Marketing tips from the Wisconsin Solo Conference.

Byline: Jane Pribek

Hungry? Why not take a client to lunch.

Clients will tell everyone that not only did their lawyer listen to them for an entire hour without charging them, but also, you paid the bill, said Reid Trautz, the director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Practice and Professionalism Center in Washington D.C. He suggested that lawyers schedule at least one marketing lunch per month.

Trautz was among the headline speakers at the Oct. 29-31 Wisconsin Solo & Small Firms Conference at the Wisconsin Dells. His suggestions came during the program, 60 Best Practices in Marketing in 60 Minutes.

During the same presentation, Dustin Cole, a law practice management consultant with Attorneys Master Class in Longview, Fla., stressed how important it is to make marketing a priority in tough economic.

My view is, marketing is job one, he said. If the clients don't show up, your skills don't matter.

In Trautz' experience, clients place a high premium on convenience. Free parking, non-traditional office hours or making house calls are just a few of the ways to communicate that the client's needs come first. Or consider putting client intake forms online, so the client can meet with you as soon as she steps through your office door.

You should also make sure your web site, has take-aways, such as a PDF file of 10 FAQs about divorce in Wisconsin. Trautz said that another possibility might be a link to a YouTube video featuring a recent speech before a community group or other organization on a relevant issue of Wisconsin law. Or maybe you want to create a video in your office, that's more comfortable for you.

The panelists suggested one Internet-based free marketing tool: a free ad in the Google Local Business Center. Not only is the price right, the ad also can be helpful with search engine optimization, or raising your rank in Google search results.

Jim Calloway, director of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Management Assistance Program in Oklahoma City, offered another free means of boosting your Google page rank: Sign up for Google Profiles. Unless your name is John Smith, or something equally common, when you Google your name, your profile should appear at the bottom of page one every time.

(Mostly) Low-tech Options

Calloway also put forth a number of other suggestions that don't involve a computer.

For instance, he predicted that despite the huge role technology plays in most people's lives, business cards will never disappear...

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