Supercharge Your Marketing Efforts in August for a Successful Fall

It may be tempting to slow down your marketing efforts during August, however the month presents a unique opportunity to elevate your marketing initiatives without a lot of interruptions to set the stage for a busy and prosperous fall season.

With just a few months left in 2023, now is the time to focus on reaching your business goals, and strategic marketing can help you do that. Here’s how to make the most of August and supercharge your marketing efforts.

• Research Conferences and Networking Opportunities: Take advantage of your downtime to research and identify upcomong conferences or events relevant to your business. Consider attending or even speaking at these gatherings to expand your visibility, make valuable connections and gain new insights from industry experts.
• Plan Your Content Marketing Strategy: Content marketing remains a powerful tool for showcasing your expertise and engaging your audience. Use August to brainstorm article topics that resonate with your target audience. You can also repurpose evergreen content from previous articles to maintain a consistent flow of valuable content. A well-planned content marketing strategy can drive traffic to your website, social media channels?and?position you as a thought leader in your field.
• Collaborate on Content Creation:?Collaboration is a fantastic way to infuse fresh perspectives into your content and extend your reach. Partner with colleagues, clients and/or industry influencers to co-create content, such as blog posts, podcasts and/or webinars. This collaborative approach not only enriches your content but also nurtures valuable relationships within your professional network.
• Get Active on Social Media: Social media (specifically LinkedIn) is an essential way to market your organization and yourself today. In August, commit to being more active on social media platforms. Interact with posts from your network, respond to comments and initiate conversations. Consider creating a content calendar to organize your thoughts and maintain a consistent social media presence. Consistency builds brand recognition and keeps your audience engaged.

If you generally have more time over the summer and are looking for some ways to jumpstart your marketing and business development efforts, here are 14 ideas:

1. Create a personal marketing plan with only three to five to-do’s so you can actually accomplish them (I have a template if you need one).
2. Make plans to see your top referral sources. Stay top of mind with them.
3. Research industry conferences and sponsorships for the fall and into next year to attend and submit proposals to speak at them.
4. Write a client alert, a blog post or an article – co-author with a colleague, referral source or a client if it seems too daunting to do it alone.
5. Set up Google Alerts for top clients and prospects – info is always power. Make sure to set one up for yourself too.
6. Update your web site bio and practice area descriptions using keywords for SEO – if you don’t say you do it – people think you don’t.
7. Create a LinkedIn strategic plan, which includes updating your LinkedIn profile with keywords and all of the sections, sending at least five connection requests per week, commenting on VIP connections’ posts, sharing posts and writing a post yourself, learning how the LinkedIn algorithm works and how to use hashtags.
8. Research your competitors’ marketing activities – what inspiration can you get from them and what can you do better than them?
9. Update your matter lists – you’ll need these for your bio, pitches and upcoming award submissions. Managing your experience is crucial.
10. Look at the analytics of past blogs, podcasts, social media posts, email blasts and client alerts?– this helps you create stronger content.
11. Clean up and add new contacts to your email list and create a plan for gathering updated and new contacts from your lawyers. Without clean data, none of your emails matter.
12. Plan the content for a client-centric email newsletter (look at your competitors for inspiration and gaps in the market).
13. Research volunteer opportunities for an industry or bar association committee, social cause and alumni associations – this is a great way to network and meet potential clients.
14. Request a download of your personal LinkedIn post archive. From it, you can create a content calendar and repurpose your past posts, which is just smarter marketing!

August is a great time to revitalize your marketing efforts and set the stage for a successful fall. By focusing on networking opportunities, planning your content marketing strategy, collaborating with others and getting more active on social media, you can elevate your visibility, strengthen your connections and position yourself for growth.

Remember, marketing doesn’t have to be hard or time-consuming.

If you need assistance with your marketing strategy and implementation, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Effective Marketing Strategies for Small- and Mid-Size Law Firms Part 2

Join Chris Fritsch and Stefanie Marrone for?part 2 of their webinar on effective marketing strategies tailored specifically for small- and mid-size law firms?on August 15.

Chris and Stefanie will delve into a range of topics that address the unique marketing opportunities and challenges faced by small- and mid-sized law firms, including best practices in using artificial intelligence for marketing, creating an alumni relations program, effectively maximizing your content and CRM, succession planning, creating a business development culture at your firm and data management best practices.

Drawing from their extensive experience in legal marketing, they will provide practical advice and actionable strategies to help you elevate your firm's visibility, reach, and ultimately, your bottom line.?Register here.

Join me for a?personal branding master class on August 16?where you'll learn how to be more intentional and successful at building your personal brand both online and in-person. You will learn:

• How to effectively use your personal brand to connect with colleagues, peers, referral sources and ideal clients both in-person and virtually to achieve your career goals.
• How to market yourself during all stages of your career.
• The growing importance of social media in personal branding.
• How to build an online presence, post content and build your authority,?and grow your?network on LinkedIn.
• How to master short-form videos in your content marketing efforts.
• How to use speaking, writing, volunteer and board roles, and public relations to build your brand.
• How to position yourself as a leader without seeming boastful.
• How to build your personal brand while working for an organization.
• How to find the time to promote yourself.
• And much more!

This program is for anyone at any level in any field.

The master class includes a 30-minute personal branding session with Stefanie to be scheduled after the program, all slides and handouts and the program recording.

Register for the Personal Branding Master Class.

Stefanie Marrone advises law firms of all sizes, professional service firms, B2B companies, recruiters and individuals on the full range of marketing and business development consulting services designed to enhance revenue, retain current clients and achieve greater brand recognition. She also serves as outsourced chief marketing officer/marketing department for small and mid-size law firms.

Over her 20+-year legal marketing career, she has worked at and with a broad range of big law, mid-size and small firms, which has given her a valuable perspective of the legal industry. Connect with me on?LinkedIn,?Twitter,?YouTube,?Instagram,?sign up for her email list and?follow her latest writing on JD Supra.