4 Easy Steps for Growing Your Law Practice
Starting your own law practice is a profitable career option, but growing your business is a slow and demanding process. Now, just like any other business industry, the law has its own market and its own competition. Law practices usually wait for clients to seek out their services, but in a world we live in today, people are used to recommendations and advertisements that pop out in their newsfeed, instead of looking for a service they require. That's why law practices that wish to grow, need to find a way to market themselves properly.
Unlike the product market, all lawyers offer the same services and the only diversity is their area of expertise. Furthermore, there is no desire for acquiring lawyer services, only the need to do so. Nevertheless, people have problems that require legal aid and lawyers need to let the people know that they can help them out. Here are a few tips on how to grow your law practice.
Solve problems
As mentioned above, there is no desire for legal aid - there is only a need for it. People who are looking for a lawyer will look for someone that can help them out with a specific problem. For instance, a lawyer that specializes in family law, crime and property law will probably go unnoticed by someone looking for a divorce lawyer, even though family law covers divorces as well.
Instead, advertizing each specialization separately will produce better results. For example, "Divorce lawyer with 14 years of experience in family law". This type of advertisement will more likely capture the attention of someone looking for a divorce lawyer. Furthermore, people need someone who can solve their problem quickly, and they don't have time to research which area of law covers their issues.
Create a website
Nowadays, if you aren't online, you basically don't exist. A well-designed website can help a law practice grow by building their online presence. Your website is the hub of your business and a way to attract clients that are in need of legal aid. However, it's important to obtain a recognizable domain name, so that the website complementing your law practice can be easily found online.
Furthermore, your website is not an ecommerce store and people won't come to browse products. Instead, make your website easy to navigate and include a lot of information about your services. You can also add content that describes most common problems that occur in your niche and how to solve those problems. That way, your potential clients can find more detailed information about their specific problems.
Communication
It's important to remember that most clients don't really know how to talk to a lawyer. Whether they don't understand legal terms, or they are simply ashamed of talking about their problems, a lawyer must find a way to communicate and make the client open up. Otherwise, the client may get cold feet and leave.
Try to offer a unique way of communicating with clients. For instance, offer to meet them at home or make a lunch arrangement to discuss their problem. Try to explain the situation to them without using legal terms which will confuse them, and explain how exactly are you planning to help them out, so they can understand you clearly.
Use client testimonials
Even today, the best way to attract new clients is a good reputation and a word-of-mouth recommendation by other clients. One of the best ways to convince potential clients that you are reliable and that you are good at what you do is by showing them your current client testimonials.
People are more willing to turn to you when they can see that you have successfully helped other clients and that those clients are satisfied with your services. Posting testimonials on your website will help visitors get information about your successful cases and hopefully aid them in deciding about acquiring your services.
Unlike marketers that focus on target audience for promotions, lawyers must leverage people's needs and offer solutions to their problems. Law practices will have to make an additional effort to attract customers, especially when each competitor offers almost exactly the same services.