As an attorney, you never stop learning about the law and how it evolves with new court decisions and legislation. Marketing savvy lawyers take the same approach to their legal marketing toolkit and education.
Marketing is a field in which change is the only constant. If you are still trying to expand your law firm with the same techniques you were using five years ago, you will likely fall behind your competitors. Make it a priority to stay on top of the latest trends through ongoing law firm marketing education.
There are many free and paid resources available to attorneys. Explore some of our recommendations below and find the tools that best fit your law firm’s promotional goals.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning, formerly known as Lynda, offers education on a wide range of professional and personal development topics. While it is a paid service, free access is available through many professional organizations and public library systems. Courses are divided into short videos, allowing you to learn on your schedule. There are classes for virtually every aspect of legal marketing, from website design to content creation, but here are some to get you started:
Marketing Tools: Digital Marketing: Explore online marketing tools while learning how to promote content on social media, create content, and explore video advertising.
Marketing During a Crisis: Strategies must change during a crisis, so this course focuses on reevaluating the landscape, understanding the consumer mindset, and showcasing your brand.
Marketing Your Professional Service: Learn how to establish yourself as an expert in your practice area, look at your services through the eyes of a consumer, and capture leads.
Advanced Branding: Find out how each component of your law firm marketing strategy contributes to your brand, how to make your brand more competitive, and tie your brand into every element of your firm.
Learning Web Semantics: Make your writing more search engine-friendly and evergreen for content that consistently brings in visitors to your firm’s website.
Podcasts
If you are pressed for time, podcasts are an ideal way to learn. You can dive into legal marketing while exercising, during your commute, or as you get ready for bed. Most of these podcasts have new episodes somewhere between several times a week and once a month, so there is always new content to check out. They also have substantial back catalogs, so you can browse and look for specific tips on a subject that is challenging you.
Lunch Hour Legal Marketing
Legal Marketing 2.0
The Law Entrepreneur
LAW-some
Books Books are ideal when you want to do a deep dive into legal marketing, learn from masters in business, and give yourself a solid education foundation. Stick with newer books when learning about the technical side of marketing, but you can also look into older business development books when you want to dig into the psychology of selling and connecting with consumers. Some highly-rated business marketing books we recommend include:
What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Done Right by Atul Gawande
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Local and National Organizations
The American Bar Association and local bar associations have excellent educational resources for practicing attorneys. For example, the American Bar Association offers CLE courses like “Marketing Legal Services: New Proposed Rules and New Perspectives,” “How to Find Legal Clients Legally,” and “Ethical Dos and Don’ts for Lawyer Marketing and Advertising.” Many are heavily discounted or free for members.
MasterClass
MasterClass is a rich resource for those looking to develop professional skills or personal interests. Unlike other resources on this list, which often focus heavily on marketing’s technical side, MasterClass courses tend to focus on the process and mindset behind different subjects. This helps you build your mastery and adapt your thinking to suit the task at hand.
Make ongoing law firm and lawyer marketing education a top priority for your firm and see how your efforts pay off in months and years to come.
Meranda M. Vieyra is the owner of Denver Legal Marketing LLC. She is one of the most visible legal professionals in Colorado law with over 20 years of service in the Denver legal community. Her award-winning marketing firm has earned a strong reputation as the go-to for impactful, cost-effective legal marketing strategies. She has helped her clients secure coverage by well-known publications and has obtained local, national, and international awards on their behalf. Meranda enjoys working with solo practitioners and small law firms helping them attract recognition, promotion, and visibility to their practices. She also advises medium-sized and national law firms on business development and marketing strategy. Meranda is a lecturer and author on issues related to marketing including how lawyers can use LinkedIn effectively, how to develop a personal brand, and the promotion of legal services through community service. In 2018, she was honored to be named to the 40 Under 40 list by the Denver Business Journal and to be given the 10 Under 10 Award by the Metropolitan State University of Denver Alumni Association (top 10 alum of the decade). In 2019, Meranda was named in the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and in the Top 100 young professionals in Colorado through the Gen XYZ Awards published by ColoradoBiz Magazine.
For more information, go to www.DenverLegalMarketing.com