Writing Your 2018 Marketing Plan—Part 1

Writing Your 2018 Marketing Plan—Part 1

Clear & Convincing Feature Article

Writing Your 2018 Marketing Plan Part 1

“Why do we need a marketing plan?” associate Jennifer asked at the L & L Law monthly business meeting. “We are bringing in lots of business.”

“True,” said Lance Lawyer, “but without a plan for 2018 we might slack off, waste time, and lose some new customers.”

Lance is right. A marketing plan that considers the firm’s purpose, goals, and results of past efforts and describes how to reach future goals will help spur growth in 2018. It need not be a 30-page document—one or two pages clearly outlining the goals, practices, and tactics of your marketing plan will do.

Benefits of a Written Marketing Plan

  • A written plan helps you to focus on activities that are the best use of your time and talents.
  • A plan creates monthly goals, keeping you on schedule and avoiding random acts of marketing that do not render the results you desire.
  • A plan helps promote yourself as an authority in your practice area by ensuring the content of your blog, social media outlets, networking efforts, podcasts, and the like reflect your niche.
  • With marketing goals, you can assess requests to speak, teach, or sit on boards to see if those activities meet your objectives.
  • A written plan helps make you accountable.

The Goals of Your Marketing Plan
While it might seem unnecessary, stating the goals of your law firm’s marketing plan can help keep everyone going in the same direction. Each law firm has different goals and objectives requiring unique marketing efforts. For example, your firm’s goals could include:

  • Continuing to establish our firm as the authority in our area of practice
  • Generating a larger following for our website, newsletter, and blog
  • Generating new clients and increasing caseload by X% in 2018.

You should set quantifiable goals when possible. Establishing your firm as an expert in a certain area is an ongoing project; generating a larger social media presence is quantifiable. How many new readers do you want each quarter? How many new clients? Set realistic benchmarks that reflect the competitiveness of your practice market and budget.

Making Your Plan a Success
Even a two-page marketing plan can seem overwhelming, so break your activities down into manageable steps and decide if you’re doing all the work or outsourcing some of it. Make a note on your calendar to check your progress. A plan is only as good as its execution. To stay on track, keep the plan in your top drawer or by your phone so you can see it.

Come back next week to learn how to achieve your goals.

Roberta GubbinsRoberta Gubbins has served as the editor of the Ingham County Legal News. Since leaving the paper, she provides services as a ghostwriter editing articles, blogs, and e-blasts for lawyers and law firms. She is the editor of The Mentor, SBM Master Lawyers Section newsletter.

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