.

You have other options. Instead of an hour or two each week, you might schedule a half-day every other week. Or a full day once a month.

Choose something, put it on your calendar, and… do it.

Because doing nothing isn’t an option.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Law office management, Marketing Plan, success Tagged With: Deep work

Prepare for the busy season before the busy season

June 5, 2025 by David M. Ward

Busy season? Do lawyers have busy seasons? Sure. It may not be a certain time of the year, but lawyers clearly have times when they have more work than other times.

Lots of work, new clients signing up, trials, meetings, travel, old clients who got in trouble….

Maybe an ad took off. Maybe they were in the news for something they did and got noticed. Maybe they got a few referrals, and those led to more referrals. Maybe they met someone at a party and became BFFs.

Something happened, momentum kicked in, and they got busy.

You’ve had busy periods, yes? You’ve also had periods when the phones were quiet and you were twiddling your thumbs, waiting for things to change.

Don’t wait for anything to change. Prepare.

When things are slow, do something. Move. Shake your booty and make something happen.

Create a seminar or update and promote your old one. Talk to your clients and professional contacts, see if there’s anything they need or if they know anyone who might. Run more ads or hire a consultant to help you improve your campaigns. Get out of the office and meet some new faces.

While you’re at it, when things are slow, update your systems, forms, and templates, catch up on CLE, take marketing classes, research new markets, experiment with new strategies.

If things pick up, great, you’ll be ready. If they don’t pick up, hopefully the energy you’re putting in will eventually pay off.

Every lawyer goes through seasons. You don’t know if they will be feast or famine, if or when they might occur or how long they will last.

The only thing you know is that anything can happen and you need to be prepared.

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing Plan

Falling in love with marketing

June 3, 2025 by David M. Ward

Just about every lawyer in private practice wants the benefits of marketing—more clients, better cases, enough cash flow to hire competent talent (or outsource) so they don’t have to do everything themself. They all want the benefits of marketing, but don’t always like “doing” marketing.

They have to force themself to do the activities, or they don’t do them at all.

But some lawyers love doing those activities and don’t have to force themselves to do anything. They’re good at them and do them easily. Some lawyers enjoy marketing more than doing the actual legal work.

If you’re not in that group, I have some good news. You don’t have to love marketing to build a successful practice.

You can hire people to do (most) of it for you. You can partner with a rainmaker. You can hire an ad agency and write checks.

Or, you can do what many lawyers do (and I recommend)–you can find one or two marketing strategies you enjoy, or at least don’t hate, and just do those. And yes, you can build a successful practice that way.

Notice I didn’t say you need to love those strategies. You don’t. Any more than you need to love all of your clients.

You may love referrals but hate social media marketing. Stick with referral marketing.

You may enjoy writing articles and blog posts, but hate networking. Guess what? Don’t do networking.

You may be a talented speaker but can’t find enough events in your niche or target market. Perhaps speaking will be something you do when the opportunity arises, but you’ll choose something else as your primary strategy.

But don’t decide too quickly. You may say no to one strategy, not because you hate it, but because you’re not good at it.

You can get better.

Take a course. Even a no-credit CLE class might teach you a thing or two.

Read business and marketing books written for businesses, not lawyers, and adapt.

Hang out with rainmakers. Lawyers, yes, but do you know any successful accountants, investment advisors, insurance reps, or service business owners? Buy them lunch and pick their brain. Go with them to their events. Do what they do, watch and learn.

You also might get better at marketing by doing what you’ve already done (badly, even) but doing it in a different niche—better suited to your abilities and personality. Marketing is easier and, therefore, more successful, when your clients like you and you like them.

Keep trying. Have another go at something you didn’t like before, but this time, look for the rainbow: learn something new this time that might work better if you do it again. Meet new contacts. Or learn some ideas you “never thought about before”.

Try a lot of things, give them a fair run, track your numbers and your time, and you’ll know what works and what doesn’t.

And, let’s be honest, if you’re hungry and determined to make something work, you will.

Because it has to.

That’s how I got started marketing. I was terrible at everything I tried. But I was going broke and had to make something work. So I kept at it.

Mission accomplished.

I’m not promising you’ll fall in love with marketing, or even one or two strategies. You might not.

But you might fall in love with what marketing can do and that, my friend, could be all you need.

Filed Under: Marketing legal services, Marketing Plan

Faster than a speeding bullet

May 29, 2025 by David M. Ward

Yes, I know, you are more powerful than a locomotive—at least that’s what you want your clients to believe. You’re invincible—in the courtroom, boardroom and everywhere else.

As images go, that’s hard to beat.

But are you faster than a speeding bullet?

Your clients would like this, too.

They would like you to complete your work, settle their case, or deliver your work product quickly, because the faster you do that, the sooner they get the benefits they desire. And (they hope) save a bundle on legal fees.

So you might make “speed” a part of your marketing message.

It can’t be your “unique selling proposition” because, of course, lawyers can’t promise results, quick or otherwise, but it’s a good way to show prospective clients an advantage to working with you.

Show prospective clients, and the people who can refer them, that you are someone who gets the job without delay.

How do you suggest “speed” without promising it, or sounding like a fast-talking car salesman?

Carefully.

When you schedule appointments, offer to see the client today or tomorrow, instead of two weeks out, and schedule those appointments at ten-minute intervals, suggesting that you are busy and work fast.
Under promise so you can over-deliver. Tell clients “two weeks” and complete the work in one. Surprise and delight them and create a story they can share.
If you use testimonials or quotes from positive reviews on your website or in ads, highlight comments that praise how quickly you got to work and completed it.
Talk about how you created many forms and checklists in your practice that allow you to expedite your work process.
Update your website with a “modern” look, quicker navigation, and ease of use.
Compare and contrast—describe how “most firms” (your competition) do things and show how you are different (better, faster).

Talk fast, walk fast, and show clients you have high energy. Because lawyers who move quickly usually work quickly.

Most lawyers emphasize quality and trustworthiness and you must, too. But most lawyers don’t even hint at speed, so if you do, you’ll stand out.

Filed Under: Law office management, Marketing legal services

Don’t do any marketing until you do this

May 27, 2025 by David M. Ward

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

Filed Under: Marketing legal services

Can you ever stop marketing?

May 22, 2025 by David M. Ward

I’ve talked to lawyers who no longer do any marketing. They say they don’t need to—they get all their work from existing clients, through referrals, and based on their reputation in their community or niche. They’ve “put in their dues” and are now enjoying the fruits of the hard work they did at the beginning of their career.

Or they are so busy with work, they need to focus on that and no longer have time for marketing.

How about you?

Since you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you (still) do (some) marketing. You may have changed what you do, or how much you do, but your marketing is still an important part of your business. The question is, can you see yourself ever slowing down or stopping?

Here are my thoughts:

You might want to (or need to) continue marketing, or do more of it, to get to “the next level”. No matter how successful you are, there’s always the next level.
You might want to expand your marketing to get big enough to justify hiring a team to do most of it. Or, if you already have a team, to hire someone to supervise them.
If you get a large percentage of business through advertising, it’s profitable and doesn’t take a lot of your time or energy, you should do more of it. Look for ways to expand into other markets, and ways to increase your ad “buys”.
If you advertise, but it’s not as profitable as you think it could be, talk to some experts. A few simple changes might make an enormous difference.
Consider new marketing strategies. You might find some are easier, less time consuming, or more profitable. Writing a newsletter, for example, takes less time than networking.
Do more of the marketing you enjoy, less of the marketing you don’t. If you like what you’re doing, you won’t have to force yourself to do it and you’ll get better and faster.
Consider that what’s working today may not work tomorrow. Keep your options open and continually experiment.
Never make the mistake of thinking you need to do everything yourself. If you want to grow, you can’t do everything yourself.

Repeat business and referrals may be the ultimate marketing strategy for attorneys, but it’s not the only game in town.

Filed Under: Career satisfaction, Marketing legal services

Client surveys

May 20, 2025 by David M. Ward

Lawyers ask questions to diagnose clients’ problems and prescribe effective solutions. We question witnesses and other parties to learn what they know and how they can help or hurt our case. We hire experts and ask for information and advice to help us better manage our cases.

Questions are the cornerstone of legal work. But they can be much more.

Asking questions—through surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and even just conversations—can dramatically improve a lawyer’s marketing and practice management.

What can you ask? Here are a few ideas:

Ask prospective clients how they found you and what they heard or read. Did they see an ad? Where? What caught their attention? Were they referred by another client or another professional? What were they told that inspired them to make an appointment?
Ask new clients how they were treated at their first appointment. What stood out about what they saw and were told? Was everything explained to their satisfaction? Did they understand fees, costs, and other terms? What did they like best? What could you improve?
Ask existing clients what groups they belong to, to help you identify where you might advertise, network, write articles, or speak.
Ask your subscribers (newsletter, blog, social media) which topics they’d like you to write about.
Ask clients if they know about your other services. “Did you know we also do X?”
Ask everyone if they might anyone (at work, in their neighborhood) who might like a free copy of your new report or a link to your video.
Ask all clients about their industry or market, business or practice, to “get to know them better” (to create more effective marketing collateral and offers).
Ask all clients if they would recommend you to others and what they would tell them. This could lead to reviews, testimonials, referrals, and ideas for improving your services or your marketing message.
In conversation, when you learn a client or contact knows someone you’d like to meet, ask if they would introduce you.

You can pass out questionnaires at presentations. You can conduct “exit surveys” at the end of cases. You can add “getting to know you” questionnaires in your “new client kits”.

And you can ask clients for feedback or information about themselves or their business any time you meet.

Questions like these can not only help you create more effective content and marketing messages, they can help you strengthen relationships with your clients and contacts because they really will help you get to know them better.

Filed Under: Client relations, Content creation, Increase your income, Law office management, Marketing legal services