3 Best Marketing Techniques to Follow for New Attorneys

New attorneys have very few cases to their credit and until they build up a reputation it is often difficult to get noticed. Now, if that doesn't sound like a Catch 22 situation, we wonder what will. 

Still, there are quite a few ways in which you can market yourself even if you are lacking in work experience. Let's take a look at the ones that require little or no investment.

1. Choosing your specialization

People prefer experts. That makes a lot of sense. If you are an excellent civil lawyer, chances are, you will do equally well with a matter that concerns disputes in an educational institute. However, you will need to read the relevant laws, maybe even ask your client to provide you with manuals or documents and, in a nutshell, spend time preparing yourself for the case. This not only wastes your time but it may also cause your client to back out and find a new lawyer when they learn that there are specific experts for their case.

Choosing your specialization makes marketing yourself simpler. You can focus on something and show others that you are the authority in the subject. That helps you build your reputation in a manner which helps people searching for the kind of services you render to find you easily. If you are trying to rank your online profile or website in organic search, this will help you target very specific keywords as well.

2. Marketing yourself online

There are roughly four parts to this. Let's take them one at a time.

(a) Directories

Register yourself in online directories. Try to choose a directory that is closest to what your profession is. So, if available, choose the exact branch of law and not just a directory that deals with lawyers. Also, try to go local first and maybe, try a national directory, just in case. Keep your contact details constant through all of them so that there is no confusion regarding who you are (there may be other lawyers by the same name). Always add a professionally attired photo of yours with a pleasant expression.

(b) Social Networks

LinkedIn and Facebook are two examples that come to mind. You can link the two, be a little more social on FB and a tad more professional on LinkedIn (which is more of a professional network) but choose only platforms that you are able to monitor every single day. It is not necessary to post every day, but showing people that you are active by answering their questions promptly is a very good idea. The idea behind leveraging social platforms is twofold: the senior attorneys are frequently not comfortable with modern day technology while you may already have a few thousand Twitter followers; and, this is the easiest way to make people see that there is a human face behind the professional who can empathize with them and solve their problems.

(c) Establishing Authority

You can do this by writing useful articles on your blog or by responding to questions asked online on sites similar to Yahoo! Answers. In each case, you will need to write for the lay person and avoid legal jargon. If people understand that you know your subject and are sensible enough to communicate in a language they understand, they could feel more comfortable about approaching you rather than some other lawyer who is more famous but an unknown quantity to them.

(d) Website

All links from directories and networks should ideally lead to a professional looking website. By the way, the blog that we referred to or the site that we are talking about now - they must not be free ones. That is not professional. You need to make an impression and this is easily done with a good website. Again, the content must be presented clearly and in plain language.

When you target keywords and try to bring in more clients through organic searches, you will need a good SEO consultant and at that time you will realize the value of targeting niche keywords (refer to the first point on specialization).

3. Additionally...

Establish your presence offline by offering to help non-profits and giving talks on legal nuances (that everyone would find of use) in your local community. Print cards and hand them out when you are attending workshops or conventions. Join groups that are not about lawyers and you can tap into a huge market because you could be the only lawyer there! Reflect upon whether you need to focus more on your own office or upon mentors who might be willing to help you out with references and contacts. Devise a strategy and make sure you evaluate it every month to see if you are making progress. If you cannot use all of what we have listed out, no problem - just focus on the ones that you like and give them all you have. Half baked efforts and lack of patience - these are the two traits you must avoid like the plague and in a few years time, the rest should be history with a very promising future ahead of you.

Author Bio:

Billy Camryn is an Online Consultant for Laketahoedui-lawyer.com. He likes blogging about Legal issues, Business law, SEO and Internet Marketing Tips.