When looking at growing your expert practice, have you ever thought -"I just don't know where to start. I could list in directories, but - which ones? And what do I list under? Should I do something to my website? What should I add, take away, or change? Should I try publishing articles or speaking at conferences? What about trade shows? Does direct mail still work? How about an email newsletter? Would press releases and media exposure help my expert practice? Do cold calls have any value?"
When looking at the various marketing options out there, I hear from many of you that the choices are just too overwhelming. I think that's why many experts end up just putting their time and money into the latest 'sounds good' offer to hit their email inbox. While one of my recommendations is to always track your marketing efforts and subsequent results (a topic ALL of its own), you can simplify the decision-making process even prior to that.
At its most basic, marketing your expert services is the process of making the attorneys who need your services aware of your availability and of the value of your expertise. It is effectively communicating (to the right audience) the four "C's" that attorneys are looking for in an expert consultant:
- Competence
- Credentials
- Communication Skills and
- Credibility
So to sum it up, marketing your expert services consists of three steps:
1. Identify the attorneys (types of cases handled, geographic area, etc.) who need your services.
2. Let them know you are available as an expert legal consultant.
3. Establish an identity and consistently reinforce your strengths in each of the four C's.
Yes, there will still be specific decisions to make. But once you really get the basic purpose of your actions, those decisions are not nearly as difficult.
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