Law, much like any other business providing a service, is reliant on its customers. No customers equals no business. Attracting clients is only one facet of running a successful law firm. There’s also an abundance of law firms out there that want your clients to be their clients. The marketplace is hyper-competitive, and standing out from your competition is key. One of the best approaches to take when writing a marketing strategy for your law firm is to focus on a client-centric approach. This is a bit more challenging than it looks at first glance. There is an art to reaching people, and here are four tips to help you do so.

Four Tips to Adopt a Client-Centric Approach

1. Leverage Data: the first step of a client-centric approach is understanding your clients. As a legal professional, you are a solutions provider to the legal concerns that your may clients have. Track client information about their needs, traits they share, price points, common questions and common solutions. Your firm’s entire approach should be built around the clients you serve. Also, when developing your client profile don’t forget to invest in your staff. As a solutions provider, you need to have a staff that is skilled and trained to provide the answers your clients are seeking.
2. Be Good to Your Business Partners: the term vendor greatly undersells the importance of the business relationships you have with outside companies. With that in mind, be selective in who you do business with. You should communicate openly, share important data and focus on shared goals. Most of all, you should be respectful. Very few firms are large enough to handle every single aspect of their business in-house, so your business partners should be respected because they are an essential part of your day to day operations.
3. Make Use of Your Own Content: a good article shouldn’t be posted once and forgotten. A lot of aspects of the legal profession are important now and will remain so in the future. An older article that contains information that is still relevant should be regularly updated and shared. This serves a two-fold purpose — for past readers to receive new information and for new readers to become familiar with your services. Be sure to use your social media presence to share your articles and blog entries for a wider audience. Social media also allows you to take advantage of real-time reader feedback to answer questions, address criticisms and clarify information. Also, follow current trends such as the popularity of podcasting, for example. Something relatively simple such as a podcast about common legal concerns or currently relevant legal topics can generate general interest, improve your firm’s reputation and improve your presence in the overall marketplace.
4. Listen to People: lastly, ask for feedback. You’d be surprised how many firms simply don’t bother asking for feedback from clients. Feedback is a very valuable tool and a direct way of tracking the results of a client-centered approach. Ask clients what areas you’ve excelled in and what you could improve on for future clients. A key part of feedback is that not only does it tell you where you need improvement, it also gives insight into the things you are doing right. Listening to your client’s concerns should be a key part of the entire procedure. Your lawyers should be asking questions of clients as you work with them to make sure the client is satisfied through the duration of the process.

It’s not just in how you market your firm that ensures the success of your client-centric approach. It’s also in the running of the day-to-day business. This can vary depending on the nature of your clientele. For some clients, regular contact and updates are very desirable. For more professional relationships, consider conference invites, panels and other professional events to build your professional reputation. Every action you take on a professional level should show your client the value you provide and the expertise your firm has in the legal profession. For more information on marketing strategies for your law firm and implementing a more client-centric approach at your law firm, contact us at WebTech Marketing services.