The Single MOST-Important Tip to Writing a Successful Attorney Marketing Plan.
I’ve helped lawyers draft marketing plans for lawyers for 25 years and here’s my best tip:
Focus.
That is, before asking attorneys to fill out their individual plans, first help them identify some narrow target audience to focus on, ideally an industry that has a trade association they can make their own.
Lawyers hate filling out marketing plans.
Frankly, I don’t blame them. They’re asked to answer with specificity questions like:
- Who they’ll market to or network with,
- What they’ll write or speak about,
- Whether they should blog or tweet,
- What committee they’ll join or lead,
- Etc.
Most lawyers will have no idea how to answer those questions.
Their only realistic hope of being able to realistically respond is if they’re focused on a very specific target. That is, something like:
- “Chicago-area eye and ear hospitals,” or
- “Midwest-based generic pharmaceutical distributors,” or
- “North American railcar leasing companies.”
With an amorphous target like “business executives,” who could draft an actionable plan they can later measure their success against? Many will simply passive-aggressively drag their heels and resist filling out the plan.
I dedicated a whole chapter on how lawyers can find their unique area of focus in my book “The Ultimate Law Firm Associate’s Marketing Checklist” that applies to partners too. (Buy it on Amazon at https://goo.gl/rxWSfH
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“Want a good present to give to your associates?”
“I’ve got the ideal gift idea. Give them Ross Fishman’s ‘The Ultimate Law Firm Associate’s Marketing Checklist,’ a well-written, engaging and very practical guide—no, make that, bible—to show associates what they need to do to begin to build internal and external networks and eventually establish a book of business.” (-Of Counsel magazine)
Order copies for yourself or your associates here!
