The promise of the advertising that you see is pretty much the same – “if you use tool/process/course X then you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams, and you'll be amazed how easy it is and how you don't need to have a clue what you're doing”.
I admit it – I click on these all the time. I take the free webinars, I read the listicles designed to teach me nothing, and I've purchased a bunch of gizmos, tools and whatnots to help me along the way.
But here's the naked truth for any lawyer who wants to do better at digital marketing – it actually takes a tonne of effort.
Here's why.
The Latest Website Plugin Won't Do Anything For You
Whatever plugin, tool, software or embed code you put on your website – it's not going to do anything.
Why?
Because there's no easy button.
I've seen lawyer after lawyer with packloads of expensive software that they simply don't know how to use – sometimes even at the most basic levels.
Practice management software is a classic example – hands up those of you who use all that yours has to offer?
If you're going to invest in a tool, then count the learning curve as part of the investment. Take the time to master the tool sufficiently, and THEN you might start to see some results from it.
Otherwise it'll just lie around, festering and achieving very little for your law firm.
Sporadic Effort Makes No Difference
Oh but Chris – we posted a video and it didn't get that many views, so we gave up on video marketing
For a profession used to doing bucket loads of hard work, you'd think that we would have the patience required to invest in a marketing strategy over the long term, wouldn't you? But alas, many of us think that doing a thing now and then is going to be enough.
It isn't.
Most blogs don't see much traction at all for the first 2 years.
2 years!
That's an investment of posting regular, high value content for 24 months before even seeing an initial inflection point.
And yet we think that if we dabble in the latest cool recommendation somehow that's going to propel us immediately into the stratosphere of success? Wrong!
Perseverance is a key component of any successful marketing strategy. It's how you got your law degree, and it's how to build relationships with people using digital tools. Keep showing up!
Most Things Can Work
Pick a strategy and nail it. Stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
I kind of hate to mention this because of all the hate mail I'll get, but the truth is that most marketing strategies have a chance of working.
That's why you've read success stories about:
- Facebook ads
- Blogging
- Email lists
- Online courses
- Webinars
- In person meetings
- Network marketing.
Most of these people aren't lying – they HAVE actually succeeded with these strategies.
You know what made the difference? It's that they:
- took the time to master the strategy; and
- keep going at it over the long term.
Yes, it's that simple, and most of them could work for you.
But what won't work is “trying out” Twitter for 4 days, then “trying out” Facebook for 2 weeks, then “trying out” blogging by posting 2.5 terrible articles over next 6 months.
Pick a strategy and nail it. Stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
There's No Easy Button
Sorry folks, it's just not there.
Sure, some strategies have greater potential at various times, in various fields, with various personality types – but none of them involve the easy button, and they all involve knowing what the heck you're doing (or at least being prepared to find out).
So stop looking for the easy button, and get to work.
