Public speaking is a very powerful law firm marketing strategy to generate more clients and referral sources.  Here are four tips that will ensure the time you commit to this endeavor pays off for you:

Step #1: Always Speak to Decision Makers

Make sure you get in front of the right group (people who either can refer you clients or who are highly likely to need, want and be able to afford your services). If you are invited to speak at an event, ask the organizer these questions before agreeing to appear:

• What is the average attendance?

• Who is your average attendee? Their job title? Description? Age?

• What kinds of topics have had the best response?

• Who has recently spoken to your group and what did they speak about?

Step #2: Educate Your Audience

Make your talk educational. Don’t stand up there and spout legal jargon and legal theory or sections and codes because that’s not what people want. They want practical, useful information.

You may say, “Well, I don’t want to give away the store. I don’t want to give them so much information that they can do it themselves.” Please understand that if you could give them enough information where they could do it themselves, the people who actually would do it themselves are not your clients.

You want to target the people who have the money to hire an attorney and don’t want to do it themselves. You don’t want to hire tire kickers or “do it yourselfers” because all they’re going to do is try to get your lowest price.

You must recognize that not everyone in the audience is in your target market and you need to qualify them as much as they qualify you. You need to ensure that they need you, they want you and they can afford you.

Step #3: Get Attendees’ Contact Information

Have a plan for obtaining the attendees’ contact information both before and after your presentation. You want to get it before so that you can get ready to follow-up with them, but also after your presentation just in case somebody shows up at the door. If you can’t get the contact information from the event organizer, do a giveaway for a prize and have them pass their business cards to the front or have them email you their contact information to get a free copy of the handout or PowerPoint slides.

Step #4: The Fortune is in the Follow-up

The number one reason why lawyers don’t get results is because they don’t have a written follow-up system. You must develop a follow-up strategy before the talk.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say your follow-up strategy is a series of emails. Email #1 would be sent within 24 hours after the event. It would be a thank you email with an offer for a free consultation, special report or an offer to include them on your newsletter list.

Email #2 is sent 3 to 5 days after the event. Remind them about the seminar they attended and invite them to sign-up for a consultation or your newsletter. Email #3 might offer a brief tip about the topic you spoke about: top 10 tips or recommended resources, etc. Every attendee should receive at least 5-7 emails from your law firm over time.

If you implement these tips, you will attract both new clients and referrals from an audience that has been impressed by your knowledge, how you articulate it and the thoroughness of your follow-through.