Small Practice Marketing

Large practices have the advantage of being able to spread the cost of marketing across a large number of lawyers and paralegals, all of whom are generating revenue. For small practices, it can be challenging to maximize your available time and money.

The starting point of any marketing campaign is to determine the goal of your marketing campaign. Do you want to increase brand awareness or do you want to generate specific leads? You will also need to decide to whom you are wanting to market. The two main areas are professional contacts and the general public.

Your marketing goals should be part of your business plan. You will need to determine your revenue targets, expenses, and business structure. Many practices run into difficulty because they do not allocate sufficient time or money to marketing.

When targeting other professionals, networking plays a significant role in marketing. The goal is to meet as many target professionals as possible and have them associate a positive memory with you.

The Canadian Bar Association is an excellent networking opportunity. Being involved in CBA Sections or attending training opportunities can create significant networking connections.

When networking, it is essential to make it clear that you are taking new referrals. If you are networking with senior lawyers, you can ask them for referrals. When marketing to the general public, joining organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, church groups, and sports associations can create opportunities.

Promoting your brand to the general population is accomplished by plastering your name in as many locations as possible. Ideally, your branding efforts should be paired with a positive association. Sponsoring a local charity or sports team can be a very costeffective way of creating those associations.

Marketing professionals often talk about the Rule of 5/95. At any given time only 5% of consumers have the desire to purchase your product. The goal of branding is to have your business at the top of people’s minds when they decide they need your services.

For example, Coca-Cola does a lot of repetitive advertising. The goal of that advertising is not to get you to go out and buy a Coke immediately. Rather, the next time you are feeling thirsty the first thing you think of is a Coke.

The starting point for any lead generation is to determine the specific product that you wish to sell. It is a lot more expensive and time-consuming to promote all of your services than it is to promote specific services.

Lead generation is targeted at the 5% of the population that need your product at a given time. These ads need to represent value and imbue a sense of urgency. For example, one effective family law advertising campaign encouraged consumers to “act now before the new Divorce Act comes in.” This was coupled with a value offer of $1500 for a desk order divorce.

When advertising specific services, you can either advertise loss leaders or high-profit services. A loss leader is a service that you provide, potentially at a loss, in order to draw clients to your practice.

This approach can be very effective when using online tools such as Google ads and Facebook. These tools provide excellent tracking, but do require a clear understanding of the programs.

The best marketing plans can fall apart if clients are not able to find you. Having a decent and wellorganized website is essential. Ensuring that when clients contact you you respond immediately is also important. A potential client may be going through a list of lawyers and if you did not respond to them promptly, they simply go on to the next one.

Office procedures and practice software such as Clio Grow, which quickly responds to intakes, can maximize your chances of converting a lead into a client.

CBABC Sections hosted over 100 meetings and socials in the fall of 2022 and now 2023 is off to a strong start! With a wide variety of online, hybrid, and in-person activities, there is no shortage of opportunities to keep current in your practice area and connect with fellow members.

September 28, 2022

In September, the Employment Law Section hosted a meeting for over 150 members to hear about the enforceability of noncompete and non-solicitation clauses. Matthew McCarthy, Boughton Law Corporation, and Kristina Draskovic, Harris & Co, reviewed criteria applied by the courts when assessing the reasonableness of a restrictive covenant, and applied a comparative lens to explore how key developments coming out of Ontario courts stand alongside developments in BC. The 1.5-hour session capped off with a list of best practices for how to get a handle on enforceability in your practice

WILLS & TRUSTS—VICTORIA:

E-WILLS UNDER WESA S 35

November 7, 2022

One of our highest-attended meetings last term, with over 200 registrants, was hosted by our Wills & Trusts—Victoria Section. Hana Felix, Island Law

Offices, led a discussion on the opportunities and pitfalls of e-Wills under Wills, Estates & Succession Act. Drawing from recent changes to WESA section 35, Hana shared insights on the characteristics of e-Wills, including forms, presence, and signatures. Using sample scenarios and live input from the audience, Hana responded to the issues and concerns facing members today, including risk, security, probate, storage, and the impact of changes in technology on this new practice approach.

December 14, 2022 uuu Want the latest meetings and events schedule for your Section? Bookmark cbabc.org/events and update your Sections enrollment so you don’t miss out! Also, catch up on missed PD content for your practice area by visiting our Sections recordings at cbabc.org/Sections-and-Community/About-Sections.

To cap off a successful term, the Real Property Section invited Edward Wilson and Brendan Craig, Lawson Lundell LLP, to prepare over 150 real property members for the impact of recent amendments to the Property Law Act and a new regulation that created a new homebuyer rescission regime in BC. These changes, which came into effect in January 2023, apply to contracts of purchase and sale for residential real property, and introduce a statutory right for a buyer to rescind an offer within a short period of time after acceptance. Edward and Brendan examine the scope and limitations of the new terms, including how to manage the “break fee,” new standard form contract provisions and related issues.

The Immigration Law Section & Overseas and Refugee Lawyers Groups had a strong start this year, having collectively hosted 10 Section meetings and events between October and December 2022! We welcomed over 300 of our Section members from across BC to share knowledge and build connections.

Looking ahead to the line-up of 2023 meetings and events, we are excited to add to our regular meeting schedule a return of a full-day of in-person learning and networking at our Annual Immigration Law Conference! The Conference Planning Committee has created an excellent program that will feature a panel of experts to discuss topics ranging from non-immigration issues for immigration lawyers, mastering Family Class Permanent Residence applications, to a review of notable cases. Space is limited, so register today!

uuu cbabc.org/Immigration

A feature of the conference that we are proud to offer again this year is the opportunity for early career lawyers to apply for one of six bursaries, valued at $500 each, to attend the upcoming National CBA Immigration Conference from June 1 to 3, in Ottawa, Ontario. Bursaries are awarded as a reimbursement to successful applicants who attend both the BC and National Immigration Conferences.

uuu More information about the bursary and application process can be found at cbabc.org/Immigration/Bursary.

The BC Women Lawyers Forum is pleased to host its biennial gala once again. This spring, we will honour recipients of the WLF Award of Excellence, the Debra Van Ginkel, KC Mentoring Award, and the inaugural recipient of the Rising Star Award.

Our new Rising Star Award celebrates the accomplishments of a woman lawyer who has achieved tremendous professional success over the course of ten years of practice or less, and who has contributed to improving the legal community in BC.

The Debra Van Ginkel, KC Mentoring Award honours the memory and accomplishments of Debra Van Ginkel, KC, an extraordinary woman and lawyer. Debra believed that all people, women lawyers especially, need a mentor. Debra was a committed, inspirational, and wise mentor. The Award recognizes a mentor with the qualities and commitment Debra demonstrated throughout her life and legal career.

The WLF Award of Excellence celebrates the accomplishments of a woman who has succeeded in breaking new ground for women in the legal profession in BC. The Award recognizes an exceptional woman who has taken risks, fostered change, and ultimately opened doors for women lawyers.

The BC WLF looks forward to welcoming and reconnecting with friends and colleagues at the gala in the spring of 2023!