Once you’ve decided who should go on your mailing list, start creating it. Review your existing list, if you have one, and evaluate every person on it, matching each to your criteria. If you can’t decide whether to leave someone on it, leave him or her on for now. You can always remove him or her later. It’s better to send something to a bad prospect than to delete and forget someone who might be turned into a good one.
Next, go through your personal address book. Then broaden your search to include old contacts you’ve lost touch with, then people you’ve met more recently. Include in this round those who know you well enough to look kindly on something you might send them. To stir your memory, look also at directories from organizations you belong to as well as directories of lawyers and accountants in your geographic area. Think of classmates, former opposing counsel, other lawyers, accountants, and people you’ve met through organizations. Your mailings to these people will update them on what kind of law you’re practicing and how to find you.
Once you have a rough list, print and review it. Notice what categories of people you find—lawyers outside your specialty from your county, lawyers in your specialty from other counties, former clients, accountants, and others. Think about what kinds of mailings you will do, and make a short list of the categories of potential recipients. Identify who belongs in which category and mark your database accordingly, so that when you decide to send something to a segment of your list, you will lose no time.
For more tips, check out our article “A Mailing List to Market Your Practice.”