Marketing is an essential tool for any business owner, whether they are selling a product or a service. There may be some hurdles you may experience if you are a new lawyer starting into private practice or a seasoned one who wants to get more clients online. However, with good marketing strategies targeted to your desired clients, you can have the following benefits:

• Increased exposure to more clients, which means that there is increased profit for your business
• Your name as a professional will be more distinguished as you get to work with several clients in your community, city, or state
• You will gain experience both in business and in your profession, which is a double-edged bonus as a private practitioner

According to Lawyers of Distinction, there are 5 essential marketing tips that any lawyer should remember when starting out as a business. In this post, we will be discussing both traditional and online marketing tactics

5 Marketing Tips Every Lawyer Needs to Know

1. Market yourself as an expert in your specialization or area of interest

It is more difficult to reel in clients if you are just marketing yourself as a ‘general lawyer’. Do you have a specialization or an area of interest? It may be better to market yourself to that professional. You can call yourself as an expert divorce attorney, personal injury lawyer, tax attorney, and many others. The point is to learn how to market yourself to a specific group of people so they would be recognizable in that area. Being more targeted rather than just marketing yourself as a jack of all trades will be more beneficial to your business. This can be applied both when dealing with prospects online or offline.

2. Always have business cards ready to hand out

A good marketer is somebody who not only seeks for opportunities actively, but he or she is someone who recognizes a prospect when they come by. One of the best things you can be prepared for this is by printing out a couple of business cards which can be stored in your wallet or purse. Business cards will help you network with people you will only have a seldom chance of meeting, or will expand your networks to other people who may not have the opportunity to meet you. Business cards also give the impression that you are a formal private practitioner or a business owner, and it makes you look more professional when you are giving out your contact details.

3. Offer good content to gain trust

This marketing strategy is tried and tested both for online and offline business matters. People tend to trust professionals who can give them sound advice, as they are inclined to seek their help more by providing free, useful information. If you come across a person who seems like he or she is in need of legal advice, give a short, useful insight into it and hand your contact details. Lawyers of Distinction also suggests that you can create a blog online with an advice column. This can help you gain a following on your website, which will, in turn, convert into potential clients in the future. Legal matters are usually serious and seemingly unapproachable, but knowing that there is a personality or a face to the business will also help you gain their trust.

4. Keep all your social media accounts updated

Social media is one of the most personal ways that clients can reach out to you and get to know you as a professional. Even if you’re busy at work, it is important to spend a few minutes each day to update your social media accounts by providing useful information in your business, giving tips, or helping out users who may have questions. Some people won’t find you on search engines and would have their first encounter with your business through social media. It is helpful to present yourself as an approachable professional in your social media accounts. According to Lawyers of Distinction, the most important social media accounts for attorneys are LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

5. Strengthen your business brand

Any business, including a legal one, needs a strong business brand. The business brand is seen encompassingly in how you carry out conversations with your clients, how you create website pages about your business and it can even be seen in how you post things on social media. Business branding means your message, purpose, and goal have to be consistent with all the things you do. Your logo, themes, and goals should all be focused on your area of practice and the types of clients you want to attract.

By keeping in mind these marketing strategies, attorneys will surely achieve a higher chance of success rate in their private practice business.