Making the most of the ‘dog days’ of summer

In baseball, they call this time of year the ‘dog days of August’. Lawyers stuck in the office instead of relaxing at the cottage may well feel the same way. The usual energy of the office isn’t there, client calls and emails don’t come in at a rapid pace and there are fewer colleagues around to banter with. It can be easy to let the days slip away.

Rather than let the time pass by, why not use the last few weeks of summer to tackle some of some small but hugely important tasks that support your marketing? Here’s a few to get you started:

1. Update your website profile. Chances are it hasn’t changed in a while. While you are at it, update your LinkedIn and other social media profiles.

2. Review your contact lists. Are all your clients and contacts easily at your disposal? What marketing lists should they be added to?

3. Make a list of the work you’ve completed in the first half of 2014 and break it down by sector and work type. Next time you’re working on an urgent proposal you’ll be glad to have this list handy.

4. Did some of you work in the first half of the year involve particularly challenging or new areas of law? Why not write a case study for your website, proposals or trade press? Be sure to share it internally.

5. You’ve worked hard on all those files so far this year and there’s lots of work you’re proud of. But do you have permission to name the client and the details of the matter on your website or in proposals? Now’s the time to ask.

6. Book the dates for your autumn seminars / webinars before things get busy in September. Well organized events need a decent lead time to organize and promote. Christmas will be here before you know it.

7. Have lunch with a colleague who has clients you could help.

8. Have lunch with another colleague who could help your clients.

9. Take some time to learn more about some of your key clients and prospects. Review their website, visit their office, read their trade press, book yourself to go to one of their industry conferences.

10. Never have time to write blogs or articles the rest of the year? Why not write a few when things are quiet and drip feed them out over the next few months?

11. What has your competition been up to? Spend some time looking at their websites to see how they’re positioning themselves, the press coverage they are receiving, the topics they’re writing about, the seminars they’re presenting and the industry events they’re sponsoring. What you find should help you come with ideas for what to do, and what to avoid, in your own marketing.

12. Take some time to review your list of former clients and intermediaries. Are there some that have slipped off the radar? Now’s the time to get back in touch before another six months pass by.

13. Have a top prospect you’ve been courting? Why not reconnect with them now to discuss the issues affecting their business (see #8) and to tell them about how you helped tackle similar challenges (see #3).

14. Looking for an intro to a dream client. Armed with some client and industry insight and recent work examples, now might be the ideal time to ask.

In just a few weeks the summer will be over and the usual routine of work and files will kick in. Spending the remaining weeks of August on a few of these actions will help you move into the autumn with the basics in place and some momentum to help carry your marketing forward.