10 Steps for Legal Marketing Success
Here are 10 steps to help a managing partner or practice area chair at an insurance defense law firm connect with litigation panel managers at insurance companies and self-insured entities in 2018. Legal marketing for law firms is a process, not an event. Slow but steady wins the race for new business development.
1. Have a Marketing Plan
Think of business development as a 365-day journey in search of new friends and revenue sources. A legal marketing plan is like a road map to help you stay focused and within budget. Try education-based campaigns to help attract and retain clients.
2. Stay in Touch
Current and past clients are your best source for new revenue and referrals. Stay in touch through personal outreach efforts, continuing education programs, service enhancements, and quarterly client alerts. Identify your best prospects for revenue growth, and focus on those accounts.
3. Set Goals
The number of new clients you want to attract in 2018 is a very important goal. Increase your chance of success with monthly goals for the steps needed to acquire a client, such as proposals, prospect meetings, speeches, etc.
4. Identify Your Prospects
You may need to target at least 10 prospects for every one new client you sign. Put together a list of your ideal prospects, with company and contact name. It may take up to five or six contacts to sign a client, so plan a campaign with multiple outreach efforts.
5. Keep Score
It is very easy to take your eye off the business development ball with the daily demands of managing a law firm. A marketing committee that meets monthly to review a “pipeline” report can work well to keep track of new business leads.
6. Get Social
Take a few moments to update your LinkedIn photo, profile and company page. Add new connections monthly, and consider the use of status updates to stay in front of your contacts. LinkedIn is a free resource that will help you to maintain a high profile.
7. Update Your Website
Busy law firms can easily overlook the need for periodic website updates. Attorney bio pages are particularly important, and should be kept current in terms of credentials, court admissions, and representative cases. Frequent updates to your News & Events page are also beneficial.
8. Stay Visible
New business sometimes goes to the law firm with the best marketing, and not the best attorneys. News releases, published articles, client alerts, and speaking engagements all work well to draw more attention to your firm.
9. Refresh Marketing Materials
A serious effort to attract new business needs to be supported by well-written and attractively designed promotional materials. A professional firm resume or brochure can help to make a favorable impression. Plan now for your 2018 needs.
10. Outsource Your Marketing
An independent business development firm can help you implement an effective legal marketing program. Look for a firm that knows the legal marketing sector, as well as attorney advertising guidelines. A focus on new account growth can generate a favorable return on your investment.
Click on the link to download 10 Legal Marketing Steps to Get on More Insurance Panels in 2018.
Insurance Defense Marketing Consultant for Law Firms
If your insurance defense law firm is asking how you can get on more insurance panels, give us a call. We have helped more than 125 insurance defense law firms pursue new insurance panel counsel clients.
Legal Expert Connections, Inc. offers three key benefits to insurance defense law firms nationwide:
- We are the leading U.S. legal marketing agency specializing in the insurance defense market. We know the panel counsel process, and can accelerate your business development efforts by identifying who you need to contact.
- Save time and money. You get quality marketing materials and targeted, accurate prospect lists. We use a proven three-step business development program that brings discipline, focus, and productivity to your law firm’s marketing efforts.
- Increase revenue with professional, on-going legal marketing campaigns. We do the research to identify insurance panel managers, so you can maximize your opportunity for new panel counsel appointments.
Contact Margaret Grisdela, an insurance defense marketing consultant, at 1-866-417-7025 or via InsuranceDefenseMarketing.com. Connect with Margaret Grisdela on LinkedIn.