Last year we were interviewed by Andrew Westney for a feature on Law360, a popular legal website, about how to market yourself during the summer months. We thought it was a fun topic and decided to rerun the tips for you as you plan your marketing calendar for the months ahead.

• Take time off. Research shows that taking the time to regularly recharge your batteries will make you a less stressed person, and that will help you actually enjoy marketing. To maintain top-of-mind-awareness with referral sources, select a few photographs that you can post on social media (but please, no shots of you in a speedo!) when you return to remind people that you’re out there.

• Go to a game. The summer is a great time for outdoor sports of all kinds. If you know what sports your referral sources like, invite them to join you at a game. If you can’t go with the referral source, send him or her two tickets with a note saying something such as: “I know you and your son enjoy baseball. Please enjoy this game on us.” Non-spectator sports like golf, tennis and fishing are also great opportunities to build rapport one-on-one.

• Host a client appreciation party. If you have the kind of practice in which your referrals come mainly from your clients, host an outdoor barbecue, a picnic, even a tented event in your parking lot. These are great opportunities to thank your clients, build further rapport with them and connect with their families.

• Launch a summer lunch campaign. Make up for busier times when you couldn’t market as much. Plan a summer lunch campaign to thank the referral sources that you haven’t been able to spend much time with during your busy season. Say something like: “Thanks for all the business you’ve sent us this last year — I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to take the time to properly thank you, but please know that I really appreciate it.”

• Host a small dinner party. Invite referral sources and their spouses to your home for a relaxed dinner. There’s no better way to build rapport with people than to break bread with them in the comfort of your own home. A small gathering like this will be a great opportunity for finding common ground and deepen rapport.

• Have a strategic marketing retreat. Gather up the relevant partners, associates and team members and go somewhere quiet for a day. Review the first half of the year and ask what you’ve done marketing-wise that’s working. Plan to do more of that. Then ask what’s not working, and plan to do less of that. Next, ask what high-impact marketing initiatives you want to take on by the end of the year to finish strong and set yourself up for a predictable stream of referrals.

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Atticus, Inc.

This article was written by an Atticus staff member.

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