6 FATAL MARKETING MISTAKES LAWYERS MAKE

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IN THIS GUIDE

Fatal Mistake 1
Failing to qualify prospects before they come into your office

FATAL MISTAKE 2
Relying too much on one source for leads.

FATAL MISTAKE 3
Not developing a content marketing strategy and clear marketing message

FATAL MISTAKE 4
Not using a CRM and failing to connect with your “former” clients.

FATAL MISTAKE 5
Not making marketing a priority

FATAL MISTAKE 6
Failing to build the six essential ingredients into your marketing effort.

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FATAL MARKETING MISTAKES LAWYERS MAKE

Hi there,
If you’re like most attorneys, you’re working hard to attract new clients to your business— but are you making mistakes that could cut you off from the very people you need to succeed? Marketing can seem like
a tremendous challenge, and legal marketing, in particular, might be especially daunting.

Good news? It’s not as tough as you think it is— if you’ve got the right strategies. Better news? Our years of experience have helped us determine which strategies will succeed (and which ones won’t).

Best news yet? We’re willing to share a few of the lessons we’ve learned from working with attorneys of all types, including immigration, pardon & expungement, probate, and more.

Keep reading to learn the most fatal marketing mistakes lawyers make. After you’ve finished, if you’re ready to implement a winning marketing strategy, I’d love to chat!

–Jake

FATAL MISTAKE 1

Failing to qualify prospects before they come into your office.

How often have you spent considerable time with a prospect only to learn that the prospect:

  • Doesn’t fit the profile of the clients you want
  • Doesn’t need the services you offer
  • Can’t afford your fees
    How do you ensure that you don’t waste their time (and yours)? Create a script. 

    When you use a script, you can provide value to a potential client over the phone and qualify them— all at once. A great marketing program can qualify prospects before they come into your office by using online assessments and making much better use of your time.

    In real life, you may end up with a commute that looks more like this.

    This is the same road, just a different day.

    Likewise, the customer experience isn’t always sunny skies. Sometimes it’s snowmageddon.

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FATAL MISTAKE 2

Relying too much on one source for leads.

It’s important to not have “all your eggs in one basket.”

What does this mean? Well, focusing solely on one lead source is going to lead to lessthan-effective results.

For instance, some lawyers used the newspaper or the yellow pages as their “marketing program.” Some relied solely on referrals from satisfied customers. While these are valid options, when used exclusively, they’re not going to bring in the numbers needed to sustain a business in the long-term.

In recent years, it’s been determined that putting your eggs in one basket is bad news when the “basket” changes. Attorneys are being forced to reconsider their entire marketing strategy, as the efforts they’ve relied on for years are no longer effective.

When lawyers spread their marketing efforts around, using a variety of different marketing initiatives, they’re able to adapt if one method should fail to produce the desired results anymore.

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FATAL MISTAKE 3

Not developing a content marketing strategy and clear marketing message

As a lawyer, much of your time is spent educating clients and potential clients on the workings of the legal system. Lawyers spend a lot of valuable time fielding questions from clients who are skeptical or unsure of the plan laid out before them, simply because the clients don’t always understand the rationale behind the actions proposed.


Just because you’re a lawyer, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a clear marketing message. It’s important to educate your current customers and share your knowledge with prospective customers. In fact, appearing knowledgeable— and being receptive to questions— can generate more interest among potential clients.

Good news—the advent of the Internet has made it easier than ever to get your content to your prospective audience. Be sure to use your company website to educate potential clients.

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FATAL MISTAKE 4

Not using a CRM and failing to connect with your “former” clients.

Customer relationship management is important for
every business, but often we make use of a CRM only for our current clients and cases. client acquisition. Happy clients lead to more clients.

  • Sending cards in the mail on special occasions
  • Sending a monthly email newsletter
  • Calling them for their birthday
  • Setting up a client referral program with rewards

Fostering this relationship with current and former clients will impact your bottom line by generating new business with the most effective method of advertising: word of mouth.

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FATAL MISTAKE 5

Not making marketing a priority

For most lawyers, practicing law is their highest priority.
When they get busy, they often reduce their marketing efforts because they need that time to work on their clients’ behalf. They operate under the false hope that their momentum will attract new business long into the future. But when lawyers cut back their marketing efforts, they actually shift their law practice into neutral. As a result, inertia takes over and things slowly coast to a standstill.

In all honesty, the best (and simplest) solution to this problem is to hire an agency that can take care of your marketing for you, so it demands less of your time and helps your business maintain its momentum. If you dread opening the invoice at the end of the month, there’s no need to fear. Agencies like ours also operate on a flat monthly rate— there are no surprises.

Lawyers often want someone in their office to handle their marketing, which will appear to reduce the cost. However, unless your in-house person is highly skilled at educationbased marketing, you’ll likely be disappointed. Marketing, like law, is a highly-specialized field.

FATAL MISTAKE 6

Failing to build the six essential ingredients into your marketing effort.

As Trey Ryder, creator of The Ryder Method™ of Education-Based
Marketing, says, there are six ingredients to a great marketing program.

Your marketing program must:

  1. Establish your credibility
  2. Spell out important differences between you and competing lawyers
  3. Generate interactions between you and your prospects
  4. Identify sound reasons for urgency
  5. Gain your prospect’s commitment
  6. Maintain your client’s loyalty

Programs that don’t include all six elements will fail. Any time you evaluate a marketing opportunity, consider how well that method will accomplish these steps.

If you’re seeking a marketing agency that is familiar with the marketing challenges faced by attorneys, let’s talk. Bridges Strategies has created successful digital marketing strategies for a number of law firms, and we’d love to help you create a plan for your business.

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