Why every company needs a writing style guide

A style guide, or “house style”, is the way your company presents written communications. This includes visual elements such as layout and font type. But also grammar and spelling, uniform ways of writing dates and words that have different spelling options, and much more.

It looks unprofessional and reflects badly on a company when clients receive emails and letters from various staff members and, bar the logo, you wouldn’t know they came from the same organisation. Because they all look different, with layout and font left to the various writers’ preferences.

What needs to be done?

The agency that designed your logo will have made recommendations on how it should be used on your building signage, printed material, your website, your email signature, corporate gifts – really on anything with your logo on it.

But it doesn’t stop there. Your writing style needs to be aligned, too. Collect a sample of every type of document you send out: letters, pitches, reports, newsletters, emails, etc.

A marketing professional can then assess the best style for each document: when to use which fonts and heading styles, what line spacing should be applied, etc.

In addition, you need rules on spelling and grammar. Here are a few examples:

  • How to write and abbreviate your company’s name
  • Capitalisation of words unique to your industry or your company that would usually not be capitalised in the English language
  • The type of bullets and punctuation to be used for lists
  • Whether to write abbreviations with or without full stops
  • How to write dates and time (18h00 or 18:00 or 6 pm)
  • Which way to spell words that have alternative spelling options (judgment or judgement; focused or focussed, etc)
  • How to write numbers, when to use italics, and more…

The key is consistency

Once your house style is in place, communicate it to everyone – and make it non-negotiable. It must be used and applied to all your communications: inhouse and to clients. And that includes newsletters, brochures, and your website.

Another important issue when it comes to writing marketing material is your firm’s tone of voice: Your own, distinctive writing style. Of course, it may depend on your industry and target audience as to how formal or casual this should be.

The design elements, your house style, and your organisation’s tone of voice are all part of your corporate identity. These are important for every company, regardless of its size. Even if you’re just starting out, if you position yourself in the market from the outset with these elements in place, it’s easier to transition smoothly into becoming a bigger company.

© Andrea Paulsen

Free marketing channels for law firms

Marketing doesn’t have to break the bank. You can use various free marketing channels to build your online presence, demonstrate expertise, and attract new clients. The key is to consistently provide valuable content to your target audience.

1. Google business profile

Essential for local visibility, allowing clients to find your firm’s location, contact information, and reviews in local searches. Set up your own Google business profile here. The benefits?

Increased online visibility

  • Free to list: Creating and managing a Google business profile is a cost-effective way to reach a wider audience. 
  • Stand out in local searches: An optimised business profile is more likely to show up in Google’s local search results, including the highly visible “Local 3-Pack”. This feature displays the top three relevant local businesses with key details right below the map and paid ads.
  • Higher search rankings: A Google business profile helps your business rank higher in local search results, making your firm easier to find. 
  • Boost your local SEO: A well-optimised profile also boosts your local SEO, which can lead to increased website traffic.
  • Google Maps: An optimised listing ensures your business can be found easily when someone searches for legal services in their area on Google Maps.
  • Catch the eye with visuals: You can upload high-quality photos and videos that showcase your brand.

Enhanced credibility and trust

  • Build a strong reputation: A well-maintained profile adds legitimacy and professionalism to your business.
  • Provide essential information: Your listing acts as a central source for critical and up-to-date business information, including your address, phone number, website, and operating hours.
  • Connect directly: Clients can engage with your firm by asking questions in the Q&A section or even messaging you directly from your profile.
  • Share updates and offers: You can create “Google Posts” to announce special events and other firm news.

Cost-effective marketing & valuable business insights

  • The “Insights” dashboard provides valuable analytics that reveal how clients are interacting with your listing. You can see how they found you, what actions they took, and which keywords they used.
  • Analysing these insights helps you make informed, data-driven decisions to optimise your marketing strategies and improve your online presence for better results.

Creating and maintaining a Google business profile is completely free, making it a highly cost-effective way to market your business and reach a wide audience.

2. Content marketing

  • Start a blog: Regularly write articles related to your practice areas that answer common legal questions. A blog helps establish your expertise, improves your search engine ranking, and provides content to share on social media.
  • Create educational videos: Answer frequently asked questions or explain complex legal concepts in short videos for your website and social media. YouTube is a massive search engine and an ideal platform for this.
  • Launch a podcast: Discuss legal insights, trends, or interview other experts. Podcasts are a great way to educate your audience and can be shared on various platforms.

3. Social media marketing

  • LinkedIn: Use LinkedIn to share insights, post articles, and connect with other professionals. It’s a powerful and free tool for networking and establishing your professional reputation.
  • YouTube: Create a channel to host your educational videos, case studies, and introductory firm videos. Optimising your video titles and descriptions with relevant keywords will help you gain visibility.
  • Facebook & Instagram: Use these platforms to connect with the local community, share updates about your firm, and showcase your expertise to a broad audience.

4. Search engine optimisation (SEO)

  • Optimise your law firm’s website to rank higher in search results. This is a long-term strategy that drives sustainable growth without the need for paid ads. Focus on including relevant keywords in your website copy.
  • Ensure your law firm shows up for local searches by optimising your content and listings with local keywords.

5. Reputation management

  • Client testimonials: Gather and display positive testimonials from satisfied clients (with their permission). These help build credibility and trust.
  • Share case studies: Showcase your credentials by highlighting successful cases. Video case studies are an easily digestible format for potential clients.

How to put these ideas into practice


If you don’t have full-time marketing staff, you may require help from a marketing professional to set this up. Or you can upskill your admin staff to handle some of your firm’s basic marketing activities. Have a look at our Legal Marketing 101 course.

Click here to schedule a free consultation.

When do you use capital letters?

In the English language, most words are written in lower case. Exceptions are names of people, places, and things. But that’s not all you need to know. There are specific rules that apply in certain circumstances.

The basic rules for capitalisation

  • Sentences start with capital letters
  • The first pronoun “I” is always a capital I
  • Days and months: Monday, Tuesday, January, February
  • Names and nicknames: Thabo, Susan, Little Joe
  • Cities, countries, continents, regions: Paris, South Africa, Asia, the West Coast
  • Mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, and deserts: Mount Everest, Atlantic Ocean, Nile, Lake Victoria, Namib Desert

The more complex rules: Titles

As a general rule: A title before the name is capitalised, after the name it’s lower case.

Before a name
Minister of Education, Maria Rodriguez, said that by 2030 higher education would be free for all.

When you address someone by their title
“Will you be at the meeting, Minister?”

After a name
When you refer to a title as a description, it’s always lower case: John Smith is the managing director of ABCD Company.

Abbreviations like CEO, CFO, CA, which stand for chief executive officer, chief financial officer and chartered accountant, are written in capital letters. But when you use the full words, they’re written lower case.

Academic titles
Don’t capitalise academic titles unless followed by a name: Professor Joe Smith will attend.

Titles are lower case when following a name in a sentence: Mary Doe, assistant professor, will not attend.

Titles, like fellow, are capitalised if they’re part of the formal name of the fellowship, ie “a Fellow of the XYZ Society”.

Other
In an event outline, on their email signature in caps:
John Smith, Chief Executive Officer, ABCD Company

Legislation and documents

  • Protection of Personal Information Act
  • Basic Conditions of Employment Act
  • Global Outlook Report 2020
  • WHO Report on Diseases in Africa

 Names of courts and other institutions

  • The Supreme Court of Appeal
  • The Constitutional Court
  • United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
  • International Monetary Fund

But when referred to in general and not by name, it’s court, tribunal, bargaining council, fund, commission, etc.

Legal documents

In legal documents words that identify parties in an agreement, or a court case, are usually written with capital letters: Defendant, Plaintiff, Seller, Buyer, Landlord, Lessee, etc.

But this is NOT the case when you use these words in any other piece of writing. Then the standard rule of writing English words in lower case applies:

The landlord, who was also the defendant, testified in court that he had communicated to the plaintiff that he was willing to reduce the monthly rental by 50% until the leaking roof was repaired.

Headings

Sentence case
This format is in line with the way English is written and it’s easy to read:

“When to start words with capital letters”

Title case
The first and last words are capitalised plus all others in between, except articles (a, an, the), conjunctions (but, because, so, etc) and prepositions (from, of, with, to, etc):

“When to Start Words with Capital Letters”

Sometimes this is quite difficult to figure out. And I believe it looks messy.

Unique upper/lower case abbreviations

Wireless fidelity = WiFi
High fidelity = HiFi
Science fiction = SciFi

© Andrea Paulsen

Collective nouns and verb agreement

A herd of elephants. A team of players. A fleet of ships. Nouns that describe a group of people, animals, or things are called collective nouns.

Collective nouns don’t get special treatment. Grammatically they are treated the same way as any other noun.

A singular noun takes a singular verb, and a plural noun takes a plural verb.
Example            

A herd of elephants was drinking at the watering hole. The herd drinks there every night.

Watch out for the noun. It’s herd, so the verb agrees with the singular noun. It doesn’t agree with the word elephants, which is part of the phrase “herd of elephants“.

Different points of view

There is much controversy around collective nouns. In the United States collective nouns are treated as singular entities. Yet in Britain, nearly all collective nouns are used with a plural verb because they refer to groups, thereby deriving their “plural status” from their meaning.

From a strictly grammatical point of view this does not make sense. Grammar stands on its own; it does not take instructions from the meaning of words.

Plus, if a noun has a plural, how then can both, the singular and the plural noun, have plural verbs? There are various schools of thought and much debate on this topic. Some say whether the verb should be singular or plural, depends on the usage of the collective noun. Let’s explore that.

Example: Family

The family is going on holiday. While they are at their holiday destination, the family members do different things. According to the argument “it depends on the usage”, one could say:

The family are sightseeing, lazing around the pool, and visiting friends. Which makes no sense at all, since we are referring to a collective. Separately they are no longer “the family”, but individual family members who swim, sightsee, and visit friends.

Example: Team

The team is practising before tomorrow’s game. After practice some team members go home to rest, others meet with friends, and others watch TV.

It would be ridiculous to continue using the singular collective noun and the plural verb to say: The team go home to rest, meet with friends, and watch TV.

It’s nonsensical to continue using the collective noun when the members of the family/team/board of people or the group/pack/flock of animals don’t act collectively anymore. Rather refer to them as family members, team members, board members. Or as individuals: players (team), directors (board), elephants (herd), etc.

Examples of collective nouns 

People

Animals

Things

A board of directors
A crowd of people
A panel of experts
A class of students
A team of players
A choir of singers

A flock of birds
A herd of cattle
A litter of kittens
A pack of wolves
A school of fish
A hive of bees
A pride of lions

A fleet of ships
A galaxy of stars
A bouquet of flowers
A range of mountains

© Andrea Paulsen

How to write numbers

Words or numerals

In words from one to nine and in numerals from 10 onwards. Exceptions:

  • Chapter 1
  • Grade 2
  • Fractions: 3.4 or 8½
  • Age groups: 2-3 years old
  • Dialogue: “I turned twenty-three.”
  • In fiction: She was twenty-three when…
  • Numbers next to each other: 50 ten-metre poles
  • At the beginning of sentences: Two hundred and twenty people attended the event.

Thousand separators

  • In South Africa, except for the accounting profession, we write thousands with a space before the last three digits: 10 000
  • For a global audience (websites etc) use commas as thousand separators: 10,000

Hyphens in numbers

  • Twenty-one (21)
  • Two hundred and fifty-four (254)
  • Three thousand four hundred and fifty-seven (3,457)
  • Twenty-five thousand seven hundred and eighty-two (25,782)
  • Fifty-two million two hundred and ninety-seven thousand three hundred and fifty-two (52,297,352)

Percentages and fractions with a full stop

13.4% (use either % sign or write out percent – be consistent)

Amounts have no space after the denomination

  • ZAR100 or €100 or US$100
  • If your website or documents are for a South African audience use R, and ZAR for international use
  • In continuous text use the word “rand” – all lower case
  • Only write R10 000.50 if there are cents; don’t write R10 000.00 – too much clutter

Measurements

  • Add a space before km, kg, or pm: 5 km, 2 kg, 6 pm
  • No plurals: 200 km not kms

Time

Choose one option and stick with it throughout a document:

  • 9.30 am and 6 pm
  • 9h30 and 18h00
  • 9:00 and 18:00

Telephone and fax numbers

  • Locally: 011 888 1234
  • Internationally: +27 11 888 1234

Dates

  • Contemporary style: 30 September 2019
  • Don’t use, it’s old-fashioned: the 30th of September 2019
  • American: September 30, 2019

© Andrea Paulsen Communications

Law firms: How to respond to an RFP to get results

Responding to RFPs is an excellent way of broadening your firm’s client base.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) is a formal document issued by businesses, government agencies, or organisations seeking legal services. It outlines the scope of work, specific requirements, and evaluation criteria, inviting law firms to submit proposals demonstrating their expertise and value.

Where do you find RFPs?

Law firms can find RFPs through legal procurement platforms, government websites, corporate legal departments, and industry associations.

Networking, maintaining relationships with procurement officers, and subscribing to RFP alert services can also help firms stay informed about new opportunities.

Steps in the RFP process

  • Issuance. A company publishes the RFP, detailing the legal services required.
  • Clarification period. Firms can ask questions about the RFP before submission.
  • Proposal submission. Law firms prepare and submit their proposals before the deadline.
  • Evaluation and shortlisting. The company reviews responses, shortlists firms, and may request presentations or interviews.
  • Selection and contracting. The winning firm is chosen, and contract negotiations begin.

Choosing the right RFP to respond to

Not all RFPs are worth pursuing. It’s not a matter of the more pitches you send out, the more likely you’re going to get the work. Select the RFPs for work that you really want to do and that you excel at.

It takes time to prepare a response to an RFP properly. Invest your time wisely and rather do one brilliant one than send out five mediocre ones.

Law firms should assess

  • Relevance to their expertise. Does the request align with the firm’s practice areas?
  • Capacity and resources. Can the firm handle the workload within the given timeframe?
  • Likelihood of success. Does the firm meet the required experience, credentials, and pricing expectations?

By strategically selecting RFPs, law firms can focus on opportunities where they are most competitive and likely to win.

How to make your response stand out

Don’t use a generic document for every RFP. A well-crafted, compelling response can make all the difference. Focus on clarity and customisation to demonstrate real value.

Read the RFP carefully

Start by reviewing the document thoroughly. Ensure you understand exactly what the client is asking for, including the scope of work, submission requirements, and evaluation criteria.

Go beyond the basic requirements and research the client’s business, industry, and legal challenges. Tailor your response to show a clear understanding of their specific needs.

Follow the required structure

Pay close attention to the headings, questions, and order in which information is requested. Use the RFP’s terminology and structure so evaluators can easily find the info they need.

Write a strong, customised introduction

Your opening page should immediately show that you fully understand the client’s requirements and can deliver the services they need.

A personalised, well-written introduction can set the tone for the rest of the proposal and persuade the reader to continue. Explain why your firm is the right fit. Highlight shared values, your firm’s expertise in their niche, or anything else that shows why they should choose you.

Tailor your response


While it helps to have your firm information, practice descriptions, and lawyer profiles on file, these should only serve as a starting point. Every response should be customised, showing how your firm’s experience and team align with the client’s specific needs.

  • Demonstrate your team’s strengths. Introduce key team members who will be handling the work, their qualifications, and related experience to reassure the client of your capabilities.
  • Present relevant experience. Clients want evidence, not just assurances. Showcase past work that directly relates to the client’s requirements. Use case studies, success stories, or measurable results to demonstrate your firm’s expertise.
  • Highlight responsiveness. Indicate how your firm will communicate, meet deadlines, and provide ongoing support, reinforcing reliability and client service excellence.
  • Emphasise value, not just cost. While pricing is important, clients want to see the value your firm brings. Highlight efficiencies, innovative approaches, or additional services that add benefit beyond standard legal work.

Present a professional document

A well-structured, easy-to-read document with headings, bullet points, and infographics makes a stronger impression than a dense, text-heavy proposal.

Use clean formatting, consistent branding, and careful proofreading to ensure the final document looks professional and is easy to read.

A well-prepared RFP response demonstrates more than legal expertise. It shows attention to detail, an understanding of the client’s needs, and a commitment to delivering high-quality service.

You only get one chance to make the right impression!

If you don’t have the expertise in-house to put together a top-notch RFP response, get professional help. A well-designed, branded template and professionally written content will go a long way towards getting a positive response.

We can help with writing and design. 
Click here to schedule a free consultation.

Too many “whiches”

relative pronouns

I have been proofreading and editing articles written by lawyers for the past 25 years. Lawyers are very fond of long sentences. Often these contain numerous phrases starting with which.

Not only are these long sentences difficult to read and can often be split into two or three shorter ones, but many times the word which is used instead of that. They are not interchangeable – each has its place. Let me explain.

Which or that

That introduces essential information (also called a restrictive clause). Without it, the sentence doesn’t make sense.

  • Example: The house that I want to buy is in a state of disrepair. When shortened to “The house is in a state of disrepair” the context is missing. The fact that it’s the one I want to buy is the point of the sentence. Wrong would be: The house which I want to buy…

Which is used for optional information (also called a non-restrictive clause). It is added between commas and can be removed without the sentence losing its meaning.

  • Example: The house, which is in an established suburb, needs work before I can move in.
    The information about the suburb is not that relevant, so the phrase between commas could fall away.

When deciding whether to use which or that, ask yourself whether the phrase you’re adding is disposable (use: which) or essential (use: that).

Better without “which”

Although non-restrictive clauses (those with which between commas) have their place, often sentences can be split in two, making them more reader-friendly.

  • Correct use of which:
    His rude and obnoxious behaviour, which explained why he didn’t have any friends, usually brought out the worst in people.

    But even better would be doing away with the non-restrictive clause and rather tell the story in two sentences: His rude and obnoxious behaviour usually brought out the worst in people. His disagreeable nature also explained why he didn’t have any friends.

  • Correct use of which:
    A financial adviser took out a professional indemnity policy, which was meant to indemnify him against legal liability.

    Better writing: A financial adviser took out a professional indemnity policy meant to indemnify him against legal liability.

    Even better: A financial adviser took out a professional indemnity policy as protection against legal liability.

Which has its place, but often you can do without it altogether.

Who versus that

Who is used for people and that for things. Although it’s not wrong to use that for people occasionally, it makes sense to use who when possible, simply because the word that is used so often.

  • Examples:
    Marie Curie was the first woman who won a Nobel Prize.
    The SPCA is an organisation that cares for homeless animals.

In case you’re interested

Who, which and that are called relative pronouns. A relative pronoun is used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun.

©Andrea Paulsen

Me, myself, and I – the personal pronoun puzzle

personal pronoun puzzle

A personal pronoun is a substitute for the name of a person or object and can indicate gender, as well as singular or plural.

Person Subject Object Possessive Reflexive
1st singular I me my/mine myself
2nd singular you you your/yours yourself
3rd singular he, she, it him, her, it his, her, its himself, herself, itself
1st plural we us our/ours ourselves
2nd plural you you your/yours yourself
3rd plural they them their/theirs themselves

Subject-object confusion

The key to using the correct pronoun is whether it’s the subject or the object of a sentence.

The subject in a sentence is the person performing an action.

  • I drive to work every day.
  • I am going on holiday in December.
  • I phoned Julie yesterday and left a message on her voicemail.

The object in a sentence is the person on the receiving end of the action:

  • Julie called me back today.
  • My boss asked me to work next Saturday.
  • This must remain between you and me.

Confusion often arises when we add another person:

  • Joe and I are going on holiday. (subject)
  • My boss asked Julie and me to work next Saturday. (object)

The same principle of subject and object applies, but people often get it wrong when it involves two people. If the subject and object in a sentence aren’t clear to you, just try the sentence without the second party or just use the plural.

  • “Joe and me are ready.”
    Wrong, because you’d never say: “Me am ready”, but rather “I am ready.”
    Correct: “Joe and I are ready.”
  • “It’s between you and I.”
    Wrong, because you’d never say, “It’s between we”, but rather “It’s between us”.
    Correct: “It’s between you and me.”

Prepositions

Many people use between with the subject pronoun I.

Between, with, to, and from are prepositions. They must be followed by an indirect object pronoun, in the case of the first person, that’s me.

Reflexive pronouns

A reflexive pronoun represents the subject when that person is mentioned a second time in the same sentence. It never stands alone.

  • Example: I baked the cake myself.
  • Typical mistake:
    Q: Who was at the party last Saturday?
    Wrong: Myself and the guys from work.
    Correct: The guys from work and I.
    This is a phrase consisting solely of the subject. The full sentence would be:
    The guys from work and I [subject] were at the party [object].

Reciprocal pronouns: Each other vs one another

Each other is a reciprocal pronoun between two people: Be kind to each other.
One another is a reciprocal pronoun between a group of people: Be kind to one another.

Indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns like everyone, everybody, no one, and nobody are always singular.

The singular “they”

It always sounds clumsy to write he/she to be gender inclusive. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t talk like that. It’s much more elegant to use the singular they, and it’s gender neutral.

Instead of saying: An employee may only apply for leave once he/she has cleared the dates with his/her manager.

Rather say: An employee may only apply for leave once they have cleared the dates with their manager.

©Andrea Paulsen

It’s mine – apostrophes explained

apostrophes

Two things to remember: Apostrophes indicate either ownership or a contraction of words.

Contractions

The apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters:

  • Do not = don’t
  • Does not = doesn’t
  • Is not = isn’t
  • Cannot = can’t
  • Could have = could’ve
  • I am = I’m
  • We will = we’ll
  • They are = they’re
  • Let us = let’s

Ownership

  • Vusi’s cell phone
  • Sarah’s car
  • The children’s toys

Add an apostrophe and an S, except for plural words that already end with an S: My parents’ house

The odd one out: “its” is possessive, “it’s” stands for “it is” or “it has”.

Ownership by more than one

When two nouns possess the same entity, only the second takes an apostrophe:

  • I went to my aunt and uncle’s house yesterday.

When two nouns possess different entities, both possessives take an apostrophe:

  • My sister’s and cousin’s houses are on the same street.
  • When it’s hot, friends’ and neighbours’ children spend the day at our pool.

When words end with an S

If a word is only one syllable, use an apostrophe and an S:

  • Boss’s Day is on 16 October.

For plurals just add an apostrophe after the S: The Millers’ house is next to ours.

Follow this simple rule for the possessive: Add an extra S when you actually say it.

Sometimes singular and plural sound the same, you’ll only see the difference in writing:

  • My boy’s school is closed today. My boys’ school is closed today.

Wrong use of apostrophes

Never use an apostrophe to indicate a plural: PCs – DVDs – TVs – 1950s

©Andrea Paulsen

Legal marketing for sole practitioners and smaller firms

A new year is an opportunity for a fresh start! Everybody is rested after their year-end break and full of enthusiasm and positive expectancy. A good time to review and update your marketing activities.

You need a marketing strategy to promote your brand and a marketing plan to implement it.

If your budget is limited, prioritise digital because it’s the most cost-effective way to raise your firm’s profile. Keep in touch with your existing client base through regular updates via email newsletters and social media.

Write articles with relevant content that you can send out in an email newsletter, post on your website and on social media, and submit to relevant publications. One article gets multiple exposures – that’s time well spent.

The essential marketing elements

  • Website
  • Database (for example, MailChimp, or via your website)
  • Firm profile and other brochures
  • Monthly newsletter
  • Articles for external publication
  • Social media posts
  • RFPs and pitches
  • Events, seminars and webinars
  • Directory submissions (Chambers, Legal 500, etc)
  • Award submissions

Review and refresh

Ensure what you put out is presented in a professional manner with a consistent brand identity and voice.

  • Your website. Your website is your calling card. If you haven’t got one, get one. If you have one, refresh the design if the look is outdated. Replace existing content with updated information and upload new items regularly. Update individual profiles: Add new expertise, or just rewrite existing content to make it sound fresh and new.
  • Brochures and pitch templates. Update design and content.
  • Newsletter template. Refresh the look.
  • Social media. People are more active on social media than ever. You can’t afford not to be seen. Ensure your social media pages are aligned with your brand and your individual lawyers’ LinkedIn profiles are well-written.

Your annual marketing calendar

Enter relevant events and dates on an annual planner. These should include:

  • Conferences and industry-specific association events
  • Deadlines for directory and award submissions
  • Graduate recruitment university open days
  • Public holidays and social events where you usually send out emailers or plan functions (like Spring Day, Mandela Day)

Then add your in-house activities:

  • Decide on dates for seminars and workshops for the whole year. (Note: School holidays are usually not a good time for client events.)
  • Draw up a schedule for newsletters and assign content provision. Make sure everyone knows what they’re expected to contribute and by when.
  • Social media: Schedule regular posts of newsworthy information, firm news and observances. The 80/20 principle applies: For every promotional post, you should have four that provide value-adding content.

Events and webinars

Networking is important in the legal profession. External events offer the opportunity to meet prospective clients. Interacting socially adds a personal dimension to relationships. You find common ground when you talk about your hobbies and interests and your families. And that’s when prospective clients become real clients.

But the best way to find new business is not finding new clients but getting more business from your existing clients. Internal events offer the opportunity for lawyers to introduce their clients to their colleagues. This opens the door for business development opportunities between practice areas.

What type of event is best?

  • Educational seminars and workshops focusing on specific areas of law can position your firm as a thought leader and attract potential clients interested in those topics. Offer short, informative seminars to clients at your offices. Keep them low budget. Have a coffee break at the halfway mark to give your lawyers the opportunity to network with the clients. Don’t think food has to be the main attraction for clients to attend a seminar. Sharing knowledge and expertise at no cost is the drawcard.
  • Webinars and virtual Q&A sessions offer a way to reach a broader audience without the logistical complexities and costs of in-person events.

Differentiate yourself from your competitors

You can provide in-house seminars or workshops for clients about issues that are relevant to their employees. You’re not marketing your services, but you’re adding value, and clients remember that. And these short presentations can be given by junior staff – an opportunity to develop their presentation skills.

Social responsibility

Get active in your community. If you don’t already have a social responsibility programme, partner with an NGO in your neighbourhood. Get your staff involved in volunteer work. And, if you can, make a financial contribution or offer pro bono services. These activities will create goodwill and promote your brand. As a bonus, you can post what you’ve done on social media.

Your plan of action

The size of your firm, your main practice areas, how much time you have every week to spend on marketing, and your marketing budget will determine which of these elements you can implement.

Don’t try to do everything. Pick what’s most important and manageable right now. Add other elements later – a few more next year, and a few more the year after.

Do you need help deciding on the right marketing activities for your firm? Schedule a free consultation: https://calendly.com/ap-andreapaulsen/30min

Who should implement your marketing plan?

You probably have an accountant to do your books and an IT specialist to sort out your computers.

So, don’t waste time trying to become a marketing expert. Focus on your core business and outsource your marketing if you don’t have full-time marketing staff.

Alternatively, train someone at your firm who has spare capacity to handle your firm’s basic marketing activities. More about that here: https://andreapaulsen.com/legal-marketing-101/

© Andrea Paulsen