In this week’s edition of Things I Wish I Knew, New York solo lawyer Joleena Louis shares her top tips for marketing during the holiday season.
November and December are are slow months for my divorce practice so I use the time to ramp up my marketing for the big boost in business in January.
People usually don’t want to start a divorce during the holidays, but they are certainly thinking about it so this is the perfect time to make prospective clients aware of my services.
Here are some of the ways I plan to market my solo practice during this holiday season:
Use Social Ads to Target People’s Emotions
The holidays often evoke powerful emotions in people. This is especially true for my potential clients. I capitalize on this emotion by using social ads to targeting parents who may not get to see their children over the holidays.
As a result, my holiday facebook ads are usually the most effective, especially when it comes to child custody. Figure out a way to tie your services to the holidays and run an ad campaign.
Email Campaign For Divorce Prospects
I’ll create an email campaign for prospective clients already on my email list offering discounted consultation until the end of the year – so they can get a head start before the January rush.
This email works well because many people are thinking about what they are going to do/change next year. So sometimes that discounted consultation offer is enough to push them over the edge and call me.
Lock in 2017 Rates
Last year I reached out to prospects offering to lock in my 2016 rates if they put a deposit on their retainer before the end of the year (and paid in full by January).
This pushed some people who were on the fence or waiting to retain me in the last couple of weeks of the year. I plan to do the same thing again this year and if all goes to plan I should have just as much if not more success.
Send A Gift To My Biggest Referral Sources This Year
Client appreciation is critical for keeping clients happy. Studies show that 68% of customers leave a business relationship because of a perceived indifference on the part of the company. The same can happen in an attorney-client relationship.
So every year, I send nice thank you gifts to those referral sources who sent me the most business throughout the year. I decided to send each one something personal so that the gift is more meaningful.
Prenup Consultation Gift Cards
A few years ago, fellow Law Firm Suites tenant Tom Chu gave me the idea to offer gift cards for my prenup services. So a parent, for example, can prepay for a prenup consultation for their child. This has been a very popular offering in my business, especially during the holidays.
As a solo, what you do today can feed you in a few months. How do you plan on marketing your practice this holiday season?
