00:00 - Sylvia (Host)
I know that this topic isn't often spoken about, but, honestly, I felt it was an important conversation to have in order to build awareness of this issue, because not only do I see it, but all of my fellow marketing colleagues see it as well. I'm Sylvie Garibaldi, founder and CEO of a well-established marketing, training and done-for-you services company tailored specifically for the modern legal and financial professional worldwide. Fast forward to today. My team and I have nailed down and perfected a process that has helped so many of our clients consistently achieve outstanding results and create a legacy for their practices. I created the Serve First, sell Later marketing podcast to give you simple, actionable, non-salesy and results-driven marketing to grow your legal or financial practice, like so many of our clients have. If you're a lawyer, mediator, financial or divorce professional who is looking to become highly visible and wants to create a practice that makes an impact, then you're in the right place.
01:17
Let's dive in. Hello everyone, and welcome back to episode 24 of the Serve First, sell Later marketing podcast. So in this episode, I'm going to cover a topic that isn't talked about very much, but it's one that I feel is very important to bring to the forefront so that it can help more professionals like you, who could be struggling with this. So, if you've spent countless hours crafting emails, updating your website, maybe even dabbling in social media, but deep down you know something isn't quite clicking, and I see this all the time with professionals, and you could be thinking to yourself who knows my practice better than me? I can handle this marketing thing all on my own, and sure, the logic makes sense on the surface, but here's the harsh reality DYI or do-it-yourself marketing can be a vicious cycle that can quickly become a costly mistake, and so, week after week, I talk to brilliant lawyers, mediators, financial and divorce professionals who have fallen into this trap, and what happens is they pour their heart and soul into marketing campaigns, only to be met with minimal results or, even worse, no results at all, and so these conversations can be really difficult to listen to when you hear how much they have struggled, and so this is why I'm really compelled to bring this topic to the forefront, even though it's not really discussed a lot, and so, if you can relate to this, I know it can feel disappointing, and it can be a massive drain on resources that could be better spent enhancing the services that you're truly an expert in, and I get it.
03:11
Diy marketing seems like it offers control and appears really cost-effective at first glance, but what I've seen is that without specialized marketing expertise, your efforts are often no match for today's rapidly evolving digital world. So, like any area of expertise, marketing isn't any different. So you can acquire so much knowledge and engage in the training and you can apply it to your practice. But if you're not in the trenches that is, in the field of marketing or any other expertise you might not know which strategy is best for your given situation. So consumer behaviors and technologies are changing at a warp speed and if you're not keeping up, you're actually falling behind. So there are new software technology, there are new AI tools, there's new research, new testing, new strategies being introduced every day, but how can you possibly keep up with all of this new marketing stuff coming out?
04:18
So in this episode, we're going to pull back the curtain on why DIY marketing can be such a costly mistake for legal and financial professionals, and I'm going to explore the limitations of going it alone, from the lack of specialized knowledge to the significant time commitment that takes you away from your core responsibilities. And we'll also talk about when it's actually recommended to use do-it-yourself marketing strategies, because there are opportunities and times when you should be using a DIY marketing strategy. So, whether you're considering taking on marketing yourself or you're already knee-deep in DIY marketing strategies, this episode is for you. Strategies, this episode is for you. So, quite honestly, many of us find the perceived cost savings of DIY marketing too hard to ignore, right? So hiring a professional marketing team or an agency can be a significant investment, especially for smaller firms or solo practitioners. So the thought of saving those dollars by taking on marketing yourself is undoubtedly appealing.
05:28
But beyond just the financial aspect, there's also a sense of pride and ownership that comes with DIY marketing. You get to be directly involved in creating every message, designing every ad and shaping every campaign. It's your baby, and no one understands the intricacies of your services like you do. I mean, if you think about it. You've spent years, maybe even decades, honing your expertise. You know the ins and outs of your industry like the back of your hand. So it's only natural to assume that you're the best person to communicate the value of what you offer to your potential clients.
06:07
And for some of you, that temptation of DIY marketing might even stem from a desire to learn and grow in a new area. So marketing can seem like a really exciting challenge, a chance to flex your creative muscles and really try something new outside of your usual professional realm, and there's nothing wrong with that. But here's the thing as enticing as all of those reasons might sound, the reality is that DIY marketing often leads professionals down a path fraught with pitfalls and costly mistakes. So in my experience and in speaking to many of my so, sometimes the potential consequences of going it alone can be costly for legal and financial professionals. So, for example, we've seen cases where professionals who aren't tech savvy are spending weeks studying how to set up their website and piecing it together based on advice from various professionals or various training videos that they've watched or articles that they've read, and what happens is they're spending way too much time and money on doing something that they might not be best at, and so, in addition to cost, they're also getting subpar results. Can you relate to that?
07:31
So some of you here listening might have poured your heart and soul into marketing a campaign, only for it to be met with crickets no new clients have come in, no increased brand awareness and no interest via your inbox, and this is the harsh reality of DIY marketing gone wrong, and so you might think you're creating a killer social media campaign or a slick new website, but in reality, it's just not resonating with your target audience, and in today's crowded marketplace, that's a sure way to be left behind. So the consequences go beyond just the subpar results. Right, diy marketing can also lead to a massive waste of resources, both time and money, and I know this because I have had in-depth conversations with professionals over the years and I know how much time they are wasting and how much money they have invested in trying to piece all these things together themselves. So think about all the hours you've spent trying to figure out the latest marketing trends, creating content and tinkering with ad campaigns, or trying to figure out how to best optimize SEO, so that time that you could have spent doing what you do best, that is, providing top-notch legal or financial services to your clients, is not really put to good use. So now I've had some conversations with distressed professionals, as I've indicated, who have spent a lot of time and money on piecemeal marketing money on piecemeal marketing. So if that's you, if you can relate to that, I think the first step is building awareness and knowing that you fall into that category, and you need to really research and think about how to best fix this challenge. So DIY marketing might seem like a cost-saving measure at first, but what about all the money that you've poured into tools, into software, into campaigns that just didn't deliver? And so those wasted dollars could have been better spent on professional marketing help or reinvested into growing your practice.
09:48
But I think the most insidious consequence of DIY marketing is really the risk of diluting your focus from your core responsibilities. I think that's a real, real issue that a lot of professionals are facing. So, as a legal or financial professional, you know that your primary responsibility is to provide exceptional service to your clients to get them the results that they're looking for. Exceptional service to your clients to get them the results that they're looking for. But when you're bogged down, trying to juggle marketing efforts on top of your regular workload, something has to give, and if your attention is divided, the quality of your professional services can really suffer. You might miss important deadlines, you may overlook critical details or simply fail to give your clients the level of care and attention that they deserve, and so in these industries where trust and reputation are everything, there is a risk you simply can't afford to take All right. So by now you're probably thinking, ok, I get it. Diy marketing can be a real struggle and can lead to some serious consequences.
10:59
But the big question is how do you know when it's time to wave that white flag and bring in professional marketing support? So let me put it this way have you ever felt like you're just spinning your wheels with your marketing efforts? You're putting in countless hours trying every trick in the book, listening to every expert, being on all of those different webinars and trainings, but the leads just aren't rolling in like you'd hoped. If that sounds familiar, it might be one of the clearest signs that you need to seek out expert marketing support. And, quite honestly, I can hear the desperation in those that are asking every question possible to uncover every detail imaginable to make a marketing strategy work for them. They want to do it on their own. I mean, think about it. To make a marketing strategy work for them. They want to do it on their own. I mean, think about it If you've invested significant time and resources into your DIY marketing campaigns but you're still not seeing a return in the form of new clients or maybe meeting those revenue goals or increased brand awareness. Something has got to change and at a certain point, you're going to have to ask yourself is this really the best use of my time and money? Another major red flag is you're feeling out of your depth when it comes to key digital marketing areas like, maybe, seo, social media, advertising, content marketing. So, look, these are highly specialized skills that take years of experience and training to truly master. So if you can't figure it out, there's a reason why you need to invest the time, you need to get the training you need to become an expert in these specialized marketing areas.
12:56
So let me give you a quick example. I recently worked with a family lawyer who was struggling to differentiate herself from her competitors and needed to bring in new business. So we created a marketing plan that would build awareness in her specific ideal market with the right messaging to get their attention. We also built her monthly workshop to start attracting clients like Clockwork. We taught her how to leverage LinkedIn so that she could grow her network that's very specific to what she does and book more meetings. We helped her get noticed with social media. That spoke to her thought leadership. That made her unique and helped her stand out.
13:43
So most of you operate in highly competitive markets. If you're constantly feeling like you're being outpaced by your competitors, it might be time to up-level your marketing game and seek out that professional help Now. I can't tell you how many times I've seen firms gain a serious competitive edge just by partnering with skilled marketers who know how to position them for success, like a PR agency, an SEO expert, a website expert, marketing growth experts, ad agencies. You get the idea. There are so many different types of experts in the professional marketing field that you may need in your practice. So let's think about those major milestones or maybe those growth phases of your practice. Maybe you're launching a new service offering or expanding into new geographical areas.
14:40
These are key moments when having a solid marketing strategy in place can make or break your success, and so that's when having a team of marketing professionals in your corner can be really invaluable. In fact, we work with many professionals who are transitioning their services or may be adding a new service, such as mediation, such as collaborative law, or maybe divorce, financial planning, and so, at the end of the day, recognizing when you need to seek out professional marketing is all about being honest with yourself, and so if you're feeling stuck, if you're feeling overwhelmed or like you're just not seeing the results you want because you've tried it for a while, it might be time to hand over the reins to those marketing experts who could help. And what we've seen is that the strategic insights, the effective campaigns that you can implement are often light years ahead of most of those DIY efforts that you could ever achieve. So if you're thinking to yourself, okay, this sounds great, but what if I simply can't afford to hire a professional marketing team right now, are you suggesting that DIY marketing is never an option? And so the truth is there is a time when you should be using DIY marketing, and I'm going to dive into that. And the truth is there are certain situations where DIY marketing can be very appropriate, at least in the short term.
16:20
But it's all about being realistic about your goals, your resources and the complexity of your marketing needs. For example, if you're a solo practitioner or running a very small firm with a limited marketing budget and you're in the really early stages of your practice, diy marketing efforts might be your only viable option initially, and I get it. Hiring an agency or dedicated marketing staff can be a significant investment, especially when you're just starting out or operating on a shoestring budget investment, especially when you're just starting out or operating on a shoestring budget. So in cases like these, taking a DIY approach to more basic marketing initiatives can make sense. So if your service offering is relatively straightforward and can be sold in just a few conversations, you might be able to get by with some simple website updates, local SEO optimization and posting social media on your own. But even in these cases, it's crucial that you have at least a basic understanding of digital marketing fundamentals. You don't need to be an expert, but you should know your way around things like website analytics, social media platforms and content creation. Otherwise, you could be shooting in the dark.
17:42
Now, if you've been trying this for a while and you're noticing no traction and you keep changing up your strategy, or you keep attending those free webinars or trainings to get as much information as possible, you're still feeling frustrated and you're not getting the results. It might be time to engage in professional marketing and make that investment. So another situation where DIY marketing might be appropriate is when you have direct access to your target audience or established networks and referral partners, or building those community partnerships where relying on personal referrals and word of mouth marketing works well to grow your client base. That's another great example of when you may not need to invest in professional marketing support. This is something you can do on your own and, especially if you're comfortable networking and you're an expert at building relationships, this is a great place to start.
18:40
However, a big caveat here is that you need to have the bandwidth to consistently create content, update your marketing channels, develop your positioning and messaging and really staying on top of local trends and opportunities. So DIY marketing, as most of you know, is a huge commitment and if you can't dedicate the time and effort required, it's probably not going to be really effective. So I've had many conversations with professionals and clients who spend hours struggling to learn Canvava, to figure it out, how to put the images together for their social media or graphics for their presentations. Some professionals we speak with might not even know that direct messaging exists on social media platforms, or how to use it or what to say in the DMs. So ultimately, every professional is at a different level, but DIY marketing is best viewed as a temporary starting point or a supplementary effort to more comprehensive, professionally-led marketing, and it could be seasonal. You may, you know, do DIY marketing at different points in your career and then at other points, you are seeking out the professional guidance of those experts. So it can be a great way to dip your toes in the water and start building a foundation before transitioning to a more robust, expert-driven marketing strategy as your firm grows and your needs become more complex. But at the end of the day, you need to be honest with yourself about your goals, your resources and expertise, and DIY marketing can work in certain limited scenarios, but for most professionals looking to truly elevate their brand, drive sustainable growth and stay ahead of the competition, partnering with skilled marketing experts is often the smartest long-term investment.
20:44
So let me give you a quick example. We recently launched our podcast, and I invested in marketing support to start and launch the podcast, and I did so because, even as a marketing expert myself, I knew what I didn't know. So that is, I didn't want to spend hours. I didn't want my team spending hours trying to figure out something that maybe we weren't experts in. So I sought out the experts who could help me set up and launch my podcast and also help me save time and money by leveraging the right tools so that we didn't have to spend the time and the frustration to figure out which is the best tool Should I use this one, or should I use that one? And how do I set it up? And how does it all work? How do I piece this together? We knew right away that this was the best situation, where we knew we needed to get a marketing expert in to help us figure this out. Okay, so I know that this topic isn't often spoken about, but, honestly, I felt it was an important conversation to have in order to build awareness of this issue, because not only do I see it, but all of my fellow marketing colleagues see it as well.
22:04
And so if you've found yourself pouring endless hours into DIY marketing efforts crafting those emails, updating those websites on your own and trying your hand at social media, yet still feeling like something's not quite clicking, you're not alone, and so many professionals, just like you, have fallen into that trap of thinking oh, I can handle this marketing thing all on my own. But the truth is, DIY marketing can quickly become a costly mistake, draining your resources, draining your team's resources and can quickly become a costly mistake draining your resources, draining your team's resources and can quickly become a very vicious cycle that often leads to subpar results and really wasted time and money. So, yes, the perceived cost savings and sense of pride that come with DIY marketing can be tempting, but without specialized expertise, your efforts may fall short in today's rapidly evolving online world. So if you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed or simply not seeing the results that you want, it might be time to really seek out those marketing experts. However, you know there are going to be certain situations where DIY marketing can be a really viable starting point. So it's critical to be realistic about your goals, your resources and expertise and know when it's time to really use DIY marketing and when it's time to really seek out that professional marketing support.
23:32
But one thing is for certain DIY marketing should be viewed as a temporary solution or an intermediary solution, but not a long-term strategy.
23:44
So, ultimately, partnering with skilled marketing professionals can help you elevate your brand, drive that sustainable growth that you're looking for, and it's an investment in the future success of your practice, one that can yield significant returns in the long run, and we see it with our clients every day. So, if you can relate to this episode and you've reached that point and you're ready to explore expert marketing to attract and bring in new clients and revenue, then I invite you to book a call with me. You'll find the link to schedule a strategy session in the show notes and what we'll do is we'll do a deep dive into your practice to see what's working and what isn't, and help you create that action plan. So thanks for tuning in with me and if you found this episode valuable, I would be most honored if you subscribe to the podcast rate and leave a review, or please share this with anyone who you think could most benefit. And until next time, always remember there's no better time to start than today.