There are many strategies you can use to bring in new clients and increase your income. Which strategies are best for you?

I like to break down the options into two broad categories: internal and external.

INTERNAL MARKETING

Internal marketing generally focuses on client relations, to generate repeat business, the sale of additional services, and referrals.

It also includes staying in touch with existing business and professional contacts who can provide referrals, introductions, and cross-marketing opportunities.

Advantages:

• Low or no cost
• You already have a list and permission to contact
• Existing trust means clients and their referrals are easier and quicker to close
• Clients are usually willing to refer, introduce you, share your content, and provide positive reviews and testimonials
• A client newsletter is a simple way to stay in touch with clients (and prospects and professional contacts)
• You don’t need a lot of marketing experience
• You don’t need to spend a lot of time
• Repeat business and referrals are more profitable

Disadvantages:

• Can be slower to scale
• Your clients may not need repeat or additional services, and/or might have limited ability to refer

EXTERNAL MARKETING

External marketing involves lead generation, through advertising, direct mail, networking and speaking, blogging, articles, and other means, and following up with and closing those leads.

Advantages:

• You can target any market or markets
• You may be able to scale quickly
• Some strategies (eg, advertising) don’t require a lot of time
• Some strategies (e.g., networking, speaking, blogging) don’t require a lot of money
• You can hire/outsource many activities

Disadvantages:

• Some strategies (e.g., networking) may take a long time to bear fruit
• Advertising requires money, expertise, and the risk of loss
• Advertising requires a lot of testing to find the right (profitable) approach
• Competition can be fierce in some markets and/or for some services
• Longer closing process; leads are more price-resistant
• Additional overhead (to work with leads)
• Some strategies may be inappropriate for your image, style, or practice area
• Bar rules are usually more restrictive

WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU?

Choosing the best strategies for you requires you to consider

• The time and/or money you are willing to invest/risk
• Your type of practice/clients/market
• Restrictions (bar rules, your firm)
• Your marketing experience and competitive factors
• Your current staff and/or ability to hire more

MY ADVICE

Every lawyer should start with internal marketing and continue doing it as long as they are practicing.

Who doesn’t want repeat business and referrals?

For many lawyers, internal marketing strategies will be all they ever need.

Some lawyers or firms who want to grow bigger and faster should also consider external marketing strategies, when they have the resources and temperament to do so. But only after they have solid internal marketing strategies in place.

Are you ready to take a quantum leap in your practice?

What did you do yesterday that’s could be considered marketing?

I’ll give you a minute.

Some lawyers might say they posted a new article or sent out their newsletter. Some might say they let their ads continue to run. Some might say they worked on a new presentation, updated their LinkedIn profile or About page or shared something on social media.

Most lawyers, I’m afraid, would have to admit they did nothing.

Just a fact, Jack.

If you find yourself in that category, I understand. You were busy doing some actual work. But if you want the actual work to continue to come in, you might want to make a point of doing something marketing-related on a regular basis.

Here’s what I suggest might be your baseline:

Every day, you either call someone or email someone (your choice). It could be a former client, a prospective client, a lawyer friend, a professional you’d like to know, a blogger or podcaster who is influential in your target market, anyone—again, you’re choice.

You make one call or send one email and your marketing is done for the day.

It can’t be that simple, but it is.

Do that every workday and you’ll see things happen.

Someone will want to hire you, refer to you, or ask you if you can help them. Someone will tell someone about you, share your page or presentation, or ask to interview you. Someone will visit your website to see if you have some information about their situation or to find out more about what you do.

You’ll see more traffic and more leads, build your email list, get more people hearing about what you do and how you can help them or their clients, and yes, get more new clients and repeat business.

I promise.

Sure, you can continue to do whatever else you do that’s marketing-related. But if you embrace the idea of sending one email or making one call a day, and you do it consistently, you may find yourself not needing to do much else.

What do you say when you email or call? Ah, that’s a subject for another day. But I’m glad you asked. It means you’re thinking about doing this and that’s a good sign.

For now, you might start making a list of people to call or people to email. Or, you might just pick up the phone and call someone, or open your email and write to someone, just to say hello. Because that counts.

One more thing. Open your calendar or task app and add a new recurring task. Because if you’re going to do this, you might want to be reminded to do it, at least until it is a habit.

More ideas in The Attorney Marketing Formula

Imagine you have a lawyer friend who asks for your advice.

Not about legal matters, about marketing.

They are in the same practice area as you and want your advice about getting more clients and increasing their income.

What would you say to them? What would you tell them to do?

You would probably start by asking questions.

What do you do now to bring in business? How well does this work? What have you tried before? Why did you stop? What other strategies have you considered?

You’d want to know what’s working for them and what isn’t, what they like and what they’re good at.

And then, you’d probably tell your friend to continue doing what’s working and look for ways to improve his results. And you’d suggest some additional strategies to consider.

Yes?

Okay.

You’ve probably figured out that this other lawyer we’re talking about is you. You’re having this conversation with yourself.

And you should because it’s often easier to see answers for others than for yourself.

If I asked you those questions, your answers would help clarify where you’re at and where you want to go, and we would then talk about what to do to get there.

You can have that same discussion with yourself, because you already know many of the questions—and the answers.

Questions, answers, marketing plan: The Attorney Marketing Formula

Legal marketing agency executive Jay Harrington recently said, “You don’t need to be on more than one social media platform, nor do you have to do all forms of marketing”. He says, “the more you diversify your approach to marketing, the less effective your marketing may be.”

I agree.

The reason? Focus. You can’t be good at everything and it’s better to be good at one thing than so-so at a lot of things.

The other reason? Time. Many attorneys spend no more a few minutes a day on marketing. Trying to conquer more than one platform or marketing strategy means spreading themselves too thin.

Think of it this way: it’s better to have a good conversation with one person you’d like to know than to broadcast a message to thousands, most of whom aren’t listening.

Even if you have a lot of help and/or a big marketing budget, you should should still concentrate on one or two things, not everything.

Choose one social media platform. Study it and the people who are good at it, learn all you can about it, and then work that platform.

Show up there every day. Add quality content. Engage with key people in your niche. Get your name known, build your list, and use that to build your practice.

It’s far more effective for you to invest a few minutes a day on one platform than to use staff or automation to post links and comments across many.

The same is true for any kind of marketing.

Don’t diversify. Focus. Get good at blogging or advertising, speaking or writing articles, referrals or SEO, social media or podcasting.

One thing, not everything.

You can diversify later, if you want to, but if you focus and get good enough at one thing, you might not have to.

Harrington says the starting point is to ask, “Where is my audience?” Where do they hang out, what do they read, how do they spend their time?

Go where they are, get to know them, and let them get to know you.

Effective marketing starts with a plan. Here’s how to create yours.

Many attorneys say they hate the idea of convincing people to hire them. They don’t like being pushy, which is ironic coming from professionals who make their living being pushy.

They can be mighty persuasive when they’re arguing on behalf of a client, but persuading clients to hire them makes them uncomfortable.

And this is completely understandable.

But it misses an important point.

Your job isn’t to convince people to hire you, it is to show them what you can do to help them, and let them decide if they want to hire you.

You don’t convince them, they convince themselves.

You don’t persuade, you show.

If they want and need what you offer, great. If they don’t, you move on. (But stay in touch with them because things change.)

That doesn’t mean you just hang out your shingle and let people figure out how you can help them. It takes more than just saying, “Here’s what I do, sign here.”

You must provide them with effective marketing collateral that makes the case for you.

You let your website show people what you can do for them. You let your blog or articles or newsletter answer their questions and persuade them to take the next step.

Your job isn’t to convince people to hire you. Nobody wants that job. Your job is to find ways to get more people who need your help to find you, and give them everything they need to convince themselves to ask you to take their money.

The next time you feel uncomfortable doing anything in the marketing arena ask yourself, “Am I trying to convince people to do something they don’t want to do?”

If you are, stop doing that. Because that’s not your job.

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