Canadian firm Hull & Hull featured in Lawyers Weekly article on niche practices

Just saw that Suzana Popovic-Montag of the Canadian law firm Hull & Hull – LexBlog clients who operate the Toronto Estate Law Blog – wrote an in-depth piece on niche legal practices for the Nov. 16 issue of The Lawyers Weekly.

The piece, “Marketing a niche practice: a promotional blueprint to build success,” gives Suzana’s firsthand account of how Hull & Hull managed to develop a successful reputation in an estates niche market.

She offers 10 strategies that her firm has applied to help establish their niche. The most important element, she says, is “learning the product” – essentially, being an expert in your area of focus:

Perhaps the single most important aspect of creating a niche market is to indeed “learn the product” and to learn it better than anyone else. You really do need to start out as a technician before you can sell yourself as an expert. And one of the best ways to develop that technical expertise is to write about your topic and get published in some of the journals and books that are most authoritative in your practice area.

That’s not the only bit of wisdom Suzana offers. #9 on her list? “Podcasting and blogging.”

In March of 2006, Hull & Hull began a daily blog and two weekly podcasts. Currently, we take turns writing the blog daily, for one week at a time, so that the time commitment is not overly intense for each lawyer. We also do two different podcasts. […] Both provide an excellent opportunity for the lawyers internally to “learn the product”, so to speak, and to also ensure that our audience understands that we know the product as well as anyone on the street.

Yet another reason that niche practices are one of the best marketing strategies a firm can ask for.