Former US president Bill Clinton may not be the first name that springs to mind when it comes to law firm marketing but he came up with some good advice that can help anyone wanting to get a message across.

And getting a message across is basically what marketing is all about, isn’t it?

Clinton, of course, was the consummate communicator, much admired by Tony Blair – no mean communicator himself, whatever you think of his politics.

I’ve been reading Blair’s biography, The Journey, which includes an anecdote about Clinton being invited to address the newly elected Labour cabinet in Downing Street.

Blair says Clinton charmed and even overawed the Labour ministers, but he also left them in no doubt about what they had to do to get the public onside as they set about implementing their policies.

Clinton told them: "Don’t forget: communication is 50% of the battle in the information age.

"Say it once, say it twice and keep on saying it, and when you’ve finished, you’ll know you’ve still not said it enough."

The same message could be applied to all forms of marketing and communication. It’s become a cliché to say that people have to see an ad or be given a piece of information several times before it even begins to register.

It may be a cliché but it’s true.

You may have to communicate with them several more times before they even think about taking any action.

One mistake many law firms make is to assume that marketing is a one-off event. They put an ad in the paper and wait for the phone to start jumping as new clients phone in.

When that doesn’t happen, a few of the more sceptical partners start complaining that marketing is a waste of money and the campaign is abandoned before it’s hardly begun.

The same pattern is repeated in other areas. I’ve come across several law firms where partners become interested in a certain form of marketing such as running blogs on their website.

The project begins with a wave of enthusiasm.

The fee earners are persuaded to write posts and everything goes well for a few weeks and then it all falters because the new marketing drive doesn’t bring an immediate flood of new instructions.

Eventually, the enthusiasm wanes and project is abandoned.

The same thing is happening now with social media. Firms set up Facebook and Twitter accounts.

They add a few tentative posts and then wait to be inundated with a deluge of followers.

When the deluge doesn’t materialise, they start to lose interest. Eventually their social media accounts are forgotten.

Months later, they are left with half a dozen out of date posts and even fewer followers.

At this stage, the exciting new venture into the world of social media looks stale and may actually do a firm more harm than good. Who wants to be seen as out of date and unable to attract followers?

How should firms get around this? Well, it’s important to remember Bill Clinton’s advice. You have to accept that marketing is not a one-off event but a continuous process.

Firms may have gotten away with short term thinking in the past but it’s unlikely to work in the future.

To succeed in an increasingly competitive market, firms will have to communicate constantly with clients.

And as Clinton rightly says, it won’t be enough to say something once.

You will have to tell them the same thing over and over again.

It means you have to decide what your marketing strategy should be. This will obviously vary for different firms.

For example, social media may work well for some firms, especially those specialising in private client work but may be less effective for those working primarily with business clients.

Careful planning should go into deciding what is likely to work best for you but once you have settled on a strategy it is equally important to be confident that you can follow it through.

Quick fix marketing campaigns certainly have their place and give your business a boost, but they need to take place alongside a long term campaign that remains consistent even when times get difficult.

Don’t fall into the trap of expecting too much too soon and then give up when you’ve barely started. To succeed, you need to play the long game.

As Clinton insisted, communication is half the battle, so don’t be afraid to tell people over and over again.

And when you’ve finished, you still won’t have told them enough!

Nick Kehoe is a former television and newspaper journalist. He is now managing director at law marketing firm Media Coverage.