When it comes right down to it, every successful law practice must create relationships with their clients. What better way is there to do that than hosting events?
Whether these events strengthen client relationships that already exist, or develop new connections with potential new clients, they offer a great way to engage with clients on a deeper level.
Although digital marketing is a very important part of any successful law practice, face-to-face interaction is an even more powerful way to tap into the needs of your clients and build a relationship with them that lasts.
If you are convinced that now is the time to jump into event hosting as part of your marketing strategy, here are a few ideas for events that you may want to consider:
Educational events
These events allow you to engage with the members of your community and show them your expertise and what you can do for them in person. These events may take on a variety of forms such as workshops, small groups, or seminars.
These events help you communicate with people that may not be able to reach you online. When you are dealing with an older population that is interested in special needs planning and long-term care, many of this generation prefer face-to-face contact over online contact. You want to help them prepare for the future and these events give you visibility and a chance to interact face-to-face.
Avoid using these events for sales pitches and instead provide value to those in attendance. It may take a few sessions to get people in your door, but with each event, you are building credibility.
By choosing topics that address concerns and are of interest to your target audience, you will see your events, and consultation calendar, fill up.
Joint marketing events
If you are just starting out in your own practice, or just beginning to add event marketing to your practice, you may want to consider making it a joint effort. Promoting these events and attracting attendees may be tough in the beginning, so consider joining forces with another organization. This will allow you to leverage the power of their contacts as well as your own.
Partnering with a local organization or nonprofit will also help strengthen your community ties. These groups often have experience hosting various events and offering to share in the costs to increase your chance of a good turnout can be a great marketing decision.
Community initiatives
Not all the events you host have to be directly related to your practice. Consider organizing a fun, social activity that is geared toward a collective purpose such as a park clean up or blood drive.
This will not only get you more involved with your community, but further your mission of giving back. If you develop an ongoing relationship with an organization or charitable cause, their staff will be personally impacted and reach out to you when they need the services you offer.
Online events
Online events, such as webinars, can be perfect for a law firm that is seeking to keep costs low and eliminate the challenges of hosting events in person. These also won’t limit your practice to one geographical location, which can be very beneficial if you have a practice with multiple locations.
Webinars are basically seminars that are delivered through online based conferencing tools or live stream video. These can be hosted in a variety of formats such as question and answer sessions, presentations, developments on case law, and more. These live events allow direct interaction with those watching and help you establish yourself as a trusted authority.
Many attorneys will archive their live recordings and then make them available to people that weren’t able to attend the event. You can also repurpose the video into an e-book or blog post.
Planning your event
When you decide you want to host an event, it is important that you identify your target audience and what you want to achieve with your event. You need to be certain that your event provides something of value to those that attend in return for their attention and time. A resource such as a guide, e-book, or video can be a great option to trade with attendees in exchange for their email address.
You also need to choose a date, time, and venue. Consider what days of the week and times might fit best with your target audience. As an elder law attorney, you will also want to make sure that there is ample close parking and easy for the older population to enter. Take into consideration stairs, seating, etc. Make sure it is in a convenient location and consider offering drinks and possibly a light snack.
Get the word out
Now that you know what day, time, and venue for your event, you need to use a variety of marketing techniques to announce your event and get the word out to possible attendees. Reach out to your local media and place advertisements. If you are partnering with an organization, have them announce the event to their audience.
Email marketing and social media are also popular for communicating an event. Consider an email blast, as well as email reminders when the event time gets closer. However, due to spam filters, it is important to not rely solely on email marketing.
Social media makes it easy to spread the word. Create an event and post regular updates to the event. Share across other online media including Twitter and LinkedIn. Be sure that you promote the event on your own website as well including your calendar and blog. An online registration tool is perfect for your website or external social media accounts.
Follow up
After you have held your event, maximize the value of the time, energy, and money you just put into it by following up. Reach out to them to ask for feedback to get ideas for how to improve your event next time. Referrals and testimonials from those that were happy can persuade others to attend your future events.
These tips will help you continue to grow your practice all year long!
At Bambiz, we work with elder law and estate planning firms and have extensive experience in developing social media marketing strategies unique to your firm, location, and potential client base.
To learn more about how we can help grow your business using online marketing, schedule a free 15-minute call with us.
