Personal injury attorney Joe Volta has built an impressive roster of over 100 referral relationships leading to open case files, primarily through leveraging social media rather than relying solely on in-person networking.
Here’s the effective strategy Joe shared during his interview with Referral Amplifier President Kara Prior during the Grow With Kara show.
Cultivating Digital Referral Relationships
In January 2021, Joe set himself an ambitious goal – to obtain the majority of his cases from attorney referrals facilitated through social media relationships. He identified lawyers with large national followings on platforms like Instagram and strategically began connecting with them.
Rather than cold outreach, Joe took a gradual, organic approach – commenting on their posts, celebrating their successes, and offering condolences if needed. He focused on building real relationships rooted in trust. Once established, he would send polite direct messages, offering his services for any Carolinas-based clients they wanted to refer.
The Benefits of Joe’s Digital Approach
This digital relationship-building strategy delivered results quickly, providing Joe a predictable stream of referrals. Within 18 months, over 100 open case files came directly from the connections Joe carefully crafted online.
His tech-enabled technique provides multiple advantages over conventional in-person networking for referrals:
- National reach – No longer limited to lawyers in your geographic area
- Efficiency – Avoids the endless game of unreturned phone calls and hit-or-miss lunches
Providing Mutual Value
Crucial to Joe’s success is that his relationships provide value to both parties. As Joe explains, “I work hard to reassure my referral sources that their clients will be exceptionally well taken care of.” This includes sticking to strict ethics of client solicitation and fair fee sharing.
Additionally, for partners’ cases he can’t take on fully, Joe contributes pleadings and research to help them directly. As he notes, “it’s a long game” based on mutual benefit, not quick gains.
Results Speak for Themselves
Thanks to online relationships carefully built over time, Joe now draws a steady caseload straight from attorney referrals – both directly and indirectly.
As Joe sums up, going beyond geographical restrictions allows you to tap into an abundant source of case referrals: ethical lawyers everywhere who could use trustworthy help for their non-local clients. By strategically providing value to them, they’ll return the favor.
By adopting Joe’s relationship-first digital strategy, you too can build an impressive referral network that consistently delivers results.
