To make business development outreach more natural, think of yourself as a commentator and creator of valuable information for clients and prospects.
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Lawyers who are working to build a legal practice face a common business development challenge: how to consistently reach out to key contacts without resorting to the dreaded “just checking in” email — messages that feel forced, add little value, and often go unanswered.
One of the best ways to overcome the outreach dilemma is to create useful content.
Now, before you jump to the conclusion that I’m talking about writing lengthy blog posts or in-depth articles, let me assure you — that’s not what I’m suggesting. Instead, think of yourself as a commentator and curator of valuable information for your clients and prospects.
Marketing vs. Business Development
While related, marketing and business development serve different purposes in building your practice. Marketing is about scale. It’s the work you do that has the potential to reach many people, like social media posts or speaking at conferences. It builds brand awareness and establishes you as a thought leader, but often results in numerous superficial connections.
Business development, on the other hand, doesn’t scale. It’s about making personal investments in individual relationships through one-on-one meetings, personalized emails and tailored advice. This is where deep, trust-based relationships are formed.
Both are crucial, but building a sustainable book of business requires a blend of the two.
Fuel Your Business Development Outreach With Your Marketing
The benefit of this content strategy is that it bridges the two worlds, allowing your marketing efforts to fuel your business development activities. Here’s how to put it into practice.
1. Weekly content creation
Make it a weekly habit to stay on top of issues, trends and developments that matter to your clients. Distill this information into concise, digestible formats. A few bullet points highlighting key trends, coupled with your expert perspective, will be valuable to your audience. Share these thoughts as a weekly post on LinkedIn.
2. Monthly compilation
At the end of each month, aggregate and summarize the key developments you shared on LinkedIn. Again, keep it concise. Your contacts are busy professionals who will appreciate your ability to distill complex information into actionable insights.
3. Personalized outreach
Use this monthly summary as a foundation for reaching out to key contacts. Send them an email with your insights, along with a brief personal note. For a select group each month, take it a step further. Use your outreach as an opportunity to invite them to lunch, follow up on a previous conversation, or ask for an introduction to someone in their network.
This approach solves several problems at once:
- It keeps you top of mind with your contacts, building trust over time.
- It positions you as a knowledgeable, proactive advisor — exactly the kind of lawyer clients want in their corner.
- It gives you a legitimate, value-added reason to regularly appear in your contacts’ inboxes.
- It sharpens your own thinking and keeps you well informed about your field.
An Efficient and Effective Approach to Business Development
Legal demand is unpredictable. By having consistent, valuable touchpoints with your key contacts, you increase the likelihood of being in the right place (their inbox) at the right time (when a need for your services arises).
Importantly, by creating one piece of content and using it in multiple ways, you’re maximizing the return on your time investment. Your marketing efforts directly fuel your business development activities, creating a virtuous cycle of engagement and relationship-building.
Implementing this approach does require discipline and consistency. So set aside time each week to stay informed and jot down your thoughts. Block out a few hours at the end of each month to compile your insights and plan your outreach. It may feel like extra work at first, but over time, it will become a natural part of your routine — and the results will compound through your investment.
In a profession where relationships are everything, this strategy allows you to nurture relationships systematically and authentically. You’re not just checking in — you’re consistently adding value, demonstrating your expertise, and showing that you’re invested in your clients’ success.
More Writing Tips on Attorney at Work
- Here’s more advice from Jay on writing blog posts that are simple, skimmable — and readable: “Four Tips for Writing Legal Blog Posts That People Will Actually Read.”
- In “Conquering Writer’s Block: The 21-Minute Method,” legal writing guru Gary Kinder walks you through how to get out of the starting gate with a lot less stress.
- In “Writing and Editing for Empathy,” Ivy Grey explains how to write for your readers’ benefit, not yours.
- And here is Jay’s three-month plan for building your LinkedIn strategy.
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