Law Firm Survives and Thrives COVID-19It’s a challenging time to be a lawyer. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us in various ways. Between courthouse closures, stay-at-home protocols and reduced hours, law firms need to navigate a new normal and adjust their operations. Here are a few tactics that will distinguish your firm from the others in the midst of the current crisis. Read on to learn how you can ensure that your law firm not only survives, but thrives throughout COVID-19 and beyond.

1. Update your website

Include a specific comment on how you are working and how best to get a hold of your team. Make sure to mention consultation options and that any update is prominent at the top of your website. 

2. Use social media to drive engagement

Social media tends to explode during times when people are stuck at home. Don’t just use social to generate new business, but to create relationships with followers. Make sure to be responsive and ensure contact information is prominent. How you say things will be more important than ever, so take extra care not to appear tone-deaf (being overly salesy right now is a bad look). 

3. Adjust your messaging

Coronavirus and Covid-19 are among the most searched terms on the internet right now. It’s important to redirect your content strategy to provide pieces focused on these topics. Without using legal jargon, use your content to help your readers understand the deluge of associated legal and business implications brought on by COVID-19. Remember, look for unique angles. You can leverage these tips when crafting your COVID-19 content.

4. Keep email applicable

In the days following the initial impact of Coronavirus, people’s inboxes were flooded with emails about how certain companies were responding. Most likely, that leads to attention fatigue. If you send an email now, make sure it’s short and relevant – talk about your own hours, methods of consultations, etc. Keep it specific to your database and their needs. 

5. Remember, circumstances are always changing

Don’t simply reiterate the same “Stay at home, We’re all in this together” messaging that we’ve heard for three months. Regulations, business, the economy, and what we know about the illness are constantly changing. Create content that provides new information as the scenario changes. 

6. Give selflessly when you can

Many people are struggling right now – and maybe that includes your firm. Consider what you can give that provides value. For example, a lot of law firms have chosen to create COVID-19 Resource Centers that deliver timely and useful information to clients during this difficult time.

7. Leverage cheap paid ads

According to digital marketing influencer Neil Patel, paid ads are becoming increasingly inexpensive. Since there aren’t as many businesses competing for ads, the cost per click is going down. With more people online, that means a stronger ROI for your firm. If you haven’t invested in paid ads before, consider starting now. 

8. Diversify geographically

Some areas are hit harder by the virus than others. Now is a good time to look at the makeup of your client base, and see where it might make sense to expand. It might serve you to change up your marketing message to different geographic locations.

9. Narrow down your firm’s focus area

In general but now especially, broad marketing approaches are not very effective. This is also an ideal time for law firms to narrow their focus in order to attract those clients that have specialized needs. Account based marketing is one way to do that and of course you can leverage your CRM database to segment your contacts with personalized messages and email templates customized for each stage of their journey.

10. Be generous with thought leadership

We’ve said it before: people hire attorneys for their guidance and expertise. Show that you have the know-how to help clients by sharing helpful information through content. Consistently show up for your target audience with valuable materials, and when they do need a lawyer, they’ll have little question about who to turn to. Checkout these 10 easy steps you can take to become a thought leader on LinkedIn.

11. Customize with visuals and rich media

With so much activity on social, people will get bored of simple text. Create personalized videos or pictures for more dynamic content. Try a Q&A video, short clips of your attorneys working from home, or infographics about the current scenarios. 

Most important, remain nimble. If you’re waiting for things to return to normal to make strategic decisions or to market your firm, you’ll be waiting a long time. We are facing a new normal and no one quite knows what that looks like yet. One thing is for certain though: if you want to be in business once the pandemic is over, you need to continue marketing your firm. Adjust your strategy as needed, be empathetic, and listen to your target audience. 

Takeaway

There’s a lot of uncertainty right now. The best thing you can do for your law firm in COVID-19 is to continue marketing, but with sympathy and relevance. Understand where your audience is coming from and seek to provide value and address challenges. Follow these tactics and your firm will be better positioned to face the new normal. 

If you need any help putting together marketing content or an outreach strategy, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are here to help firms like yours during this unprecedented time.

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