Marketing Strategies: A Rural Lawyer’s Guide
Modern marketing is a highly data driven affair. Companies hire agencies to conduct quantitative studies that would identify potential customers and niche areas of the market. The “traditional” approach to marketing is a resource driven exercise. It enables “main street law firms” to adopt some of the techniques of major wholesale retailers. This includes advertising budgets and aggressive brand building.
In a rural setting, the dynamics of traditional modern marketing are reversed. Marketing in rural areas is highly dependent on reputation (“word of mouth”) and client feedback (i.e. qualitative factors). For a rural practioner to make headway in such a setting there are three key strategies that they may need to consider:
1. Every castle starts with a plan
Start your marketing strategy with a solid plan and remain loyal to it. Seek out your future clientele directly, and target ideal locations where they would be present.
If your plan is to practice wills and estates then make sure to visit the local senior center on a steady basis. Organize free seminars on Estate Planning and always leave your contact information behind. Build rapport with the local clergy, church and hospital; sign up for a rotary club membership. If there is a charity drive, make sure you are there.
Consider every professional interaction as a potential marketing opportunity. Target your client and referral sources on a regular basis. Be consistent. Make sure to follow up with each inquiry. Studies show that nearly seventy percent of future business is lost due to a lack of follow up. As one rural lawyer put it “you are only one call away from a great month”.
Set monthly goals on how to achieve all of this. A rural lawyer’s primary focus is becoming a “fixture” in the town – ensuring that clients know where to look for when they need assistance. Positive name recognition and reputation building are key in making that happen.
2. Be mindful of ROI (Return on Investment):
Like many other decisions in business, marketing carries with it an inherent cost-benefit logic. This is truer for a solo practice seeking to thrive, because it has to be conscious of its overhead costs. Poor marketing choices could potentially sink a rural practice before it has the opportunity to develop a client base.
This entails making a number of tactical decisions. Do you build a website first or do you begin investing in business cards? How about taking an ad in the telephone directory?
When making these decisions, it is important to consider the value each choice could bring to your business. Perhaps an aggressive ad buy campaign will not have the same immediate effect as leaving your professionally tailored business card with your neighbor? It’s important to start small and gauge each choice based on its immediate impact on the business.
Selecting the appropriate medium to advertise is central to the question of client development. For instance, even though Internet penetration rates are well above 90% in Canada, rural clients may not be savvy Facebook and twitter users.
The general rule of thumb with online advertising is that if it’s free, you should consider it, and if it is not, then it may not be a good return on investment. Recall that quantitative advertising methods are most effective in large urban settings, where consumer behavior varies from that of rural regions.
Nonetheless, studies have shown that purchasing ads in the local newspaper could in fact serve as an effective marketing tool. This is because rural clients rely on the daily newspaper to check weather reports and ICE Futures (Agricultural Futures Exchange). In many communities, the price of crops and livestock defines the nature of their economy. This makes advertising in the local paper a desirable method for client development.
3. Great Work/Fair Price Proposition
A rural lawyer’s best approach to marketing is to perform great work at reasonable prices. Think of the additional time in every file as an investment into future business. Reduce unnecessary overhead in order to remain competitive at lower prices.
Marketing agencies refer to this as “non-linear” advertising. Whereas traditional advertising has a beginning and en end, non-linear advertising is an incentive-based approach to client development.
The goal is to foster future business by rising above basic expectations. Clients, which leave the office feeling content, tend to be more likely to come back and make future referrals.
In sum, business practioners that intend to build a long-term/prospering business should be cognizant of the above strategies. They should seek to incorporate some these ideas into their marketing techniques. The rising level of demand for rural legal services suggests that businesses which survive today, are the most well suited to reap the benefits tomorrow.
Sources Cited:
- Cameron, M. Bruce. “Becoming a Rural Lawyer: A Personal Guide to Establishing a Small Town Practice” Lawyer Avenue Press, 2013.
Web:
- Econsultancy, By Ben Davis @. “What Is Non-linear Advertising & How Can It Help Publishers?” Econsultancy. Centaur Media, 16 June 1970. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
Loose-leaf:
- Dyke, Van. Susan “Five Critical Marketing Basics for Solo or Small practice”, Continuing Legal Education, Solo and Small Firm Conference, 2013.