If you look at marketing as a necessary evil, something you have to do but really don’t want to, you’ll never get as much out of it as you could.

What if marketing was something you actually enjoyed and were good at? What if it was fun?

Do you think you would do more of it? Do you think you would get better results?

The trick is to find some aspect of marketing that you don’t hate, or don’t hate as much, perhaps something you actually enjoy. Focus on that and don’t worry about the rest.

Start by visualizing yourself writing, speaking, and meeting people, since these are at the core of professional marketing. Imagine yourself at your keyboard. Imagine yourself speaking on the phone or in front of a group. See yourself meeting people, shaking hands, handing out your card.

Don’t worry about what you’ll say or write or do. Just think about the basic activity itself. Keep going until you find something that feels better than the alternatives.

When I run through the list I see myself writing. It feels natural to me. Something I’m good at and enjoy.

No surprise, most of my marketing involves writing. Email in particular. I do other things, of course, but if I could only do one thing, I would write emails.

If I found that writing emails was no longer working for me, I would write something else because “writing” is the essence of what I enjoy.

How about you? Do you like writing? Speaking? Meeting people?

Once you know that, the next step is to do it.

Start with something easy. Write an email to your former clients and say hello. Call your referral sources and tell them you’re just checking in. Find a new networking group and go.

Then, do it again.

You’ll get better at it. You’ll get better results. You’ll hate it less or enjoy it more. And you’ll continue to do it until it is a natural part of your routine.

Or you’ll fall back and do something else, but something that reflects the essence of the activity.

You may no longer have time to do self-hosted seminars, for example, but because you like speaking you’ll do webinars, teleconferences, or luncheons.

Marketing can be fun if you find some aspect of it you enjoy and you don’t worry about anything else.

Marketing is easier when you have a plan

You’re not like most attorneys. You understand the importance of marketing your practice and you’re doing something about it.

Many attorneys don’t get this. They think that if they do a good job for their clients more clients will come and they don’t have to do anything else.

Good work does bring in clients. No question. But why settle when you can bring in so many more?

I think many attorneys who eschew marketing don’t realize how much marketing they really do. Every time they speak or write an article or show up at an event and talk to people, every time they send a note thanking their clients and contacts for their business and their referrals, every time they call a client or a professional contact and ask about their business or family, all of this is marketing.

If you’re doing it, why not do it to the best of your ability?

Why not continually assess what you’re doing and the results you’re getting and make an effort to improve those results?

And why not at least consider adding some new strategies and techniques to your routine?

Okay. I’m not trying to convince anyone they need to market their legal services. I’m really not. That would not be good marketing on my part. It would not be a good use of my time.

It’s much more effective and profitable (and enjoyable) to target people who already understand this and are looking for ways to improve what they’re doing.

People like you.

In your marketing, you should do the same.

Spend less time (or no time) trying to convince people they need to hire an attorney and more time (or all of your time) targeting people who already know this and are looking for an attorney.

Don’t worry about people who need an attorney but don’t believe it or don’t want to spend the money (or don’t have the money) or aren’t in enough pain to look for solutions.

Marketing is one thing. Smart marketing is something else.

Start here

I saw a story that said that half of American adults can’t afford to write a $500 check, which is why they finance purchases like a new phone. If this is true, what does that mean for the attorney who wants to sell them his or her services?

Should they cut their fees?

No. They shouldn’t do that. That’s a recipe guaranteed to leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

What then?

Should they accept credit cards and offer payment plans?

Should they break up their services into smaller packages that more people can afford?

Should they target businesses instead of consumers?

Or should focus their marketing efforts on the half of the market that can write a check and not worry about the ones who can’t?

The answer is, they should consider all of the above. They are all reasonable strategies.

What they shouldn’t do is ignore everything and do nothing. They should research their target markets, look at what other lawyers are doing, and try new things, and they should continue trying new things until they find the right combination.

And then they should look for ways to improve their results, and never stop looking.

There are more than enough clients out there who can make you rich many times over. They need you, they can afford you, and they will hire you. But only if they can find you and your message is the one they want to hear.

Being a good attorney isn’t enough. Your reputation will only carry you so far. You run a business and your business needs marketing to survive and thrive.

Start with this

I’m a beta tester for the new version of a writing app I use. I have the app on my desktop and laptop computers and use it every day.

I try and re-try all of the features, looking for bugs and other issues. I note what I like and what I’d like to see improved. I compare features and ease of use to other writing apps I’ve used.

Through this process, I’m able to influence the development of something that interests me and I get to use it months before anyone else. I also learn the ins and outs of using the app and thus get more out of it.

When you adopt new software in your practice, you may not be an official beta tester but you do many of the same things. You spend time playing with the software, trying out all the functions, learning how everything works.

You don’t just install it and expect to use it like a pro. You give yourself time to learn and practice using it.

You should do the same thing when you take on a new marketing strategy or go into a new market.

Study the market. Learn everything you can about the new strategy. Flip all the switches and pull all the levers. Test everything, try everything, and look for ways to incorporate the new strategy into your existing workflow.

When you get a new website or redo your existing site, examine it through the eyes of an end user. Read all the pages, fill out all the forms, test all the functions, and make sure everything works the way you want it to. Ask others to look at it and give you their feedback and suggestions.

If you join a new networking group, don’t just show up and hope for the best. Study it. Learn their process. Spend time talking to other members.

If you are thinking about hiring a new ad agency, learn all you can about the creative people behind it. Ask lots of questions about markets and campaigns, pricing and ROI.

Just like new software, you may be using your new marketing strategy for a long time. Beta test it so you can get the most out of it.

The elements of law practice marketing start here