If you are running a busy practice, it is often marketing that gets pushed to the bottom of the list. But growing your business doesn’t necessarily mean a big investment of time or money

To help, we have compiled a list of easy tips which will help you. Once you have completed this checklist once, any ongoing activity is a lot easier to manage.

1. Know your current clients

Many people make the mistake of thinking that new business must come from new clients. Actually the most cost-effective way to drive new business is to work your existing client base harder.

Start by analysing your current business. Do you have a good understanding of your current customer base? What are the typical areas that bring in new clients? Once you have a new client, do you have a good understanding of their ongoing needs?

Mapping out and understanding the lifetime of your client relationships can help you to identify areas for growth. This could be by more actively promoting your existing areas of expertise but it is just as important to identify any areas where you could be losing clients.

If you can’t easily access the data to help you do that, a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) could be a valuable investment for your business. There is a wide range of software available on the market and cost-effective ways to spread the cost.

2. Face time

Once you have analysed your client base, you may find that Pareto’s principle applies. The old adage is that 80% of your business comes from 20% of your clients. If so, make sure that you know those clients, understand their needs and, where possible, spend time with them.

If this is a small group, you may want to spend time with them on a one to one basis. If you have a bigger group of clients and they aren’t competing with each other, you may want to host an event to see several of them at the same time. Remember that your client’s time is important so offer them something of value. Consider hosting a breakfast briefing with a short presentation or a networking event for local businesses to meet.

3. Communicate

Your business needs to be front of mind with the client and that means staying in touch. Start with the basics – send a thank you email after any engagement. The more personalised you can make it, the more likely your customer is to remember it.

As your client base grows, consider setting up a regular email newsletter. Ideas for content include new and developing areas of the law; a comment on own areas of expertise; as well as any developments at your firm – new staff or practice areas. Tailor it to the needs of your clients by thinking about issues that affect them. For example, if you are dealing with small businesses consider updates on their obligations regarding flexible working for their employees or tips on managing client data.

4. Network

Once you have a solid understanding of your existing client base, you also need to develop new business opportunities. Whatever your area of expertise, there will be ways to showcase your services. Look for opportunities to speak at conferences or write in specialist trade publications.

Identify networks which may provide opportunities to meet local business leaders. Make sure that you are armed with business cards. Other than that be prepared to talk to as many people as you can.

5. Virtual presence

One to one marketing is great, but you can’t always be there to promote your business in person. So have a virtual presence that keeps working behind the scenes. Even a basic website will give your business credibility. Make sure it reflects your practice areas and includes your contact details. Include key contacts, biographies and photographs to make it easy for new clients to get in touch.

Once you have set up a website, make sure that it is easy to find on the web. Your URL should be as short as possible and ideally just your firm’s name. Make sure that you use key words on each page so that it appears in the right search results. Think about what a potential client would search for, rather than a legal term that you might refer to. For example, a small business owner might search for ‘registering a trade mark’ rather than the’ Trade Marks Act 1994’.

You don’t have to be particularly technically minded to set up a website, there are lots of web design agencies which can help. But there is also a wide range of web design software which could provide you with tips, tools and templates to make the job easier.

Once you have set up the basics, it will be a lot easier to maintain your marketing effort. But remember that marketing your business isn’t a one-time exercise. Good business practice means continually monitoring and understanding your client base; networking and maintaining your online presence.