I’m Quoted in Rocket Matter’s 7/21/17 Article “Marketing Tips from Ten Successful Lawyers”

Marketing is essential for law firms, but it’s not always easy to get it right. Here, ten successful lawyers share the tips that worked best for them:

“Roll up your sleeves.  If you think you can just outsource marketing, you’re wrong. No one knows your firm and practice better than you do.  If you leave it to outside vendors only, you’ll likely end up with a generic product that will put your prospective clients to sleep.”  —James Goodnow, a Personal Injury attorney whose firm has locations throughout the country

“Creating a blog with fresh, interesting, and original content is an extremely important marketing tool.  You can look at 20 lawyers’ websites, and they all usually look pretty much the same.  How many ways can you tell someone that you know how to defend a DWI charge?  But with a blog you can show everyone not only what you know, but you can really let your personality come out and show everyone who you are. I say this even though my own blog is very new, but I’m working on it and plan on continuing to produce useful and interesting material.”—Glenn Kurtzrock, a Criminal Defense attorney in New York

“Allow real clients to tell their own stories, in their own words. Our website features videos from clients who talk about their experience with our firm. New clients often tell us they decided to hire us after watching those videos.” —David L. Scher, an Employment Discrimination attorney in Washington D.C. 

“Develop relationships within your community and don’t over-extend yourself. We’re located in a smaller geographic region, but some of our best cases, and the vast majority of our referrals, come from past clients and other attorneys within the community. When people recognize that your passion extends to them beyond the financial relationship and you are truly looking out for their well-being, they will reciprocate. We pay the highest referral fees to other attorneys allowable by the state bar and have paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to other attorneys for these referrals.” –Brian O’Neill, a Personal Injury lawyer in San Luis Obispo, California

“Look for ways to provide added value to clients and prospective clients. Whether it is an article, an alert about a change in law, or even a seminar hosted in connection with other professionals who provide relevant services, I have found that providing extra value, above and beyond legal representation, is a great way to keep existing clients happy and obtain new ones.” —Callan Stein, who practices White Collar Criminal Defense, Civil Commercial Litigation, and Healthcare Litigation in Boston

“Find a great person or company to help with you SEO. You want someone who is honest, competent, and resourceful. And understand that you are responsible, in part, for doing your SEO. It’s too important to completely delegate.” —Evan Walker, a Personal Injury lawyer in San Diego

“Talk to your fellow human beings, and occasionally call them by name. (Sadly, I am not kidding. Just doing this alone sets you apart).” —Roger Austin, who practices Election Law, Administrative Law, Real Estate, and General Civil Law in Gainesville, FL

“Don’t spend money on marketing unless you have a clear understanding of the costs and benefits. There are plenty of free or cheap marketing tools out there, so it’s easy to be patient and fully vet something that costs a lot of money.” —Charles A. Krugel, who practices Labor and Employment Law and is a Human Resources attorney in Chicago

“Focus on a niche area of law and regularly publish and lecture on the topic.  You will learn one topic very deeply and your reputation will grow as a expert in that field.” —Daniel Hamilton, a Criminal Defense attorney in Memphis

“Marketing is the life blood of your revenue stream. Invest in the strongest online presence you can, and make sure you measure and update your strategy on a regular basis.” —Jared Staver, a Personal Injury lawyer in Chicago