There are endless challenges facing solo practitioners and small law firms in their quest to build thriving practices in these competitive times. Among the time-consuming and sometimes confusing challenges of running a business are those presented by the special demands of marketing and business development.
Even as the ever-increasing competition in the law demands that attorneys pay more attention to their marketing, many lawyers don’t know where to start. This may cause them to strike off in a particular direction without knowing whether that’s where they really should be spending their limited time and money.
To make the issue more difficult, there are many more marketing options than there were just a few years ago. In this case, “many more” means an order of magnitude more. Yes, choice is good, but too much choice can just lead to indecision and inaction. The dreaded “paralysis by analysis” syndrome is harmful because the more time that passes before a law firm makes a commitment to strategic marketing, the more difficult it will be to catch up with – let alone, surpass – one’s competitors in the legal marketplace.
To help clear up some of the confusion, Phil Nugent and Martha Cusick Eddy co-presented “Online Marketing for Solo Practitioners & Small Law Firms” to the Colorado Bar Association on February 10, 2014.
In their presentation to the Solo & Small Firm Practice Section, Nugent and Cusick Eddy spoke of the reasons why online marketing has become essential for attorneys, how it can – and must – be done in a professional and ethical manner, and what priorities solo practitioners and small law firms should address before they tackle other, less important, marketing options.
The speakers addressed a dozen online marketing platforms, channels and tactics, but Nugent stated that lawyers should initially focus on what he called the Big Six, which includes the law firm’s website, search engine optimization (SEO), LinkedIn, blogging, email marketing and Twitter. Yes, every law firm’s marketing priorities are likely to be somewhat different (i.e., your mileage may vary). However, focused attention on these six priorities – in the order in which they are listed here – can provide an excellent foundation for the online marketing presence of many, if not most, small law firms.
For a conversation on how Phil Nugent and NCG Strategic Marketing can help you and your law firm with your specific marketing challenges, contact him at 303-641-7001 or phil@ncgmarketing.com.
