Midyear Marketing Checkup: Success Starts with Identifying Goals
If your law firm made marketing goals in January, now is a good time to revisit them. If you put off making marketing goals at the start of the year, there’s no better time than now to start.
When our phone rings around this time of year, it is often from firms wanting to increase visibility, strengthen relationships, promote successes, or position themselves for future growth. But before discussing tactics, we usually start with a more fundamental conversation.
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What are your marketing goals? What does success look like?
It’s such a simple question, but the answer can be surprisingly elusive. I’ve sat at a table with firm partners who were surprised to learn that they had profound disagreements about marketing priorities
It starts with understanding who you are as a firm, where you are positioned, your strengths, weaknesses, and where you want to go. For example:
What do we want to be known for?
What types of cases, clients, or opportunities do we want more of or less of?
Who is our audience?
How are we different from peers?
How will we know whether our efforts are working?
Sometimes the objective is clear:
A growing firm may need to introduce new lawyers or practice areas.
A firm that has lost attorneys may need to remind referral sources that it remains a strong and active player.
A trial lawyer may want to use a major verdict or case victory to build a reputation beyond the courtroom.
A firm may simply want to stay connected with the lawyers who send it business.
Sometimes the goal is a home run. Sometimes it is consistently hitting singles and doubles that create a sense of momentum over time.
With that in mind, below are a few examples of recent work we have done for clients.
Building visibility around important litigation
We often receive calls after a firm achieves a significant verdict or settlement. Around this time last year, a rising trial lawyer wanted to use an important case to raise awareness of a broader issue while litigation moved toward trial. Over several months, we helped generate meaningful regional news coverage, ultimately leading to national broadcast attention.
Launching and positioning a new firm
A newly formed injury boutique opened with back-to-back record asbestos-exposure verdicts. The challenge was turning those courtroom successes into broader market awareness. We helped refresh the firm’s website and marketing materials while generating media coverage around the victories.
Strengthening referral relationships
One litigation boutique wanted to stay connected with its referral network and create more consistent communication with lawyers who send cases. Among other initiatives, we developed a quarterly newsletter program. The first edition helped reconnect the firm with referral sources and opened new conversations.
Cutting through the noise
A Houston commercial litigation boutique had a record that rivaled the very best Big Law firms. The challenge was making sure referring lawyers and potential clients understood the firm’s capabilities. We implemented a disciplined LinkedIn content strategy while also focusing on strategic recognition opportunities, including major legal rankings.
Amplifying a lawyer’s personal brand
A nationally recognized commercial litigator had built a strong reputation but lacked the time to consistently share his insights and accomplishments with a broader audience. We helped create a strategy to amplify his voice, highlight his experience, and strengthen his visibility in the legal community.
The common thread in each example is that the marketing strategy started with a clearly defined goal.
The most successful law firms do not market simply because they think they should. They market with purpose. The midyear point is a perfect time to clarify that purpose and make sure marketing efforts are moving your firm in the right direction.
Robert has decades of PR and marketing know-how. From big firms to startups, he dives deep into each client’s business to craft authentic stories. When he's not helping clients, you might find him cursing while renovating a vintage Airstream.
He can be reached at robert.tharp@muselegalpr.com or 214-458-4007.