Top Tips For Growing Your Law Firm During The Holidays
The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to ‘gift’ yourself and your employees with some downtime. That is, we’re not expected to be chained to our desks for quite so long, as we instead dedicate our time and energy to family activities and making memories.
However, it’s also a great time to focus on growing your law firm. This is because it gives you the chance to get all of your paperwork in order before the new year, meaning that you’re poised for success in 2023. You can also view the festivities as a chance to strengthen your relationships with your clients, which will also serve to further your business.
With that in mind, here are some simple tips you can use to grow your law firm during the holidays.
Take a closer look at your marketing
Your marketing campaign plays a vital role in the success of your law firm. No matter your practice area or specialty, a varied approach works best – where you you should spend some time advertising your services and the other appealing directly to your clients.
During the holiday period, however, it’s best to take a client-centric approach to marketing. For example, in addition to wishing them happy holidays, you can also use this as an opportunity to thank them for their support throughout the year. This will ensure that you stay in your client’s mind during this time, increasing the likelihood of receiving recurring work or, even better, new referrals.
Now is also the perfect time to put together a marketing plan for the new year – by looking back at your previous online success (and failures). What posts on your social media received the most engagement, or brought back the best ROI? Which posts didn’t fare as well? Asking these questions gives you the best chance of performing well in the new year.
Send out digital cards
There are many benefits associated with sending out digital cards over the holidays. Firstly, it’s a great way to ensure you remain on your client’s radar as we move into the new year. This can prove particularly beneficial for law firms whose services are typically higher in demand in quarter one, such as divorce lawyers (divorce search terms skyrocket every January, increasing year on year). By ensuring your clients remember you, your firm as a brand, and what legal services you have to offer, you can guarantee yourself more work in the future.
Digital cards are also a cost-effective marketing tactic, as they’re less expensive than paper cards. To the same effect, they’re also an environmentally friendly approach, which will also go a long way with new and prospective clients.
Furthermore, the simple act of sending a card will also strengthen your relationship with your clients. This is because it shows that you are “willing to go the extra mile by taking the time to send them a personal greeting during the busy Christmas season.” By ensuring you use their name within the card, you’re also furthering your relationship as “it makes your words more personal and is interpreted as being caring and empathic.” Failing to use names in digital cards (and also mailing lists) makes the content feel impersonal and generic.
Focus on charitable giving
While charitable donations should be primarily altruistic ventures they can also be a great way to show your clients what you care about. This can also do wonders for your business, as “82% of consumers prefer companies that support and donate to charities.”
As a result, you should use the gift-giving spirit of the holidays to donate to a charity (or two). As there are hundreds upon hundreds of charities to choose from, try to find a cause that lies close to your heart, or to your client’s hearts.
Be sure to advertise any charitable efforts you are making during this time, whether that be in your monthly emails or social media pages. This step should not be taken merely to increase online engagement, but rather to increase the number of donations you collect. After all, social media drives 57% of traffic to fundraising campaign pages.
Show your clients some appreciation
A study, published by Clio, found that 59% of a law firm’s clients are obtained through referrals. This means that you need to give current clients a good reason to recommend you to their friends or loved ones. Beyond providing excellent service, this means you should also work on developing a strong relationship with them. This can be achieved during the holiday season by handing out gifts to your clients.
While you shouldn’t pour a significant amount of your revenue into these gifts, a small gesture will go a long way. Instead, you should focus on small, practical gifts that your clients will either a) find useful or b) enjoy.
For example, this could include things such as gift cards. Gift cards are a great way to show some appreciation over the holidays because they give the recipient a choice on what to buy. As a result, they’re an excellent ‘blanket’ gift for clients who may have widely varying interests and hobbies. They also provide you with the opportunity to partner up or connect with local businesses and vendors.
You may also want to look into handing out branded gifts this holiday season. There are plenty of products out there that you can personalize, from reusable water bottles to coffee mugs – all of which will help to boost brand recognition and help ensure you remain at the forefront of your client’s mind.
However, it’s also important to remember that there are certain legalities or guidelines at play here. As such, “Lawyers should consult the rules of professional conduct that govern their jurisdiction(s), as well as any ethics opinions those jurisdictions have issued regarding gift giving.” Brushing up on this guidance ahead of time will ensure you can show your clients some love without landing yourself (or your firm) in a difficult position. This logic can also be applied to accepting gifts from clients.
Consider throwing a holiday party or event
Holiday parties and events can be another great way to round off the festivities within your law firm. While they’re often viewed as an opportunity for employees to relax and celebrate their successes, there’s no reason why valued clients can’t be invited along. After all, “holiday parties allow you to communicate with your clients in a more relaxed setting. Plus, everyone benefits from the opportunity to make new friends and just have a good time.” If you allow your guests to bring a +1 to the event, then this can also be useful when it comes to securing referrals.
Final Thoughts
In short, there are many ways in which you can market (and grow) your business over the holidays to put you in a good position in the new year. However, the most effective method at your disposal is strengthening your relationship with your clients, through personalized messages, cards, and more.
