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AVOIDING SOCIAL MEDIA
Sometimes it’s easier to avoid some- thing you don’t know a lot about. So- cial media is here now and will be here in 10 years. As you may know, social media can be time consuming, but only if you let it be. Pick a site and visit it a few times per week. LinkedIn is a logical choice and should include only people in your real network. Comment on others’ posts, and if you are so inspired, write your own post on something you are interested in, or is happening in the news. Make your posts timely, relevant, and personal to your views.
BEING A LATE ADOPTER
Lawyers by nature seem to take a “wait and see” attitude on many things. ey want to see how other rms their size are utilizing any giv- en service before taking the plunge themselves. ink about the top chal- lenges you have in running your law practice ... the things that are a ect- ing your ability to deliver services to your clients. Ask your friends what systems or services they use. Do a little research, and make the decisions early that will help you maintain and grow your client base.
MANAGING CONTACTS
I’ve seen it many times. You have lunch with a great prospective refer- ral source who promises to send all their clients to you. You do a publicly acceptable happy dance back to your o ce and are met with 100 emails and people who need you for just a minute. A er a couple of weeks, and no work owing in from your great contact, the lunch becomes a distant memory. ey didn’t change their mind – I promise you! ey are likely as busy as you are. You must take the lead in managing the contacts with
whom you engage. At the end of ev- ery great lunch or co ee, agree on ac- tion items and next steps with your contact. Add these deadlines to your calendar as you would legal deadlines to ensure you will follow up.
NOT WRITING OR BLOGGING
When I ask the most successful lawyers how they achieved fame and fortune, they say two things: writing and speaking. We’ll address speaking next. First, writing blogs and articles is an exceptional way to build and keep your name recognition high. Write articles targeting your key cli- ents in publications they read. See something in the news? Write a blog about it (500–700 words), then post about your writing on social media. e more you write, the more you will be asked to write.
AVOIDING SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES
As you know, public speaking is many people’s greatest fear – even successful, accomplished lawyers. Re- member – writing and speaking will make you a sought-a er subject mat- ter expert. A caveat: if you really don’t want to speak to a group of people, focus on writing. at said, if you are willing to expand your horizons, speaking opportunities (to the right people on the right topic), can cata- pult your practice to the next level.
NOT HAVING FOCUS
ere’s nothing harder on your marketing psyche than re ecting on everything you could be doing, and not knowing where to start, or even if the thing makes sense for you. One way to avoid paralysis by analysis is to step back and identify your best cli- ents, the niche you have created, spe- ci c targeted groups you can reach. en identify what you want to ac-
complish by year-end in terms of re- ferral sources and revenue. Having a basic plan will enable you to only implement activities that directly re- late back up to one of your objectives.
FOLLOWING SHINY OBJECTS
I have a client who, before PSM began managing his marketing, had a signi cant case of FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. He said yes to any and all marketing “opportunities” that came his way – worrying what might happen if he didn’t. e key to suc- cess is being thoughtful and strategic in your marketing e orts, not being distracted by all the “shiny object” emails you receive from vendors. Don’t accept cold calls, and don’t say yes to email solicitations. Talk to your friends who are lawyers and get their opinions. en make an informed decision on marketing activities you choose to pursue.
While there are many mistakes law- yers make, there are also some quick xes. If you avoid the top ten mistakes lawyers make in marketing, I am con- dent you will develop a plan that will work for your practice. Why? Because this is the only real path that will lead you to success.
FOR OVER 25 YEARS, TERRIE S. WHEELER, MBC, HAS BEEN HELP- ING LAWYERS AND LAW FIRMS LIKE YOURS DE- VELOP HIGH-IMPACT, LOW-COST MARKETING
STRATEGIES THAT DIFFERENTIATE YOU AND YOUR FIRM. TERRIE TEACHES MAR- KETING AND CLIENT SERVICE AT MITCH- ELL HAMLINE SCHOOL OF LAW AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS SCHOOL OF LAW. TERRIE IS THE FOUNDER AND PRESI- DENT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES MAR- KETING, LLC, AND IN 2018, LAUNCHED A UNIQUE SERVICE FOR MINNESOTA LAW- YERS, CLE-CONNECT | ETHICAL MARKET- ING CLES ON-DEMAND.
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