Resolutions for a Successful New Year
New Year’s resolutions: people either love them or hate them. For some, it’s a fresh start to set intentions for the year. For others, it’s a goal they know they won’t keep so they don’t even bother making a resolution. Unfortunately, those who know they won’t keep up with their resolutions are simply realistic. It’s reported that 80% of those who make new year’s resolutions have abandoned them by February. It is why gyms are crowded in January, but empty by Valentine’s Day.
What about professional resolutions or goals? The first of the year is a great time to create goals surrounding your personal brand and business development efforts, but how can you keep from falling into the trap of letting the day to day take over and losing sight of your resolutions?
Below are some simple resolutions that can help as you look to grow your business in the next year (and beyond).
Invest in a business development coach.
As mentioned, 80% of those who make resolutions end up abandoning them by February. One of the main reasons for this is a lack of accountability. The best strategy to combat this issue is to invest in a business development coach. Some are hesitant to do so, as they think coaches are only for those who don’t know how to find business. While this is true for some, more often than not, professional coaches are hired for the sake of accountability. Having someone who knows the business, who is experienced in developing business firsthand, who isn’t afraid to ask tough questions, and who is paid to hold you accountable can be invaluable to someone who is often bogged down by the day to day and often too busy with current work to think about future work.
Utilize your internal team.
A big mistake we sometimes see attorneys making is underutilizing their internal resources. Firms have hired marketing and business development professionals for a reason! They know what they’re doing. They have been trained (and are hopefully continuing to learn through professional development organizations) in the latest strategies and tools for growing a firm’s business and brand. You are a part of that brand and it’s important you look at your personal efforts through that lens. Your firm’s professionals will make an internal jump for joy when you ask what efforts you can take to increase your visibility and create more business and will be even more excited when you execute those suggestions. Over the years, marketing and business development teams have become more skilled and knowledgeable about specific industries, allowing added expertise to help you tailor and meet your goals. From business development efforts to external communications and ranking submissions, your team has resources to help you in all areas. They also provide another layer of accountability, so your professional resolutions don’t fall by the wayside. If you see a gap in your team or in skillsets, reach out to management and make a case for creating a new position or outsourcing the role or project until the firm can get the work better distributed internally.
Expand your presence on LinkedIn and other social media channels (and pay if you need to).
Social media is now a mainstay for professionals. Even law firms have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even TikTok accounts that are widely used. It can be overwhelming to stay on top of all the different platforms and to use them well. If you have limited resources, the one that generally makes the most sense to focus on is LinkedIn. LinkedIn reaches not only potential clients, but also potential referral sources, so how you and your firm are presented online makes a difference. In the past, individuals and firms could grow their following organically, but recent changes to algorithms (which, let’s be real, are always changing), are making organic growth more difficult. In 2019, Forbes highlighted the difficulty in organic growth on Facebook, and it’s not a stretch to see how the same would apply to other social media channels.
For you or your firm to be seen by the right people in the right industries, you may need to invest in a paid version of LinkedIn or pay for specific posts to be boosted. Last year, we helped a client organize a webinar that intersected with several different industries. We helped the firm and attorneys involved work within LinkedIn to target the event announcement. As a result, we received the highest number of attendees for a webinar in the firm’s history. Not only did we have high attendance numbers, but the webinar also led directly to new client work for the firm. By paying to have the event targeted, we were able to reach a larger and more specific audience than if we had simply posted the invitation to our general audience. Once again, if you need help creating or maintaining your social media presence, reach out to your business development coach or your internal team.
Setting professional resolutions for the new year is a worthy cause. Whether you decide to enhance your own business development strategies, engage more with the resources you already have available to you or increase your social media presence (or maybe all three!), accountability is key in ensuring these goals become a reality.
Meg Estes has more than a decade of business development and marking experience and is a manager with Society 54, a professional service firm consultancy.