I am one of those fortunate lawyers to whom marketing skills came naturally. I had built a solid book of business within a few years of entering private practice, and today, I lead a law firm. I realize that marketing is not natural for many lawyers. To help other lawyers learn to market, I had to think through how and why I was able to do it.
Even five years ago, I would have said that technology will not replace personal relationships in marketing, but my view has changed. Personal relationships are—and will remain—important, especially for certain types of consumers. However, over the last five years, a growing share of our originations have come from marketing via technology tools.
The positive thing about how marketing has changed is there is a possibility for every lawyer—no matter their personality type. The extremely introverted lawyer can focus on developing web content, blogging and creating a presence on the web that will get that lawyer found. Those who are more extroverted would still do well to engage in personal networking, but that networking can be enhanced and expanded to a broader audience by adding technology to the mix.