A lot of lawyers say that. How about you? 

If you do, does this mean you have more work than you can handle and don’t want any more? You’re good.

Great. Live long and prosper. 

But before you declare yourself “done” with marketing, I want to point out a few ways you can “do” marketing without spending any more time. 

It comes down to things like

• The words you use to describe your services 
• How you answer questions asked by clients and prospects
• The way you dress and the car you drive
• What you say to a client at his or her first appointment 
• Your fees and billing practices and how you describe them
• What you send new clients to describe what happens next and how they can help you get the best results for them 
• What you send clients at the end of a case or engagement, to make them glad they chose you and more likely to return 
• What you say (and don’t say) that makes it more likely you will get referrals
• How you handle a client who is unhappy
• How you speak to other professionals and centers of influence in your market about your practice, your services, and about yourself. And about their business or practice.
• What you say and do to differentiate your firm from the competition
• How often you stay in touch with clients and what you tell them or send them when you do
• The professionalism of your marketing copy
• The range of services you provide, and how this compares to what your competition offers 
• How you accommodate clients who have a special request or need
• How you turn down a case or client
• How you handle phone calls and interruptions when a client or prospect is in your office
• The causes, charities and groups you support 
• How quickly you respond to inquires and the tone of your response
• What you do and don’t do on social media
• Your advertising messages—content, tone, frequency, and offers
• The energy and enthusiasm you show in person, on stage, and in interviews
• The quality and content of photos and graphics used in your website and marketing documents
• The stories you share about your cases and clients
• How you treat your staff

It’s all marketing. Everything you do is marketing. 

It’s all part of how you inspire confidence in you and your ability to get excellent results for your clients, and it doesn’t take any more time to get it right. 

You may not have time for other kinds of marketing, but surely you have time for these. 

At some point, you may want to update the About page on your website or write a bio you can use in your other areas of your marketing. One place to start is to ask ai to provide you with questions or writing prompts you can ask yourself. I asked Copilot for questions a lawyer could use as prompts for writing their bio. Here’s what it gave me:

• What inspired you to become a lawyer? 
• What are your areas of expertise and specialization?
• How long have you been practicing law and where did you get your education and training?
• What are some of the most challenging or rewarding cases you have handled or been involved in? 
• How do you approach each case and what are your goals and strategies for achieving the best outcome for your clients?
• What are some of the values or principles that guide your work as a lawyer?
• How do you keep up with the latest developments and trends in the legal field?
• What are some of the skills or qualities that make you a good lawyer?
• How do you balance your work and personal life and what are some of the hobbies or interests that you enjoy outside of work?
• How do you cope with the stress or frustration that may arise from your work?
• How do you communicate with your clients and what are some of the ways that you build trust and rapport with them?
• How do you handle feedback or criticism from your clients, colleagues, or judges?
• How do you collaborate with other lawyers or legal professionals in your field or network?
• How do you deal with ethical dilemmas or conflicts of interest that may arise in your work?
• How do you measure your success or satisfaction as a lawyer?
• What are some opportunities or trends that you see or expect in the legal field or your area of specialization?
• What are some of the goals or aspirations that you have for your career or professional development as a lawyer? 
• What are some of the things that you would like your potential clients or website visitors to know about you or your law practice? 

Some of these are pretty good. You can use them as is, ask the ai to give you more specific questions relating to your practice areas, or re-write them yourself. You can also ask a friend to “interview” you using these questions as a starting point. Each time you answer a question, or even think about what you might say, it can help you think of additional questions or topics, as well as examples and stories you can use to flesh out your bio. 

This is a quick way to get material and inspiration for writing a bio but it isn’t the only way. You might get better results by simply searching for other attorney’s About pages, seeing what they say and how they say it, and using these as a template for your own. 

If you already have a bio, or About page, you might want to update or rewrite it. Take out the boring or long-winded parts, add fresh stories or examples, add links to sub-pages on your site with articles or case summaries you mention or want to readers to read after they read your bio.

Also consider re-writing in the first person, making your bio more informal and relatable (but still professional), or third person if that works better.

Once you’re done writing or updating your website bio, consider also writing a version that can be used as your introduction in interviews, when you speak publicly, on social profiles, and in your articles and reports. It might also be helpful to create both short and longer versions. 

Statistically, your About page is the most visited page on your website, often the first one visited. It’s worth doing the best job you can do, with or without ai assistance. 

Wouldn’t it be good to know the reason(s) your clients chose you instead of another lawyer or firm? 

I’ll answer for you: you bet. 

In fact, wouldn’t it be helpful to know why they hired an attorney at all, instead of self-help or doing nothing? And why now, instead of waiting? 

It’s valuable to know this because these are likely the same reasons other clients will hire you. If you know this, you can improve your marketing and get better results.

So, why did they do it? 

Is it how you describe your services? The social proof you provide? Your website and other content that showed them how you think and how you do what you do? 

Maybe it was something you offer that other lawyers don’t, like a “satisfaction guarantee”. Or something every lawyer does but usually doesn’t mention, such as the steps you take to investigate the case, research liability, or construct a demand letter. 

Maybe it’s your reputation in the courtroom. Maybe they like your ads. Maybe they thought you look friendly, or you look tough and they want you on their side.

Or maybe they saw you as a more affordable choice (although that’s not necessarily a good thing). 

It’s also possible they chose you because you don’t do or say things other lawyers do or say.

Happy day, you can find out these things by simply asking.

Talk to your new clients or ask them to fill out a questionnaire. Ask what attracted them, convinced them, or otherwise caused them to make an appointment or fill out a form. 

You can also “ask” what they liked best by examining the number of click-throughs and percentage of forms filled out among the different pages on your website. If you get a high percentage of clicks and opt-ins on a page that describes one aspect of what you do and how you work with your clients, for example, you’ll know to create more content like that. 

Another thing you can do is sit down with folks who resemble your ideal client and ask them to go through your website while you observe them. What page do they go to first? Next? What do they ignore or skim, what do they read completely? 

Do they ask any questions or offer any observations about certain pages or content? Do they make suggestions about what they would like to see or know?

Yes, you can hire experts to do this for you, but you can learn a lot by simply observing. Just as you can learn a lot by talking to or surveying new clients and asking them why they chose you. 

Your clients will tell you. Go ahead and ask.

It’s often said that clients prefer to hire lawyers they “know, like, and trust,” and that’s true, but something’s missing. The aphorism begins with the statement, “All things being equal…” meaning when the client has a choice of lawyers with the same or similar capabilities, or who offer the same benefits, those clients tend to choose the lawyer they “know, like, and trust”.

You have to be able to solve the client’s problem or help them get something they want. And prospective clients (and the people who refer them) need to believe this. 

In other words, you can’t build a practice on good looks alone. 

Which is why your marketing must begin by telling people what you do and how you can help them, and offer some proof that you can deliver. 

Most lawyers try to do that. Fortunately for you, most don’t do a great job of it. They list their practice areas and note some of their accomplishments, but little else. If you know what you’re doing, you can easily show your target market that you are the better choice.

But at least show them you are a contender. 

And then, help them get to “know, like, and trust you” through your speaking, networking, writing, how you comport yourself when you meet them, and through testimonials and reviews from your happy clients.

Let your clients describe how you made them feel safe, what it was like having you by their side, how you were patient, thorough, fair, and honest.

Let the people who know, like, and trust you tell others why they chose you and recommend that others do the same. 

There’s a formula for that