Put the market back into marketing

Susan Cartier Liebel has once again provided a thought-provoking post defending the concept of “legal marketing” because many attorneys react like they are sucking on a lemon when they hear the phrase.

With her usual eloquence, she makes the point that marketing is no less than everything that is involved in obtaining and retaining clients. I would just add one more thing – visualize your market as specific people.

Your potential client isn’t everybody, somebody, anybody.  Your potential client is a particular person who you want to help.  The more attorneys are able to visualize specific people – whether they are claims adjusters in big property and casualty insurers, general counsel at Fortune 500 conglomerates, a family facing foreclosure, or a wife making the wrenching decision to divorce her husband, the more palatable marketing becomes. Your market isn’t abstract but real.  Your potential clients are specific people with fears, dreams, doubts, anxiety, ambitions just like you.  They are your market.  If you focus on knowing who they are to you and how you can make their lives better, you are marketing and if that’s a dirty word then so is compassion.

Tags: legal marketing, Linkedin