Like any other kind of business, law firms need to employ the best practices that will help attract new clients and retain their customers.
For small firms and those seeking to expand, these practices will help them scale, provide better services to their clients, and cope with changes and challenges that come with expansion.
Best Business Practices Law Firms Should Implement
1.Law Firm Marketing
Marketing your law firm will give you visibility and brand authority. This means you will gain brand recognition and become the go-to law firm whenever a potential client requires your services.
According to a survey, 71 percent of consumers were likely to purchase a product or service from a brand they recognize. Thus, you should aim to get to the point where your brand is the one that comes to mind first whenever potential clients are looking for legal services.
You can create brand awareness by marketing your law firm through content marketing, sponsoring events in your local area, and so on.
2.Invest in SEO
Some, and perhaps most, of your leads will come from your website. Search Engine Optimization, or “SEO,” is the practice of optimizing your content to rank high on the search engines.
For instance, if a person searches for “questions to ask your attorney after a car accident” and your site shows up on the first results page, they’ll be more likely to visit your site.
However, you don’t have to learn how to optimize your content. You can hire a marketing agency to take care of it.
3.Make Use of Technology
Using technology to help you accomplish various tasks will be cost-effective and save you time to acquire more clients. You can automate some tasks and use tools to simplify others.
Cloud computing will help you save on space and the cost of maintaining servers on your premises. It also offers larger storage space and security. With cloud storage, your employees can access and share files from anywhere.
Additionally, investing in good quality computers, networking, and Internet connection will ensure seamless communication in your law firm.
4.Proper Planning when Scaling
Expanding your law firm comes with more opportunities and challenges. You will acquire more clients, need more investment in labor and capital, and maybe even require more space and tools.
Therefore, you’ll need to plan your scaling properly. Ask yourself, how many more lawyers do I need to hire? Can I afford their salaries and benefits every month? You can opt to hire more people as you acquire more clients.
Other ways to help you manage your expanded business are as follows:
1.Outsourcing
Consider outsourcing services you have less expertise in. You will have more time to work on projects for the firm that will bring you money.
2.Delegating
Sometimes as a lawyer you’re tempted to do all the work yourself because it might be hard to trust someone with the work, and the firm’s reputation will be on the line if the work is poorly done.
However, you can learn to delegate the work that doesn’t require you to handle it directly. Apart from less workload, you can also focus your attention and energy on more productive work like bringing in more clients.
3.Tracking Your Progress
All this marketing and work will be of no use if your returns are not matching your efforts. Tracking your progress helps you know what is working and what you need to change.
Business Practices Matter
Your law firm’s success depends on the business practices you employ and how well they’ll function. You need to invest in technology, SEO, marketing, and scaling. Scaling means more clients and employees, and you can consider outsourcing and delegating some duties.
