There are a number of skeptics in the legal world who question the effectiveness of email marketing. Whenever an attorney comes to me and tells me that they’ve sent a newsletter in the past, but found it to be ineffective, I know they did something wrong.

Here are some cardinal mistakes you need to avoid:

Frequency – A newsletter isn’t an annual update. You need to send 12 newsletters per year to be effective.

Length – Your newsletter needs to be interesting and to the point. People are too busy to read lengthy pieces. Keep it to less than two pages.

Tracking – If you aren’t using an email service like Constant Contact – and checking the statistics – then you are wasting your time. Whatever you do, do not send it as an attachment via Microsoft Outlook. People are very skeptical about viruses hiding out in attachments these days.

Expectations – If you are expecting to receive a sudden influx of phone calls, you need to adjust your thinking. In general, it takes six months of consistent newsletters before you start to see results.

The benefits are obvious and the risks nearly non-existent. I highly recommend you start your monthly e-newsletter campaign as soon as possible, and a new calendar year is the best time to put this new communication method into practice!