You’ve seen the billboards across town with the lawyer pointing a finger or folding their arms in confidence.
They read:
So-and-so, the Strongarm will fight for your rights!
Accident? Injured? Someone should pay!
“Just because you did it doesn’t mean you’re guilty!” (That’s an actual billboard!)
Do these tactics have a big impact? Most importantly, will they work for your law firm?
There might be some law practices where these campaigns do work, and work well, but the majority of law firms are headed in a different direction, and your clients are looking for savvier marketing as well.
Here are 3 things your law firm needs to know about marketing within the legal field.
Build your brand from credibility, authority and capability
Building the brand for your law firm is more than fancy cards and spiffy letterheads. You need to communicate what makes your firm unique and why people should listen to you, trust you and hire you. What will make you stand out from the herd is your trustworthiness, expertise and your proven track record.
Highlight awards you’ve won. Solicit great reviews from your clients and showcase them. Demonstrate your track record with case studies, where applicable. Prove your capability in your practice areas. All of this will build your authority and tell potential clients that you’re a law firm they can trust and rely on.
Establish your online presence
Online is where the majority of your clients are going to find you, not billboards or late night infomercials. You better believe you need a good website, but your online presence doesn’t stop there. Law firms also need to establish themselves on all the industry-specific platforms where leads might find them. State and local bar listings, Avvo, Yelp, Google My Business, YP.com, Apple Maps, and Justia, just to name a few free platforms. Build your profile and make sure the information is correct and the branding is professional. The more funnels that can bring your clients to you, the better. And don’t forget about SEO…
And social media matters to law firms as much as it does for any other business. You need to establish a social media presence on the platforms where your clients are. This could mean LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, all together, or an effective combo. If your clients are hanging out on these platforms you need to join them and provide insightful, relevant content.
Get in the content marketing game
Most lawyers, legal assistants and paralegals know a thing or two about writing a sentence. And most are writing page after page of content every day. Might as well turn that writing and that expertise into a form of marketing. Content marketing is all about providing value to your clients. When done properly, it doesn’t feel like a marketing ploy. It’s communicating authentically and building trust along the way. And people do business with people they trust.
Developing a content marketing strategy is one of our top recommendations to just about every business, but law firms can especially benefit from providing easily accessible, informative, and digestible content to people who desperately need their pressing questions answered. This can (and should) involve a strategy that combines blogging, newsletters, social media, landing pages and great website content. It all adds up to a fantastic ROI that keeps on coming in, plus this is by far the best way to boost your rankings on Google and establish your authority in your field.
We’ve worked with attorneys and law firms across a number of practice areas. And we know how to translate your practice into a strategic marketing campaign.
You do the law. We do the marketing. Match made in heaven.