Legal,Marketing,Actions,You,Ca marketing 5 Legal Marketing Actions You Can Take For Free Today

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They saythe best things in life are free… and so are some the best things in businessdevelopment. Even if your budget is tied up elsewhere, there are many thingsyou can do to further your marketing efforts without spending a dime. I alwaystell my clients that there are no excuses when it comes to the importance ofmaking time for marketing and business development, and I like to think thatbudget is an obstacle that is easily overcome. Below I’ve given you five ideasfor actions you can take today, and for free.1.Offer up your knowledge. Look at the list of organizations you belong to. Nowthink about your practice and how today’s issues affect that realm of the law.Is there something in the headlines that has to do with your area of expertise?Is there a new law coming into effect that would be of interest to members ofthose organizations? Think about how you can offer help and pitch that idea toorganization leadership. It might mean penning an article (or guest blogging)for their website or newsletter, giving a speech to members or simply makingyourself available to answer questions. If your organizations aren’t biting,another option is to go to the press. Sign up for free services such as HARO(Help A Reporter Out) or Reporter’s Source and scan the daily e-mails. Writerswill put out calls looking for experts in certain areas and there may be multipleopportunities for you to receive regional or national press.2.Update your materials.Updating marketing materials doesn’t have to mean spending thousandsof dollars. One of the easiest ways to update is simply through information.Take a look at your bio and see what’s missing. Does it speak to the clientsyou want to bring in or is it simply a resume? If you have more than onespecific target for clients, consider creating several versions of your bio tohand out in your marketing package. Don’t have a marketing package? Create one.Pull together a bio, firm brochure and any articles of interest that relate toyour practice. Have a few ready and you’ll be prepared in advance, should anopportunity arise.3.Organize your address book. You can’t always rely on your memory. Somewhere,buried deep inside your contact list or address book, are fantastic referralsources. Take a few minutes each day to scan your contacts and you might besurprised whom you run across. While you’re looking, take a few minutes to sendan email (or even make a quick call) to check in with former clients andreferral sources you haven’t heard from in a while. Additionally, try to makeuseful notes for contacts you wish to nurture. Remembering personal bits andpieces, such as birthdays and spouse’s names can mean the difference in gettingtheir business or their referral. Your firm may have software to help organizeand track contacts… make use of it! 4.Write an article for the web. Article posting directories (such as this one!)are great, free opportunities to further your marketing and businessdevelopment simply by getting your name out into the public eye. Think aboutyour practice and the advice and expertise you have to share with the public atlarge. Then make a list of 10 possible articles that could come out of thatknowledge. They don’t have to be long (many are between 700 and 800 words), andshould be simple, focused and easy to read. Once you’ve completed the article,think about where to post it. If your audience is other attorneys, look intolegal-focused directories, if it’s for a certain industry or business be sureto categorize it so those who will want to read it easily find it. It will notonly help your SEO but will give you another piece to show potential clients.5.Evaluate your client service.As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, everything youdo relating to clients is marketing. From the way you answer your phones to theamount of time it takes to return an e-mail, marketing and business developmentis a part of your day-to-day routine whether your recognize it or not. So whynot make sure it’s working to help you? Take the time to stop and look aroundat how your office runs. Do you have a policy for how to handle client callsand emails? Do you have a plan for keeping up with past clients? Does youremail have a formal signature with your phone number and address? Ask yourstaff for input and get them on board with any changes you decide to make. It’sthe little things that count and having them in place can do more for yourbusiness development than you might imagine.Asyou can see, not everything having to do with marketing has to cost something.It’s often the simplest and most basic ideas that have the biggest impact onclients and potential clients, as well as referral sources. Rather than focuson what you’re spending, focus on the time and effort put into each initiativebecause, in the end, even with all the money in the world, if you’re notdedicated to your marketing plan you won’t see results.