Finding Clients on a Budget For Solo Practitioners

Submitted by Deanna on Thu, 06/07/2018 - 16:29

Solo practitioners face many challenges which mid-sized and large firms don’t experience. Solo practitioners must contact every potential claimant and determine whether the case is pursuable, manage all internal marketing efforts, and represent every single signed claimant in court. So how can you find new clients when your time is stretched thin and your marketing budget is even thinner? Here are some tactics you can try to help you find clients quickly and cheaply.

Start a Rolodex

Whether you actually own a Rolodex or simply keep an Excel sheet on your computer, gathering as much contact information as possible is a great way to find some of your first clients. You don’t need to send a sales-ey email to your friends and family that your solo firm is open for business, but simply announcing that you’ve set up shop will do the trick. You’d be surprised how many people in your non-professional network need legal aid. Once you have your initial cash flow started, it’ll be much easier to invest time and money into other marketing channels.

Use YouTube

YouTube may seem like a poor fit for an attorney, but if you add content to YouTube you could find a lot more clients: YouTube is currently the 2nd most popular search engine in the world, losing only to Google. It’s also important to note that Google owns YouTube, so it’s likely you’ll see more and more YouTube videos in Google’s own search results, not just on YouTube. Just be sure to avoid having your YouTube videos play automatically as soon as someone visits your website!

Try Lead Generation

Lead generation is a great way for the solo practitioner to find new clients without toiling over digital marketing campaigns or paying an arm and a leg for a billboard. When you work with a lead provider, you pay for contact information from claimants who’ve already indicated interested in speaking with an attorney. Lead generation eliminates the need for on-page optimization, endless PPC bid adjustments, and A/B testing for landing pages. eGen has been a leader in the legal lead generation space since 2009.

Find a New Hobby

Handling everything on your own can be overwhelming, so why not take a break and find something new to do in your spare time? You can actually network and find new clients if you pick an activity that’s related to your area of law. For example, personal injury attorneys may want to join a cycling club or an antique cars enthusiasts’ club. You’ll become known in your niche community and if someone has an auto accident and needs help, your firm will be the first that comes to mind.

Time Crunch?

If you need clients as soon as possible, you may not have time to join a bicycling club and hope you’ll get referral clients from your fellow cyclists. Lead generation is one of the fastest options for solo practitioners to signing new clients quickly. The best part of lead generation is it’s scalable—a solo firm can purchase enough leads to meet its caseload needs, while larger firms can supplement their own PPC and SEO efforts through lead generation.