Referrals depend on a few people remembering you at the right moment, while many cold case families start searching alone online.
It is the combined set of routes through which prospective clients discover you, evaluate your experience and decide to contact you.
People reading about unresolved cases often have a specific, serious need and already understand some of the work, records and costs involved.
Your licensing jurisdictions, case types you accept and decline, typical timeframes, how fees are agreed and what families should prepare.
Track where retained, well-matched work came from over several months, and keep channels that produce suitable clients rather than raw message volume.