Owning a business is one of the most liberating, lucrative endeavors that you can take part in. It can also be one of the most difficult.
Approximately 50 percent of small businesses fail within the first five years of being up and running. Thus, it takes careful planning and many sleepless nights to stay on the right path.
Legal firms can be especially difficult to scale due to the high level of competition in the industry.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about how to grow your small legal firm.
1. Poor Marketing Plans
You could offer the most reliable service in your legal niche, but it won’t mean anything if your audience doesn’t know who you are. Unfortunately, small firms don’t have a heavyweight name that attracts swarms of clients.
Rather than sit and wait for word-of-mouth to spread, you’re going to have to chase your potential clients down with a proper marketing plan. This means focusing on social media, SEO, direct mail, etc. is vital in order to let your audience know who you are.
SEO, in particular, is extremely important. Failure to take it seriously often leads to…
2. Poor Marketing Execution
Unfortunately, many firms that have a cohesive marketing plan suffer from poor execution.
One of the most common mistakes is the type of keywords that small legal firms focus on. The issue with a personal injury firm trying to rank for “personal injury firm” or “personal injury lawyer” is that they miss out on a large chunk of their audience.
While there are plenty of people who would use that query to find a legal firm, there are many who would search for “what to do after an accident” or “slip and fall back pain.” Therefore, proper research into how your audience uses search engines goes a long way toward helping your plan get clients in the door.
3. Outdated Technology
This can be said for most business. But, it’s especially crippling for law firms.
Given the vast amount of documentation that takes place at a law firm, having slow computers (or even still manually filing everything) can drastically impact your productivity.
Furthermore, having slow technology in your law firm prevents you from automating menial tasks. If you’re not delegating mass emails and basic scheduling updates to an automation program, you’re missing out on time that could be used to make extra cash.
Lastly, the faster you can help resolve a client’s issue, the more likely they’ll be to recommend you to friends and family.
Growing Your Small Legal Firm Can Seem Difficult
But it doesn’t have to be.
With the above information about in mind, you’ll be well on your way to making sure your small legal firm continues to scale.
Want to learn more about how to run your law firm more efficiently? Make sure to check out the rest of our blog!