One of the most challenging parts of growing a law firm is bringing in new clients. Marketing is a fantastic way to build your case list and keep your business growing and thriving. But how should you approach marketing so you get the desired results without wasting a ton of money?
Having a solid law firm marketing strategy can help you get the best return on your investment. Read on to discover the top marketing tactics for law firms and how to put together a solid strategy for your firm.
Why Is Law Firm Marketing Important?
The first question we need to address when discussing law firm marketing is why it even matters. After all, plenty of attorneys run referral-based businesses and do just fine. Why should you spend time and money on marketing?
If you want your firm to start getting a steady stream of incoming cases, you need to be visible to your target audience. Marketing helps to put your brand in front of people who may someday need your services so that, when that time comes, they’ll already know who to call.
It can also help you gain brand recognition so that people even begin to associate your name with your specific branch of law.
Marketing Plan vs. Strategy
It’s important to note that there’s a difference between marketing plans and marketing strategies. Your marketing strategy defines the why behind your marketing efforts and guides the decisions you make. It serves as a reference point that you can check in with to make sure that your marketing plan is on track.
Your marketing plan, on the other hand, is the specifics of how you’ll approach your marketing. This includes which tactics you’ll use, what platforms you’ll market on, etc. While your marketing should be a long-term document, your marketing plan can change as needed.
Components of a Law Firm Marketing Strategy
There are several elements you’ll need to include in your law firm marketing strategy.
Executive Summary
Your executive summary is effectively the mission statement for your marketing. Think of this as an elevator pitch for your marketing division. Your executive summary should include your overall goal for these efforts – why you’re putting money into marketing in the first place – as well as what tone you’d like to keep in your marketing.
Marketing Goals
Your marketing strategy should also expand more on the details of your marketing goals. What results do you want to see from your marketing, and in what timeline? Setting SMART goals may be helpful for this step.
Target Audience
Defining your target audience is critical for marketing success. You can’t appeal to everyone and you shouldn’t try to. Instead, decide who your target demographic is and write down everything you know about them – their age, their education level, where they live, what interests they have, and so on.
Market Analysis
Before you start an advertising campaign, you need to know the market you’re advertising in. Conducting market analysis can help you to better target your campaigns. Find out what size business opportunity your firm is looking at, who the typical target audience for that sector is, etc.
Competitive Analysis
It’s also a good idea to get a bead on your competition before you launch your marketing campaign. Knowing who you’re up against can help you make better strategic decisions and pinpoint your campaign. You may even be able to play some of your advertising on some of your competitors’ more successful campaigns.
Services Offered
At this point in your marketing strategy, you’ll need to shift focus to the material that will be used in your campaign. Start by laying out what services you’ll be offering and in what practice areas. It’s also a good idea to specify what sort of client you’d like to focus on for these services.
Core Message
You and your team will also need to put together a core message that you’ll build your marketing strategy around. What do you most want clients to know about your law firm? What sets you apart from your competitors and why should clients hire you?
Pricing
It’s also a good idea to have your pricing worked out as part of your law firm marketing strategy. For example, if you plan to use a contingency fee structure, you need to decide how you want to discuss that in your marketing materials.
Law Firm Marketing Tactics
Once you have your marketing strategy in place, you’ll need to decide which marketing tactics you want to use.
SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, can help your law firm land on the top of search engine results when clients google terms related to your business. Using things like keywords, links, and other such techniques can help you bring in more clients who are already looking for your services.
Digital marketing companies like LawRank can help you get top SEO results without all the headaches.
Local SEO
Local SEO is a sub-focus of the SEO tactic that connects search engine users with businesses close to them. When you search “pizza shop near me”, the map and shortlist of relevant restaurants are local SEO at work. Using local SEO can get you in front of clients who are close to your offices.
PPC
Pay-per-click advertising, or PPC, charges you a fee each time someone clicks on your ad. Although this strategy requires a little more investment on your end, it can help to increase traffic to your site. A digital marketing firm can also guide you on this tactic.
Web Design
You might be surprised to learn that web design is an important marketing tactic. For one thing, having a solid web design can make clients more likely to visit and stay on your site, as well as helping to promote your brand. Web design is also an important part of search engine rankings.
Social Media
No marketing strategy is complete without a social media component. Social media marketing is affordable and contains a huge portion of your target audience (close to 70 percent of American adults are on Facebook). These platforms can also help you to foster a more personal relationship with potential clients.
Law Firm Branding
Your branding is a critical part of marketing your law firm. When you have a solid brand, people will recognize your business when they see it and start to associate it with your practice area. Make sure you use consistent branding (logos, colors, fonts, etc.) across all your marketing materials.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is a fantastic way to improve your SEO, feed your social media campaign, and establish yourself as an expert in your field. You can write blog posts and resource pages addressing common questions in your industry.
You can also use these platforms to announce exciting business developments and new awards and recognitions.
Email Marketing
Keeping in touch with your clients and leads is a great way to stay at the forefront of their minds. Weekly or monthly newsletters can include updates from your business, recent blog posts, and client testimonials.
Client Reviews
Client reviews are also a critical part of any marketing effort. These reviews can provide valuable content for your website and newsletters, as well as helping to improve your SEO. And more importantly, client reviews can build trust with leads and may encourage them to give you a call.
Law Firm Marketing Plan
After you’ve decided which marketing tactics you want to use, you’ll be ready to lay out the details of your marketing plan. Remember, this is more flexible than your marketing strategy, which should serve as a guidance document for your marketing plan.
Your marketing plan should include the specifics of what you’ll be putting out on which platforms and how often. It should also outline budget and specific goals for each tactic.
As you implement this plan and measure its success, you’ll need to tweak it to ensure you’re getting the best results.
Get Law Firm Marketing That Works
Developing the right marketing strategy for your law firm is a matter of evaluating your goals, your business, and which tactics you’d like to use. Things like SEO, PPC, web design, and content marketing can all help to bring more business to your firm.
Set out a strategy that you’ll use to guide you, make a marketing plan, and tweak it as the results start to roll in.
If you’re not getting the marketing results you want, LawRank can help. We provide law firm marketing that works, including SEO for lawyers, PPC, web design, and more. Contact us today to start working with a firm that provides honesty, transparency, and results.
