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But, there are plenty of digital marketing strategies that apply to all law firms. These include building an SEO-backed website, increasing your presence on social media, and creating an email list. When you use these tactics correctly, you’ll easily generate leads and site traffic.
With that said, the most successful law firsts will prioritize quality over quantity. If time or money constraints are holding you back, use one of the following tips that could help you the most.
1. Make an SEO-Backed, User-Focused Website
Search engine optimization, or SEO, includes a wide variety of marketing tactics that increase your website’s visibility on search engines. SEO for law firm websites looks similar to other industries, as it includes content, backlinking, and technical SEO, but it also has a unique flair.
All businesses want to attract more traffic, but law firms have to compete with some of the most expensive keywords on the internet. This makes it harder for potential customers to find them.
But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the potential of organic traffic. A 2019 Clio Legal Trends Report found that 17% of legal consumers find lawyers using search engines. That’s the 2nd most common way customers find lawyers, the first being referrals from friends or family.
If you want to utilize SEO to its full potential, you need to:
- Make content that answers inquiries or search terms a user would use
- Optimize content with keywords that your clients would search for
- Invest in local SEO through off-page citations, like Google My Business
- Create a website that’s user-friendly and easy to navigate
- Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and secure
All of these steps require you to do keyword research, publish content for your website, and build your online presence with links. That isn’t always easy to do yourself. If you need help, consider hiring a law-firm SEO expert, content creators, and an experienced marketing team.
Guest posting is a really great way to build links, especially if your content appears on popular websites in your niche, like Forbes, azcentral, Above the Law, Law360, and Entrepreneur.
2. Invest in Your Law Firms Social Media Presence
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Social media is one of the best ways to engage with potential customers. On social media, clients can learn more about your business, ask questions, and book appointments.
Most general social media advice is useful for all platforms: create a strategy, post regularly, and track and analyze metrics. However, you’ll want to use specific tactics meant for the platform you want to use. In our opinion, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn are perfect for lawyers.
If you can’t commit to three platforms, stick to one for now. It’s better for your brand and marketing budget to focus on a single platform, as you’ll have more time to make good content.
Facebook is the most popular social media platform on the planet. It’s also filled with people who likely require your services unless you’re in compliance or business law. Bankruptcy, family, and civil court lawyers do really well here because Facebook is used to connect with family.
Videos and articles with clear images are popular on Facebook, just don’t write long posts. Instead, repurpose old content by sharing it on your page. Corporate humor and Q&As are really effective because users like to engage with them and share them around their inner circle.
With Facebook, you’re casting a wide net, but there’s a high chance you’ll hook potential customers. While they won’t need your services now, they’ll remember you when they do.
TikTok
Lawyers can really excel on TikTok. Anthony Barbuto and Brad Sheer have a combined follower count of over 3 million followers, but even smaller channels get high engagement. Compared to other platforms, getting a high amount of engagement isn’t difficult if you’re socially continuous.
Legal issues trend all the time on TikTok because the Gen Z and Millennial demographic that populates the site cares about social justice. To get an idea of what’s trending, select “home” and click the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner. You’ll see a long list of topics.
To make sure you’re seeing trending topics relevant to you and your audience, start following lawyers and other members of the legal community. Niche down to your specific specialty.
Law firms that service business professionals and companies need to market on LinkedIn. If you’re in corporate, compliance, and administrative law, this is the best place to share content and attract new talent to your firm. It’s also an engagement powerhouse for long-form articles.
One way LinkedIn tracks post engagement is with the “see more” tab click rate. You can use this to your advantage by writing an interesting sentence that’s less than 120 characters so it appears before the “see more” tap. The more people click, the farther your post will go.
Ideally, you’ll spend a lot of time in LinkedIn Groups and networking with other lawyers. If another local attorney is hosting an event, you can ask to be a part of the speakers’ lists.
3. Build an Email List and Capture Leads
Email marketing is still an effective way to grow any business, but it’s extremely effective for busy lawyers. 42% of law offices take three or more days to respond to clients, and while it’s clear lawyers are very busy, a 24-hour wait time or longer can really kill your earning potential.
However, an email marketing strategy can keep clients in the loop, which makes them more likely to stay loyal. To build an email list, lawyers need to grab emails from potential clients via social media, lead magnets, opt-in forms on their website, or from in-person networking.
It’s easier to build an email list when you offer something in return. For example, you could run a contest, write a checklist, or create a printable they can download after signing up for your list.
Once you have an email list, you can start creating an email sequence. This should activate the moment a client signs up for the list. A typical legal-centric email list will look like this:
- First Email: Welcome email that promises a reward for sign-up, like an ebook.
- Second Email (24-Hours Later): Ask them about the gift they received.
- Third Email (48-Hours Later): Touch on a legal topic of interest.
- Fourth Email (72-Hours Later): Talk about new legal news in your niche.
- Fifth Email (96-Hours Later): Point out law-related problems in your niche.
After that initial sequence, wait at least a week until you send your next email. You don’t want to clog their inbox, or they’ll unsubscribe. Avoid going straight to a promotion or discount, as well.
If you have a webinar coming up or you want to encourage your readers to check out a new blog post, your email list is the perfect place to do it. Don’t go more than a month between emails, if possible, as your subscribers may forget why they subscribed to you in the first place.