Top 10 Mistakes in Law Firm Marketing:

Top 10 Mistakes in Law Firm Marketing: Written by Andrew Rogers, Senior Internet Marketing Consultant at FindLaw.com

Lawyers nationwide are quickly discovering that many "time-tested methods" of keeping their firms busy with new cases no longer work. Lawyers could dramatically improve their marketing results by avoiding the following top mistakes:

MISTAKE #1: Relying on referrals. "Everyone knows our firm and our reputation. We are the best when it comes to Serious Injuries and most attorneys don't want to invest the money that it would take to take the case to trial anyway." When you depend on referrals as your main source of new business, you allow other attorneys to control your flow of new clients. In addition how much are you paying out in referral fees that could have stayed with the firm if you got that case direct?

MISTAKE #2: Relying on networking groups as a primary source of new business. Most lawyers underestimate the time needed to attend these events and keep in mind most of what you are doing here is trying to build your referral network. See number mistake #1 again.

MISTAKE #3: Look at your office building, and all of your marketing collateral, including your web site. Do they match? The image you display to the potential client, even before they even know they are looking for a lawyer is a factor. Many lawyers believe common marketing methods don't work because those lawyers didn't get the results they wanted. But usually the problem isn't the marketing method, it's the message. What is the method you are putting out?

MISTAKE #4: Not effectively reaching your target audience. What are the types of cases you want? Why do you want them? Are they fun? More lucrative? Easier for you?....Determine what it is you want and then build your marketing around that. A simple ad in the yellow pages under personal injury has as much a chance of bringing you that "Vehicle Roll-Over case" that you really want as making a wish before you blow-out your candles.

MISTAKE #5: Having too many people involved in your decisions. How much of your decision has been changed by compromise. It is important to work with your team to make decisions but remember: When two people work together on making a decision things tend to bog down. When you add three or more and want everyone to agree -- well, you get the picture.

MISTAKE #6: Being a follower not a leader in marketing locally. When potential clients perceive you as the leader in your field, you have a substantial advantage over other lawyers. Even if both you and the other firm were given as referrals to the potential client with a professionally designed marketing campaign the client will chose you.

MISTAKE #7: Re-active marketing. You cannot simply wait for a prospect to walk through your door. Develop materials you can send to prospective clients. Then create a marketing program that uses the print and broadcast media to attract inquiries from prospects who ask to receive your information. When prospects call the office or visit the web site you respond accordingly and add their name to your mailing list.

MISTAKE #8: Not developing a targeted marketing campaign until cash flow improves. The logic is flawed. Think of it this way, if you wanted to get into shape you wouldn't say "Once I loose weight and get in shape, then I will start to diet and work out"

MISTAKE #9: Trying to handle your marketing by yourself. As a good attorney practicing law is probably your priority. Do not fall into the trap that most do. When most attorneys get real busy, they often reduce their marketing efforts because of this. They operate under the false hope that their momentum will attract new business long into the future. But when you cut your marketing efforts you are actually starving the very thing that caused you to be this busy in the first place and as a result, inertia takes over and things slowly grind to a standstill.

MISTAKE #10: Simply believing that you have never marketed like this before, therefore you don't need to start now. The challenge becomes that business is changing. What worked in the past is different now. We live in an information society. Information travels at the speed of thought. If we don't make the transition to "Catch the wave" we will drown in it.

I'm Andy Rogers, Senior Internet Marketing Consultant with FindLaw, a business of Thomson-West, the premiere provider of services and support for American law firms and attorneys.