How to Create a Killer Client Database

Your client database is the hub of many of your legal marketing methods. Your newsletter feeds from these contacts, your "Contact Us" page on your website delivers new contacts into its files, and your marketing statistics draw their data from your numbers. Without a good client database and proper software to manage it, your legal marketing could become an unnecessary hassle.

Getting Entries in Your Client Database

One of the major parts of your legal marketing plan that funnels into your database should be your Contact Us page on your website. If you're offering free information to potential clients, the order form should also add clients to your database, with the option to opt-in to your newsletter.

You should also be including any non-electronic contacts, such as word-of-mouth referrals, phone referrals, and walk-in clients. Having a paper version of the information you gather on your website contact forms is an easy way to capture the same information for your database as the online forms.

Other additions to your database should be (with permission, of course) other local attorneys who do not directly compete with your practice areas, outside vendors you use, local friends and relatives, and other professionals who would be in a position to refer you to their clients.

Client Database Management Software

The key to a good client database is to have good database management software. You should be able to easily integrate the software with your contact form on your website so new client contacts are automatically added into your client database. It should be simple to manually add contacts as well, such as those referred to you by personal references, phone calls, or walk-ins.

Another feature that's important for client database software is the tracking of how the client found you. Knowing where the contact came from is important when analyzing the success of your legal marketing.

Good Client Database Etiquette

Don't look at your client database as a goldmine of names and addresses you can mass legal market to. Remember that with any legal marketing strategy, being consistent but not bothersome is the balance you need to achieve.

Always include an option to opt-out of communications in all legal marketing pieces you send. This doesn't mean remove that client from your database, but rather to just mark them as not interested in whatever type of legal marketing material they chose to opt out of.

Keep your client database running smoothly and be courteous as to how and when you contact your clients and you'll have a self-running legal marketing machine in no time!