Law firm marketing is the practice of attracting potential clients and converting them into actual clients for your law firm. Since the internet is widely used by a majority of the population, online marketing can aid your law firm’s growth. Marketing strategies are an effective way to grow the business of law firms. There are several ways law firms can utilize online marketing to grow their business. Some examples of marketing strategies are:
- SEO
- Web design
- Blogs
- Content
- Color scheme
Creating marketing strategies is no easy task, and can be a whole other job within itself. Law firm marketing leads to many timely tasks that will only succeed if it is consistently progressing. It requires a lot of time and effort and is a job that needs constant maintenance and monitoring.
Dedicating time to marketing your law firm can distract you from running your business and advancing your attorney practice. Attempting to focus on both your law firm and its marketing can result in lost money and lost clients. Balancing the two can quickly become overwhelming. There are online marketing agencies that can get the job done for you— growing your clientele while you focus on your law firm and its clients. Otherwise, it is important to set goals, educate yourself, stay consistent, and get started on marketing your law firm as soon as possible.
In this article, we will go over what it takes to successfully market your law firm and break down the process of it all. Continue to read further if you are searching for answers regarding online law firm marketing, a basic glossary of the technical side of marketing your law firm, effective strategies, steps to get started, and tips that may take your online marketing to another level.
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Online Marketing Law Firm Vocabulary
There are marketing strategies for your law firm website that can make a huge impact on how well your website functions. Surprisingly, these strategies are behind-the-scenes and cannot be spotted by viewers. Instead, they contribute to the presence of your website and are for you and your law firm to monitor and analyze.
Below is a list of online marketing law firm terminology. Surely, there are many terms within the industry of online marketing, but we have created a list of basic online marketing vocabulary to get you started on your law firm marketing journey.
What is Search Engine Optimization? (SEO)
SEO is a strategy used to organically optimize websites in an attempt to reach the top pages of search engines. What does this mean? Your law firm website will do best if it reaches the top pages of search engines when searchers are searching the internet. If your website pops up on the first pages as an option for searchers, it is more likely to generate leads. Comparingly, if your website’s search engine needs improvement, it may show up on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or the following pages of search engines, decreasing its chances of reaching searchers and potential clients.
What does Organic SEO Mean When Referring to Search Engines?
Organically optimizing your law firm website means the website has earned a spot on the top pages of search engines without the use of advertisements. Using keywords throughout your law firm website can allow it to reach the top pages of popular search engines like Google. The content that is on your attorney’s website is created with keywords that symbolize what your website pages offer as a whole. For example, if you are a family law attorney in Florida, you should have keywords involving your location and practice area, such as “Family Law Attorney in Florida.”
In other terms, potential clients search the internet using specific words to find law firms just like yours. These keywords are the ones that should be on the pages throughout your website so search engines quickly read and match your website to internet searches, putting your law firm website at the top of search engines. When your website has the correct keywords, search engines are notified and recognize your website to be relevant to searches, leading potential clients right to your website.
Still confused about SEO? Search engine optimization is a complex strategy with many different branches. Read more about SEO and how it works.
What is Pay-Per-Click? (PPC)
Pay-per-click is used to drive traffic directly to law firm websites. Essentially there is an advertiser and a publisher of a website that is being advertised. Each time the ad is clicked, the advertiser pays the publisher. PPC typically promises law firm website traffic increase.
What is Return on Investment? (ROI)
Return on investment is a measuring tool used to calculate the return you get from investing in marketing. After computing the amount, a law firm business has spent on marketing, was there an investment return? Did your marketing strategies increase your clientele, pay off the amount you spent on marketing, and leave you with the remaining amount? It is important to track all of your expenses to study if your marketing strategies are working, leaving you with more clientele and a return on your investment.
What is a Marketing Lead?
Marketing leads refer to individuals who have shown interest in the services you offer in any way. This could be a website visitor, a telephone call requesting additional information, etc. Marketing leads are potential clients who show interest in your services, providing an opportunity for your law firm by turning them into actual clients.
What is a Call to Action? (CTA)
A call to action is when a potential client takes action by utilizing your website to become a client of your law firm. For example, a website visitor makes an appointment through your website or requests a consultation.
What does Conversion Rate Mean?
Conversion rate is a ratio comparing the number of people who have visited your law firm’s website to the number of people who turned from potential clients into actual clients from visiting your law firm website. To receive the percentage, you would need to divide the total number of clients your law firm converted, by the total number of website visitors. Tracking conversion rates can be done with specific pages of your website or your website as a whole.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page directs users to a specific action. By clicking on a specific link or button, they are asked to fill something out that will lead them to the next step of a process. Clicking on a “schedule a consultation” button will direct potential clients to a landing page that requests their information to get started on their next step as a client of your law firm. Another example is: you send an email to a potential client with a link that consists of an appointment form. If they click on the link, they are directed to a landing page that allows them to schedule an appointment.
10 Steps to Get Started on Online Marketing for your Law Firm
If you begin your online law firm marketing journey without a plan, chances are you will run out of ideas or get burnt out. As online marketing is a huge commitment, it is important to form a plan before getting started. Now, you may be asking yourself: How do I start online marketing for my law firm? Follow these steps if you are unsure of where to start online marketing for your law firm.
1. Create a Goal & Budget for your Law Firm’s Online Marketing
Setting realistic goals, and mapping out a budget is the first and most important step of beginning online marketing for your law firm. Set a goal of how many new clients you would like to meet from your online marketing strategies. Consider your revenue goals, and how many new clients you will need to meet these goals.
Map out your online marketing goals, and how much each of them is expected to cost. Creating a website for your law firm can become a costly investment; however, if done correctly, it could become your number 1 source of turning potential clients into actual clients. Make sure you are carefully considering what it takes to create a website, and mapping out how much it may cost. After setting goals you can break down the expenses. Consider the following:
- Are you a large or small operating law firm?
- Are you competing against a large group of attorneys?
- Website creation and design
- Emails
- Content writing
- Blogging
- Campaigns
- SEO
- Social media
All of the above-mentioned components of online law firm marketing will depend on your goals and your budget. Ensure you are sticking to the plan even if you are increasing clientele. If you increase your budget while clientele increases, then you will not receive a return on investment.
2. Create an Effective Website Design for your Law Firm
Creating a user-friendly, appealing, and informative website is crucial. Your law firm’s website will be most likely be the first interaction clients have with you. The way your website is created and constructed will determine if visitors are interested in furthering business with you and your law firm.
Begin by creating a homepage for your law firm’s website. Your law firm’s homepage should be simple, informative, and welcoming. Pick 2-3 simple colors that match your law firm’s brand and include a welcoming, professional self-portrait of yourself. This allows website visitors to see who they would be working with and puts a face to your name. Add the following to your website’s homepage to reel in potential clients:
- Name and law firm name
- Attorney practice areas
- Law firm phone number and address
- An easily accessible menu that allows users to quickly navigate through your website
- A “Book a consultation” form
- Indication revealing an award or recognition
After you have created a strong website homepage for your law firm, create the remaining pages providing additional information, and ensure all of the pages of your website match the template, design, and colors. Here is a list of law firm website page ideas:
- A short explanation of your practice areas and law firm
- A page displaying your practice area options that will take users directly to a page of in-depth information when clicked on
- Awards and recognitions
- Client testimonials
- FAQ page
- Blog posts
- Consultation form
Your attorney website design should not be taken lightly as your law firm’s online marketing plays a vital role in generating leads and converting clients. It should be created to meet its fullest potential to reel in users and potential clients. Whether you are newly creating your attorney website or redesigning it, it is important to have a website that compliments your law firm and meets the goals you have in mind.
Creating and redesigning a website for your law firm can take up a lot of time and can be overwhelming to start. If this is the case, consider an agency that can create an entire website for you, leaving you with more time to focus on your clients.
3. Optimize your Law Firm’s Site Search Engine
Now you have an informative, user-friendly, attorney website that has a sleek design and you have noticed it has not been effective for increasing clientele. Why is that? The way your attorney website is created and its search engine optimization work together to earn your website a spot on the top pages of search engines. Creating and designing a website is your first step to reaching your targeted audience. The next step is to optimize your attorney website’s search engine, which ultimately revolves around the website itself.
As a reminder, SEO is a strategy used to organically optimize websites in an attempt to reach the top pages of search engines. Many factors are vital for optimizing your search engine optimization. Due to the complexity of SEO, it is understandable if you opted for SEO specialists. Otherwise, consider the following SEO strategies:
- Quality website content
- Use of keywords
- Utilizing links
- Speed of your website
- User experience
- Search accessibility
When focusing on your law firm SEO, consider keywords that will match potential clients searches and Google’s algorithm, and how you can incorporate keywords into the pages of your law firm’s website. Include keywords that describe your expertise, practice area, city, and state.
4. Free Online Profiles
Law firm online marketing goes beyond your attorney’s website. There are websites you can utilize to get your name and law firm more publicized, and it only requires you to create a profile. The following websites are ways you can enhance your online marketing.
Avvo
Avvo is a website utilized by individuals who are seeking legal services regardless of their location and practice area. It provides searchers with basic information and reviews regarding you and the services your law firm offers.
Yelp Reviews
Creating a yelp profile allows potential clients to review your services and what previous clients have said about the services they have received from you and your law firm.
Google My Business
GMB provides users with the location of your law firm so they can easily find your location when needed. Furthermore, creating a local listing will allow users to submit their reviews about you on Google.
There are many websites you can utilize to expand your presence online, however, this list is an example of free profiles you can create to do so.
5. Ensure You are Present on Social Media
Chances are, clients are active on social media and find it to be an option to search and review lawyers and attorneys. Consider what would be useful social media tools for your law firm to increase your clientele. Creating a lawyer/attorney LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram could be a good start. Make sure you are staying up to date and consistent with your social media accounts. It is a free marketing tool that will easily and quickly introduce your practice to the public.
6. Managing Your Law Firm’s Online Reviews
Review postings will begin once you establish a solid line of clientele. Nearly 85% of online searchers resort to these reviews before making a final decision on whether you would be the right attorney for them. If it is authorized, advise clients to give you reviews once you are nearing the end of your attorney-client relationship with you. This will greatly affect your online presence and the success rate of your law firm.
As you may know, one bad review can easily decrease your chances of generating leads. Bad reviews could be from a spam account, they could be influenced by a misunderstanding that could be fixed or an unfortunate experience. Make sure you and your team are staying on top of the reviews your law firm receives, fixing any issues, and professionally taking care of them.
7. Attempt Content Marketing
As previously mentioned, blogging can be used as an effective marketing strategy for your law firm. Posting blog content broadens your chances of reaching your targeted audience. The more content you have, the more likely it is to reach online searchers and increase clientele. Providing users with informative content that leads them to answers can also lead them directly to your law firm’s website, interested in the services you offer. Furthermore, blogs allow your law firm to establish credibility and trustworthiness.
To begin blogging for your law firm’s website, create a consistent schedule and stick to the schedule. Write blogs that answer common questions that potential clients often have. Discuss meaningful topics that catch the eye of the public.
8. Begin Networking to Build Your Brand
Research local events and meetings that have been created for lawyer and attorney networking. Before attending events, familiarize yourself with what the event is about and why it has been assembled. Make sure you have created a strategy for conversation starters and conversation builders. Consider how you are going to introduce yourself and represent your brand. Be prepared for any questions that may be asked about you, your practice areas, and your law firm. Attending meetings and events can lead to many different opportunities. For example, you might meet with an attorney who has a client interested in a service they do not offer, but you do. The attorney may refer this client to you and expect you to do the same.
Additionally, attending events allows you to meet with potential clients depending on what type of event it is. Public speaking and community events allow you to connect with potential clients and could bring you new cases.
9. Consider Traditional Marketing as an Option
If you are willing to go the extra mile, traditional marketing may also benefit your law firm. As we are converting to a digital era, there are still people who are unaware of how the internet works, and make use of what traditional marketing displays. Billboard and newspaper ads are still noticed by the public, and can still lead potential clients to your law firm.
Though these are ways you can incorporate traditional marketing, keep in mind a majority of the people will turn to reviews and your website before proceeding. If you are considering traditional marketing, make sure the clients that have been inspired by your traditional marketing strategies are reeled into a well-kept website.
10. Measure the Success of your Law Firm Marketing Strategies
The strategies you use to market your law firm will not matter if you are not measuring what resulted from marketing. If you do not measure the ROI of each marketing strategy, you will not be able to determine which marketing strategy is succeeding and which is failing. After determining which marketing strategy is not working, you can discontinue the strategies that did not work and invest more time and money into the strategies that are working. Measure your return on investment and decide what needs to be done from there.
Now you may be asking: How do I measure and track the success of my law firm’s marketing strategies? There are several ways you can do this. Although it may seem obvious, you can begin by asking clients how they heard about you. After looking at the numbers, this will give you a general idea of how clients heard about you. Of course, this is not the only way to measure marketing statistics. The most effective and accurate way to measure the success of your online marketing for your law firm would be by utilizing a website analysis tool. There are many ways to do this, but the decision depends on what you are most interested in when measuring the success of your law firm’s online marketing strategies.
Conclusion
Marketing your law firm can be a tedious job, but can exponentially grow your business. If you are uncertain where would be the best place to start, our advice would simply be to just get started. Create a website and go from there, following the order that we just discussed. Try the marketing strategies you have in mind, measure the outcome of every strategy, and follow the budget you have created for yourself.
Though you might be busy with your law firm’s online marketing, it is important to put your clients as a priority. Regardless of how tricky and time-consuming marketing can be, ensure your attorney-client relationship is at the top of the list. As your marketing strategies grow and benefit your law firm, your clientele will also grow and it is important to maintain the credibility you have earned so it matches what your website presents. If you have tried all of the marketing strategies and are still stumped, it is time to contact an online marketing agency. Choose carefully and wisely when doing so, keeping all of your online law firms marketing ideas and goals in mind.
