The Basics of Legal Marketing
The practice of law, like all other areas of trade, is in a constant state of evolution. Law firms that once closed deals with a solid reputation and word-of-mouth referrals now find themselves competing in a market where those advantages are no longer enough. Legal marketing has entered the fray – with its own set of standards, challenges and opportunities.
The modern legal marketing landscape is chock full of possibilities: search engine optimization, social media advertising, online video presence, downloadable reports and newsletters, to name a few. Think of the position of law firms as a giant tree, whose roots are firmly planted in centuries of tradition, but whose leaves – which appear outwardly about to drop off – have already sprouted new buds. Contrary to what some think, new growth does not always come easily.
In the past decade or so, we have finally begun to see some wise advice on how legal marketing should be done. But there were no trail-blazers who could have guided you on the path, because there was no path. Your only option was to be a late adopter, and try to glean from those who had gone before you — and fast.
Today, however, we have much more information on what works in this industry, and why, and warnings on what is most likely to fail. The game has become clearer. It is critical for legal marketers to understand this landscape of legal marketing trends in order to succeed. As far as trends are concerned, here are a few important elements you will encounter:
Online Presence
For most law firms, the majority of clients these days stem from an online presence . Sometimes people needing legal advice from an attorney will turn to some resources or sources they have used in the past, or family and friends who have had a positive experience in the past. Some may search Google or use a legal services directory when looking for a solution to their problem.
Complexity of Services
It is not enough for a law firm to just have a website and a few ads. Today’s prospective clients need to know you are available to answer any and all questions, and feel assured that you have the experience and expertise to handle the job they need done. A single phone number or fax line just will not cut it these days. They need to know they can reach you when needed, or never be concerned they are waiting too long for you to call back.
Transparency and Value
People want a lot of information. Even the average consumer is not afraid to look online for paperwork that may be needed; they expect you to do the same. If contemplation is a high-value area of expertise to be paid for, it is your duty to provide free information and consultation services that display your value in providing the service they require.
Trust Goes Farther Than Low Fees
People are willing to pay a premium when they believe that it is a good fit. Many look for a lawyer who is not only qualified, but they see as someone who is going to treat them with respect if they make the commitment to hire that attorney. You cannot buy that for your clients, but you can provide some things that make it more apparent they can trust you: the website, the phone call, the cordial office environment.
Creating an Online Foundation
An effective online presence is paramount for any legal practice in today’s digital age. With the vast majority of people using the internet to find goods and services, a well-organized website is essential for any lawyer seeking new clients. It serves as an initial introduction to your firm’s capabilities, introduces your legal services, and answers client questions before you even pick up the phone to speak with them. In fact, according to the American Bar Association’s 2015 Legal Technology Survey Report, over 33 percent of responding lawyers and law firms reported having a blog, though the vast majority of those do not update their blog consistently.
So how can you build an effective online presence that will lead to more clients? Here are five strategies to get you started:
1. A good website. Your website is often the first impression that potential clients have of your legal practice. Are you making a good impression? If your website is challenging to navigate or is cluttered with broken links, you could be doing more harm than good to your brand. And if your website is poorly designed or obsolete, potential clients will look elsewhere very quickly.
For a professional website that attracts more clients to your legal practice, find an experienced web designer who is familiar with SEO best practices. They will also keep your website up-to-date and optimize it for a smooth and fast experience on desktop and mobile.
- SEO optimization. SEO (search engine optimization) is one of the keys to driving more traffic to your website. In addition to creating quality content and building backlinks (links to your website from other websites), you also need to optimize every page on your website, including your images. Consider how you develop content as well. Use headers to indicate where to find different sections of your website. And remember to include relevant keywords in your content so that if someone is using those keywords in their search, they can easily find your website.
- Focus on relationships. Legal marketing isn’t just about getting as many clients as possible as fast as possible. The best marketing strategies create long-term relationships between you and your clients. A recommended way to build rapport through your website is to create a FAQ section that addresses common client concerns. Providing this information upfront saves you time answering basic client questions and will likely lead to more conversations with new clients as you’ve established yourself as a knowledgeable resource.
- Be social. There are an estimated 2.6 billion active social media users in the world. And if you’re not taking advantage of social media’s reach, you could be missing out on clients. Create both personal and professional social media accounts to interact with current and future clients.
- Publish quality content. For your website and social media profiles, maintain a blog to publish quality content that reflects your legal practice. Provide high-value, relevant and consistent information to help build trust. Social media makes it easy to share and streamline your blog content, so publish blog posts regularly. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, consistently publishing quality content drives more traffic to your website while establishing you as an authority in your field.
There are many ways to market your legal practice, but the first step in an effective marketing strategy is to build a strong online presence.
Content Marketing: How to Inform and Intrigue Clients
In the age of information overload, effective communication is crucial for legal professionals looking to connect with their clients. One of the most powerful tools at their disposal is content marketing. This approach to marketing combines informative and educational information with strategic insights that can resonate with clients and drive business development.
Content marketing is about creating and sharing valuable content to attract and engage clients and customers. It’s an effective way to build relationships and trust with clients, attract new ones, and position oneself as a thought leader in the legal industry.
But what does effective content marketing look like for legal professionals? Here are a few strategies that can help convey your expertise with the right amount of personality to connect with people who want and need your services.
Our personal preference is to focus on our blog. With our current blog, we have the ability to speak about a specific topic or area of expertise. We also have the ability to showcase the firm when we speak about our attorneys.
We have used our blog to speak about more generic ideas and focus on the issues that matter to our clients, like digital law, privacy, and security. We have provided insight into how various developments laws and regulations impact them and weighed in on hot-button issues like the impending change to Canada’s anti-spam legislation. Most importantly, in each post, we have outlined what business owners should do in response to these issues. Our content helps establish us as trusted thought leaders while engaging clients with helpful information.
Other options for valuable content may include electronic newsletters, videos, social media content and informational guides. Exploring these options and investing in valuable, shareable content to your website and other platforms is the key to reaching your target clients and connecting with them when and where they need it.
Making Use of SEO for Lawyer Sites
SearchEngineLand defines search engine optimization as "the process of optimizing your web properties so they rank highly in search engines on key terms relevant to your business, so people can research, find, and purchase your offerings."
Your law firm’s website is part of your online portfolio; one of the many ways you may choose to invest your time and resources to grow your practice. You may find it helpful to think about your website as a long-term investment, rather than an immediate solution to your marketing efforts.
By investing in an effective SEO strategy, you improve your chances of a larger return on that investment in the future. In other words, the better your website ranks in search engines today, the better the odds are that potential clients will find you tomorrow – and that’s a win across the board for your firm.
So what do great law-firm SEO tactics look like? When we’re creating a law firm website, we aim to build sites that will rank well for searches. We focus on key components, including client-centric content development, regular updates to core pages, local optimization, and quality backlink acquisition.
When it comes to SEO, it’s not just about matching your site to Google’s guidelines (though we do this extremely well) — it’s about building a valuable resource that potential clients will be able to find easily, regardless of where they search.
If you want to get serious about SEO, there’s more to one-off tactics than the three major players we highlighted above. A comprehensive SEO strategy requires continual effort and updates to your site. It’s an ongoing investment that pays tremendous dividends in the long run. Here are some tried-and-true tactics that professional law firms have used successfully:
A legal industry expert will take on the task of researching your competitors, current ranking sites, and top-converting keywords to identify at least 10 keyword phrases that fit your business well. We’ll review them with you and identify the most important (i.e. converting) keywords in your target market.
After keyword selection, a professional copywriter will create optimized content based on what visitors might type into a search engine — otherwise known as "search intent." This high-quality content, which can include web pages, articles, e-books, webinars, and videos, is what can push your site through the search rankings and onto the first page.
The technical part of SEO is the most computer-y aspect to develop and maintain, and often includes:
If your site is not set up with the following components already, your content is likely not making the impact it can:
Content not only makes your target market aware of your firm and how you can help them solve their problems, it establishes you as an authority on that specific topic.
We can tell you from experience that 75% of people never scroll past the first page of search results. In fact, 67% of all clicks go to the top five search results, and more than 90% of all clicks go to the first 20 results. All of this means you have a very limited window of opportunity to be found online – unless you implement a solid SEO strategy.
With the right SEO approach in place, you can make the most of your online investments by bringing qualified new cases to your door.
Paying for Advertising: Fast Results through Online Ads
While organic search engine optimization (SEO) and strong website content play a critical long-term role in the overall success of your legal marketing efforts, paid advertising options such as Google Ads and social media ads can offer your firm instant traction in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) and on social media networks like Facebook. Below is an overview of some of the most effective paid advertising options on the market today: Google Ads Google Ads offers unparalleled flexibility by allowing you to create pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns that drive traffic to your website through ads created to match the user intent of online searches. Ads are displayed prominently in search results, and can be targeted to your specific customer base using location, age, income, interests, language, device, time of day, and more. In addition to targeting, you have control over how much you want to spend on PPC campaigns. You are charged only when someone clicks on your ad, so your costs are directly connected to your ad’s performance. Google Ads also has features that let you optimize your campaign to increase the number of conversions and reduce your cost-per-click (CPC). Facebook Ads With Facebook, you can create a feed post ad or an ads-in-stories that will display to your Facebook fans as well as anyone else who fits your target audience. Facebook is also the only social media platform that allows you to collect leads and sell directly from an ad , but you will need to have access to Messenger on your Facebook account. The ideal size for images in a Facebook feed post ad is 1,200 x 628 pixels, but you can also use videos that are less than two minutes long. Regardless of the type of ad you choose to run on Facebook, it will be necessary to set up a business account. When creating a business account, you will need to create a business page. You can choose to verify your business for an additional layer of protection, and you have the option of adding additional admins to your page (someone with a Facebook account can be made an admin, so long as they send you a request that you approve). Selecting the Right Option It should be noted that Google Ads and social media ads are most effective when used together as part of an integrated digital marketing plan. In general, it’s recommended that firms allocate 10-30% of their marketing budget to paid search and social media ads. No matter how you choose to allocate your budget, it will be necessary to test multiple strategies to see what works best for your firm. A trusted legal marketing partner can help you analyze and optimize your investments in digital advertising, helping you get the most out of every dollar and ensuring you’re able to reach your target audience now and down the line.
Networking and Developing Relationships
In addition to building relationships online, a critical part of any successful legal marketing plan is networking and building relationships with other attorneys and professionals. Lawyers who successfully develop strong, cordial relationships with peers will attract more referrals.
By focusing on the mutual benefits of your attorney and your peers, you will increase the likelihood that they will refer business to you. When cultivating relationships, become known as a good prospect for cross-referral.
How to Network
Find professional groups in your practice area and profession that offer the potential for networking and cross-referral opportunities. Find active and influential members as well as prospective referral sources. Look for groups that people attend for fun, education, and pleasure, where the networking benefits are high. Possibilities include chambers of commerce, lunches with judges, county bar associations, law directories, and more.
Let them know you are working on that niche market or area of practice. Do things that make life easier for them, like forwarding a referral or promoting them in an article. In return, they will likely return the favor.
Stay current on networking events and happenings by signing up for local newsletters, checking websites and online calendars, listening to the news/traffic reports, or simply asking around town. Participate in legal trade shows. Lunch or meet in person with as many people as you can. These types of socialization are effective and send a message that you care about building strong relationships.
Join groups and professional networks. These groups are designed to help you build relationships with other attorneys, so take advantage of them. Attend the events they put on, refer business to attorneys in your group, and ask for referrals. Stay in touch by sending an email or postcard.
Use Social Networks Effectively
The most commonly used network for lawyers is LinkedIn. To use it effectively, spend some time filling out your profile completely. The more complete your profile, the more visible you will be. Promote yourself, your work, and your practice. Give others a reason to recommend you. Connect with people you know, including clients, referral sources, and other attorneys.
Follow other thought leaders. Comment on other people’s posts and thought leadership articles. Engage in discussions, introduce yourself in groups, and answer questions when you can. People like to deal with those they know, so develop a presence and brand on LinkedIn.
An online presence is critical today, but offline events are also vital for developing a reputation and gaining visibility. It’s important to do both: have a dynamic online presence, and network in real life.
Tracking, Testing, and Analyzing Marketing Efforts
The cornerstone of legal marketing is measuring what works, and repeating. You must have a way to dissect the ads you are running, the amount of clients that you are receiving from marketing efforts, and the demographics of those buying cases from you.
There are a few tools you can use: Google Analytics will help you measure the effectiveness of all of your digital marketing campaigns, so you can determine which campaigns make the most sense to invest in – and do more of. Google Analytics can show you the cost of acquiring a new client based on their account registration with your site, or can be attributed to a referral link, or other payment mechanisms. The information is very useful. You can also find which campaigns have the longest conversion times, or which months are slowest for your law firm, so you can adjust your campaigns accordingly.
There are other tools that go deeper into the numerical analysis of your business that you can have at your disposal such as CrazyEgg (for heat maps), Clicky (for visitor interaction), Kissmetrics (for your social statistics), and Clickalytics (for more advanced analytics targeting). There are probably 100 other tools out there like these.
Speficially for your website, there are several metrics you should keep in mind, to help you collect the data you need to understand buying behavior and use this data to adjust your marketing efforts. For example, for your blogs, are people reading the entire entry, or do they leave after the first paragraph? For your landing pages, how many people come to you from organic traffic versus paid traffic or ads? For your forms, how are people filling out the fields?
One of my favorite sites to track marketing success is CrazyEgg, which provides not only heat maps but scroll maps and confetti maps to show where visitors clicked, where they scrolled and for how long they did so . A confetti map is a more detailed heat map that allows you to see the flow of people that come to your website by color coding the different traffic sources.
As for your other marketing tools you are using, you must also measure their effectiveness. What is the following-up completed? How are you doing in the Search Engine Optimization rankings? What is your landing page conversion percentage? How many social media clicks are you achieving, and what are your list growth numbers for each platform? How are you measuring your email marketing campaigns? What are your conversion percentages? Are you tracking the cost per email, landing page views and clicks, etc. The list could be endless.
Finally, how many cases have you generated over the past year from any of your marketing efforts? You need to know the bottom line-effectiveness of every marketing method you are employing. Unfortunately, very few law firms can tell you that, as they aren’t tracking each category effectively. Marketing firms sometimes track some of this information for the clients they work for, but you need to use the same metrics on your own marketing efforts, to get a true picture of what is working, and what is not.
You need to take the time, dedicate a person, or even an intern, to comb through all of this information and put it into a singular summary format that you can use to compare each month, and each quarter, so you can judge the efforts of your legal marketing team.
