Just like medicine, the law is a field that will always be in demand, regardless of your location. However, it is precisely this universal demand for legal services that has led to an oversaturated market where it’s difficult to stand out. Law schools give thousands of graduates every year and clients are spoilt for choice when they need to hire a lawyer. Unfortunately, having a professional and experienced team doesn’t guarantee that clients will come knocking at your door right away. To position yourself as a leading authority in your field, not only do you need to have the expertise, but also know how to market yourself.
Marketing has changed a lot in recent years, and so has the way that clients interact with legal providers. Follow these tips to make sure you’re one step ahead of the competition:
1. Help clients find you through local SEO
In the past, Yellow Pages was the go-to place for finding lawyers. Now, things are different. Online interactions are the new measure of business success and, if you want to reach a wide pool of clients, you need to have a website and invest in local SEO. Recent studies show that a whopping 97% of people use Google when they need to find a local service and the majority of them do so via a mobile device. Moreover, 84% of those who look up a local business end up calling or visiting them within the next 24 hours.
To gain more visibility on your local market, register your law firm on Google My Business and optimize your website with keywords that are relevant to your local market. For example, searches like “law firm near me”, “divorce lawyer near me” or “law firm” + your location drive many clicks, so make sure you use them in your campaigns.
2. Testimonials and reviews matter
When people contact a lawyer, it is usually because they are dealing with a stressful situation, such as going through a divorce, filing for bankruptcy, or filing an injury claim. Many of them are going through major life events that make them feel vulnerable and confused and they need a lawyer that inspires trust as well as professionalism. When they contact you, they want to feel safe, that their future is in the right hands, and that you will guide them in making the right decisions.
Reviews and testimonials are one of the best ways to do that. Also known as “social proof”, these messages are a powerful marketing tool because they trigger an emotional response, relate to the reader, make them feel safe, and encourage them to act. Ask your clients to send you a testimonial or leave you a review on Google or Yelp describing their experience. This way, when other people look you up, they will see that you really are professional and that you’ve helped clients in similar situations.
3. Use content marketing to provide value to your website visitors
No one likes the pushy and overly dramatic tone used in infomercials and law firm TV ads, and yet many lawyers use this exact tone on their website, making it look spammy and unprofessional. Call-for-action statements are very effective, but assaulting your visitors with large banners, buttons, and auto-play videos that scream angrily:
“Have YOU or a LOVED ONE been injured at the workplace? CALL US TODAY!”
is not the best way to earn their trust. Instead, adapt your content marketing campaign in a way that provides value to your website visitors and delivers quality information. For example, you can use your blog as a content marketing tool by addressing trending topics, explaining legal concepts and posting in-depth guides about legal issues. This way, you will generate leads organically and you won’t have to contact clients yourself because they reach out to you.
Take the following scenario: a young entrepreneur is considering starting a business but doesn’t know what the process involves, so he’ll look it up online. If he comes across a detailed, informative guide you wrote on your blog, he is likelier to contact you to learn more or even start the process.
Content marketing helps you position yourself as an industry expert and creates meaningful interactions with your leads.
4. Use PPC advertising to stay ahead of the competition
To boost the efficiency of your content marketing campaign, you will need to complement it with the best PPC management services. PPC is among the most effective marketing platforms and will do great in your law firm marketing campaign because it will display your website above regular search results. And, because you only pay when a person actually clicks on your link, PPC campaigns are great value for money. If you’ve just started your law firm and you don’t have a huge budget, then they can help you gain your first clients and build a reputation.
5. Stay active on social media
Social media is an essential marketing tool for law firms because it allows you to reach out to a massive audience, engage with clients, create lasting relationships, boost loyalty, and create targeted ads that drive revenue. By the latest count, 3.2 billion people use social media, which accounts for 42% of the population, so if you’re not on social media, you’re missing out. However, the main social channel you choose to focus on is very important. Facebook may be the leading social network, but it may not always be relevant, because it caters more to individuals and families. If you work in business law, then LinkedIn would be a better fit, because the users are mostly entrepreneurs and business owners.
6. Hire a marketing expert
Although anyone can get a grasp of basic online marketing by reading online guides, a lawyer’s job is very busy and you may not always have time to juggle solving cases with conducting market research or looking into online trends. To streamline online promotion and maintain an active presence in social media, it’s better to hire a marketing expert or outsource marketing services to a professional agency.
