Law firms today face more competition than ever before. Despite having expertise and capabilities, many struggle to consistently attract new clients. The issue often comes down to a lack of a pervasive marketing mindset across the firm.
Missed Opportunities and Stalled Growth
Too many law firms still see marketing as one person’s job. This leaves lawyers unmotivated to leverage their contacts, expertise, and activities to generate new business. Without a shared commitment to securing new clients, firms miss out on opportunities and growth stalls.
The following is a DRAMATIZATION AND IS NOT AN ACTUAL EVENT: One firm had lawyers attend five industry conferences last month. Though lawyers made valuable connections, few meaningful conversations happened because attorneys didn’t view lead generation as part of their role. No follow-up took place and ripe opportunities evaporated.
Instilling a Marketing Mindset
Law firms wanting to tap new opportunities must build a culture where everyone understands marketing and contributes to the effort.
Leadership Buy-In and Modeling
Initiatives flounder without backed leaders motivating teams. Partners must vocally embrace marketing, discuss it positively in firm meetings, hold employees accountable for marketing metrics, and tie compensation to new business development.
The following is a DRAMATIZATION AND IS NOT AN ACTUAL EVENT: One managing partner started bi-weekly emails highlighting a successful marketing activity. This kept marketing top of mind. He also convinced fellow partners to devote 15% of quarterly meetings to celebrating marketing wins.
Marketing Training
People support what they understand. Firms must train lawyers and staff on marketing basics through workshops, guest speakers, and bite-sized lunch & learns. This builds understanding fast.
The following is a DRAMATIZATION AND IS NOT AN ACTUAL EVENT: A firm hired a marketing consultant to deliver a high-energy 2-hour intro to a marketing workshop. 95% of attendees said it helped them finally grasp effective marketing and their role. The presentation now runs quarterly for new hires.
Building Habit & Culture
Instilling mindsets happens through repeated experiences cementing concepts. To ingrain marketing, firms should celebrate marketing wins, publish marketing tip newsletters, use collaboration tools, and incorporate marketing responsibilities and skill assessments into hiring.
Individual Empowerment
Giving everyone, even administrative assistants, small marketing goals tailors the mindset shift to individuals. Assign mentors to advise on networking, content creation, and other duties. Recognize top marketing contributors to motivate participation.
The following is a DRAMATIZATION AND IS NOT AN ACTUAL EVENT: One practice group assistant took on hosting quarterly luncheons for top clients. This led to the introduction of several cross-sell opportunities. The chairman sent a firm-wide congratulations email on the assistant’s initiative.
Addressing Concerns
Overworked Lawyers
Lawyers often cite having no time for marketing. Firms must help lawyers see marketing as supporting billing goals by building visibility and referrals. Small consistent efforts are key.
Billing Focus
To prevent marketing from distracting from billing targets, tie compensation to both. Lawyers see monetary rewards from marketing activity measured on top of billing requirements. This balances priorities.
Leveraging Thought Leadership to Attract Clients
In competitive markets, legal expertise alone is rarely enough. Savvy law firms use thought leadership to stand out. But what generates success? Client-focused content and consistency.
Certainly, in today’s fiercely competitive legal landscape, possessing legal expertise alone is seldom sufficient to thrive. Successful law firms distinguish themselves through thought leadership. To achieve this, they prioritize creating client-centric content and maintaining a consistent presence in the legal arena. This strategic approach not only helps them stand out but also fosters trust and engagement with their clientele.
Lacking Focus
Many firms muddle thought leadership. Lawyers write to impress peers not guide clients. Fancy jargon floods articles with no helpful advice. Content lacks regularity and relevance to buyers.
The following is a DRAMATIZATION AND IS NOT AN ACTUAL EVENT: One firm set a goal for lawyers to write monthly articles. But lawyers focused on esoteric legal issues rather than business impacts. The content was too complex for clients and did nothing to attract work.
Client-Focused Topics
The best thought leadership directly helps buyers make decisions. Analyze target clients’ needs to identify issues keeping them up at night. Develop focused content addressing real-world concerns and guidance.
Consistency Converts
Sporadic posts don’t build mind share. Consistently publishing client-focused advice on blogs, news sites, and other channels generates interest. Converting follows.
The following is a DRAMATIZATION AND IS NOT AN ACTUAL EVENT: One firm implemented an integrated thought leadership initiative publishing 2-3 new pieces monthly focused specifically on emerging client issues. Referrals jumped 46% year-over-year from content-converting readers to buyers.
The Winning Combination
When legal expertise intersects with buyer needs, new relationships follow. By publishing regular, practical content for clients rather than random esoteric issues, law firms attract more work using thought leadership. The approach simply works – schedule your online publication assessment to get rolling!
The Bottom Line
By instilling marketing mindsets firm-wide through leadership, training, culture, and empowerment, law firms can unlock new business opportunities. Imagine having an embedded capability to consistently attract clients rather than losing opportunities from internal capability gaps.
Isn’t that compelling? The time is now – contact us for help building a marketing mindset culture tailored to your firm!
