For attorneys, a steady blend of online and offline marketing is key to growing your client base. You already know that. If you’re looking for great offline ways to increase your law firms client base, Tom Kane has a great Top Ten list that you can read, here.
Since we’re a digital agency, today we’ll be discussing the top ten digital marketing strategies for attorneys and law firms. The web has become increasingly important for marketing to potential clients, and it’s only going to become more prevalent as time goes on.
Nowadays, potential clients are searching the web for relevant information, from reputable lawyers who can solve their situations. So let’s jump right in:
Thought Leadership
Thought leadership. It’s a new term for an old concept—writing and speaking to enhance your visibility and build a public perception of your expertise. Lawyers have used thought leadership as a marketing strategy since the very early days of law firm marketing, though the outlets for creating Thought Leadership have certainly evolved.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Rank higher on Google and watch your case load & revenues soar.” style=”flat” color=”mulled-wine” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”View Our Attorney Marketing Services” btn_color=”white” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Faginto.com%2Finternet-marketing-services%2Flaw-firms-attorneys%2F%3Futm%3Dblogcta||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]Writing content that both speaks to your target client, and establishes you as an authority on the subject can and should be a regular practice. Content marketing & blogging are great ways to publish relevant content that is informative, useful, and easy to understand (not legalize).
But, you should also be writing content on third party publications, that your intended audience is likely to read.
Think about it, a consumer who is looking for an attorney to handle his DWI case might head to sites like Lawyers.com or Avvo to find answers to his questions, and potentially look for someone to help him resolve the situation. While he’s there, he reads an article from you related to the first 3 things someone should do after being charged with a DWI.
By articulating your information carefully, this consumer will likely view you as the expert in the field. And, if he’s in your city, you’ve positioned yourself to be the first attorney he’s going to call for help.
There are hundreds or even thousands of lawyer and attorney websites that allow you to register and publish content. So don’t push this step off another day. Seriously, open up that Microsoft Word after reading this and get to typing.
A Responsive website
The fact is that the world has gone mobile, and you know this already. Heck, you’re likely reading this on some type of hand held device.
Because of this fact, you have to be able to engage visitors where they are already spending their time, and better yet, you need to provide them with a valuable and easy experience when they arrive at your website.
Consider this: 87% of smartphone users are turning to search on their phone first when looking for a product or service from a local provider.
[easy-tweet tweet=”87% of smartphone users are turning to search on their phone first when looking for a product or service from a local provider.” via=”no” usehashtags=”no”]Once you capture a users attention, you have to be able to convert that user, and engage with that user.
A responsive website design is a huge part of this, and and a crucial first step for you to take, if you haven’t already. This type of design will adjust based on the screen size of the device that a visitor is using.
No matter how good the content on your website may be, there’ll be no ‘free consult’ in your future if your potential client can’t figure out how to navigate your website.
If you’re unsure if your website is currently mobile responsive, use Google’s free tool, here.
Social Media & Targeting
Not only can you use Facebook targeting to reach potential new accounts, you can also use it to connect with statewide partnerships. It’s also a great way to share your articles that we mentioned earlier. Either way (or both), social media is a must for any business or industry. Target news publications and local channels with your articles, so when they are writing or filming new articles for their own publications, they’ll turn to you for quotes and excerpts. 
Extra Tip: Think, review, and review again before you make a social media post or comment. The ability to easily take screenshots makes it difficult to take back a social media mistake.
Retargeting
This one goes hand in hand with others, like email marketing and social media strategies, but remarketing to previous leads using Facebook is a fantastic way to put your practice back in front of an audience that you already know has expressed interest in you.
Related: Remarketing Tactics Without Being a Creeper
Pay-Per-Click
When it comes to PPC, law firms have their work cut out for them. Keyword terms associated with attorneys and lawyers are among the most expensive keywords in Google AdWords. Law firms can easily spend $50,000 to $100,000 per month on PPC.
Google’s ad based platform can be extremely lucrative if managed properly. But, anyone can throw money at Adwords to get ad clicks. It takes some skills to create webpages that will convert your clicks into clients. For more information, chat with us or read more about creating a PPC campaign that converts traffic to clients.
Set Up Google Alerts
Google Alerts notify you when your name or law practice (or other designated keyword term) appears in a new piece of content on the web! This makes it easy to keep tabs on who is talking about you and your accolades.
If your practice is mentioned on a local newspapers website, that’s great press to share. And, alternatively, if your business gets mentioned in a negative way, that’s something you want to be notified of immediately.
Here’s a great walk through on setting up Google Alerts.
Increase Local WOM
Word of mouth is no longer limited to someone passing names to their next door neighbor. Americans have proven that they trust online reviews as much as they would a personal friend giving them the same recommendation. With that in mind, increasing your online reviews is paramount to you receiving more word of mouth business for your law practice. People want to work with a reputable attorney with integrity. Of course they’re going to look at your reviews!
So how can you increase your reviews online, and where?
Google Reviews
Google is undoubtedly the king of the online reviews. When people search for your business, sure they’ll see other outlets like Yellow Pages and Yelp, but they’ll initially (and prominently) see your Google review rating.
Use the tool here to create a custom link that directs users directly to your Google Review page, where they can quickly and easily leave your practice a positive review.
Facebook Reviews
By simply adding ‘reviews’ to the end of the URL, you’ll have a direct link to your Facebook page reviews. So your new link will look like this, but with your page information:
https://www.facebook.com/yourfacebooklink/reviews/
This will open directly into a Review Box for visitors, immediately asking them to leave their review
Avvo Reviews
Love it or hate it, Avvo has a strong presence in the legal space when it comes to creating a reputation online. When your considering how to market yourself, Avvo can’t be ignored. The website has quickly become one of the leaders in providing information to clients about attorneys and general legal advice.
Of the lawyers that do use Avvo, there is some stark contrast in the way that the website is perceived. Some lawyers distrust and even hate Avvo for various reasons, while others love the site and see it as a great way to generate new leads for clients.
At the end of the day, what you as an attorney feel about Avvo may matter, the fact is that potential clients are looking for reviews and information about attorneys on Avvo, so you definitely need to be there.
If you haven’t yet setup your account and profile on Avvo, you can do that here:
https://www.avvo.com/add-your-lawyer-profile
Search Engine Optimization
At the end of the day, being on page one of Google or Bing is the best way to reach more of your local community.
There are a number of factors that go into SEO for the legal field, but two items are extremely important.
And, if you are a startup or willing to commit the time yourself, you can attempt to work through these yourself.
Content Content Content
Content is king. Google has made it clear that they are promoting websites that provide high quality, informational content to their users.
Directory Listings
Since the inter webs began to form, directory listings have been an intricate part of small business marketing. There are thousands of directory listing websites for small businesses, and you’ll want to be listed on any as possible. It takes time and a little concentration to ensure you are listing your business consistently across all platforms, but it can be done. For a breakdown of some of the most important directory listing websites, click here.
Video Marketing
Last year, U.S. adults watched an average of 1 hour and 16 minutes of video each day on their digital devices. YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, has over 4 billion video views on the site every single day.
With these incredible statistics, it’s hard to deny the growing influence of videos in marketing and it’s no surprise that more attorneys are incorporating video in their digital campaigns.
One of the greatest struggles that attorneys face when it comes to online marketing is that they are in fact selling themselves, and their expertise, which can often be difficult to translate into easily digestible content. Video allows you to connect with visitors in a different way and helps to establish a level of comfort with a visitor before they’ve even picked up the phone to schedule the initial consult.
Here’s some tips from Gerry Oginski, a personal injury attorney who has had great success video marketing over the last 5 years:
Live Chat
Think about this – You’ve probably come into the office and looked at a list of calls you need to return and consultations you need to schedule. If only there were more than one of you to answer general questions, qualify prospects, and set higher converting consultations… Live chat answers the bell for this common attorney need.
It engages potential clients at the moment they are looking for a solutions that you can provide.
Conclusion
Now it’s your turn. As an attorney, what tactics have you found to help your business reach more people on the web? Let us know in the comments, or tweet to us @agintosolutions!
For attorneys, a steady blend of online and offline marketing is key to growing your client base. You already know that. If you’re looking for great offline ways to increase your law firms client base, Tom Kane has a great Top Ten list that you can read, here.
Since we’re a digital agency, today we’ll be discussing the top ten digital marketing strategies for attorneys and law firms. The web has become increasingly important for marketing to potential clients, and it’s only going to become more prevalent as time goes on.
Nowadays, potential clients are searching the web for relevant information, from reputable lawyers who can solve their situations. So let’s jump right in:
Thought Leadership
Thought leadership. It’s a new term for an old concept—writing and speaking to enhance your visibility and build a public perception of your expertise. Lawyers have used thought leadership as a marketing strategy since the very early days of law firm marketing, though the outlets for creating Thought Leadership have certainly evolved.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Rank higher on Google and watch your case load & revenues soar.” style=”flat” color=”mulled-wine” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”View Our Attorney Marketing Services” btn_color=”white” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Faginto.com%2Finternet-marketing-services%2Flaw-firms-attorneys%2F%3Futm%3Dblogcta||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]Writing content that both speaks to your target client, and establishes you as an authority on the subject can and should be a regular practice. Content marketing & blogging are great ways to publish relevant content that is informative, useful, and easy to understand (not legalize).
But, you should also be writing content on third party publications, that your intended audience is likely to read.
Think about it, a consumer who is looking for an attorney to handle his DWI case might head to sites like Lawyers.com or Avvo to find answers to his questions, and potentially look for someone to help him resolve the situation. While he’s there, he reads an article from you related to the first 3 things someone should do after being charged with a DWI.
By articulating your information carefully, this consumer will likely view you as the expert in the field. And, if he’s in your city, you’ve positioned yourself to be the first attorney he’s going to call for help.
There are hundreds or even thousands of lawyer and attorney websites that allow you to register and publish content. So don’t push this step off another day. Seriously, open up that Microsoft Word after reading this and get to typing.
A Responsive website
The fact is that the world has gone mobile, and you know this already. Heck, you’re likely reading this on some type of hand held device.
Because of this fact, you have to be able to engage visitors where they are already spending their time, and better yet, you need to provide them with a valuable and easy experience when they arrive at your website.
Consider this: 87% of smartphone users are turning to search on their phone first when looking for a product or service from a local provider.
[easy-tweet tweet=”87% of smartphone users are turning to search on their phone first when looking for a product or service from a local provider.” via=”no” usehashtags=”no”]Once you capture a users attention, you have to be able to convert that user, and engage with that user.
A responsive website design is a huge part of this, and and a crucial first step for you to take, if you haven’t already. This type of design will adjust based on the screen size of the device that a visitor is using.
No matter how good the content on your website may be, there’ll be no ‘free consult’ in your future if your potential client can’t figure out how to navigate your website.
If you’re unsure if your website is currently mobile responsive, use Google’s free tool, here.
Social Media & Targeting
Not only can you use Facebook targeting to reach potential new accounts, you can also use it to connect with statewide partnerships. It’s also a great way to share your articles that we mentioned earlier. Either way (or both), social media is a must for any business or industry. Target news publications and local channels with your articles, so when they are writing or filming new articles for their own publications, they’ll turn to you for quotes and excerpts.
Extra Tip: Think, review, and review again before you make a social media post or comment. The ability to easily take screenshots makes it difficult to take back a social media mistake.
Retargeting
This one goes hand in hand with others, like email marketing and social media strategies, but remarketing to previous leads using Facebook is a fantastic way to put your practice back in front of an audience that you already know has expressed interest in you.
Related: Remarketing Tactics Without Being a Creeper
Pay-Per-Click
When it comes to PPC, law firms have their work cut out for them. Keyword terms associated with attorneys and lawyers are among the most expensive keywords in Google AdWords. Law firms can easily spend $50,000 to $100,000 per month on PPC.
Google’s ad based platform can be extremely lucrative if managed properly. But, anyone can throw money at Adwords to get ad clicks. It takes some skills to create webpages that will convert your clicks into clients. For more information, chat with us or read more about creating a PPC campaign that converts traffic to clients.
Set Up Google Alerts
Google Alerts notify you when your name or law practice (or other designated keyword term) appears in a new piece of content on the web! This makes it easy to keep tabs on who is talking about you and your accolades.
If your practice is mentioned on a local newspapers website, that’s great press to share. And, alternatively, if your business gets mentioned in a negative way, that’s something you want to be notified of immediately.
Here’s a great walk through on setting up Google Alerts.
Increase Local WOM
Word of mouth is no longer limited to someone passing names to their next door neighbor. Americans have proven that they trust online reviews as much as they would a personal friend giving them the same recommendation. With that in mind, increasing your online reviews is paramount to you receiving more word of mouth business for your law practice. People want to work with a reputable attorney with integrity. Of course they’re going to look at your reviews!
So how can you increase your reviews online, and where?
Google Reviews
Google is undoubtedly the king of the online reviews. When people search for your business, sure they’ll see other outlets like Yellow Pages and Yelp, but they’ll initially (and prominently) see your Google review rating.
Use the tool here to create a custom link that directs users directly to your Google Review page, where they can quickly and easily leave your practice a positive review.
Facebook Reviews
By simply adding ‘reviews’ to the end of the URL, you’ll have a direct link to your Facebook page reviews. So your new link will look like this, but with your page information:
https://www.facebook.com/yourfacebooklink/reviews/
This will open directly into a Review Box for visitors, immediately asking them to leave their review
Avvo Reviews
Love it or hate it, Avvo has a strong presence in the legal space when it comes to creating a reputation online. When your considering how to market yourself, Avvo can’t be ignored. The website has quickly become one of the leaders in providing information to clients about attorneys and general legal advice.
Of the lawyers that do use Avvo, there is some stark contrast in the way that the website is perceived. Some lawyers distrust and even hate Avvo for various reasons, while others love the site and see it as a great way to generate new leads for clients.
At the end of the day, what you as an attorney feel about Avvo may matter, the fact is that potential clients are looking for reviews and information about attorneys on Avvo, so you definitely need to be there.
If you haven’t yet setup your account and profile on Avvo, you can do that here:
https://www.avvo.com/add-your-lawyer-profile
Search Engine Optimization
At the end of the day, being on page one of Google or Bing is the best way to reach more of your local community.
There are a number of factors that go into SEO for the legal field, but two items are extremely important.
And, if you are a startup or willing to commit the time yourself, you can attempt to work through these yourself.
Content Content Content
Content is king. Google has made it clear that they are promoting websites that provide high quality, informational content to their users.
Directory Listings
Since the inter webs began to form, directory listings have been an intricate part of small business marketing. There are thousands of directory listing websites for small businesses, and you’ll want to be listed on any as possible. It takes time and a little concentration to ensure you are listing your business consistently across all platforms, but it can be done. For a breakdown of some of the most important directory listing websites, click here.
Video Marketing
Last year, U.S. adults watched an average of 1 hour and 16 minutes of video each day on their digital devices. YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, has over 4 billion video views on the site every single day.
With these incredible statistics, it’s hard to deny the growing influence of videos in marketing and it’s no surprise that more attorneys are incorporating video in their digital campaigns.
One of the greatest struggles that attorneys face when it comes to online marketing is that they are in fact selling themselves, and their expertise, which can often be difficult to translate into easily digestible content. Video allows you to connect with visitors in a different way and helps to establish a level of comfort with a visitor before they’ve even picked up the phone to schedule the initial consult.
Here’s some tips from Gerry Oginski, a personal injury attorney who has had great success video marketing over the last 5 years:
Live Chat
Think about this – You’ve probably come into the office and looked at a list of calls you need to return and consultations you need to schedule. If only there were more than one of you to answer general questions, qualify prospects, and set higher converting consultations… Live chat answers the bell for this common attorney need.
It engages potential clients at the moment they are looking for a solutions that you can provide.
Conclusion
Now it’s your turn. As an attorney, what tactics have you found to help your business reach more people on the web? Let us know in the comments, or tweet to us @agintosolutions!