by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Enrico Schaefer - December 8, 2008 - Law Firm Marketing
When we first started our law firm, we did many different things. Essentially, we were a litigation firm. We did some personal injury with an emphasis on commercial litigation. We also started blogging within niche practice areas including domain name issues, trademark issues, and internet law issues.
As time went on a funny thing happened. We actually started to get client inquiries off our various niche blogs. After about a year, we were doing significant revenue off the internet. We predicted that by the end of the second year, we could sustain a viable firm, located in the middle of nowhere based upon niche practice areas offered off the internet.
As time went on, we realized that we did not have time to blog about everything. We also realized that there are certain things we did extremely well. We have developed a niche practice area approach. We continue to focus on internet law issues, laser-focused on global online brand protection. This essentially broke down to trademark protection, copyright protection, licensing agreements tied to intellectual property and the like. Before you know it, we were doing seven figures in internet business based on a niche practice approach.
Over at the StraightUp Search blog hosted by OneUpWeb, they had an interesting post which I believe rings true, Find & Exploit Your Niche in the Online World:
I believe it was Orville Redenbacher that said, "Do one thing, and do it better than anyone else." Now I wouldn't say his popcorn is the best I've ever had, but it's pretty good – the Movie Theater Butter, anyway.
His philosophy, though, is one that is highly fitting in this day and age. Nearly every industry, both online and off, is saturated with competition, and the question that companies need to be asking is, "Are we the best at what we do?"
It is really hard to be everything to everyone. Most firms try to do it because they don’t want to risk leaving any potential client behind. However, a general practice approach presents inefficiencies for both the lawyer and the client. The lawyer can’t possibly market themselves in all niche areas. The client would be better served by an attorney who specializes in the particular problem they were facing. I know it is asking a lot. But I would ask each of you to identify the thing that you do best and focus your online advertising “i.e. blogging” on that niche area. You’ll be surprised how a little focus can bring a lot of clients to the table.
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
