Students pay thousands of dollars for law school, so it would be nice if they had a class on getting clients. Clients, after all, are the lifeblood of any law office.
With the unemployment rate of recent law graduates rising, private practice is becoming a popular option. Because of this, there is more pressure on lawyers to market themselves than ever before.
Here are five ways to get more clients and keep the money flowing!
1. Don’t Take Anyone for Granted
The legal field is unique in that every person a lawyer meets is a potential client.
Lawyers should introduce themselves and talk to everyone around them. A barista could know someone that needs help with a slip and fall. The person replacing tile in the office might have a claim against his company.
Talk to everyone. There’s a good chance they or someone they know needs legal representation.
2. Quid Pro Quo
A lawyer that practices a field unhelpful to someone’s needs can connect them with a firm that does. A criminal defense attorney that meets someone in need of family law can send them to Maples Family Law, for example.
These references build working relationships. The next time someone at Maples meets a person in need of criminal law, they’ll return the favor. Everybody wins, including the client.
3. Specialization
Most lawyers practice many areas of the law. That doesn’t mean that they should talk about them all when marketing themselves.
Focus on one area of the law per marketing campaign. This strategy makes it easier to track results and doesn’t overwhelm the audience.
Clients are problem oriented. By running commercials and print ads that list 14 specialties, a lawyer runs the risk of overloading the viewer.
Consider this: if someone wants a hamburger, are they more likely to go somewhere that advertises 30 menu items, or the place with “the best burgers in the state”?
Sometimes simplicity is the best approach.
4. Focus On Problem Solving
People hire lawyers because they have a problem.
Lawyers that focus on offering solutions to problems and less on self-promotion have better results.
These lawyers don’t just say they practice workplace injuries. They ask the audience specific questions.
“Are you having trouble paying bills due to an injury caused by workplace negligence?”
These questions connect with potential clients. It tells the audience that the lawyer can solve their problem instead of implying it.
5. Share Knowledge
People have questions about the law. Lawyers get more clients by being the ones to answer those inquiries.
Signing up for sites that allow people to ask questions and answering them shows off knowledge in a particular field. Setting up a web page where potential clients can ask questions also connects lawyers with those who need help.
Sharing knowledge builds authority. Authority builds a lawyer’s client base.
Be Proactive & Get More Clients
The competition for clients is fierce. Sometimes, lawyers need help marketing themselves beyond what they can do on their own.
Find a marketing firm to help get more clients. Search the database here and start getting leads today!