The biggest benefit and hindrance to solicitors and law firms are one and the same
Everyone at one stage of their life or business will need the services of a solicitor. That’s why in many ways businesses grow and it’s also why often firms can become complacent about marketing and brand building
There’s also that desire for instant sales or fee earning activities from partner’s vs long term brand building
The difference between Sales and Brand Building is the former means you’ll be in business this week, whereas brand building means you’ll be in business a decade from now
Brand is everything. A strong brand and marketing plan future-proofs your business
I know time is precious, so let us explain 6 Ways Solicitors Can Improve Their Marketing
1. Lead From The Top
Everything I’m going to talk about for the rest of this blog – I do
I’m not sat here pontificating theory whilst expecting you to be a practitioner
I believe that a positive marketing culture leads to better results when those at the top action rather than expect others to do
If you own the solicitors firm then show rather than tell, lead rather than instruct, deliver results rather than expecting result
When you do this everything else falls in to place
2. Networking
I’m a huge advocate of networking and the need for Face to Face contact
I work in Social Media and the majority of my work comes from social media itself, but Face to Face has always been a huge part of what I do. It means people can shake my hand, look me straight in the eye and see that everything I say is 100% authentic
Whether you have 10 partners or 100 partners in your firm it’s important you have a presence across the networking events in your local area
Gone are the days where networking only means BNI, the Chamber and £1000 memberships for every members of staff. Most towns with a proactive business community will have a number of low-cost or free events to attend, many of which bookend the day at 8am or 6pm so don’t take time away from meetings, phone calls and paying clients
Meet Like Know Trust is important in business and why wouldn’t you want another 50-100 businesses referring work to you
Networking means you have a group of businesses who help your business grow when you’re not in the room
3. Employee Advocacy & LinkedIn
LinkedIn will grow both the commercial and personal / family law side of your business
And yet despite being active on LinkedIn, having 6000 connections and a large number of solicitors being connected with myself I can only recall 2 LinkedIn updates from solicitors in the last month. One of those had been on our LinkedIn workshop recently and the other had kindly sponsored our next social event
Buffer have reported that “Dell has over 10,000 employees who have gone through an internal social media certification program and are trained to support the company’s objectives in social media”
IBM enlisted 1000 employees on an Employee advocacy program to share company updates on their personal social media profiles. One campaign drove 120 million digital impressions and drove 141,000 clicks to campaign content
Now whether you’re a solicitors with 10 members of staff, 30 members of staff or 100 members of staff – training staff on LinkedIn and getting them active on a daily basis will raise the companies profile a lot more than trying to do it from one person sat in the marketing department with the corporate social media handles
4. Blogging
The bigger the firm – the easier blogging becomes
I’ve blogged every week since Altrincham HQ launched our 1st website. At the time of writing this blog I’ve published 438 blogs, plus numerous guest blogs for business magazines and websites. 438 blogs that are all down to little old me
For most businesses I’d advise at least 1 blog a week and for your solicitors firm I’d recommend at least one commercial blog and one personal / family blog a week
Not everyone is a natural writer, but if you have a large team it might mean individuals only have to write a blog once every 2 or 3 months maximum
Blogging allows to educate potential clients before they’ve even called you – both taking them through the sales process and saving you time on that initial call
A well written blog will generate enquiry after enquiry after enquiry
5. Content Marketing
Every law firm is a media firm
And the reason I’ve included content market separately than blogging is I believe the visual aspect of marketing needs it’s own focus
As a social media marketing firm what I do isn’t inherently visual – most of what I do is sat behind a computer screen, a phone or if I’m lucky it’s actually stood at the front of a venue at a networking event or conference
My job is to turn what I do into a visual representation and market my business
Every single persons role in the company is to produce a stream of visual content whether they go, whether that be a meeting at a drab hotel, a function at Old Trafford or the Etihad or a client meeting in a drab grey town
Every single day you can find something exciting in what you do and use a group Whatsapp chat to share it with your chief marketer
6. Community Support
Whenever you can – get involved in the community initiatives
I know it’s hard and demoralising at times when town teams, BIDS and Councils ignore your growing business in favour of yet another campaign to support coffee shops, retailers and restaurants
But bang on those doors and ask how you can get involved
Talk about the local charity work you do, the sports teams your sponsor, the PTA ball you helped out on, the marathon your staff have ran, the cake sale you did
You will always give a lot more than you get back. But that’s not why you’re doing it, this isn’t a cynical exercise in PR – this community support goes right to the heart of the companies DNA in terms of caring about staff, clients and the community. The only difference is you’re talking about it online and in traditional marketing which further supports the cause you care so much about
NOW – ASK YOURSELF
How many of the 6 Ways Solicitors Can Improve Their Marketing above are your firm doing?
NEED HELP WITH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA?
Chat to us about Social Media Marketing for YOUR organisation , so we can better understand YOU and what will grow your organisation
We can only find out what is unique to your business by chatting with you
Look at our Social Media Training and Social Media Management services
Or Please call Alex on 07806774279 or email alex@altrinchamhq.co.uk
LEGAL MARKETING TESTIMONIALS
“I attended Alex’s Linked In profile training this week and can say it was extremely helpful. I have completely amended my profile following the training and now have a better understanding of Linked In and how it can help with business. I would definitely recommend it to those who are looking to raise their profile and connect with others on this platform” Leslie Sullivan, MLP Law
“Alex provides clear no nonsense advice to companies on social media strategy.
Not only does he show you how it works, tips, advice, ideas and how much time you should devote, he also explains what not to waste time on.
He also has evidence to support his advice, as a lawyer the most important thing!
Thanks Alex for an invaluable insight. I will now go forward and act on everything you have taught” Jonathan Wall, Burton Copeland
“Alex spoke and trained women in the law & business uk at one of our workshops events.
At How to be indispensable in your career using social media, he taught us how to safely and effective for business development.
He was excellent and patient in his training. Professional, patient and demonstrated and taught how to use the different platforms for business.
He is a true expert in this field and we look forward to his next training for us in Summer 2019 in Manchester and Leeds. Recommend him highly to any business seeking training especially in business growth” Sally Penni, Women In The Law UK
“Alex really knows how to make Twitter work from a business perspective. He was calm and patient and explained things clearly,both how to use the tools and how to use them effectively. I would definitely recommend him for anyone who wants to maximise their use of social media.” Philippa Wright, McHale & Co
