Having trouble figuring out the most effective law firm marketing methods? It’s important to avoid losing time and money to trial and error, and stumbling and fumbling around is a sure-fire way to waste lots of both when it comes to law firm marketing.

If you don’t know the secrets of law firm marketing, you give your competition a huge advantage. Here are 5 principles of law firm marketing that will get you started in the right direction. Look for ways they apply to your current campaigns.

People: Identify your target market. Analyze the characteristics of your best and worst clients and determine why they need your services. Look for a niche you can serve.

Product: Pinpoint what services you provide and how you can best present these to your prospects. Put yourself in their shoes. Ensure they know exactly what services they will receive.

Positioning: Study the competition. Learn why you are different from your competition and educate your prospects about why they should hire you and no one else. This convinces clients to do business with you and no one else.

Packaging:  Project an image that makes people want to work with you and micromanage the client experience so your clients actually feel what makes you different from the first time they walk in the door.

Place: Make sure that a prospective client can find you when they need your services by building a strong Internet presence through social media networking, blogging and ensuring your website is designed to appeal to search engines.

These 5 principles lay a firm foundation on which to build your law firm marketing plan. A realistic appraisal of them will tell you where you are as opposed to where you want to be