The Rainmaker Blog : Law Firm Marketing and Business Development : The Rainmaker Institute : Stephen Fairley : Professional Legal Marketing

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Disclaimer: When I use the word “expert” or “specialist” in this series, I’m not talking in the legal or ethical sense, but in the marketing sense where the goal is to get media and/or prospects to perceive you as an expert or specialist.

The second legal marketing strategy for building credibility and becoming a recognized expert is Speaking At Local or Regional Events Every Quarter.   There are four tactics for ensuring that every time you speak, you are generating business and building credibility:

Choose the Right Audience. You have to make sure that you get in front of the right people. You have to ask what is their average size of attendance? How many people show up? What are the demographics? Are these decision makers or gatekeepers? What kinds of interests do they have? What topics have they talked about?

Choose the Right Venue.  There are many different ways that you can speak in front of a group and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a public seminar. It could be a small private client-only seminar or it could be as part of a panel where it’s a moderated format.  It could also be a teleseminar or a webinar, which can do double duty for you because you can save an audio or video file and email it.

Deliver Value. People want practical, useful information. Don’t worry that you’re “giving away the store” – because if you’ve chosen the right audience, you will be speaking to people who have the money to hire an attorney, not a group of tire kickers. 

Follow Up. The number one reason why people who use seminars don’t get the results that they want is because of their follow-up, so it is important to develop a follow-up strategy before the talk as part of your overall law firm marketing program. 

Get the contact information for everyone who attends.  Then follow up with a series of emails – for the first one, thank them for attending and extend a free offer – a consultation or audio CD.  For the second, 3-5 days later, invite them to sign up for your newsletter.  Someone from your staff should also be following up by phone with the same messaging as your first email.

If you use these legal marketing strategies, you’ll find that you receive better results from your speaking engagements and you’re going to quickly build credibility and expert status in your community.

P.S. Miss the first post in this series?  Go here.

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