The legal profession has had a love/hate relationship with marketing. I know colleagues whose views range from marketing being unprofessional, or a necessary evil, to fully embracing it as part of the business of law. These complex feelings are rooted in a regulatory history that has gone from all lawyer advertising being prohibited nationally to being allowed with restrictions that vary from state to state. When you consider that it took litigation that reached the U.S. Supreme Court to remove the prohibitions on lawyer advertising, you can appreciate the magnitude and complexity of this topic in our profession.
Advertising is just one tool of marketing—the process that a business uses to attract customers, promote a product or service and create a brand. In our profession, advertising often evokes the impression that lawyers are “selling” legal services and chasing after clients, and this makes some lawyers uncomfortable. Even in everyday life, advertising can be viewed as some type of trickery. My family teases that I’m a sucker for any product hawked on an infomercial. And when my children would recount a jingle or some product virtue would roll easily from their tongues, we would often tease that they had been “advertised” as if they were held under the control of some marketing magic.
Throughout my career, from being in large firms to a solo practice, my perspective on marketing has been shaped by the environment where I’ve practiced and the mix of clients that I served. My views have transitioned from believing that marketing was something that marketing professionals did for me to embracing the personal role that I play in marketing the firm and my practice. I have experienced a wide variety of tools like advertising on NPR, or billboards and television commercials. I have spoken at seminars, written articles, provided sponsorships and done many other things to attract, promote and brand legal services. Marketing, however, did not feel natural or easy until I began to reframe the word and the process to fit me and my views of what being a lawyer calls me to do. I see marketing as a way to let people know who I am, what I can do and that I am here to help.
One of the things I love about being a lawyer is the power that I have to help people with my knowledge and advocacy. Especially as a divorce and family lawyer, I feel purpose in solving people’s most personal problems and hopefully starting them on the path to better days. Consider if I had these skills but never connected with the people who needed me. What good am I if the people I want to help don’t know that I’m here for them? For me, marketing or “getting the word out” felt more authentic by connecting with my legal colleagues and others who work with people who need my services, like therapists, financial advisors, doctors and clergy. Authenticity in my approach made it more comfortable for me to let people know who I was, who I was best equipped to help and how to reach me. I like being a resource for my referral sources, even if I am directing them toward solutions that don’t use my services. I can help them help others, and we both feel good about it. My shift in perspective placed my desire to help people at the forefront, and the sales pitch out of mind.
Throughout this issue, you will find guidance on marketing authentically. I know it sounds cliché to tout the benefits of being yourself in marketing, but this issue takes that idea and then adds the nuance of presenting your best self as the connection to marketing with authenticity. When you invest in presenting your best self on LinkedIn or your firm bio, you provide the content others need to better know who you are and what you can do. Better communication through body language and purposeful small talk creates an opportunity for people to know, like and trust you—again fundamental ingredients to developing the relationships that lead to business.
The Law Practice Division is always trying to push the conversation of our focus areas like marketing in different and thought-provoking directions. This issue of Law Practice magazine takes that approach to marketing with authenticity. LinkedIn and your firm bio aren’t new marketing tools but consider trying some old things in a new way. Perhaps we can help you change your perspective as you set your marketing goals for this new year. For me, reframing my thoughts on marketing made a huge difference in my ability to develop business. So, I encourage you to go forth and let them know who you are and that you’re here to help.
