20 Tactics for Marketing a Law Firm

Digital marketing can do incredible things for your law firm. The downside is that everyone knows that by now. The online space is crowded with attorneys marketing their practice. So how can you increase your law firm’s online visibility and build more business this year? Check out these 20 can’t-miss digital tactics for law firm marketing.

1. Work With a Better SEO Agency

In such a crowded search inquiry space, it’s essential that your website ranks for your key terms. If you work with a third-party and still aren’t getting great organic rankings on Google, you need to re-evaluate. We suggest working with an agency that specializes in the legal space. When you are choosing which agency to work with, ask to see their results in highly competitive spaces. Request that they pull data on their clients’ search results, and make sure to review their client testimonials and case studies. 

2. Regularly Publish Quality Content

Adding fresh content to your website is important for many reasons. That being said, only high-quality content will reap rewards in search and traffic. That’s another reason it’s a good idea to have an SEO expert look over new content with you. The very best legal marketers are adding new pages to their site or blog each month. 

3. Upgrade Your Website Design to Improve Conversion Rates

Your law firm’s website is a direct reflection of your firm. In order to maximize conversions and generate more leads, your website needs to be better than your competition. If you haven’t updated your website in the last two years, chances are it’s outdated. Make the investment in updating your site, and as you do, keep conversion rate optimization (CRO) in mind. Small changes can make a big difference in the number of quality leads your website receives.

4. Become Mobile-friendly

In 2022, having a mobile-friendly law firm website is imperative. Ultimately, any improvements you make to your website won’t have that much impact if it doesn’t help mobile users. Law firms without a mobile-friendly website are already falling behind in the rankings, as Google transitioned to a mobile-first index.

5. Build Stronger Connections and Engagement With Video and Animation

Video continues to take over the digital space. We suggest that you create a variety of videos, across lots of different topics. Not all of them need to be top-of-the-line, but a few do. The videos designed to really “sell” your firm should be top quality, which means you may need to work with a professional. 

If you’re looking to join the ranks of lawyers that are effectively using video to generate brand awareness and aid in business development, consider what these 10 lawyers and firms are doing.

6. Run Paid Sponsored Content on LinkedIn’s Advertising Network

Sponsored content is a form of native advertising on LinkedIn. The advertising platform offers fantastic ways to reach target audiences and target accounts. You can segment people by industry, geography, job title, company name, and more. Read our complimentary eBook, The Law Firm Guide to LinkedIn Advertising to learn how to optimize LinkedIn advertising campaigns to make sure you’re getting the best return on your investment. 

7. Run Retargeting Campaigns on Facebook and Instagram

Any law firm that runs paid campaigns should include retargeting as part of their strategy. That’s because people very rarely choose the first lawyer they’ve researched – they need to be reminded of your firm over time. Many firms run retargeting ads on other third-party platforms but forget about Facebook and Instagram, which leaves a lot of exposure on the table. 

8. Leverage Local Services Ads on Google

Google says that these ads “help you connect with people who search on Google for the services you offer. Your ads will show up for customers in your service area, and you only pay if a customer calls you directly through the ad.” This form of advertising takes the visitor directly to a profile page on Google, and not to your website like the traditional text ads. It’s cost-effective because you only pay for the leads you obtain.

9. Ramp Up Your Paid Search Budget

If you want to have the highest chances of generating leads and getting a strong return on investment (ROI), you need to make sure you have enough budget. Remember that just one case can be worth 6 or 7 figures. How many leads are required to secure that one case? 

10. Improve Your Paid Search Landing Pages

It’s a very common problem for firms to have poor results with paid searches that can be traced back to ads linking to ineffective landing pages. Landing pages are a critical component of the conversion funnel, and you should invest as many resources in them as you do for other components of your paid ad strategy. 

11. Build a Martech Stack That Enables Your Marketing Team to do More in Less Time

Marketing technology (Martech) enables business development and legal marketing teams to achieve more in less time. From marketing and email automation to analytics and personalization, marketing technology has changed the way organizations and law firms scale their digital marketing engine and reap the rewards.

12. Get Your Law Firm Listed in Directories That Are Ranking High on Google

The “right” places to get listed in are those that rank highly with Google. Look at directories like Findlaw, SuperLawyers, Best Lawyers, etc. – but only if they are ranking in the top 3 positions for the keywords you want to rank for. There will be costs associated, so you need to give some thought to ROI. 

13. Leverage Chatbots to Engage Website Prospects in Real-time

This used to be a nice-to-have feature, but chatbots are a must nowadays. If your law firm’s digital marketing budget allows, look into smart chatbots that can control the flow of dialog between the visitor and the chatbot. 

14. Obtain More Reviews for Social Proof and an SEO Boost

If you don’t have enough Google reviews (or you have several but they’re not outstanding), it could be costing you cases. Rest assured that researchers are seeking out what other clients have said about working with you. They want social proof of your claims. Make it a priority to improve your reviews – in both quality and quantity. 

15. Create a Referral Network

Naturally, your firm wants to handle cases that are in its wheelhouse. But what do you do with leads that you can’t work on? Why not send them to another firm, and collect a referral fee? Work with other nearby firms to create a network for these purposes. Note: the regulations around this can be complex, so make sure you understand specifically what’s allowed in your state. 

16. Create Unique Call Tracking Numbers for Every Campaign

Most firms understand this as a concept, but don’t take the time to really create all of the different numbers required. Have unique call tracking numbers for organic SEO efforts, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube Ads, directory listings, retargeting ads (unique ones for each platform), landing pages, etc. Pulling the data on these numbers will help you to better understand what’s working and what’s not so that you can make better decisions and pour money into efforts contributing to a positive ROI.

17. Create a Microsite to Go After Specific Types of Cases

It’s a good idea to target a specific area of practice in order to differentiate from competitors. If you’re consistently seeking a certain type of case, you may want to create a specialized microsite, with multiple pages, and associated marketing campaigns. Specialty sites will convert at a much higher rate.

18. Approach Media Outlets with Newsworthy Stories

Generate some PR for your firm by looking for opportunities to be quoted in online publications and journals. A foolproof way to do this is to approach journalists and create personal relationships with them. Pick up the phone, meet face-to-face, and be a trusted partner instead of just another generic email in a reporter’s inbox.

19. Run Commercials for Your Law Firm Using OTT Ads

If you’ve never heard the term “OTT”, it’s time you learned if you want to stay ahead of your competitors. OTT stands for “Over the Top”, and refers to the way that these ads bypass traditional cable and satellite TV for delivering video content. For example, ads that appear during your favorite Hulu show. They are more powerful than traditional television commercials because they allow marketers to target based on thousands of factors (most commonly geographic, age, etc). Users say they can run much more relevant ads and reduce waste in their budget. 

20. Measure and Optimize Campaigns in Real-time.

Real-time measurement and optimization is a true benefit of digital. Measuring your marketing efforts is essential to making sure your marketing strategy is moving the needle and truly contributing to your new business generation. Check out our past post on key marketing metrics to keep track of.

Takeaway:

You don’t want to maintain the status quo in your firm – you want to grow. That requires exploring new areas and building new strategies all the time. It takes a consistent, persistent presence to stay top of mind as a law firm but there is no one-size-fits-all online marketing strategy for law firms. Try these 20 tactics to help you to expand your digital presence and gain new leads.

Contact us today if you’re a lawyer or law firm that needs help with digital marketing. We’re happy to assess your current website and digital marketing efforts, listen to your lead generation and business goals, and come up with a strategy to propel your law firm forward. We can help you design a modern website, execute ad campaigns, craft high-quality content, and much more.