Washington Lawyer - January/February 2022 - 8

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
10 Ways to Step Up
Your Marketing
By Rochelle D. Washington
L
awyers used to rely on
their superior legal skills and
word of mouth to find new
business and keep current
clients satisfied.
However, in today's fast-paced world, where
potential clients have access to limitless information,
small firms have to do more to sell
themselves. Keeping up with innovation and
technical advancement is one necessity.
Another is prioritizing your marketing efforts.
Here are some strategies you can implement
today to attract the clients you want.
1. Develop a marketing mindset. Remember
that every person you meet could be a potential
client or referral source. Your daily interactions
should reflect this. Make it a point to let
people know what you do. You should have an
elevator pitch for your practice ready to go! If
you leave a good impression, one day they or
someone they know may need the services you
offer and reach out to you.
2. Identify and prioritize your known
referral sources. Who are the clients, colleagues,
and other contacts with whom you
want to expand or develop a business relationship?
Make a list and think about how you
can interact with them to further develop the
relationship: coffee, lunch, dinner, theater, a
sporting event, a co-presentation, etc. Don't
exclude opposing counsel at the end of representation
in a matter.
3. Help someone else be successful. The
most successful lawyers have at some point
helped someone else succeed. This person
could be a client, colleague, or referral source.
Listen for the needs of other lawyers and
clients. Determine if you can fill that need.
Make yourself the go-to lawyer in your prac -
tice area.
4. Create or update your marketing plan.
Set marketing goals. Keep track of what strategies
work and capitalize on those strategies.
Determine what you must accomplish to
improve your business and advance your longterm
goals. Equipped with this information,
devise a marketing schedule and stick to it.
5. Work on your people skills. Be personable.
Clients like lawyers who are empathetic,
approachable, and great listeners, and they
will stick with you if you exhibit those traits.
Communicate with clients from the outset and
strive for no surprises. Make sure that your staff
understand that they must act as an extension
of you and the firm, and encourage them to
mimic your tone and demeanor in client
interactions.
Make sure that your staff
understand that they
must act as an extension
of you and the firm, and
encourage them to mimic
your tone and demeanor
in client interactions.
6. Don't be afraid of social media. If you
haven't done so yet, join a social media platform
that is the right fit for you. Try LinkedIn to
stay in touch with colleagues, classmates,
clients, referral sources, and other professional
contacts. Consider a YouTube channel or video
marketing for your business. Create a professional
Facebook page that links to your website
8 WASHINGTON LAWYER * JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
or start a blog. Do not mix your personal and
business social media profiles.
7. Keep your marketing strategies and materials
updated. Be mindful of the need to make
revisions. Update your website regularly and be
flexible with your marketing techniques and
practices, modifying your messaging at different
times of the year to address changes in
your practice area, market, or economy. When
it comes to social media, keep in mind that you
need to stay on top of updating the information
that is displayed to maximize search engine
optimization and keep followers interested.
Post or add information on hot topics in your
practice area. Use resources like Hootsuite or
Buffer to schedule social media posts on
multiple platforms.
8. Complete one marketing task each
day. Make at least one off-the-clock call a day
to a client or referral source to check in and
catch up.
9. Schedule a weekly opportunity to
network. Attend at least one event with
some one outside the office, either virtually
or in person, such as a lunch with a client or
referral source, a networking function, or local
bar meeting.
10. Plan a quarterly project. Create a newsletter
for your firm or give a free or low-cost
informational presentation to your potential
client base.
For more information on how to best market
your firm or for an individual consultation on this
topic or other firm management-related issues,
contact the D.C. Bar practice management
advisors, Dan Mills and Kaitlin Forster, at 202-7802762
and 202-780-2764, respectively, or at
pmas@dcbar.org. All services are confidential
and offered for free to D.C. Bar members.
Rochelle D. Washington is a former D.C. Bar
practice management advisor.
Washington Lawyer - January/February 2022

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