If you’re a new lawyer that’s opening a firm and you’re hoping to make a grand entrance onto the digital landscape, you’ve come to the right place! Understanding how law firm marketing works can be a significant advantage to anyone who wants to capture the power of the internet and social media for their new business.
Here’s a list of the top 50 digital marketing strategies for new lawyers!
- Work with an experienced law firm marketing agency.
This is a helpful list of digital marketing strategies for lawyers. However, if you’re like most lawyers –you don’t have time to review, research, and execute each of these techniques individually. If you’re ready to launch a comprehensive digital marketing campaign, but you don’t think you can do it alone, be sure to reach out to an experienced law firm marketing agency that can help you get on the right track.
- Spend time researching your target demographic.
Understanding your average client and their general legal struggles can help you formulate your digital marketing strategy and target the right audience.
- Learn about digital marketing terminology.
SEO? SERP? CTA’s? Backlinking? KPI’s? Even if you’re working closely with a skilled law firm marketing team, it’s essential to understand the terminology. This can help you make well-supported decisions effectively and efficiently.
- Conduct a professional analysis.
It’s always critical that law firms turn inwards and analyze their own professional identity when building a brand, a social media profile, and a website. What’s your mission statement? What’s your professional profile? What defines you? What’s your area of practice?
- Collect marketing data on your competitors.
As you build your brand and other digital media assets, take a look around at your competitors. A competitor analysis can help you design the best way to stand out. It’s necessary to do this as you develop your content and your marketing message.
- Showcase your brand.
Brand placement is a large part of internet marketing. If you want your name to become easily recognizable in your community, you want to showcase it in all the right places.
- Choose a powerful brand design.
Because your law firm brand will be seen on multiple platforms, you want to make sure it’s a strong design created by a seasoned graphic artist.
- Develop a law firm digital marketing strategy.
Since law firm marketing has so many features, it’s important to have a plan set in place. In order to measure success, set priorities, and continue to grow and develop, you need to have a robust law firm digital marketing strategy.
- Develop a results timeline.
Have an estimate of when you can realistically produce results and create a timeline. Some results will be quick and easy, while others will be long-term. This doesn’t only help your law firm grow, but it also helps you keep your marketing budget in check.
- Focus on fast results first.
If you know specific digital marketing techniques for law firms are quick and easy to create and execute, focus on those first to get the ball rolling.
- Delegate marketing tasks.
As a new lawyer, you want to build your reputation around your local area. That means attending to new clients and keeping up with your own tasks. Don’t ever hesitate to delegate marketing tasks and move those responsibilities to the experts.
- Focus on collecting and organizing relevant data.
Data collection will be one of the most valuable assets of your law firm’s digital marketing campaign. Begin by setting up a system for organizing and analyzing critical data.
- Set a marketing data analysis routine.
Data and statistics will need to be revisited weekly or monthly. Set up a marketing data analysis routine and stick to it.
- Determine marketing tactics that are and are not working.
Many attorneys make a mistake in their digital marketing strategy by primarily focusing on working techniques and then solely expanding on those. However, it’s just as important to understand what tactics are not working for you and why. Looking at unsuccessful marketing tools can give you a more comprehensive picture of your overall strategy.
- Build a high-quality website.
It probably goes without saying that you want to get your website up and running as quickly as possible, but remember, it needs to be fast, easy to navigate, and include high-quality content. Your website will be the first impression you provide to your potential clients.
- Consider utilizing both gated and ungated content.
Gated content can only be reached by entering information, such as an email or phone number, to access it. Gated content can be incredibly valuable for finding leads and collecting a potential client list. Ungated content is content that is free to access. Both strategies can be helpful when building content for your law firm’s website. Ungated content can draw in users and showcase your knowledge in your area of practice, while gated content can help you directly connect with your audience.
- Choose relevant social media platforms.
There is a wide range of social media platforms out there. Choose platforms that can help you connect with the right clientele. For example, Instagram and LinkedIn can help you develop an influential social reach, establish your brand, connect with people in your community looking for legal services.
- Conduct an SEO analysis of your website.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is essential to any law firm’s website. Once your website is up and running, you’ll want to conduct an SEO analysis of the content to pinpoint your SEO strategy.
- Continuously assess your website’s usability.
The user experience is a quintessential part of Google’s algorithm. Websites that are slow to load, difficult to navigate, or have irrelevant content will not rank high on a search engine results page.
- Exercise your expertise online.
Google’s rating team promotes websites that showcase expertise in a particular field. Make your content useful, informative, and valuable.
- Exercise your authority online.
Google’s rating team promotes websites that establish authority. You want to stand out as an authority figure in the area of law that you practice.
- Promote trustworthiness online.
One of the first characteristics that potential clients look for is credibility and trustworthiness in lawyers. Establishing these qualities online doesn’t only help you attract potential clients, but it helps you score higher with Google’s rating team.
- Utilize long-from content.
Longer blogs (between 1,500-2,500 words) typically perform better with Google’s algorithm than shorter ones.
- Perform a keyword analysis.
Identifying primary keywords and phrases is the only way to build content that will continue to rank high on multiple search engine results pages.
- Understand State Bar Compliance Guidelines for your state.
While most businesses have to comply with marketing guidelines, lawyers have ultra-specific requirements for digital marketing. Always be sure that you’re aware of your State Bar Compliance Guidelines. Violating these rules can lead to significant consequences for lawyers.
- Avoid using misleading or false statements.
While advertisers always want to embellish their message, it’s highly advantageous for lawyers to avoid using misleading or false statements. For instance, making promises on case results or lying about success rates can get you into trouble.
- Take responsibility for your content.
Since content on a law firm’s website needs to be carefully constructed, it’s highly advised to take responsibility for your content and post your name and contact information on each page.
- Utilize evergreen content on home pages.
Evergreen content is content that can stay relevant for an extended period of time. Home pages and About pages will often include evergreen content.
- Never ignore a lead.
When using systems like Google Local Service Ads, it’s imperative that you respond to leads or mark them as complete. If you’re not responding to leads, Google thinks you don’t need them anymore and will stop sending them to you.
- Stay on top of Google algorithm updates.
Remember that Google is constantly changing its algorithm and the way it ranks websites and promotes ads. Be sure to stay on top of any updates or changes to the algorithm so you can immediately take action when these transitions take place.
- Place a heavy focus on titles elements, main page titles, and headlines.
Google recently changed its algorithm to focus on main page titles and headings to generate more authentic results for users.
- Work with professional digital video producers.
Embedding videos onto your website or promoting them on YouTube can be advantageous for generating organic traffic and building your reputation as a legal expert. However, poorly designed videos (bad lighting, sound, or lack of graphics) can do more harm than good. Be sure to work with experienced video producers.
- Always check your mobile performance.
Your website constantly needs to perform just as well on mobile devices and tablets as on personal computers and laptops. A web page may be easy to load, navigate, and read on a laptop, but it can affect rankings if it doesn’t perform well on mobile devices.
- Build your social media profile.
Getting your social media profile up and running can instantly help you begin to boost your brand, connect directly with potential clients, and establish your credibility.
- Consider writing guest blogs.
Writing guest blogs, or hiring someone to write guest blogs for you, can work wonders with SEO. Guest blogs can give you exposure to more organic online traffic, build your backlink profile, and increase your authority online.
- Repurpose content.
Repurposing high-quality content is an easy and cost-effective way to update your website and stay relevant without reinventing the wheel.
- Always consider page loading time.
Slow loading time can increase your bounce rates. Bounce rates are the percentage of users that click on your law firm’s website and then instantly leave without scrolling or clicking.
- Focus on local reach.
There are many businesses and services out there that need to project national or global reach. Lawyers do not fall into this category. You can only provide services for residents in your local area, so you don’t want to cast a net that’s too big. Taking advantage of tools like Google Local Service Ads is a perfect digital marketing tactic for law firms.
- Connect with your community.
If you want your law firm to become a household name, be sure to connect with your community. Always reply to social media direct messages and include your location in key search phrases and headlines.
- Continuously update your content calendar.
It’s important to curate valuable content and have a solid messaging plan. You want to know how to execute your content and understand where you want it to go.
- Don’t forget about CTA’s.
CTA’s (Calls to Action) are short phrases that invite a potential client to do something, such as “don’t forget to call” and “click here for more information.” You want to encourage your online audience to participate and take action.
- Can’t decide? Conduct testing.
You’ll face many different options with ads and messaging. Always consider using both in an A/B testing phase to decipher what works best for you.
- Aim for ease on the eyes.
Too much text or small text can immediately force a user to leave a website. Remember that you want your content to be aesthetically pleasing at all times. Utilize bullet points, infographics, and other quick, stylish, and easy-to-read formats.
- Keep up with social media posts daily.
Set a regular social media posting schedule to boost your brand and make sure you have eyes on your content.
- Feature client reviews and ratings.
Lawyers can benefit significantly from posting reviews and ratings from previous clients. Make sure your stellar reviews are visible on your website, and don’t hesitate to post testimonials from clients on social media. Always be sure to get consent before posting.
- Always be analyzing your rankings.
Because Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, you may be ranking high one week and then suddenly fall. SEO strategy should continuously be updated, and rankings should be routinely analyzed.
- Keep content fresh.
Your content should always be relevant. For instance, if you represent clients accused of drug crimes, you don’t want outdated information on your page, such as old marijuana laws in your state.
- Keep content valuable.
It can be easy to fall into the trap of keyword stuffing, which is when a web page includes an excessive amount of specific keywords with the intention of ranking higher. Always take keywords and phrases into consideration while continuing to keep the content valuable and grammatically correct.
- Optimize voice searches in your content.
Voice search technology is going to continue to rise in popularity and use. Always incorporate some of the most significant questions into your content that clients might ask.
- Promote awards, accolades, press releases, and memberships in legal organizations.
Listing awards, mentions in press releases, and showcasing membership in important legal organizations is an excellent way to promote your name and highlight your credibility online.
