Digital Marketing for Lawyers:

All of the information you require to expand your online presence and establish connections with clients at the appropriate time and location is included in our guide on digital marketing for lawyers.

Having a good online presence is essential for your legal practice to be competitive in today’s digitally linked world.

According to a recent research, one-third of prospective clients look for an attorney online first. This implies that businesses are automatically cutting their potential client base by 33% in the absence of a solid web marketing strategy.

How can you design a digital marketing plan that attracts clients and makes your legal practice stand out? Furthermore, how will you determine whether the money you spend on marketing your law practice is yielding positive results?

To assist you in getting started, we have put together this primer on marketing methods.

What is a digital marketing strategy?

A plan for creating a digital presence via online channels, including social media, email, search engine optimization, websites, and more, is called a digital marketing strategy.

Online marketing: lawyers vs law firms:

Depending on whether you’re selling your entire legal firm or just yourself as an attorney, your internet marketing approach will be different.

Experts advise concentrating on developing your personal brand when advertising oneself as a lawyer. You want to establish your credibility and dependability with prospective clients and companies who might be interested in hiring you (should you decide against starting your own business). Ensure that your lawyer biography, LinkedIn profile, and any other personal web presence have a professional photo along with a clear statement of your approach, values, and accomplishments. If at all possible, offer gratifying testimonials from previous employers or clientele.

Maintaining a personal brand is still crucial when marketing a legal practice. The personal brands of each lawyer in a firm have a significant impact on the firm’s overall brand, claims branding expert Katy Goshtasbi. A key element of any law firm’s digital marketing plan is equipping staff members with self-promotion skills.

Ethics is a further crucial consideration. When developing an online marketing strategy, every country has its own set of rules on the ethical obligations you must uphold, regardless of whether you decide to promote your company or yourself. As a general guideline, avoid calling yourself a “expert” unless you meet the requirements in your jurisdiction, and exercise caution when disclosing information about your client-attorney connections.

One of the most powerful tools for expanding your legal practice is developing a thorough digital marketing plan for your business. This will help you gain the confidence and trust of prospective clients.

Do lawyers need a marketing agency?

Depending on your level of interest and familiarity with digital marketing channels, you can choose to handle your own law firm’s digital marketing or work with an agency.

It makes sense to work with an agency if you would rather concentrate on practicing law.

You may be able to market your legal practice online on your own if you have the time and are willing to devote a few hours each week to digital marketing. To prevent cost overruns, certain channels—like SEM and PPC—need more experience and constant administration, so you should still think about outsourcing this aspect of your marketing plan, either entirely or in part.

Be realistic about the amount of time you can dedicate to digital marketing and the amount of money you’ll need to make in order to accomplish your objectives.

Decide what’s best for you as well. Additionally, in order to adhere to ethical guidelines, you should never divulge particular or delicate case or client information. You should also never give legal advice unless you are consciously establishing a lawyer-client relationship and doing so through a secure channel.

Creating a digital marketing strategy for your law firm

Knowing where to begin when developing a digital marketing plan can be difficult for attorneys. Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of strategies that can be pursued, such as paid digital adverts, social media marketing, website optimisation, and search engine optimisation (SEO). The wealthiest legal practices allocate their capital to a select few areas that are most advantageous to their clients, practice areas, and business.

1. Research your target client:

Understanding where your target audience spends the most time online and what kinds of messaging and content appeal to them is essential before you even consider selecting channels.

To determine who you’re marketing to, start by reading up on industry research relevant to your practice, asking former clients how they found you, and examining any data you presently have.

If you practise employment law, for instance, it’s probable that a significant amount of your customers’ time is spent on LinkedIn. Consequently, creating a LinkedIn profile should be part of your digital marketing strategy. Family law involves dealing with emotionally charged customers, therefore your marketing will need to be very sympathetic.

Understand your client, their situation, and their goals. If you haven’t put yourself in your client’s position, no amount of web marketing for your law company can persuade them (you can read more about this in Jack Newton’s The Client-Centered Law company).

2. Determine your digital marketing goals:

You must establish specific objectives if you want to be able to assess how well your legal practice’s internet marketing plan is working. Think about the following enquiries:

Would you like more people to visit the website of your legal practice?

Do you wish to receive more favourable internet testimonials from customers?

Would you like to schedule even more online consultations?

Would you like more people to connect with you on social media?

Getting new clients and building your law firm’s online profile should be your top priorities when it comes to digital marketing. You may be sure that you are making the most of your digital marketing budget by keeping this in mind.

Make sure you are striving for a reasonable target when you set goals. It could be a little challenging to post on social media every day if you haven’t used it previously. Establish your goals after you’ve determined how much time and effort you can commit to your company’s digital marketing.

The secret to attracting potential customers and getting them through the door is internet marketing. It’s up to you to figure out what will work best for your target demographic and how to be noticed.

3. What marketing channels are best for lawyers?

Unfortunately, the response varies, just like in many legal matters. As was already discussed, you must conduct research on your target market and ascertain the websites that your target audience frequents. This will assist you in determining where to spend your time and money on digital marketing channels.

Here are the most popular online marketing methods to get you started:

paid internet directories for lawyers, such as FindLaw or Justia.

PPC marketing

marketing on social media

Email promotion

Other avenues for online law office marketing exist, such as Podium-type programs that facilitate the generation of favourable ratings.

It’s important to remember that lawyer internet marketing is competitive, so expenses can mount up quickly. You should start small and proceed carefully before branching out into other channels.

Desire more? Make sure to look over our digital marketing hub’s more resources.

4. Create an SEO-focused law firm website that converts visitors to clients:

A website is typically the main component of a legal firm’s digital marketing plan. Your website is a piece of property you own, and it’s crucial for credibility in contrast to directory listings or social media profiles. A potential client who searches for you online and sees a state bar listing but no website may decide to give up.

The key to branding your company and yourself is your website. Here is where prospective customers can obtain details about your staff, qualifications, accomplishments, and services provided.

To appear in search results and attract natural (free) traffic to your legal practice, SEO is essential. Digital marketing for law companies is a booming and competitive industry, with entire agencies dedicated to SEO for law firms. You’ll be halfway there if you start with the fundamentals:

Ensure that your website is easy to read, navigate, and clear.

Throughout your website, use the target keywords you want to be found for (personal injury lawyer, for example).

Create educational content, like blog entries, to demonstrate your knowledge to potential clients.

Go here to find out more about SEO for solicitors. Think about hiring assistance if your legal practice isn’t showing up in search results.

You must not only attract people to your website but also convert them into paying customers. Persuade potential clients to hire you using testimonials, polished copy and photos, and a clear explanation of the services and cost involved.

Throughout your website, include calls to action (CTAs) that are obvious and straightforward for visitors to follow, such as “schedule a consultation” or “contact us.” This will make it easier for potential clients to hire you.

5. Measure the success of your digital marketing strategy:

After you’ve jotted down important details about your target audience, your objectives, success metrics, investment channels, and website enhancement opportunities, follow up on your notes to ensure everything is operating as it should.

You can use online tools like Clio Grow to find out where new clients are coming from and decide which channels to increase your investment in or eliminate from your law firm’s internet marketing plan.

The digital marketing plan for your legal practice need to be an active, dynamic document. Adapt your plan as necessary to ensure that the money you spend on digital marketing is yielding a healthy return.

Online marketing and the law: Internet privacy and data retention:

Before the GDPR and other laws, lawyers were held to high standards in digital marketing. Lawyers must maintain client confidentiality and promptly report breaches.

General anti-spam laws like the CAN-SPAM Act protect people from unsolicited emails and penalise companies that violate them. To avoid penalties, make sure your website designer or online marketing tool follows local internet privacy and data retention regulations.

Most respectable providers meet the requirements, but ask to be sure. Check your website and suppliers at least:

We securely keep client and potential client marketing data including names, emails, and phone numbers.

Anyone can view or remove their data.

One can easily opt out of digital marketing communications.

Consult this Cloud Computing Due Diligence Checklist before using digital marketing tools or suppliers.

Conclusion:

More time and thought spent on marketing will lead to more leads, more individuals you can help, and greater law firm growth.