What is digital marketing for attorneys and law firms?
The act of selling legal services online is called digital marketing. It is advertising on search engines, websites and social media at a high-level. Digital marketing today includes many channels that allow users to engage with brands.
Digital marketing is driven by user engagement. This involves creating meaningful interactions between potential and returning customers using analytical data that has been accumulated over time. Your law firm can engage customers digitally to build brand awareness and position yourself as an industry leader.
A digital marketing strategy that works allows your law firm trace client acquisition back to the first digital interaction with your company. This data gathering, research and reporting process, also known as attribution modeling allows you to understand how clients search for and hire your services. This knowledge will help you make informed decisions about your marketing strategy and budget for law firms.
Aberdeen Group found that companies with aligned sales and marketing achieve a 20% annual growth rate. Your business’ ROI will be positive if you improve your client’s journey through the buying process using digital technology and other marketing tactics.
How can digital marketing benefit law firms?
A well-designed plan, prepared by a digital strategy agency, can help law firms to gain more clients, revenue, reach greater audiences, and better visibility.
Online marketing is extremely helpful when you are just starting or rebranding your business. You can’t rely solely on word-of-mouth to bring in clients. Online marketing is not only a great way to build brand awareness for new lawyers, but it’s also more economical.
What are the best digital marketing strategies for law firms?
Although it may seem absurd, the best digital strategies for law firms are those that help them achieve their business goals. Search engine optimization, content marketing and having a website that meets the digital marketing standards are just a few of the many factors that influence the use of subtle tactics such as email and social media marketing. It all depends on who you work with and what your practice area is.
Research Your Target Audience
Digital marketing can be much more cost-effective than traditional marketing, and it is also easier to use when done correctly. Digital marketing targets your ideal client, so you must know their identity. You will have a specialization as a law firm. If you are a divorce lawyer, it is not a good idea to target clients who need help with environmental law.
It’s crucial to target the right clients because the internet is home to 4.66 million people. You can hire a digital marketing agency to assist you with market research and to identify industry trends. Start by creating a profile for your ideal client and reviewing the work of existing clients. Then, you can compare these profiles to decide what type of client you will serve.
Describe Your Goals
Two goals should be achieved by law firm digital marketing: retention of clients and solidifying the firm’s reputation to clients who need legal advice. Your goals will guide your digital marketing efforts.
Analyze the online journey of your client to hire you. What are they searching for? What are they searching for? Next, evaluate your online marketing efforts. Are you able to budget for digital marketing? Maybe you aren’t active on social media but need to redesign your website.
Conversion rates are important for law firms that have websites that get traffic but no clients. Because law firm digital marketing can be complex, it is important to set goals. Every tactic must be evaluated and prioritized in accordance with the main objectives of the law firm.
The SMART framework might be helpful. The acronym SMART stands to be specific, measurable and achievable. It also means realistic, realistic, timely, and realistic. Research has shown that people who set specific goals have a better chance of succeeding.
Make an investment in your own digital legal marketing campaign
Marketing is essential for any type of business. This is particularly true for law firms, as you can have the best lawyers in all the world but no one will know about them.
Marketing is an investment for the best law firms. Your return on investment (ROI) is a way to get more clients. This is all great information, but how can you put it into practice? Experiential marketers will have many tips for you. These include having a top-of-the-line website (prospects should view your firm as the best), high visibility online (more below in SEO section), good content marketing and building meaningful client and referral relationships with other lawyers and getting as many referrals as possible from satisfied clients.
Create a strong legal website
88% of law firms have their own website. Good clients expect you have a website. A website for a law firm can boost your business’ credibility and provide a strategic introduction of your services. It is a combination of a sales pitch and an information hub. This website forms the foundation of digital marketing for law firms. A website that is effective does the following:
Display the expertise of your law firm
Provides contact details
Case studies of success
Represents the values of your law firm
Provides answers to frequently asked questions to help you build your credibility and rank higher in search engines.
Your law firm website must be user-friendly. This means that potential clients can navigate it on any device, whether they are using a tablet, a desktop or a mobile phone. It must also be easy for search engines to rank and index, and every page should have a clear call-to-action, encouraging potential clients to take the next step in their pursuit of your services.
SEO for Law Firms
Search engine optimization (SEO), which is necessary to make sure your website appears high enough in search engine results pages (SERPs), so that potential customers can find it, is essential. Google uses a complex algorithm to determine page rankings. Google constantly changes its ranking requirements, so the way your website is optimized should change as well. It should also provide clients and potential clients with the information that they require.
SEO is about capturing leads from people who have searched for your services. This can be done by using relevant keywords in your websites, campaigns and content marketing on social media. To attract customers and rank higher in search engine results, SEO is a key component of all online businesses.
SEO also offers the following benefits:
Higher ranking law firms means higher trustworthiness
SEO has many benefits. It helps to establish a market position and attract targeted traffic.
Local businesses, such as law firms, can get more reviews from SEO.
SEO can be used on smartphones and tablets to allow your company to reach potential customers wherever they may be
Local SEO is crucial for legal businesses
Local SEO is the optimization of a business’ online presence in order to draw leads from local searches. Google collects information from social profiles, citations, links, and other sources to determine a law firms local SEO rank. The software then locates each law firm and links them to Google Maps. Potential clients are provided with a pin, contact information and reviews, as well as information about the law firm’s operating hours and location.
46% of all Google searches are for local information. Local SEO can help law firms rank higher on search engine result pages (SERPs), and attracted more clients in their chosen radius. Positive online reviews will help law firms outperform their competition.
Make sure your SEO practices are up-to-date
A law firm must do all they can to ensure that their search engine optimization is done correctly so that their website ranks high in search engines. This is an important topic as 65% of people searching for legal help online visit the websites of law firms. Learn more about law firm SEO. Learn more about SEO for law firms.
Use PPC to its fullest
Are you looking for a lawyer? You can find a lawyer online, naturally. Imagine them searching Google for your law firm. Pay-per-click advertising for law firms is a great way to reach potential clients because it targets specific types of clients.
PPC (pay-per-click) is when an advertiser charges a publisher for each click on their advertisement. PPC ads can be found on search engines such as Google and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even email marketing.
These are a cost-effective way to market legal digitally. You can set the budget and spend as much or as little as you need. They also allow for targeted marketing. You can also choose your audience based on demographics such as gender, age, device and other factors.
Google Ads ranks PPC campaigns on the basis of audience relevance and usefulness, just like websites. Relevant copy will improve your rank. This determines the location of your ad and the cost per Click.
For many reasons, content marketing is an integral part internet marketing. It is especially beneficial for lawyers as it allows them to communicate complex legalities to their clients and simultaneously builds credibility and boosts a firm’s ranking on Google. How?
Let’s suppose you are a divorce lawyer. You will learn the most common questions that your clients ask over the years. This knowledge can be used to create a marketing strategy that attracts leads. A blog post on custody and parental rights might be an option. You can use keyword research to find the most popular phrases used by clients. This information can be included in your blog copy. It is valuable content that ranks higher in Google and is shared by readers, which encourages them to look into your services.
This is just blogging. Your online marketing arsenal includes podcasts, videos and newsletters as well as infographics and eBooks. A free eBook is another result-driven marketing strategy that website visitors can receive in return for their contact information. This ebook can then be used to create email marketing campaigns.
Clients today expect legal professionals to produce high-quality content. High-quality content increases conversions and helps clients connect. Optimized content assets maximize marketing ROI for lawyers and position law firms as thought leaders in the industry.
Pay attention to social media
Social media marketing is a form of digital marketing for law firms. It allows them to connect with customers wherever they are, via Instagram, Facebook and Linked In. It is a valuable resource for PPC campaigns and community building.
You don’t have to use every platform your audience uses. According to the American Bar Association, 35% of lawyers who use Social Media professionally have gained new clients. Also, search engine rankings are correlated with improved social signals.
Your firm can leverage valuable feedback and insights from your social media presence to improve its internet marketing. A strong social presence will engage your audience. You can use social media depending on your brand tone to post content, engage in current affairs, hold polls, and advertise your services via PPC.
Bring in Good Partners
It is obvious that having experienced lawyers as partners in your law firm would be a great asset. Highly-qualified partners will be a huge asset to your clients. They can also help you get better online reviews and visibility. A good criminal lawyer can make your firm more visible and help you attract clients.
These ideas will help your company grow if you implement them. You will need to work hard and put your feet down if you’re just starting out. These ideas will help you get to the top of your law firm sooner than you think.
Pay attention to your ROI and budget
What length is a string? What should your budget be for internet marketing? Although there are industry standards, these numbers are flexible. Internet marketing is a long-term investment and requires budgeting.
Your budget will determine how you run your internet marketing campaigns, and what types of content marketing investments you make. Digital marketing strategies are built on real-time data. Its flexible, agile and responsive methods respond to behavioral economics. This requires careful ROI monitoring.
PPC campaigns are a great way to save money. You can test the effectiveness of different variables, such as copy and image changes, by A/B testing. You could run the same ad with different variables without any monitoring and get negative results.
Budgeting effectively will allow you to create content that resonates and optimize it for high search visibility. This will bring quality leads. An excellent digital marketing agency will be open about their budgets and assist you in achieving these goals.
Can lawyers do their own marketing?
There are many legitimate reasons law firms cannot hire an internet marketing agency. These include a lack of budget and inability to trust a third party to execute legal marketing plans.
Although it is possible for lawyers to manage their marketing in a limited way, the most important factors are time and focus. You don’t need to spend your time on marketing when you can hire legal marketers who will deliver results.
How to do Inbound Marketing Law Firms by Yourself
You may have reached a marketing plateau or are unsure about the possibility of hiring an internet marketing agency to represent lawyers.
Is your company experiencing a decrease in online leads?
Is your website up-to-date in the past two years?
Has your firm grown? Are you looking to improve your online reputation?
Are you running out of time for effective marketing strategies?
Are you looking to improve your marketing strategy for law firms but don’t have the expertise?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions you should seriously think about outsourcing your marketing work. Although digital marketing involves many parts, it’s not necessary to do everything all at once if your budget is tight. Start with a website design and basic SEO package to grow your law practice.
Common Law Firms Web Marketing Mistakes
While you cannot avoid all errors when running a business, you can do your best to avoid the big, but common mistakes. These mistakes are not only costly because of the amount of money they cost, but also because they can end up costing law offices millions to millions in lost potential clients. According to the 2017 Department of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for U.S. lawyers was $119,000 across the board. There are high-earners, however, who earn a million dollars or more. People often wonder how much lawyers make. What is the difference? These are not common errors made by high-earners.
1: Prospective clients are not shown up to the law firm where and when they look for it
Many attorneys aren’t available to clients when they need them.
People used Yellow Pages back in the day to find a lawyer. Or they sought out a referral from family members, friends, or other lawyers.
Google is a popular search engine today.
While they may still request a referral, an overwhelming majority of people use Google to find information and privacy. Who wants to spend time explaining why they need a lawyer? ).
It is crucial to be on Google whenever and wherever they search, but most law firms don’t appear.
Google is more than just showing up in search results. Traffic to Google is overwhelmingly directed to page-one results (75%) so if your page doesn’t appear on page one they won’t find you.
There are only a few law firms that appear consistently on page one of Google when you search for services within your practice area. What are they doing well? How can you correct this problem for your law practice?
The Solution
This is largely due to SEO (search engine optimizing) for lawyers. However, SEO for lawyers goes beyond just filling your site with keywords. SEO for law firms is about Google recognising you as an authority in the areas of your practice and within your metro. This can be achieved strategically.
This type of marketing requires the assistance of a web agency that is highly skilled in marketing and web development. They have the experience and knowledge to deliver results.
This type of marketing will help you rank higher on Google and get you in front of potential clients who are searching for your services. Big problem solved.
2: You are not budgeting enough to achieve your financial goals
Many attorneys have ambitious goals but only invest 3% of their revenue towards achieving them. They are then surprised to find out that their competitors spend 8-12% more and get more business.
It all comes down to numbers. Underbudgeting can be a problem if you are trying to make $5 million in sales but only spending $30,000 on marketing.
The Solution
To achieve your goals, you need to invest between 6-10% of expected revenue in marketing. If you don’t have a lot of repeat business, it is important to keep your client pipeline oiled with proven marketing strategies and savvy marketing. Don’t forget to market to past clients. It’s a great way to increase your ROI by maintaining old relationships.
Talk to a company that has worked with lawyers to discuss your goals and determine the amount of marketing your law firm should spend.
3: A Million-Dollar Receptionist
Have you ever called a service provider (doctor or accountant, lawyer, dentist, etc.) to discuss questions that could be asked by law firms prior to scheduling a meeting only to get a receptionist who couldn’t give the right answers? Crappy experiences lead to poor outcomes.
This is a common problem. The receptionist who is not performing well will often miss opportunities to schedule appointments with the attorney. Or, prospects may skip appointments because they had a better experience with another receptionist.
If a couple of opportunities are missed per week, it can lead to 100+ opportunities lost per year. Each opportunity would be worth $5,000. That’s $500,000 wasted.
The Solution
If you don’t align your receptionist performance standards with the sales and service goals you have for your law firm, you will be paying millions. A 90% attendance rate is required and prospect calls must lead to appointments.
You can get to the root of the problem by having your marketing agency record calls. This will allow you to listen to the recordings and determine if the receptionist is costing you $40,000-$50,000 or millions.
Coach them if they are not performing well or hire a true A-team player. RoberHalf.com offers some excellent high-level recommendations when it comes to reviewing the performance of your receptionist.
4: Prospects should not have any reason to choose you over every other lawyer
Prospects are calling and you’re having the conversations. Why don’t prospects choose your law firm instead of your competitors?
All too often, we see that attorneys don’t give their prospects any reason to choose them over other lawyers.
The Solution
Give prospects a reason to choose you. What is your service that directly meets their needs? What information and education can you offer them faster than any other lawyer? What can you do to help them solve their problems faster and more effectively?
Tell them once you have explained your reasons. Tell them again. The reason you are giving should be focused on potential clients and their needs, not yours.
Once you have convinced prospects to choose you, keep that promise. There are many lawyers in your local area who do the same thing as you, so make sure to have this key sales language ready and communicate it to all members of your office.
