Formalize Your Thoughts By Creating A Marketing Plan
Would you like to have a significant advantage over the hundreds of thousands of law firms in the United States? It takes a clear understanding of your marketing objectives and strategic "plan of attack." If you follow this six-step formula, you can structure a marketing plan that's both functional and effective.
Step 1: Assess Your Current Marketing Situation
Ask yourself these questions: What am I doing now to generate new clients? How well is it working? What am I doing well? What needs improvement? Have I achieved the goals I've set for my firm so far?
Step 2: Identify Opportunities
Stay current with the latest developments in the legal arena to spot new growth areas. Look for trends, gaps and other indicators that signal an emerging opportunity.
Step 3: Set Objectives
A clear vision of your goals and objectives will give you more than just direction. It will give you a marketing framework that you can build your law firm around. Be clear, be specific and set a time frame for implementation.
Step 4: Determine Your Marketing Strategy
Focus on the details: Who is your target market? How will you distinguish your firm from your competitors? What type of brand will you have? How will your firm be positioned?
Step 5: Identify the Marketing Mix
Specifically, what methods will you use to grow your firm? Some examples are advertising, Internet, direct mail, public relations seminars.
Step 6: Track and Measure Results
Without measuring your marketing efforts, how do you know whether you’ve succeeded? This step is just as important as any of the others. First, devise a method to track you marketing; then commit to tracking your results faithfully.
What is Your Unique Marketing Advantage (UMA)?
One of the most powerful forces in marketing is the ability to differentiate yourself from your competitors. In a sentence or two, state a compelling reason why a client should hire you instead of going to the firm across the street. That becomes your UMA. This can be used on your Web site, your firm brochure, as part of your Martindale-Hubbell Professional Biography-anywhere clients can see it.
