Business Development for Legal Practitioners

We have always heard of the term business development, but are you stuck with not knowing what it means and who should focus on it? Let us assist in unpacking this for you.

What is Business Development?

Business development deals with the ideas, projects, and actions that improve a business. This entails raising sales, expanding the business, improving profitability through forming strategic alliances, and making strategic business choices.

To be current and competitive in their area, lawyers, like all other professionals, must continually invest in their professional growth and development. As lawyers, business development is extremely important since it helps you build your clientele, exposure, and your practice.

Why Lawyers Should Invest in Business Development

Stay Ahead of Competition

By keeping up to date on the most recent trends, industry best practices, and standards, investing in business development enables lawyers to stay one step ahead of the competition. This knowledge is essential for assisting lawyers in standing out from the crowd and establishing themselves as authorities in their area of practice.

Attract New Clients

Using business development tactics, lawyers can increase their client base and reach. Lawyers can improve their exposure and create their brand by networking with other professionals, taking part in community activities, and utilising social media and other marketing platforms.

Navigating Social Media as Legal Practitioners

Take the Time to Engage

One of the few platforms where your customers and potential customers feel like they can reach you directly and get a response from you is social media. It’s crucial to interact with your target audience on purpose. Look for opportunities to engage with your audience more deeply.

Understand Community Management

It’s possible to build a real community around your firm but to do so, you need to be proactive about reaching out to partners, industry leaders, and clients. You should also be proactive about creating and participating in conversations. Think of social media like a networking event – just being present isn’t enough; get in there and meet some people! A great way to do this is to engage with prospective clients and answer questions on social platforms.

Remember: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

It’s important to be consistent and post regularly. You don’t want someone to follow you for valuable insights only to realise you haven’t posted in two weeks. A lot of firms start off strong, posting every day. Then these activities are the first to be cut during busy times. If you’re running out of ideas, try limiting the platforms you are active on or simply ask followers what they’d like to hear more about.

It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint

Many growing firms are excited about what social media can do for them and expect results right away. However, social media requires a long game. It’s important to remember your goals and what brings you closer to your audience. That means never paying for followers or engaging in gimmicks that will attract useless traffic.

Keep a Firm Voice and Aesthetic

Just like you want to be consistent with your posting schedule, you need to be consistent in how you display your brand. You should have one brand identity across all your marketing channels and communications. Ideally, if someone sees a post from you, they can recognise your brand from other elements like your website.

Research Competitors

It’s ok to be a little nosy when it comes to people competing for your business. Find them on social media and see what they do well. It’s ok to gain some inspiration for new ideas (without outright copying). Can you tell how your overlapping audience is perceiving them online?

Capitalise on Trends

Trends are an essential component of social media for lawyers. Every few weeks, you probably see some form of trend, challenge, or current event being discussed. When that happens, ask yourself how you can participate organically. It shouldn’t feel forced, but it’s a good idea to jump on a trend if you have something to add to the conversation.

Be vocal About Issues When Appropriate

These days, potential clients want to work with people whose values align with their own. That means they want to see what you stand for and hear your opinions on important topics – particularly legal ones. If there is an important issue being discussed in your industry, you should chime in with your opinion.

Use High-Quality Images

People scroll through so much online content these days; they can spot the difference between bad graphics and good ones. Invest in great images, video content, infographics, and other visuals. It will make you appear polished and professional.

Listen to Your Audience – Then Adjust

Social monitoring and listening can provide some powerful insights. You’ll learn more about your industry, your competitors, and what potential clients think of different firms. Use that information to inform your brand strategy. For example, does it appear as though some people are disappointed that a bigger firm isn’t offering a certain practice area? Make sure you publish what your firm does.

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