When it comes to marketing your firm, old-school ad agencies as seen in Mad Men no longer set the tone. You don’t need to hire 10 Don Drapers to effectively promote your services — even if it sounds appealing. These days, the industry buzz is all about setting up your marketing automation strategy. That’s right: Just set it and forget it! Then, let innovative software do all those boring, time-intensive marketing tasks for you… Heck, you can even put them to work while you sleep.
Why a Marketing Automation Strategy Makes Sense for Smaller Practices
A marketing automation strategy can help smaller firms compete with major players in your location or practice area. Best of all, you can finally compete without over-spending on ads! In other words, this approach isn’t just convenient — it’s also highly affordable. If you’re not sure exactly where to start, we can help. Below are some marketing automation strategy techniques anyone can implement without going broke or spending hours learning new software.
Marketing Automation Strategy #1: Put Administrative Tasks on Autopilot
Lawyers spend too much time covering basic administrative tasks themselves. This isn’t ideal for running their firms — or the clients they serve. In fact, 69% of Thomson-Reuters’ “State of U.S. Small Law Firms” respondents in 2016 called “spending too much time on administrative tasks” a “moderate to significant challenge.” So, why not automate them instead?
Consolidate tasks like emails, appointment reminders and using a courier for time-sensitive documents with LeadingResponse’s free Lead Management System (LMS) software. Any practice buying our leads can access the LMS for free — it’s the Swiss Army knife of intake tools! You don’t need to download or install anything. With just internet access, you can:
- Use our suite of customizable, built-in email templates to send automated marketing campaigns
- Monitor lead quality and conversion rates using our new SmartConnect feature
- Text, call or email leads, get contracts and documents signed, track shipments and import converted prospects directly into any standard CMS (i.e., Needles or Crocodile)
LeadingResponse clients can automate up to 50% of lead intake tasks with our easy-to-use LMS.
Marketing Automation Strategy #2: Schedule Calls or Meetings 24/7 Directly Through Your Website
Automate scheduling calls or meetings with free or low-cost tools and plugins, like Calendly and the Appointment Calendar WordPress plugin. These tools help clients quickly find a calendar slot that works for you without hiring a personal assistant. One benefit with this particular marketing automation strategy is impressing new clients with how easy it is to use. Making it easier to set up meetings, calls or juggle last-minute scheduling changes is a winner for smaller firms! User-friendly changes like these help juggle your schedule outside normal office hours, too. This marketing automation strategy makes you more likely to generate high-quality referrals from current clients because it’s easier to connect. Speaking of which…
Marketing Automation Strategy #3: Snag Reviews & Referrals Instantly Via Text or Email
Now that most people look for legal services online, referrals and reviews are more powerful than ever before. Automate your reviews and referrals with tools like ReputationStacker or AirTable. These services aren’t free, unfortunately. But they’re a cost-effective way for happy, current clients to submit referrals or testimonials directly via text or email. These tools can more effectively gather referrals and reviews when it’s convenient for everyone. Just think: No more cold-calling your current clients (or having your staff call) to ask for referrals or testimonials!
And frankly, if you hate talking on the phone, skipping this step may hurt your firm’s long-term growth. We know it’s hard to ask clients for referrals or testimonials. (yes, even from clients who are thrilled with your work.) But in today’s competitive market, it’s one way to help effectively (and positively) grow your firm’s online presence. Using a marketing automation strategy to make this task pain-free for everyone is worth the subscription fee, isn’t it?
Outsource Your Firm’s Client Acquisition Needs to LeadingResponse
If you don’t have time to implement a marketing automation strategy for your firm, it’s time to partner with LeadingResponse. Our marketing experts can generate superior quality leads in your firm’s target area for real-time delivery. It’s the fastest, easiest way to grow your firm’s revenue and clientele, regardless of which practice areas you specialize in!
To request your free lead volume estimate today, simply fill out the contact form on this page.
