Getting good clients is difficult. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Regardless of your practice area, there are lawyers trying to get those clients. It’s competitive. Some lawyers come to me worried that they can’t compete with larger firms with bigger budgets. They see firms spending big bucks on slick websites, client events, networking, advertising, etc. It feels like these large firms are everywhere you look. It’s impossible to escape their marketing. Small firm lawyers often feel like there’s no way they can co-exist in a market where the big guys are throwing around lots of money. The fact is that you can compete without a big budget. There are a variety of approaches, all of which work.

How to Run With the Big Dogs

1. First, you can network. You don’t need much money to build relationships. You’ll spend a few bucks taking other professionals to Starbucks for coffee, but that’s not going to break you. If you’re not sure where to start, then get a copy of Networking 101.
2. Second, you can buy advertising in online micro-markets. For instance, you can run Google AdWords in a particular zip code. You can narrowly target LinkedIn members by occupation and city. You can carefully limit your spending by narrowly focusing on a particular target.
3. Finally, micro-target in the offline world. Pick a small market and be a big presence. For instance, go big in the triathlon world. Be a sponsor, buy banners at races, get listed in the program, sign up for the race and make a branded jersey, and get your employees to participate and volunteer. You don’t need to sponsor the Ironman. Go for a small local race.

Copying what the large, big-budget firms are doing leads to a spending war. Don’t engage on their field of battle. Pick your own place to market and win where they aren’t competing. You don’t need a big budget to make the phone ring and bring in the clients.