Dear Private Practitioner, Focus on Educational Videos

While direct marketing or advertisement of any form is not allowed in the legal industry, there are very smart ways to “sell your service” as a private practitioner, and giving people free advice is one sure way to make that happen.

There are so many people out there who don’t know how to go about imposed legal requirements for their businesses, family and organizations and are in deep need of someone to just point them in the right direction. But you may think, “If I give them free information, how’d I pay my own bills?”, and that’s a legitimate question.

However, here’s the catch: you’re playing a long term game that will serve you more benefits than any quick Naira, Kobo (or Dollars) you can take to the bank today. The fact that you’re learning to bake doesn’t mean that you want to bake your wedding cake. You may learn to bake a few cupcakes here and there, but the day you need a huge celebratory cake, you’re most likely going to look for someone you know can deliver a flawless confectionery for you.

Giving people valuable and useful information tells them that you’re competent; that you know what you’re doing (and saying); that you’re a thought leader; that you can be trusted and that you can be relied upon. These are the exact features we ascribe to “great service”. So while you may have told them how to go about registering their business name (because it’s actually a simple process now), they still need someone who can help them seal deals, facilitate contracts, represent them in court, review funding terms with them and much more, and who do you guess they’ll likely consult at that point? 75% of the time, it’s usually that one lawyer who they know always comes to their aid.

This is why we believe that making educational videos and putting them free online can help your practice and business a whole lot. You want to position yourself in such a way that when any ‘legal requirement’ comes to people’s space, the first name they think about is you. And that can only be achieved if you’re always there to provide them useful legal information.

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So gather as much question as you can from prospective clients, colleagues, partners and open-ended sites (including social media and forums) that are relevant for legal scrutiny. These should be questions that your target audience(s) find valuable.

When you answer these questions, make sure that you’re not forcing a sales pitch into it, because people will notice that over time and may think you’re taking them on a fool’s ride. Also, make your answers concise and in simple language.

You can record these videos on your smartphone. Just make sure to be in a quiet and serene environment so that people are much focused on you and your message.

Finally, don’t forget to tell your audience how you can further help them (introducing your services smartly).

Platforms that are most effective for FAQs and Q&As are social media platforms (e.g Periscope – for Twitter, Instagram Live or IGTV for Instagram and Facebook Live). You can also put these live or recording sessions together afterwards and post on YouTube.