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If one didn’t know better, one would think that the only way
to market a law practice would be through online means. We are all bombarded
with daily messages warning us that if we do not work on optimizing our site,
we will fall off Google’s radar. We will not enjoy a stellar reputation as a
thought leader if we are not tweeting, Facebooking, Snapchatting or
Linkedining. We’re “nobody” if we do not have a blog. And we may be missing
valuable clicks if we haven’t implemented a major pay-per-click advertising
campaign.
But, for all you folks out there who would like to try
something different, here are five non-traditional, non-on-line ways to increase
awareness of you and your firm:
Start a Foundation
That’s right! Start a foundation and market it by
associating it with the firm name (e.g., Jones & Smith Law, creates The
Jones & Smith Foundation). Find a worthy cause (preferably one related to
your practice area), invite the movers and shakers in your world to sit on your
board of directors and begin networking with the people that matter all the
while generating awareness of your practice (not to mention, doing good for
your community.) This can be especially effective for firms with a
business-to-business focus.
Create Special Events & Cause Marketing Initiatives
Like the above idea, but don’t see yourself putting in the
requisite time and effort to make it worthwhile? That’s okay. Identify a cause
related to your practice and/or to your marketing needs and develop a themed
event or series of events around that cause. For example, we have implemented
several art show/contests on behalf of PI firms that asked high school students
to submit art work that persuaded their peers to not text while driving. The
event generated great deals of exposure (and quite a number of clients!) for a
number of personal injury practices.
Run Sponsorship Ads
Don’t have the financial resources to launch a large
advertising campaign? No problem. Think strategically and support organizations
with ads in or on their yearbooks, program guides, event signage, etc. You may
not hit a large amount of people, but chances are, you will be hitting the right people. We’ve seen law firms do
just this with great success.
Develop “Expert” Brochures
Okay, I get it. The world has changed. Everything you want,
you can get on the internet now – including information on legal matters. Yet,
the printed word still has some prestige. Create an “expert brochure” on a
topic of vital importance (no
“selling” now) and promote its availability by disseminating press releases and
sending to relevant organizations (e.g., an education law practice forwards a
handful of brochures entitled “How to Know if Your Child’s Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) is Really Working” sent to special needs
organizations). By the way, you
can also offer it online as well – but that’s a song for a different day.
Write a Book or eBook
Did you like writing those “expert” brochures we noted
above? Then make yourself really happy by drafting an ebook on a topic you know
well. (Hopefully, it has something to do with the law.) Publish it yourself. It
can be relatively inexpensive. Then get it in the hands of everyone that you
know. You can even give it away for free if that makes sense. What better way
for people to get to know you, your work and how brilliant you really are? It’s
got the “Wow” factor because people tend to think of writing a book as being a
big deal. Just remember, the idea here is to build your practice, not
necessarily sell books (though that can be nice as well).
Does implementing any or all of these initiatives suggest
you shouldn’t link your site to other relevant sites, post online, or interact
electronically with others? Of course not. But in a world where everyone seems to be doing pretty much
what everyone else is, a little creativity can go a long ways in making you and
your law firm stand out from the crowd.
In fact, take that creativity a little further and don’t do anything
suggested in this post. That’s right. Instead, take the time to think a little
about your practice and generate new ideas for marketing in a manner that
perhaps no one else in your industry has.
