I never think about my elbow—neither the left one nor the right one. I bet you don’t think about your elbows either.
Of course, if something goes wrong with my elbow, then it’s all I think about. I use my arms with some regularity, and a painful elbow would dominate my thoughts.
No matter what the local orthopedic doctors do, I’m not paying attention as long as my elbow doesn’t hurt. I’m not visiting their website or noticing their ads or paying attention to anything they say.
Why would I pay attention to the orthopedic doctors if my elbow doesn’t hurt? I wouldn’t, of course.
That’s a problem for elbow doctors. They want me to think of them when my elbow gets injured. But how in the world will I think of them if I’m ignoring them most of the time?
They face the same problem as many lawyers. Most marketing isn’t going to work if your prospective client isn’t yet experiencing the problem you solve.
What Are You to Do?
Two approaches work:
- Be there. Be persistently present in a subtle, gentle way. That might involve sponsoring sporting or charitable events. It might involve interesting content that appeals to everyone. Maybe the orthopedic doctor can release a video on how she treated the local football hero. Maybe you can release a video based on your research of someone else’s high profile case? Being interesting, useful, and present requires creative thinking on your part.
- Offer something different. Invent service or product offerings that appeal to those not yet in need of your expertise. A divorce lawyer could sell a book of marriage advice (learned on the front lines) to happily married people. An orthopedic doctor could sell a vitamin for keeping bones healthy. Offer something to all those people who don’t yet need your service in order to stay top of mind with them.
Marketing an offering that doesn’t yet interest your prospects is tricky. It’s far easier to market sandwiches to hungry people than funerals to living people. You’ve got to be creative, think outside the box, and put yourself in the heads of the people who may eventually become your clients.
