It will create buzz, attract early adopters, enable you to work out kinks, even make you money.
Now that your law firm has built a good sized mailing list and has a presence on social media, people know and trust you. Go all validation blitz on them and make your valuable online offer. The benefit of validating an idea is gaining more confidence to do it.
Your pre-launch strategy
A winning pre-launch marketing strategy includes these steps:
1. Sketch out your online offer.
Remember, you don’t need to wait until you’ve built the perfect online legal solution. You can pre-launch or pre-sell a minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is a solution with sufficient information or features to satisfy early adopters. This means you can do a pre-launch with only a written outline of your online legal solution.
Opting for this development technique allows you to consider and incorporate feedback from your initial users into a final product. Treating the MVP as a learning tool allows your firm to hone in on what will best meet your clients needs.
Also, know your competition. Gathering competitive intelligence will make it easier for you to identify a unique way you can add value to your clients. Find out what your competitors are offering and check social media and peer reviews to see what their clients are saying. You’ll know what you need to change in your online solution to make it better and different from theirs.
2. Create a dedicated sales page on your firm’s website.
To find out if it’s what your clients want, run a dry test. Advertise the features and benefits of the legal solution you’re planning to provide on a dedicated sales page. You can include a buy now button that adds people to a waitlist, and tracks how many button clicks you get.
Drive awareness to the sales page early, regularly, and across a number of social media channels. Keep your messaging consistent and be clear about why someone should buy from you. Your unique value proposition should be concise, believable and the first thing they see.
3. Run pre-launch events like webinars and video series.
Pre-launch events build buzz, create early adopters, even earn you money that can help you fund building the product or keep marketing it. Your goal here is to expand your online presence and to build and sustain interest for your online legal solution.
You could do this running Facebook ads. Through interactive marketing events like surveys, quizzes, contests, and giveaways. Encouraging email sign ups by publishing expert blogs or helpful guides. Connecting with prospective clients through email marketing and sending regular updates about your progress.
4. Talk about major pain points and solutions.
When you speak to your audience, speak to the relevant issues surrounding your online legal solution. You will position yourself as a thought leader if you create content your audience wants to read. Get help by conducting keyword research with Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
For example, if your online legal solution is selling subscriptions to GP practice owners/employers that gives them 24/7 self-service access to automated employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, policies and procedures, then research the relevant search terms and questions in this space. This will help you maximise your SEO rankings and grow your fan base.
To help connect with your audience and build a sense of brand community, cover major pain points and solutions. Pitch your online solution (which you can tell them will be available in 2 months) at the end. And always invite feedback.
5. Decide on your minimum # of buyers.
How many people need to buy your solution in order to cover costs or provide validation to build it? In the example above, how many subscriptions will you need to sell in order to cover your costs of building and automating your online legal solution?
6. Create it.
You figured out the problem that your online legal solution solves and exactly who will buy it. Then you implemented your winning pre-launch marketing strategy and enough people want it. Now it’s time to build your online legal solution.
Can you do a pre-launch if you don’t have an audience yet?
Yes, you can. One of the best ways to do a pre-launch and build your audience at the same time is by hosting a live webinar. You can invite your ideal clients to your webinar by running targeted ads on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn (or wherever your ideal clients hang out). Are there any influencers who have an audience of your target clients who would support you by sharing the details of your webinar? You will need to make sure the content you share in your webinar is of high value to your ideal clients in order to get them to sign up and show up.
Is it time to design your solution? Would you like to validate your online legal solution with a pre-launch? How do you feel about MVP as a development technique and learning tool for your law firm? Join our free Savvy Lawyers community where you can discuss these things and more with like-minded entrepreneurial lawyers.
