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Fall back into marketing this autumn

Issue October 2015 By Danielle Spang

"Autumn … the year's last, loveliest smile." -- William Cullen Bryant

Early fall can be stressful at times. Between reestablishing schedules and routines and feeling the end-of-the-year crunch around the corner, marketing sometimes takes a back seat to making sure all deadlines are met. However, fall can also be a great opportunity to include marketing into those schedules and routines if you're transitioning back out of summer-mode.

Here are a few things anyone can do -- whether you're a partner, solo, a new associate or awaiting bar results:

  • Schedule to meet for coffee/lunch with two to three contacts each month
  • Update your bio, or revamp your elevator speech
  • Attend a bar event, CLE or luncheon -- in person
  • Speak with non-attorneys about your practice -- cases you accept, issues of interest
  • Blog or write an article about the questions you answered most frequently this year
  • Update your social media, or think about establishing accounts

When growing your business (or your book of business), sometimes advice comes from all directions -- non-legal business owners, colleagues, mentors, family members, clients and friends. While the advice can differ in many aspects, the overwhelming common thread is to keep active and make sure people know how they can help, whether that means explaining the types of cases you accept to potential referral sources and clients, staying in touch with colleagues so that you're fresh in their minds when a client asks for referrals or continuing to meet new contacts and grow your networks.

Especially when you're juggling filing deadlines, research and drafting assignments, court appearances, mediations, negotiations and other work pressures on top of personal and family obligations, marketing can sometimes very easily take a back seat. But this fall -- invest your last, loveliest smile in spending some face-to-face time with your contacts (attorney and non-attorney), identifying and meeting with some new potential referral sources or clients and attending bar events in person.

To help with this initiative, you can be on the lookout for a few events the Law Practice Management Section Council will be co-hosting this fall and throughout the year to try to help facilitate meeting and networking between attorneys and other professionals whose expertise dovetails with the law. I look forward to meeting many of you at events this fall!

Danielle Spang is a consumer attorney, focusing her solo practice on assisting people who have been harassed by debt collectors or have errors on their credit reports.