Page 9 - July August CBA Report

The Verdict is in:
Building your own Practice requires a Smart
Marketing
Strategy
By Nicholas J. Vehr
Maybe you’ve been practicing law for years and want to
build a thriving practice of your own. Or perhaps you’ve
graduated from law school and have always known you
want to be a solo practitioner or own and run a small law firm. In
either case, you believe you can attract clients by differentiating
yourself in a competitive marketplace.
But, where to start?
It all starts with strategy.
As an attorney, you already have the necessary strategic
mindset. Tap the same intentional, critical thinking you use
daily to develop litigation strategies or
provide advice to your clients about how to
develop strategies to protect and grow their
businesses.
Developing marketing and communi-
cations strategies is not that different. Once
you know where you want to go, it’s easier to
develop a plan for how to get there.
Marketing, public relations, social
media, communications, crisis communi-
cations, and related disciplines may seem
somewhat mystical or ethereal. You may
think your formal legal training and court-
room or boardroom experience have been
decidedly more fact-based and logical.
Not to worry. Establishing a marketing
and communications strategy involves a systematic approach that
connects your business goals and objectives with actionable strat-
egies and tactics. Here’s a step-by-step guide, based on marketing
best practices:
•
•
Assess Your Current Situation: Develop a clear-eyed situ-
ation analysis to understand your position in the market.
Include an assessment of your strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats. Learn all you can about your
competitors and the market conditions; see if you can iden-
tify gaps and opportunities. In short, write down why you
think you can “win.”
Set Clear Marketing Objectives: Define specific, measurable,
achievable, relevant and time-bound marketing objectives.
Consider things such as increasing awareness, generating
leads, differentiating your offering or boosting sales.
•
Define Your Target Audience(s):
Create detailed customer profiles or
buyer personas, identifying who you
think your ideal customers are, what
they need and how to reach them.
•
Consider Market and Competitive
Research: This can be formal and
managed by a research contractor,
or you can gather data yourself on
customer preferences, industry
trends and competitor strategies. In
short, inform your approach. Iden-
tify what differentiates you from your
competitors.
Develop Key Messaging and a Meaningful Value Proposi-
tion: Develop the “why” to present yourself as a better choice
than your competitors. Your “why” must address your audi-
ence’s needs and highlight your unique value proposition.
THE REPORT | July/August 2025 | CincyBar.org 9
Establishing a marketing
and communications
strategy involves a
systematic approach that
connects your business
goals and objectives with
actionable strategies
and tactics
•