Recently, I attended the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals forum in San Francisco and listened to an inspiring and well presented workshop on Collaborative Law. Today, I received a call from two colleagues who were going through divorce and wanted a recommendation for a lawyer, a divorce coach and a business valuation expert. The first names that came to mind were the professionals I heard speaking at the seminar.
Why did I recommend these professionals? There were two reasons:
- They established credibility by speaking on a topic that conveyed their level of experience and competence.
- I was reminded about who they were and the kinds of clients they helped by seeing them speak at the conference.
In a similar top of mind awareness situation, one of my clients told me they experience an increase in client calls every time they send the firm newsletter to their professional network. Another client has seen an increase in referrals from two law firms after setting up luncheon meetings. Last week, a lawyer told me his web site referrals have doubled since he has started his blog and updated his web site with client- focused articles.
Even though we are in a difficult economy, the demand for quality legal, financial and mental health professionals has not diminished. You can accelerate the growth of your practice and attract desirable clients by increasing your visibility and credibility with your target referral sources and the public.
The following are ten suggestions for staying top of mind with referral sources and prospective clients:
- Learn and use LinkedIn to build your network and stay visible. Go to learn.linkedIn for in-depth tutorials on how to use LinkedIn
- Read and comment on relevant blogs in your industry.
- Commit to meeting with someone in your professional network at least once a week.
- Start a firm newsletter and write about topics that are relevant to your target audience.
- Write consistent press releases.
- Speak on topics you are passionate about at conferences and events.
- Start a blog and write about topics that reinforce your brand and are relevant to your ideal client.
- Write one new article every month and update your web site. Recycle the article for a local magazine advertorial.
- Join a committee, group or association and make a contribution.
- Tweet about interesting, relevant and useful information for your target audience.
The above list is not inclusive and should be customized to your unique skills, interests and goals. The critical success factor is to select at least one strategy and implement it consistently.
Let me know what strategies you have found useful to stay top of mind with prospective clients and referral sources.