In this week’s edition of Things I Wish I Knew, solo lawyer Joleena Louis details how she has reviewed her firm’s marketing plan for 2017, and shares how you can do the same.
I’m constantly revising my marketing strategy and January is a great time to do a big overhaul.
Like everyone else, I am taking this time of year to shape my firm and its goals for the coming year. With that being said, my marketing efforts and their effectiveness have massive implications on the overall success of my firm.
Now is the time to review what did or did not work last year and start fresh with new ideas. For example, this past year I decided to join a BNI networking group with hopes of increasing my referral sources. Unfortunately, the time and money I put into this marketing tactic didn’t result in a positive return on my investment. But at least I am better prepared for 2017.
Here are some of the things I’m doing this month to jump-start my marketing for 2017.
Review and Update Your Ideal Client Personas
The first step in marketing is knowing your target market.
If you haven’t already, you should create a marketing persona for your ideal client. This will help you determine who your ideal client is and how to reach them.
For example, by reviewing and identifying my ideal client, fathers who want equal parenting time, it has become easier to share that information with referral sources who in turn are able to give me better quality referrals.
Review and Document Your Sales Process
Do you know the exact process your clients go through, from discovering your services to retaining you? If not, you are missing out on a massive opportunity to connect with leads on a deeper and more powerful level.
You need to first discover then document the entire sales process of your typical client. From there you can automate certain steps in the process to make easier for both you and your prospective client to get in touch.
For example, after reviewing my sales process in the past I discovered I was losing some potential clients because of my follow-up process. After talking to a few of my clients, I learned more about the problem and took the appropriate steps to rectify it. Now I have a much more structured and effective follow-up system, and I am converting more leads into paying clients.
Also, be sure to look at where you’re clients are coming from. If most of your clients are coming from one source, it makes it easy to know where you should be spending your time and effort this year.
Review Your Website, Blog, and Social Media
Technology is becoming increasingly important to the overall success of every lawyer’s practice. With that being said, at a minimum, you must review your website, blog and social channels at least once a year.
While your website, blog and social channels are all separate entities, they all speak to the same audience and should reflect the same image. To help make sure all three are working as they should be, go through this checklist with each and review their effectiveness:
- Does your website/blog/social media appear attractive to your target audience?
- Does website/blog/social media appropriately reflect you and your firm’s brand?
- Has your website/blog/social media been updated recently?
- Are people regularly looking at your website/blog/social channels?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, you need to update the strategy surrounding your online presence.
Reviewing and updating your firm’s marketing strategies is not a quick or simple task. But with the help of these tips, you will be on the right path to creating an effective marketing strategy for this year.
What are you doing to jump-start your firm’s marketing for 2017? Let me know in the comments below!
