Is 2020 the year you achieve your law firm’s marketing goals? It should be.
Many law firms don’t think about marketing all that much. It often gets pushed to the back of their minds, especially with all of the other work they have to do.
BUT! Statistics show that 96% of people seeking legal advice use a search engine to find legal information. That’s how many potential clients your law firm missed if marketing is on the back-burner.
It’s Time to Create Your Law Firm Marketing Strategy!
Is your website easy to find on search engines? Have you ever run a Google Ad campaign, or used a landing page? If the answer is no, you have a massive opportunity to grow your firm.
Our New Year’s resolution this year is to help more businesses achieve all of your marketing goals. We’ve listed down 8 law firm marketing strategies you need to help you grow your practice this 2020.
1. Establish Your Credibility
One way you can increase your number of clients is by establishing your credibility. Many online users are often skeptical of acquiring services or buying products online because fraudulent sellers.
You want users to immediately trust your business when they visit your website. So, here is a list of what you should include in your website and other accounts to demonstrate your authority and credibility.
Awards and Honors
Akerman, awarded as “Law Firm of the Year In Litigation,” establishes their credibility by subtly listing down their achievements and awards.
A better way to do this is by including a few visuals to demonstrate your awards. It’s more appealing and better for your SEO to include both visuals and text.
Reviews and Testimonials
Including reviews and testimonials on your website or posting them online immediately adds credibility. All of the websites we build for law firms include testimonials on the homepage and ideally on several others as well. Studies show that people trust online reviews as much as family and friends. Make sure the glowing reviews on your website match the reviews on sites like Google and Yelp so that you maintain that trust. If you get a bad review, make sure you respond and attempt to resolve the issue.
Case Studies
Dive a little deeper than a testimonial to really give your audience insight into how things work and the value you bring. Including detailed case studies on your website is an extremely effective way to demonstrate your success and expertise.
As Seen On…
Another way you can demonstrate your credibility is by including the press releases or media channels you have been featured on. The bigger the news source, the more legitimate you will appear to users. Our client, Elite Tax Relief, uses this method effectively by including As Seen On logos on several pages of their website.
Client List
Finally, if you have some big name clients that you’d like to show off, why not go for it? Including a client list with recognizable names definitely makes a great impression!
2. Improve Your SEO Ranking
Question: How important is it that you show up earlier in a Google search than your competition?
Answer: Critical.
The reason is that the majority of Google searchers never make it past the first page. Even if you’re only a couple results below another law firm in the city, a potential client simply might not get that far. In short, the better your SEO ranking, the more traffic and clicks you get.
So how do you climb higher in Google’s ranks? For an in-depth look, check out our blog, Tips to Improve Your Website’s SEO Ranking. Some of the things you’re going to have to keep in mind when creating your SEO strategy are:
3. Check Your Website Info
There are several key things law firms need to include on their website in order for it to have a chance at generating leads. Some may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many of these things are missing off of lawyers’ websites.
4. Leverage Your Ads
Paid ads remain one of the fastest ways of growing your business. SEO takes time to build up, but all you need for paid ads are a landing page and a campaign.
Plus, although SEO will bring potential clients to your site, it seems organic traffic simply doesn’t convert as well as clicks on an ad. Check out this case study by a marketer at Moz. He tested the same keyword (“metal roofing”) with both organic and PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns over 12 months. In the end, the paid ad campaign converted approximately 50% better than the organic one. That means that the person who clicked on the ad was twice as likely to buy as the person who Google searched and clicked on one of the organic results.
Online advertising is highly effective when done right because you can get very specific with your campaign and narrow in on what’s working. It’s the best way to get web traffic that turns into paying customers. On the other hand, if you aren’t set up to convert the traffic you get from the ad, it could end up being a big waste of money.
If you are interested in dipping your toe into online advertising, talk to a Google and Facebook advertising expert like Just Digital to guarantee you get the results you want.
5. Utilize Landing Pages
Landing pages turn your traffic into leads, hence their importance when it comes to paid advertising.
A landing page aims to make a user take a specific action, whether that’s make an appointment, buy now, or download an e-book (in exchange for an email address). Whatever your landing page aims to convince a user to do, it must be strategic and end in a potential sale. Email drip campaigns after someone’s email is acquired is a common practice.
6. Add a Live Chat Feature
As intimidating and tiring as it may sound, live chat is still one effective way to increase credibility, conversions, and client engagement. This feature allows you to immediately answer questions or concerns and can strengthen client relationships.
You’ll also be ahead of your competition because you’re running your business 24/7. You can hire agents to reply to queries so you don’t have to.
Our client, Roz Strategies, is an example of how live chat can be beneficial without compromising user experience. The subtle popup lets you know it’s there if you want it, but you can easily close it.
7. Try Video Marketing
A study conducted by Wyzowl shows that 72% of businesses say video has improved their conversion rate. That was in 2016. Now, the demand for video content is even greater, and businesses would do well to incorporate videos into their marketing strategies.
You can use video marketing to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your law firm, introduce your team, answer questions and provide valuable information, or even feature reviews and case studies from clients. Elite Tax Relief (above) opted to dive into a case study, as well as get behind the camera themselves to give it a more personal touch.
8. Provide Valuable Content
Inbound marketing strategies are known to passively generate organic traffic to your website. One form of inbound marketing is content marketing.
Not many law firms are utilizing this strategy to increase their traffic, so you definitely should. Content can help build brand recognition and awareness, plus demonstrate your expertise and value. Think of it as your bait to draw visitors to your website.
You can provide valuable content by publishing case studies, blog articles, informational videos, and even a newsletter. You have many options to choose from.
Which of these strategies will you add this New Year to your law firm marketing strategy?
We want to know! Comment down below which ones you’ll be trying out.
Want an expert opinion on which ones are best for you? Send us a message! We’ve created many law firm marketing strategies for our clients, and we’d be happy to talk about yours!