With the right approach, you can easily develop and execute a marketing plan for a large or small law firm. You can use the following steps to help you achieve your goal, whether you want to create a sustainable solo practice or rapidly grow your firm.
Here are 10 areas to consider when creating a marketing strategy for your law firm:
1- Create a marketing budget
A well-thought-out marketing budget is a key component of any law firm’s business plan. To figure out how much you’ll need to invest in marketing your firm, you’ll need to get clear about your goals and how much revenue you’ll need to make those a reality. Then, you’ll need to look at how many cases per year you’ll need to achieve that revenue goal (this will vary depending on your practice area).
When that’s sorted, you can come up with a marketing budget that will get you the number of cases needed to reach your goals. This should also consider the stage your firm is at (are you new, or well-established?) and how competitive your space is (are you a business lawyer trying to build a client base in a competitive city like Cairo or are you the sole family lawyer in a small town?).
Once your marketing budget is established, you must adhere to it. After all, getting more cases won’t help your firm grow if you’re not watching your bottom line.
Since law firm marketing technology may be part of your overall marketing strategy, don’t forget to factor those potential costs into the budget. For example, examples of law firm technology you may use include content marketing solutions like HubSpot, or individual apps for SEO, social media scheduling, or email campaigns.
Once you’ve created your law firm marketing budget, it’s important to stay within its limits. In the end, getting more cases won’t help your firm grow if you’re not watching the bottom line.
2. Build a well-designed law firm website
In the digital age, your law firm’s website is often a potential client’s first impression of your brand. It’s your chance to make a great first impression on website visitors who are looking to hire a lawyer.
As a good start, use quality photographs and a great law firm logo. Then, clearly and concisely state the services you provide and practice areas you cover. Highlight any awards, recognitions, or important experiences you have, and make sure your contact information is prominently displayed.
3- Ensure your site is search engine optimized
If you create a law firm website to market your firm, but no one finds it when they search online, will potential clients ever be aware of you?
To get the most out of your law firm’s website, you need to ensure your site follows SEO best practices. Having a well-designed site is critical. This includes having useful, quality content. This is what search engines like Google —and the people who use them— are looking for.
You’ll also want to make sure your content is targeting long-tail keywords.
For example, instead of just using the word “solicitor” also include the name of your city. Using long tail keywords will give you the best chance of competing with other pages and being found by potential local clients. If you need to attract potential clients in a particular geographical area, be sure to also set up a Google Business listing(https://www.google.com/intl/ar_eg/business/). You’ll want to provide a clear, useful description of your services, as well as contact information.
4. Claim your free online profiles
Your law firm website is one place potential clients can find you, but it isn’t the only place they might find you. From review sites like Legal 500 or Chambers Top Ranked to Global Law Experts or your regional law society websites, there are plenty of opportunities to claim online profiles.
5. Make sure your law firm has a social media presence
To attract new clients with online advertising—you’ve got to be where the people are. Increasingly, in the digital age, people in the Mena are on social media. While you’ll certainly need to be careful to maintain professionalism with your social media presence, with some thoughtful investment and care, social media advertising can be a boon for your law firm’s growth.
Here are a few ways to use social media in your law firm marketing:
- Follow legal leaders on social media and engage in thoughtful conversation.
- Set up an effective law firm LinkedIn page. Make sure it’s separate from your personal LinkedIn profile, which you should also optimize to help you stand out amongst peers and potential clients.
- Create an advertising campaign to position yourself as an authority in your space and attract new clients.
Finally, make sure you’re following ethics and publicity rules within your jurisdiction, and be mindful of creating lawyer-client relationships.
6. Manage your law firm’s online testimonials effectively
Once you have several online profiles up and running for your law firm, clients might start giving you testimonials.
Make asking for online testimonials at the close of every case part of your process, especially if a client is extremely satisfied. If you encounter a negative review, don’t ignore it. Follow best practices for online reputation management for lawyers when it comes to responding to your client’s feedback directly.
7. Try your hand at content marketing
You already have a knack for the written word, so put those skills to use to grow your law firm. Blogging, and more generally, content marketing, is a great way to build your brand and authority.
You can use content to show off your expertise in a given area. If you can provide helpful answers to general questions potential clients might have, you’ll build trust and confidence with them. Demonstrating that you’re an authority in a particular area makes it more likely that they’ll eventually hire you.
Here are a few quick pointers to keep in mind if you decide to start a blog:
- Try to identify legal-related evergreen content marketing topics.
- Make sure your content has a clear focus.
- Stick to a regular cadence in your posts.
- Provide quality, helpful information (without offering specific legal advice).
8. Tap into the power of video
Video is another excellent way to market your law firm. It’s little wonder why:
You can use video to demonstrate your expertise on complex legal topics, offer a behind-the-scenes look into your firm, or share testimonials from clients—the possibilities are endless.
Lawyers can use videos on traditional marketing channels, house them on their website, or post them to online platforms such as YouTube or social media. Whichever route you take, you’ll quickly find it’s a great way to build trust, establish credibility, and stand out in a competitive landscape.
9. Know your audience: Who are you marketing to?
Understanding who your target audience is will help you create valuable content your prospective clients will want to engage with.
For example, if you’re a corporate lawyer, you likely know the trends or interests of your client. This might dictate what social media platforms you should use to connect with them.
Everything you create and share should serve your prospective clients. Have them in mind whenever you’re writing a post, email, or updating your website.
10. Measure your law firm’s marketing efforts
No matter how you decide to market your law firm, it’s important to measure the return on investment of your efforts.
Without measurement, you’ll have no idea which campaigns are bringing in new business—and which are failing. Identifying which marketing tactic isn’t performing well will help your marketing strategy succeed, enabling you to stop investing in the methods that don’t work and invest more in those that do.
There’s only one way to find out—look to the numbers!
A low-tech but effective trick is asking clients how they heard about you. While these anecdotal results can start to shape a picture of your marketing’s impact, you’ll need to do more to truly assess how your marketing is working.
By implementing these steps, law firms can lay a solid marketing foundation that enables them to acquire and retain clients. Thus, they will be able to sustain growth and success in a competitive market.
