This article appeared in Marketing the Law Firm, an ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication reporting on the latest, and most effective, strategies for Chief Marketing Officers, Managing Partners, Law Firm Marketing Directors, Administrators and Consultants.

COVID-19 presents unprecedented personal and professional challenges both to every individual around the globe. The American economy has come very close to a full stop and almost every business now finds itself in a difficult position financially and operationally. The legal industry was not spared, and law firms of all shapes and sizes are feeling their way through a contracting marketplace. With the occasional exception, lawyers are confronted by their clients' shrinking legal budgets and facing the fact that their own daily business activities look dramatically different than just a few short months ago. But don't despair, history shows us that Americans are a resilient bunch.

As leaders slowly pave ways to restart the economy, lawyers and law firms are looking for the safest route to getting back to work supporting clients who are trying to do the same. At the center of these discussions, an important quandary is brewing: How do we go back to conducting productive business without seeming callous to the harsh realities many people are experiencing? This is an important question that needs careful consideration since getting back to the office will not happen overnight and people will continue to struggle with loss for a very long time.

The good news? There is a critical and accessible platform to help lawyers balance economic recovery with humanity: marketing communications and business development. Lawyers can employ carefully crafted marketing communications messages delivered through targeted, meaningful business development activities. Law firms and lawyers have an opportunity to jumpstart the business of law by using well thought-out initiatives that are client-focused and administered with a genuine human touch.

Studies show that successful rainmakers from pre-COVID-19 times all had tried-and-true marketing and business development approaches in common: They actively engaged clients in person; rolled their sleeves up in trade organizations and business groups; developed extensive networks; sustained public visibility through speaking, writing, board work and community service; and always asked for work. The good news? These strategies will not change in a post-COVID-19 world. What is different is the delivery of these tactics. It will be increasingly important for lawyers to stay very focused on genuine relationship-driven activities that provide unmistakable value to the recipients.

Here are a few ways lawyers can differentiate themselves in what is about to become an even more selective legal services marketplace.

Keep It Personal

Loyalty has always been critical to building long-term, fruitful business-driven relationships. We are used to the concept that loyalty is built on personal connections and proven experiences. If a lawyer provided excellent legal products to a client and didn't give them reason to question their bills, the relationship usually continued unless an unexpected disruptor came along. We have now experienced that major disruptor. COVID-19 will trigger businesses all over the world to scrutinize their spending. But can loyalty override the need to trim legal budgets? It just may. COVID-19 encounters have presented a major shift in a deepened personalization of relationships. In an effort to keep connections strong and business moving forward, people suddenly embraced video calls as a replacement for in-person meetings and traditional conference calls. We suddenly found ourselves working from home offices that sometimes doubled as bedrooms or living rooms. Zoom calls offered a sometimes awkward glimpse into a person's home environment and it became normal to wear casual attire to attend a business discussion. As a result, there is a palpable shift away from shiny professional veneers, instead moving toward "real person" visuals. The ultimate result is that clients and referral sources now feel more comfortable talking about the personal aspects of their lives and how that affects their businesses. More than ever before, it is becoming clear that people want their lawyers to care for not only their businesses, but their own personal well-being.

How do we handle this shift in a COVID-19 business environment? Embrace it! Take the time to talk to your clients about their personal experiences. Ask about their children, their parents and their emotional state. Ask how things are going for them and their businesses. The difference? We must listen more intently than ever. Consider connections that you can make for these individuals personally or professionally. If appropriate, reflect back on your own experiences and shine any positive light you can find to help them through what is certainly unchartered territory for all of us. Remember that clients and referral sources want lawyers to have answers and be fearless in navigating legal issues related to our times. It becomes very important to communicate with confidence and honesty. But even more so, to be humane in the treatment of everyone, recognizing that people will be fearful to return to traditional work scenarios. Always listen carefully and act accordingly to make connections to resources that will help people through this time and beyond. This interpersonal investment will result in a deepened connection (and loyalty) between two people. It is no longer just a client-lawyer relationship. It is a person-to-person relationship. So when a relationship is on the chopping block for financial reasons, instead of looking for new counsel who is less costly, perhaps they will choose to find ways to work smarter with you because of the deepened loyalty that results from committed interpersonal relationships.

Content Marketing

There is no doubt that we have heard the phrase "content is king" in the past. Creating content and sharing it widely is a common practice for showcasing knowledge and bringing awareness to important legal issues.

During COVID-19, lawyers have done a tremendous job creating content to inform businesses and individuals about the quickly changing legal landscape. With all of the uncertainty involved in restarting an economy, it is even more important for lawyers to interpret, analyze and translate changing laws into meaningful and easily digestible material. Providing critical legal guidance as people emerge from the work-from-home orders will help businesses make important decisions based on facts and solid interpretations of the laws.

But how do lawyers get heard above the noise of another firm's content? Create targeted, user-friendly content that is pertinent to your specific readers' needs, delivered in a format they prefer to consume. Don't try to be everything to everyone. And be acutely aware that no one wants to feel like their time is being wasted, so make sure your information is always accurate, timely and relevant. Finally, remember to include an easy to execute call-to-action so that you are accessible when the client is ready for more information.

Balancing Non-COVID-19 Issues

A common struggle with content creation during (and immediately following) the pandemic is how to balance publishing non-COVID-19 material during a time where all people seem to think about is the virus. As mentioned earlier, it is important to blend humanity into daily business as we make our way back into the office. The pandemic may have slowed our rate of business, but it certainly didn't erase the critical business issues that need to be addressed eventually. There will still be deadlines to meet and decisions to be made that affect businesses over the long term. It is the job of lawyers to keep those topics on the radar during times of understandable distraction. It has always been important to understand how to effectively deliver important business insight and guidance, but it is more critical than ever to be acutely aware of how others will receive your information as they are facing this crisis. You never want to be tone-deaf to a difficult situation, especially now. One way to display awareness is to provide context in your introduction of a topic. Your introduction should be concise for readers are likely distracted and may be experiencing COVID-19 content fatigue. Tread lightly, acknowledging the relative importance of what you are sharing. And always direct content to the precise audience who needs to see it.

New Technology Offerings

By the time businesses have re-established in-person and in-office working environments, many people will have become accustomed to attending meetings via video and completing transactions digitally. While an in-person encounter is always preferred for the best possible service, lawyers will need to be willing to offer new ways to deliver legal services through alternative visual and audio offerings. Clients will be looking for lawyers who are innovative and provide flexible and effective delivery methods of legal advice that supports clients as they ramp up their newly changed businesses. As clients are forced to re-envision their businesses, budgets and delivery methods, they will also expect lawyers to reshape service offerings, add new dimensions and use attractive pricing methods.

Lawyers cannot expect a return to business-as-usual when the doors finally reopen. They will need to use technologies that allow clients to see their lawyers more as business partners who are invested in their industries. Lawyers should work with pricing professionals to understand where their true value lies and determine how they may fit into the new business paradigm. Law firms should carefully identify what their clients will need and want. Then fully, yet quickly, vet technologies that will work seamlessly and safely to deliver on those needs.

Nurturing Relationships Through Networking

Nurturing relationships through meaningful encounters is historically the quickest path to new work. Identifying, understanding and empowering professional networks is absolutely critical to successful business development. Now is the time to be in touch with the members of your networks in genuine ways. This personalized effort will be amplified in a post COVID-19 business environment. As businesses evaluate everything they purchase, legal provider relationships will be studied closely. And it will be clear which lawyers spent time focusing on deepening relationships sincerely.

As our communities come together again in person, every lawyer must make the effort to reconnect with their networks face-to-face. Most people mistakenly define networking as large-scale gatherings. Of course, those events can be a good way to see a lot of people in a short amount of time. But arguably, the most productive networking is not through large groups at all, but rather, in small targeted groupings of people who come together for a common reason. Networking is also accomplished in one-to-one outings. The simple cup of coffee or lunch together can be the most productive way to deepen relationships. By creating opportunities to have personal gatherings in small groups, you open up the possibility to ask pointed questions about their wellbeing and talk about how businesses are recovering. It also provides the chance to listen intently and learn how you may help with actions such as making introductions or providing complimentary analysis.

The method you choose for networking is less important than making the concerted effort to develop real-time, meaningful relationships that are built on trust.

Prioritizing Marketing and Business Development

Marketing and business development were certainly important to pre-pandemic practice development and work generation endeavors. And undoubtedly, marketing and business development is going to play an important role in economic recovery. In fact, these types of initiatives are exactly what lawyers must engage in to survive. The foundations of effective business development have not changed. However, the approach and delivery methods are shifting. More than ever, lawyers need to be knowledgeable about their clients need and hold that critical information at the center of their efforts. Personalizing relationships, using technology, being innovative, creating excellent content, staying visible and asking for work will always be part of a healthy business development plan. And when in doubt, remember this paraphrased sage advice: "If you do not go after what you want, you will never attain it. If you do not ask for what you need, your answer will always be no. And if you do not step forward in effort, you will not make progress," Anon.

No doubt, we all look forward to finding the safest way back to a more physically connected business world. It will clearly not be business-as-usual — working will shift according to the course of the virus, and most certainly things will look different than before. However, one thing remains front and center: on the other side of this pandemic, we must find ways to blend business recovery with the humanistic touch people crave and deserve. This scenario is ripe for marketing and business development initiatives and the outcome will result in new work that helps the economy become sustainable once again.

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Deborah C. Scaringi is a marketing and business development professional advising lawyers and law firms across varied practice specialties. Deb brings sophisticated experience to marketing and business development initiatives that directly contribute to the success of law firms and their professionals. Please visit her website at www.scaringimarketing.com, connect with her on LinkedIn @debscaringi or email her directly at [email protected].