Answers to Law Firm Next Listener Questions

By Next Level Pod on February 23rd, 2022 in Uncategorized

We can’t believe Law Firm Next has already been going on for eight months. We’re so grateful for all of you who have not only stuck with us over the course of the show but who have also been invested enough to send in your questions. 

In last week’s episode, we went through many of the questions that you listeners have sent in over the first 31 episodes of the podcast. We also dove deeper into some of the discussions we started in episodes of the show.

Automation

When it comes to automation, you need to think about the highest and best use of your time. Maybe you’re at the very infancy of your practice. If you’re working on automations instead of sending out bills or getting client work done, you may be neglecting the things that you should really be spending time on.

However, if you like automation and want to work on it in your downtime while you’re waiting for your client work to pick up, that’s great!

To choose an automation software, first look at the triggers and actions that each one has. Not all integrations are built equally. Each software works with integrations in different ways. 

Two of the best softwares you may want to look into are Zapier and Integra. Try them out and see which is the best fit for your firm. 

Marketing

If you’re struggling with marketing and trying to decide if you should hire a marketing agency to help you with it, you should start by evaluating where you want to be in 10 years. Maybe the referrals you’re getting now are bringing you plenty of business. In this case, you probably don’t need to hire a marketing agency. Just focus on keeping your referrals going.

However, if you’re looking to grow beyond referrals and aren’t happy with where you are, then you need a more structured approach to drive your growth. In this case, you should hire a marketing agency.

We recommend that law firms invest at least 7% of their revenue into marketing. This could go towards buying a referral a thank you gift, writing some articles for people to use in their newsletters to help you get referrals, or hiring a marketing agency. 

Finding a Marketing Agency

When deciding which marketing agency to work with, make sure that the agency you’re considering is taking the time to ask about your goals, budgets, and business strategy. They should not just keep talking about their cool marketing package that delivers a bunch of ROI for a bunch of deliverables without taking any time to understand your law firm goals. Do some Google searches, ask for some referrals, and consider who you want to work with based on their culture and approach. 

Additionally, we highly recommend that you find a marketing agency that works solely with law firms. According to the Bar Association, you are allowed to do online marketing. You can do Facebook and Google ads. However, there are state-by-state rules about how you can do online marketing. You want your marketing agency to know and fully understand these rules. 

Owning Your Leads

When we talk about marketing, we also have to touch on owning your leads. If you aren’t finding a way to capture information from your leads so that you can follow up, then you’re hurting your ability to grow and capture the people that don’t become a client right away.

You need to be creating lead magnets and getting leads into your CRM system so that you can follow up. That’s what the idea of owning your leads is all about. 

Going Paperless

In one of our episodes, we talked about going paperless. Melanie transitioned in a pretty extreme way but you can ease into it more if you prefer.

All in all, paperless is actually easier in most cases than paper. To make the process of switching easier, try giving everyone a scanner at their desks. Additionally, put everything in an online, shareable place. This ensures that everything is accessible to your whole team. People can be in a document at the same time, whether they’re working remotely or in the office.

If you want to hear more of our answers to listener questions, check out Episode 032: Listener Questions from our First 30 Episodes.