The Legal Marketing Center Blog

The Little Black Book on Law Firm Marketing and Business Development provides, in 138 easy-to-read pages, practical marketing information and real life examples that you can immediately put to use in your own law firm. The book is co-authored by Paula Black and John Remsen, who draw from their own experiences as respected authorities in the field of legal marketing to write this insightful and helpful guide to law firm marketing.

The authors immediately point out that the key to law firm marketing begins with differentiating yourself from your competitors, and maintaining consistency in your marketing efforts. The book follows up with a series of chapters that showcase how to develop a marketing plan that works for your firm, how to develop better client relations and find new opportunities for growth, and finally, how to develop marketing materials that are consistent and make the most of your marketing budget.

Building a Strategic Marketing Plan

A good strategic plan is the foundation for your firm’s marketing investment. According to The Little Black Book, 82% of firms with a marketing plan in place report a direct correlation between planning and profitability. More planning equals more profitability. So how do you make a plan?

Start by thinking in broad terms about your firm and determine your 3-5 year goals. In addition to this basic information, the marketing plan should include specific strategies and tactics that are both “measurable and achievable” for the plan’s first year. In other words, your overall goal might be increased revenue, but a specific, measurable goal might include conducting a specified number of client meetings.

The book includes many practical tips and strategies regarding how to effectively implement a completed marketing plan:

• Give everyone a copy of the plan and update it often
• Measure and reward desired behavior
• Provide a “business development budget” for every lawyer in the firm – not just partners
• Set expectations for non-billable time that is devoted to marketing
  Incorporate marketing and business development into your firm’s partnership requirements
• Create marketing plans at every level – attorney, practice group, and firm-wide
• Communicate marketing successes throughout the firm
• Provide marketing training and resources to all of your lawyers

One great idea to implement your strategic plan is to organize monthly meetings where groups of 10 to 20 attorneys will share their leads and marketing ideas, report on their marketing initiatives, and “be held publicly accountable for their marketing and business development efforts.”

Building Business is all about Relationships

Effective marketing begins with building relationships with current clients who will give you more business. “It takes five to seven times more effort, time, and money to generate a new matter from a new client than from an existing client.”

Because of this, when it comes to current clients, you must always be asking “What else can I do for you?” The book suggests having yearly meetings with clients to review matters that were handled throughout the year, find out what they think of the lawyers that handled those matters, and determine what other services you can provide to the client. When it comes to developing client relations, there really is no better way to do this than by having face-to-face visits at your clients’ offices.

These meetings must be meticulously planned, implemented and followed-up on. You want to put your best foot forward during these meetings. After the meeting, you should follow-up by sending a hand-written thank you note to the client and then developing a detailed, client-specific action plan based on what you learned at the meeting about your client. You should be viewed as a “trusted advisor,” not just a legal technician.

What is your firm’s brand?

As a managing partner, you must understand that fundamentally, building business for your firm is all about relationships – both current ones and the ones you have yet to develop. One way to lay the foundation for these new relationships is by “continually and consistently communicating your firm’s brand.”

Your “brand” is the essence of your firm’s personality and an implicit promise to your clients about what you can do for them. This promise must be communicated continuously, in every marketing piece that your firm produces and in every communication you make to your clients. Repetition is the key to your branding.

Making the Most of your Marketing Dollar

The authors recommend that you allocate 3-4% of your gross revenues to marketing. In order to make the most of this money, you must be careful about how you spend it:

• Marketing Events – Personal follow up is the key to making them work
• Advertising – When used, make sure that it is consistent and frequent
• Holiday gifts and cards – If you must send them, sign them personally!
• Golf and Lunch – Limit these events to people who have the ability to hire you or refer your services

In Conclusion

This book is a treasure trove of legal marketing ideas. In this article I have merely scratched the surface of the ideas and implementation strategies that it contains. The book is visually appealing and easy to read. Scattered throughout the book are helpful and practical quotes from other successful managing partners. The main ideas are highlighted and the book is organized well. I highly recommend this book for any managing partner or lawyer who is interested in boosting their marketing efforts or is looking for new ideas to energize the lawyers at their firm.