Why Do Attorneys Need to Market Themselves?

This might seem like a silly question, but for professionals who work in highly specialized fields that require extensive education and training, it can be easy to forget that their practice works much the same way as any other business. Marketing ensures that potential clients see not only your name and the services you offer, but also provides a way to stand out from among the competition. Just because an attorney is highly skilled and extremely professional does not guarantee that clients will know how to find them. Attorney marketing is paramount to drawing in the right type of clients, building up a successful firm, and developing a reputation of authority and excellence in your practice area.

Attorney marketing offers a myriad of advantages and benefits, including but not limited to the following:

• Increased visibility: Perhaps the most immediate benefit of attorney marketing is the increased visibility of the practice. An attorney who begins a marketing campaign will immediately reach more potential clients than they did before—although the number of potential clients reached will vary widely depending on the design and success of the marketing strategy chosen. However, it’s hard to argue against the basic idea that an attorney who markets themself will reach more people than an attorney who doesn’t market themself.
• Relevant visibility: Not all marketing strategies are created equal, but something is better than nothing. When an attorney develops a marketing strategy unique to their practice, they have the potential to reach out to the specific type of clientele they hope to draw in. Instead of leaving it up to the potential clients with no legal experience to figure out which law firm to apply to for help, a strategic marketing strategy can target the exact type of clients you hope to be able to help.
• Reputation: There’s an unusual impression regarding attorney marketing that it can make a law firm come across as insincere or impractical; this impression couldn’t be farther from the truth. A well-designed marketing strategy can actually serve to highlight the aspects of an attorney’s experience or practice that set them apart from the rest, presenting them as an established authority in the field, as well as someone who is both relatable and experienced with real world matters.
• Competitive advantage: The competitive advantage of an attorney who markets themself over an attorney who doesn’t almost goes without saying. Like any business, attorneys face significant competition with others in their field. Designing and executing a professional and intentional marketing strategy can help any attorney rise above the competition who is not making those same efforts. On the flip side, this can also mean that attorneys who are not as skilled or experienced are getting the clients that a better attorney is not, simply because one attorney marketed themself and the other one didn’t. In this day and age, it is imperative that every attorney commit to marketing their practice simply to level the playing field with others in their area. To gain an advantage over the competition, an attorney will need to commit to taking advantage of the unique marketing opportunities which present themselves.

To learn more about the importance of attorney marketing, or for help developing a marketing strategy, reach out to AskTheLawyers™.