Marketing Strategy Tips For Creating a Successful Law Firm

As an attorney, you know the systemic approach to winning the case. But do you know the steps it takes to win clients? A successful marketing strategy is your solution for gaining new clients and retaining existing ones. With careful planning, it’s simple to build a marketing strategy for law firms to get noticed and build the bottom line. 

Create a Law Firm Marketing Strategy

Before putting together a list of places you will advertise, you have to do research to make sure your brand stands out when you place ads. Your findings will help formulate your marketing strategy and are the basis of your law firm’s marketing plan. 

Define your SMART goals

A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Your marketing plan should help you achieve your SMART goal. For instance, if you are a new firm, you may need to increase awareness. But just wanting to increase awareness is too generic. Instead, say, "I want to achieve 10,000 impressions within three months.” Then, you would plan tactics that could yield those results. Or, if you are in a growth phase at the firm, set a specific goal to acquire new clients. Consider something like, “I want to acquire three new clients per month from the marketing plan implemented Jan – July this year.”

Before setting your goals, you should research the market to understand the potential volume of clients available and which geographic areas may yield the most opportunities. You will also need to conduct a competitive analysis to understand how many other firms compete in this landscape, their services, benefits, and how many clients they serve.  

• Establish your brand

Your advertising campaigns must be rooted in a recognizable brand. Ensure your firm has a unique logo and a consistent color palette to establish your visual elements. You also need to tell your story to help clients feel a personal connection to your firm. Write and publish attorney bios and details about the company’s founding, mission, and vision statement. 

• Identify your target audience

You must know who you are trying to reach when you place ads to tailor your advertising message and placement. So, consider who your target audience is. Define their demographics, psychographics, geographic location, and purchasing habits for selecting law firms.

• Distinguish your law firm

Because you have already done competitive research, you know what other law firms in your area are touting as benefits. So, what can you say to distinguish your law firm? Establish your unique selling proposition to enhance the value you are offering to clients. 

• Set your budget

You can strategize more effectively if you have a defined marketing budget. You should spend roughly 5% of your annual revenue on marketing. Once you have begun implementing plans, you can optimize your strategies and decide if you should increase this budget. 

Marketing Plan Ideas

Now that you have done the background research, you’re ready to get tactical. Here are some tips to make your marketing plan actionable. 

1. Develop an effective sales and intake process

Ads help you reach prospective clients. The sales and intake process helps you convert prospects into actual clients. So, as you determine each advertising tactic you want to incorporate into your plan, set a SMART goal for each tactic’s performance. For example, you may want to select a specific number of clicks or impressions expected for online ads or email marketing campaigns.

Once you have your tactical goals set, plan ads that will lead prospects through the purchase cycle. Your ads should help you collect contact information (lead acquisition), so you can retarget. With retargeting, you can promote consultations. Ultimately, you reach the intake phase and sign the client. 

2. Law firm website

Your website is the hub for all vital information. In all advertising, you will push people to your website for more information and to book a consultation. Make sure you build a branded, visually engaging website that’s user-friendly and optimized for mobile. Ensure the site includes an About Us page, attorney bios, service details, contact information, and conversion forms. 

3. Content is king

What you say in your ads matters. Be concise. Focus on what you want clients to recall. Emphasize your unique selling proposition and help your audience see you as an authority in your area. Ads should push to a website or blog to provide more in-depth content. 

4. Improve SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps people find you through organic search. Add structured citations in online directories and unstructured citations on blogs and partner websites. And make sure your website uses metadata and incorporates keywords on all content pages. SEO efforts can ensure your firm’s name is a top search result. Another great way to improve SEO is through reviews on Google, Yelp, Avvo, etc. Case Status is the only platform for law firms that includes a complete system for tracking client happiness and targeting them for reviews at the optimal time. After implementing Case Status, one law firm had an 800% increase in Google reviews. 

5. Promotional Videos

Create videos that personify your firm. People want to know they are working with someone who understands their corporate or personal needs. Make short, shareable videos or extended videos for YouTube and your website. 

6. Leverage social media

Social media tools can keep clients engaged. Organic social allows you to post consistent updates with relevant and timely information that matters to your followers. Paid social ads can help attract prospects.  

7. Attract 5-star reviews

Reviews and testimonials showcase authentic success stories and build credibility for your firm. A tool like the Happiness Tracker can help you maximize this strategy. 

8. Maintain a presence in the legal directories

Legal directories are like industry-focused digital phone books. Including your firm in all legal directories helps garner leads. 

9. Email marketing

Sending out recurring emails is a great strategy to retain customer loyalty and convert acquisitions. The messages you send can help prospects see your topic authority, build trust, and keep your brand top-of-mind. 

10. Case Studies

Use your website to publish success stories. Let prospects see that your firm has helped other clients win in scenarios similar to what they are facing. Case studies build trust and loyalty.  

Put Your Strategy to Work

Building a successful marketing strategy for your law firm is a surefire way to help your firm thrive. Case Status is ready to help you put your strategy to work. Book a demo now.