Three Ways to Make the Most of Estate Planning Awareness Week

Fewer than half of Americans have an estate plan, according to Caring.com’s 2025 Wills and Estate Planning Study. In fact, the share of Americans with a will has steadily declined from 33 percent in 2022 to 24 percent in 2025. Now more than ever, attorneys are vital in educating their communities about estate planning and highlighting the lasting value and legacy protection a well-prepared plan can provide. To support you in these efforts, we are providing a complimentary marketing package for Estate Planning Awareness Week—along with three proven strategies to help you market your practice and spark meaningful conversations.

1. Connect with new clients on social media.

Social media is a powerful and relatively inexpensive way to engage with potential and existing clients. Yet many attorneys shy away from it, often believing it will take too much time or feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin.  A simple social media plan can quickly alleviate these worries and provide clear direction. 

The first step is to define your ideal client. How old are they? Do they have a family? Are they working professionals? Knowing your target audience helps you craft intentional marketing messages and determine where to focus your efforts. For instance, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) are often good at reaching the general public, while LinkedIn and X are effective for connecting with business clients and showcasing your industry knowledge.

Regardless of which social media platform you choose (or even if you choose all of them), it is important to remember that they are two-way communication channels. Your responsiveness to questions and comments can be the deciding factor in whether a potential client chooses you or your competition. Check out our 2025 Estate Planning Awareness Marketing Package for additional information on this topic. 

2. Cultivate and train your professional network.

We all recognize the value of referral sources and their role in expanding an estate planning professional’s marketing reach. All referral sources are not created equal, however. While one may readily refer, another may be detached or disengaged—or only willing to refer if you return the favor. If you have invested the time and energy in building your referral network but are less than satisfied with the results, below are some practical steps you can take to improve your referral quotient.

• Communicate often. It is important to remember that one-and-done interactions do not maintain a successful referral network. Like all relationships, your referral relationships need to be developed and continually nurtured. Stay top-of-mind with regular check-ins or meetings; aim to schedule your next meeting or interaction before wrapping up the current one. Also, consider monthly emails or newsletters, followed by phone calls or virtual presentations. Whatever medium works best for your referral sources and aligns with your personality and resources, do it often and regularly. Remember, too, that specifically tailored touchpoints work better than general communications. If you know that a referral source loves golf, you may want to ask them how their golf game is going when you talk on the phone. If the referral source is particularly interested in the developments around the SECURE Act or other legal issues, consider forwarding them articles you come across on those topics.
  
  
• Demonstrate your value. Regular communication is critical but may not be enough to foster strong referral relationships. To stand out from the competition, you must dedicate time to educating your referral sources about how your services are unique, how they benefit their clients, and how working with you strengthens their reputation as a trusted advisor. Offering virtual meetings or seminars for their clients and sharing ready-to-use marketing materials (for example, client-facing handouts) are great ways to demonstrate the value you can offer them. 
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We can help you communicate with your referral sources regularly and demonstrate the value of your practice with Marketing Source. Learn more about this resource here.

• Train your referral sources. One of the most important steps in marketing and client development is educating your referral sources on how to properly make a referral—one that ensures success. Train your referral sources to proactively schedule their clients’ initial consultations with you. If their client expresses interest in meeting with an estate planner, encourage the advisor to strike while the iron is hot and reach out to your office to schedule the meeting right then and there. If it feels right, you may even invite the advisor to attend the initial consultation (after getting approval from the prospective client, of course) so they can stay engaged, remain informed, and observe firsthand how you work with clients. Set aside specific days and hours in your week for precisely these valuable group initial consultations.

Whatever systems you employ, keep the lines of communication between you and your referral sources open and consistent. When you meet, be sure they understand your process and how it can benefit them and their clients. Your referral network is one of your most valuable assets. Actively managing and nurturing this asset will help you optimize your practice-building efforts, increase your referrals, and reach your goals.

3. Build a client-care program.

Estate Planning Awareness Week is not just about educating potential clients to drum up new business. In fact, your most readily available resource may be right in front of you: your current and past clients who already appreciate the value of your services. A powerful way to reengage these clients is to offer a client-care program, sometimes called an after-care or maintenance program. These programs can take different forms, but they all share the goal of staying connected with clients after their initial estate plan is complete. 

A client-care program can look different depending on your resources and your clients’ needs. Some practices keep it simple with a complimentary plan review every few years. Others offer membership programs that go further—in exchange for an annual fee, clients may receive biannual estate plan reviews, trust funding check-ins and support, strategy phone calls with their certified public accountants and financial advisors, minor estate plan document updates, free educational meetings for successor trustees, VIP client events, and more.

There are many reasons why now is a great time to implement a client-care program. It gives clients the opportunity to keep their estate plans up-to-date, creating greater peace of mind, and helps keep you top-of-mind with clients, boosting the likelihood that they will refer you to friends and family. A client-care program can also provide additional sources of revenue, whether through paid plan updates following the complimentary review meetings or recurring annual membership fees.

Whatever form your client-care program takes, it is a great way to enhance and maintain relationships not only with clients but also their loved ones, fiduciaries, and advisors.

WealthCounsel’s Marketing Source subscription has helped thousands of attorneys with their marketing efforts. Our marketing packages are full of customizable content to help you build and maintain long-lasting relationships with your clients and referral sources. As a Marketing Source subscriber, you will receive a monthly marketing package that contains grab-and-go presentations, newsletters, handouts, and visual aids for clients and advisors, as well as blog posts, social media posts, marketing best practices, tips, and much more! Talk to a representative now to learn more.