A Powerful Marketing Tool You've Probably Never Considered

Like many lawyers, you are a DIY - do-it-yourself-er. And, as you are learning, marketing a law firm is just as much work as practicing law. We can't erase the fact that it takes content, links, social media, video, and - most importantly - time to create a web presence that is actually successful for your law firm.

Time is where nearly every attorney and business owner falls short, but there are many ways to manage your time effectively... and generate more business. Think about a law firm that is twice the size of yours. Do they have twice as much time as you? No, of course not. But they might be twice as effective with their time.

Here are a few tips to help you more effectively manage your time while you are juggling marketing your firm with practicing law:

• Set clear goals. This sounds extremely simple, but it is vitally important. Think about where you want to be in 6 months, 1 year, or 5 years. Next, consider the steps it will take to get there. Give yourself deadlines for each step, and hold yourself accountable. If you create a plan and stick to it, you will be amazed how quickly goals become reality.
  
• Take it one day at a time. Each day you need to consider what is important, urgent, both, or neither. Not everything that is urgent is important, and not everything that is important is urgent. Create a list. If you can knock out 3-5 things each day and spend at least 1-2 hours on long-term planning, then you have had a successful day.
  
• Change starts at the top. If your staff is slowing you down, then you need to take the time to train them properly. Good time management and productivity skills are essential to every office - especially law firms. Once you set priorities and procedures, be sure to communicate them very clearly to your employees.
  

Good time management is more of a lifestyle change than a marketing tool, but effective use of your time will allow you to focus on what is really important. For more information on effective time management, grab a copy of Ben Glass' book "Militant Time Management For Lawyers".