There Is No Black Friday for Law Firms

It's already underway. People across the country have begun lining up outside of stores waiting for the doorbusting to begin. Whatever your personal opinion on Black Friday, there’s no denying its nationwide influence on retail stores and their promotional strategies. Fortunately for you, law firms aren’t subject to the same market forces. If you’re looking for something to be thankful for next Thursday, revel in the fact that your firm’s success is not influenced by limited-time deals and year-end cash grabs. However, there is something to be said for how effectively the major retailers are able to generating buzz for themselves. While other industries drop prices or stay open all night, your law firm can and should get attention in more subtle ways.

1. Plan ahead for opportunities. Simply by being aware of the season and current legal news, you can generate relevant content to leverage online. Short tweets linking to larger stories are the norm on Twitter these days. Add a sentence explaining your take on the issue and you’ve got a Facebook post worth sharing.Looking to go a little deeper? Create seasonal blog posts all year long. For example, write a post explaining the right of first refusal. Put it in the context of a roofing company passing through the neighborhood offering free inspections. Publish this in early spring and be ready to promote it socially every time a big storm comes through your region or makes national news. By planning ahead and keeping your eyes open, your content will be spot-on and worth sharing.
2. Learn to love microphones. If you’re comfortable speaking to the media, reach out to reporters and explore other ways of becoming a news source. By sharing your expertise with content providers, you’ll help shape the story and gain a valuable boost in public awareness. Likewise, participate in webinars, tradeshows and local speaking engagements that are relevant to your firm. Topics could reflect your practice area or your experience as an attorney and businessperson. Whenever possible, promote your future engagements online and link to recorded events that have passed.
3. Promote your affiliates. Are you on the board of a charity? Do you serve as an advisor for a pre-law group at a university? Organizations like these have their own promotional needs, so be sure to mention them when it’s appropriate. A simple example would be re-tweeting the details of an upcoming charity golf tournament — one that your firm is co-sponsoring, of course.

Remember, drawing attention to your law firm has more to do with seeing opportunities than whipping your audience into a frenzy. You can tastefully promote yourself and your firm by simply being ready and aware of opportunities when they come knocking. Of course these activities won’t cause a flood of customers to line up outside your door this month, but that’s not the game you’re playing. Instead work with us to help keep a high profile year-round. That way you won’t have to scramble during the eleventh hour (or month).