Every business is operating in a highly competitive environment today – and the increased transparency offered by the digital world is applying even more pressure on businesses to attract new clients.
Did you know that one survey found nearly half (49%) of all people will avoid a business with anything less than a four-out-of-five star rating online? Yes, the bar is high.
The reputation your legal practice earns will be incredibly important to your success in attracting new clients – as well as gaining loyalty and repeat business from existing clients. But a solid reputation is made up of many different aspects and qualities, all working together to give a positive impression. Or, as the American revolutionary Benjamin Franklin put it a few hundred years ago: “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation”.
So, here are some methods and strategies you can implement which, together, could strengthen the reputation of your legal practice and attract new clients.
Network as much as you can
All your potential clients will be looking to engage legal professionals who give them trust and confidence, so making personable connections with people at networking events can be an effective way to do just that. While networking outside your own industry will be key to attracting new clients, you could also participate in online forums or seminars to give as many people as possible a positive and memorable impression of your capabilities, working style and attitude.
Also, you shouldn’t be afraid to talk about your work, services and achievements among friends and family – anyone can spread the word about what you might be able to offer.
Earn referrals through organisation and efficiency
Everyone must take care of the bottom line, including your clients and other people within their networks. This means the faster you can achieve results without compromising the quality of services provided, the more likely your clients will be to recommend your practice (and come back for more).
But maximising your output doesn’t mean working harder and longer hours, it just means working smarter. For example, by using practice management software you could create a smoother and more efficient workflow while reducing administrative tasks. Meanwhile, solutions like triSearch could help you conduct your due diligence faster and more accurately by automatically searching across multiple registries. There are also plenty of other technologies that could help revolutionise the way your practice works.
Position yourself as a thought leader to attract new clients
To build engagement and rapport with potential new clients, it could help to share some of your experiences from time to time, as well as a few well-informed views and opinions. And there could be plenty of conversation starters including legal industry news and insights and your own views and professional advice on topical matters affecting your potential clients.
The good news is, it’s never been easier to position yourself as a thought leader today, whether it’s sharing short twitter posts with your following, producing regular well-written blog posts on your website or promoting LinkedIn posts across professional networks – among many other things.
Aim to educate people to attract new clients
In a competitive marketplace, potential clients need to find a compelling reason to choose your legal practice over another. So, proving that you’re a team of knowledgeable experts could be an effective way to influence decision makers to engage your services.
By producing more in-depth, informational and authoritative types of content such as whitepapers, infographics and videos, you could add the type of value to people’s lives that instils confidence and makes your firm the memorable “go-to” for future services.
Create a quality website
If you do your research, you’ll find a lot of facts and statistics proving how valuable websites are for generating business. For example, with 70%-80% of people researching businesses online before visiting or making a purchase, it seems almost impossible to survive without one.
Even if you do have a website, well over one-third (38%) of people will stop engaging with it if it doesn’t have an appealing layout or design while they’re twice as likely to interact with your business via mobile. So, the message is clear, investing in a smart, highly functional and mobile friendly website could make your business stand out – enough to attract new clients away from the competition.
Building meaningful relationships
There’s a big difference between just getting the job done and working to ensure your clients are truly satisfied with their experience – which is exactly what encourages word of mouth recommendations and repeat business.
Aside from performing your necessary duties, it’s important to nurture every client relationship by showing you really understand what they need, asking for feedback wherever appropriate and above all, always keeping them updated. Technologies such as customer relationship management systems can help everyone in your practice deliver a thorough and consistent service by acting as a single source of truth for all information and history relating to clients.
Being able to attract new clients is the lifeblood of any conveyancing practice, but there’s no one-size-fits-all approach or one single all-encompassing initiative that’ll bring people flocking. Instead, it’ll be necessary to be mindful of every opportunity your practice has to build a sustainable and positive reputation in the market.
