The Elite 8
First, thanks to everyone who voted in Round 1 of Lawyer Marketing March Madness. The votes, comments, and emails we received have shed a lot of light on differing attitudes about these various methods. While some of you are still holding fast to the “old-reliables”, there are many who are seeing value from lawyer marketing 2.0 concepts.
Please continue to vote, share your opinions, and spread the word about Lawyer Marketing March Madness.
Without further ado, here are your Elite 8 Lawyer Marketing Strategies:
Match-up 1: (1) Attorney Referrals vs. (5) Seminars
(1) Attorney Referrals
It’s no surprise that we find Attorney Referrals in the second round. Not wanting to regurgitate the strengths and weaknesses discussed in Round 1, I will keep it short and sweet. On the upside, having a strong attorney referral network will generate some of the best potential clients you can find. While there are costs involved in building and maintaining these relationships, there is no question that getting a case from an attorney you trust, often leads to money generated for your firm. On the downside, these relationships take time to build, don’t always guarantee a consistent stream of new business, and can be very expensive if there is a fee-sharing arrangement.
VS.
(5) Seminars
Seminars coasts into round 2 with an easy victory over Billboards in round 1. Seminars faces an inherent disadvantage in this match-up as they are a good way to build a referral network, but not typically a direct route to new clients. However, don’t discount the reputation-building capabilities that well-conducted seminars bring to the table. Being regarded as an expert by one’s peers is often the best way to gain credibility from potential clients.
Prediction:
I’m riding Attorney Referrals into the final 4.
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Match-up 2: (11) Blog vs. (14) Social Media
(11) Blog
This match-up pits two of the younger lawyer marketing squads against each other. While many consider a blog part of the social media family, for the purposes of this tourney, we have separated it out. A blog should be the cornerstone of a law firm marketing online presence. Expert-positioning, education-based marketing, and giving your firm a face, are just a few of the many strengths that a firm blog provides. On the other hand, as I have said before, and will no doubt say again, a blog is only as strong as its ability to get found and read. Getting found and read depends on writing good content and search engine visibility. Both of which can take a substantial amount of professional time.
(14) Social Media
As the NKOTB, social media tools are in a constant battle to prove their worth. They have been called a distraction, a “kid’s toy”, and a total waste of time. However, with each passing day, social media becomes more and more popular. Innovation begets innovation and folks are coming up with new uses for social media everyday. With regard to lawyer marketing, I have personally witnessed the power of social media to grow one’s practice. As previously stated, many consider blogs part of the social media family. While blogs certainly provide a platform for interaction through commenting, they simply don’t have the same real-time, conversational, and connected qualities like platforms such as twitter, facebook, and linkedin. While the returns on social media efforts may be difficult for some to track (although there are ways to do it), they are one of the most efficient producers of new business.
Prediction:
This was a tough one for me. For their more immediate and less-time intensive returns, I’m taking the social media in this one.
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