Too often, learning how to get clients as a lawyer can feel like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks. Maybe you should run social media ads or invest in billboards? Or should you avoid investing in billboards and instead try to dive into the often-confusing world of SEO?
How do lawyers get clients, and what can you do to attract clients to your legal practice?
Lawyers can use a few tried-and-true strategies to get more clients. We dive into these tactics below and discuss how to make each work well for your law firm.
How Do Clients Find Lawyers?
Most new legal clients don’t rely on only one source when searching for a lawyer. Instead, most use a combination of referrals, web searches, and legal directories.
In a survey of 6,300 people,
- 43 percent said they sought a lawyer referral from a friend or family member.
- Of this number, 45 percent said they checked a recommended attorney’s website. 46 percent said they looked at the attorney’s reviews before making the decision to hire them.
- 43 percent reported using Google searches to find a lawyer.
- 46.5 percent said they considered online review sites and legal directories, such as Avvo, Yelp, and Google reviews.
- 36 percent said they checked out an attorney’s website before hiring them.
- 9 percent said they looked at print resources before making a decision.
- 5 percent said they relied on TV and radio ads when looking for legal assistance.
Another survey found that as many as 66 percent of prospective clients do online research before seeking legal representation.
And for younger generations, that number is even higher. Up to 80 percent of people under the age of 35 do online research before buying almost any good or service.
These numbers all point to the same conclusion. A good digital marketing strategy goes a lot further to attract new legal clients than expensive traditional marketing.
Create a Law Firm Website
The first step in your efforts to get new clients for your law firm is to create a high-performance website.
Your website will be the centerpiece of your law firm marketing and one of your best tools for bringing in new leads.
It gives your prospective clients a place to learn more about your law practice. And it also serves as the platform for your content marketing strategy.
Your law firm website needs to be beautiful, fast to load, and easy to use. Be sure to include plenty of calls to action throughout the site.
You should also have testimonials from previous clients, bios of your attorneys, and pages highlighting your practice areas.
And remember, over half of website traffic comes from mobile devices. Be sure to optimize your website for mobile use, as well as desktop.
Invest in SEO for Lawyers
When people are in need of a lawyer, one of the first things they’re likely to do is run a Google search.
Search engine optimization can help you make sure your name is at the top of the list of results they get from that search.
This digital marketing approach works to align your website with Google’s best practices. This makes it more likely that they’ll rank your page more highly on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Fewer than 1 percent of search engine users ever click to the second page of results. Getting your website into the top results is incredibly important.
Google uses a proprietary algorithm to decide which pages appear first in search results. They want to give their users the best possible experience.
So they prioritize websites that are reputable and easy to navigate. They also look for sites that contain pages relevant to the user’s search.
Using keywords that get a lot of search traffic, linking to other reputable websites, and keeping your content digestible can all help to improve your search engine rankings.
LawRank can help you develop and implement an SEO strategy that will get results with no guesswork involved.
Organic SEO
There are two basic types of search engine optimization: organic and local.
Organic SEO works to get your law firm to appear in informational searches that prospective legal clients run. This can include searches like “what to do after a car accident” or “how much does a divorce cost”.
This strategy can get your name in front of potential clients when they’re beginning their legal journey. And once they’re on your website, you have an opportunity to convince them that you’re the right person to handle their legal issue.
Local SEO
Local SEO aims to get your law firm listed in the “local pack” of results that appear when a user runs a location-based search. You’ve probably seen this local pack when you’ve googled something like “coffee shops near me” or “movie theater in kansas city”.
Often, law firm leads run these types of searches when they’re looking to hire a lawyer. If your name is in the top three results, you significantly increase your chances of capturing that call.
Local SEO uses location-specific keywords (e.g., “Chicago personal injury lawyer”) to make sure your own law firm appears in these search results.
Your organic SEO also helps to support these efforts. The more reputable your website is, the better chance it has of appearing in the local pack.
Set Up Law Firm Social Media Accounts
Social media presence can also be an important way to grow your web presence. Nearly 70 percent of American adults use Facebook, and another 47 percent use Instagram.
A social media presence helps you get your name in front of a huge chunk of your target audience. And it can also give you an opportunity to show your clients your personality.
Clients hire lawyers they trust. If they feel like they already know you from your social media posts, they may be more likely to trust you with their case.
Don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with your social media.
Play to your strengths; if you like to goof off a little, show that off on camera. If you’re a little more reserved, you might focus on the parts of the legal profession that outsiders don’t usually see.
We would be remiss if we didn’t also discuss video content. A staggering 83 percent of American adults use YouTube, making it the single most-used social media platform.
Making longer-form content can be a great way to establish yourself as a trusted expert in the field. You can also use this content to drive traffic back to your website.
Run PPC Ads for Your Law Firm
Pay-per-click advertising can also be a good strategy to get your name in front of more clients.
These Google ads will put your website at the top of relevant search results, which can bring in more website traffic. And because of the nature of these ads, you only pay for the people who click onto your website.
Depending on where you live, PPC advertising can be expensive. The good news is that you can improve your ROI by using the right PPC strategy.
We dig into the best ways to optimize your PPC ads in this blog post.
Improve Your Content Marketing for Lawyers
Building a strong content strategy for your website can also help you get clients as a lawyer.
When potential clients search for things like “what to do after a car accident”, you want your site to appear in the results. The answers they find on your website can help to build trust and put you on their radar for when they are ready to hire a lawyer.
A blog can be a great place to start with your content marketing strategy. Look at what topics your competitors are writing about and which ones are performing well for them.
From there, you can take those topics and improve on them, adding your own expertise and expanding to provide more valuable content. Including top-ranking keywords and strong links to other reputable websites can help your content perform better.
When you work with LawRank, we not only help you implement a proven content strategy. In addition, lawyers write and edit all our client content. We make it a top priority to produce top-quality blog posts for your websites.
Get More Client Reviews for Your Law Firm
When you’re looking for anything from a mechanic to a new lunch restaurant, what’s one of the first things you look at? If you’re like most of us, you’re going straight to ratings on Google.
Guess what? Your clients are doing the same thing when it comes time for them to look for a lawyer.
Getting more reviews for your law firm can help build trust in your potential clients, and it can actually help your SEO.
Google wants to promote businesses that provide an excellent client experience. If you have a lot of good ratings, it improves your standings with the search engine.
Although it may seem obvious, the best way to get more reviews is to ask for them.
Ask clients to leave you a review
- when you wrap up their cases
- when you hand over final checks
- after any particularly positive interactions with them.
You can even ask prospective clients whose cases you turn away for a review if you still take the time to talk to them about their case.
Managing Negative Reviews
Unfortunately, alongside positive reviews can sometimes come negative reviews.
While these may be disheartening, they’re an expected part of running a business. And they can actually lend a little more credibility to your positive reviews.
That being said, it is important to manage negative reviews the correct way.
Read them calmly and thoroughly, and listen for the source of the unhappiness behind the review.
Consider if there’s space for improvement in that area within your law firm. This is especially important if you notice the same complaint coming up over and over again in negative reviews.
Then take time to respond to the review. Apologize for the client’s negative experience, and ask them to contact you so you can make it right.
Responding kindly to these negative reviews gives you the opportunity to repair a bad client relationship. It also shows the people who read that review that you’re committed to great customer service.
Provide a Fantastic Experience for Your Law Firm Clients
Of course, hand-in-hand with asking for reviews is making sure that those reviews are going to be positive. This comes from a dedication to providing a fantastic experience for your new clients.
Look for ways to exceed expectations for your paying clients. Keep them up to date on the status of their case, help them get the care that they need outside the legal space, and ask what they need during this time.
As you interact with first-time clients, keep your focus on their goals and their legal needs. Asking the right interview questions can help you stay focused on the client experience throughout the process.
Providing great customer service will also help all your other strategies to get clients as a lawyer.
Clients who are happy with your service are more likely to refer friends to you, and a wealth of good reviews strengthens your SEO.
Grow Your Legal Network
You should also focus on building a strong network when you’re looking to attract more clients as a lawyer.
Networking with Fellow Lawyers
Oftentimes, lawyers with larger firms will receive inquiries from new clients they aren’t interested in taking on. The case may be outside their area of expertise, or they may simply feel the case isn’t likely to be profitable.
But rather than turning the client away entirely, these firms may refer them to a lawyer who is prepared to take their case.
Growing a strong network of fellow lawyers can help you get some of these “reject” cases.
And don’t be fooled. Some of the cases that other attorneys write off as hopeless can wind up being some of the most profitable of all!
Attend legal conferences and join professional organizations in your area. Make it a point to stay in touch with other lawyers practicing in your area.
Networking with Potential Clients
Of course, you shouldn’t focus entirely on networking with other lawyers. Remember, they aren’t part of your client base.
Look for ways to get involved with your community, especially in areas that dovetail with your particular practice areas.
For instance, let’s say you want to bring in more pedestrian accident cases. Look at joining walking clubs and community safety groups.
Greater community involvement can also help build trust in potential new clients.
If a citizen is looking for a lawyer, they may remember the time they met you handing out water bottles at a 5K. Those feelings of goodwill and trust can easily translate into a case when the time comes.
Establish a Law Firm Referral Program
In addition to networking, you may want to consider establishing a referral program for your law firm.
You may have encountered referral programs in other industries, and law firm referral programs are no different.
You offer previous satisfied clients some incentive to refer their friends who need legal services. You may also offer some benefits for the referred client.
For one thing, this shows your gratitude to former clients who take the time to recommend you. And it also gives those loyal clients motivation to look for opportunities to recommend your legal services.
You do need to be a little careful about how you handle the incentives you provide your referrers. Many bar associations have specific ethics rules governing what kind of gifts lawyers can give their clients.
If you’re still working with the referring client, a discount on their services with you can work well. If the referrer is a previous client, non-cash gifts, gift cards, or donations to charitable organizations in their name can be good options.
Be sure to check your local bar association’s ethics rules before setting up your referral program.
Leverage Legal Directories
You want to make sure that your name is easy to find when people begin searching for a lawyer.
Many people searching for a lawyer turn to online legal directories. These websites have lists of lawyers, along with reviews and biographies.
This information can help a potential client narrow down who they want to work with before they pick up the phone.
If you aren’t in a legal directory, you’re likely losing out on opportunities to get clients.
You should register with Avvo, Nolo, Justia, FindLaw, and Lawyers.com, to name a few.
Be sure to enter as much information as you can about yourself in these online directories. This should include reviews, a strong bio, practice areas, and so on.
Get Legal Marketing That Works
When you’re trying to attract clients, positive publicity is the name of the game. Build a strong network, both of fellow lawyers and within your community, and work to grow your online presence. And as always, keep everything focused on providing a positive experience for your new clients.
If you’re looking for proven strategies to get clients, LawRank can help. We provide law firm marketing that works, including SEO, PPC, web design, and more. Contact us today and start getting honesty, transparency, and results from your digital marketing firm.